From wikipedia.org:
James O'Kelly
(born 1735; died October 16, 1826) was an American clergyman during the Second Great Awakening and an important figure in
the early history of Methodism in America. Affiliated with the
Methodist Episcopal Church from its organization at the Christmas Conference in
1784, O'Kelly, who favored the congregationalist
system of church polity, came to oppose the church's system of centralized episcopal authority, which he believed infringed on the
freedom of preachers. At the 1792 General Conference of the Methodist Church
he introduced a resolution that would allow clergy more freedom in determining
their assignments. The resolution was defeated. In protest, O'Kelly
withdrew from the denomination and with his supporters founded the Republican Methodist Church,
later known simply as the Christian Church, or "Connection", which
merged with the Congregational churches in 1931 to form the Congregational
Christian Churches. This body, in turn, merged with the German-American
Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1957 to form the present United Church of
Christ.
Nearby waymarks
related to James O’Kelly include North Carolina
Historical Highway Markers G-41
and H-78. Two churches begun by O’Kelly are nearby as well, the O’Kelly
Chapel Christian Church and Martha’s Chapel Christian
Church.
Directions to the O’Kelly grave (from therestorationmovement.com with
credit to William Boyd):
Head
east from Greensboro, N.C. on I-85/I-40 until it splits. Continue on I-40
toward Raleigh
16 miles and take Exit 274 (Hwy. 751 / Jordan Lake Exit) and turn right. Go
south about 2.0 miles and turn right into the Colvard
Farms sub-division. Follow the main road into the sub-division about a mile (an
estimated distance from memory) take a left onto a road called Crimson Oak.
Follow Crimson Oak until you come to the place where a "Nature Trail"
crosses the road. (Just before a sharp turn to the left). This is a nice paved
neighborhood walking trail. Take the trail to the left and you will soon come
to the O'Kelly cemetery beside the trail on your
right. The small cemetery is surrounded by a black iron fence. The O'Kelly monument is clearly seen from the trail.