association
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association noun An organized body of churches in a district or the regular gathering of this body, especially for Baptists held annually or (more recently) quarterly for two or more days to provide a time for preaching, conducting business, and sharing fellowship.
1799 Globe Creek Church Minutes 7 (Caldwell Co NC) On motion made it is agreed that bro[the]r George Brown be delegated to attend the holston ass[ociation] as corrispondent messenger. 1826 Whitten Letter Then there is the Regular Baptists enough in this purchase to form an associaton called the Forked Deer association. 1864 Poteet CW Letters (Oct 6) the Assosiation has past over there was 14 or 15 preachers there. 1889 Mooney Folk Carolina Mts 97 The great occasion of religious awakening is the “association,” which takes place in the fall. 1977 Shackleford et al Our Appalachia 46 Once a year they’d have what they called an Association, or the annual meeting, and they’d have dinner on the grounds. The Associations were held first [at] one church, then another. There were five, six, or seven churches, and a whole bevy of [preachers]. Ibid. 44 In the mountains an “Association” is the governing body of a group of Baptist churches in one locale or county that share common beliefs. For many years Association meetings were the largest and most important annual public gatherings. 1996 Montgomery Coll = traditionally a week-long gathering in late summer, when the business of the denomination was conducted and preaching was held daily (Cardwell).