Editor's note: The following is a reprint from the Nov. 2, 2016, edition of The Weekly Vista. At the time the original article was published, the church was fairly isolated but that changed when the Highlands exit for the I-49 bypass was opened nearby.
There is a small log church, painted white with a green metal roof, standing on the west side of Bella Vista at the corner of Highlands Blvd and Rocky Dell Hollow Road. It is now called the Donivan Church.
In the early 1930's, local resident Frank Hacker had a vision ... it came to him that he should build a church that looked like a cross, a shape that (if he counted both inner and outer corners) would give it twelve corners, to represent the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel. He enlisted the help of Fred Reese, and they became the founders of the church.
Ground was broken on October 3, 1934, with the first service held on June 9, 1935. The church stands not far from the site where the old Donivan school was located, which had been previously used for church services.
Although Hacker called it the "Church of the Kingdom of God," it soon became known as the "Blackjack Church," because of the blackjack oak logs used in its construction. Several years ago, the congregation changed the name to the Donivan Full Gospel Church to keep the Donivan community name alive.
Two pot-bellied wood-burning stoves heated the church through the 1940's, later replaced by a propane gas stove. In the early 1950's, electricity was added. In the late 1990's, the gas stove was removed, and the church was outfitted with central air and heat, with carpet on the floor for the first time.
A second building was built for Sunday school classes in the 1960's, now called Fellowship Hall. Two out-houses stood at the rear of the property until the 1970's, when porta-potties were set up. Bathrooms were added to the Hall in the late 1980's.
Several logs on the church building were replaced over the years, but a few years ago, a major renovation was undertaken. Some of the logs were bulging out, and that was cracking the sheet rock on the inside of the building. All the lower logs were replaced, a foundation was added, tiles were removed from the original ceiling which was then whitewashed, and a metal roof was added.
Sunday school is held every Sunday morning at 10 a.m., with worship following at 11 a.m. The formerly held Sunday night services ended around 2000, and Wednesday night services ended before that, in the late 1980's.
Xyta Lucas is a volunteer with the Bella Vista Historical Museum, located near the corner of Highway 71 and Kingsland Road. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 1- 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the museum's website at bellavistamuseum.org or call 479-855-2335.