The communities of Mississippi County are steeped in the tradition of their faith. Blytheville’s first resident and namesake, Henry T. Blythe, was a Methodist circuit rider and a man of deep religious convictions. Faith has been the backbone of these northeastern Arkansas communities as economies have shifted, as well as their solace as fortunes have ebbed and flowed. And ultimately, it is the fiber of faith that accounts for one of the community’s primary assets — people who care about each other. As a result, hometown churches can be found interspersed throughout Blytheville neighborhoods. Some of these churches — representing a wide variety of denominations — are historic, but new congregations continue to evolve, forming new churches that, like the old, are committed to connecting to the community with not only traditional worship services, but also with weekly activities and valuable outreach programs.