Asheville Gospel Chapel, NC
Contents |
[edit] History
The earliest work in North Carolina seems to be in Asheville in the western part of the state. The story of the Asheville Gospel Chapel starts with W. G. Smith, born in Scotland in 1884. Coming to the U.S. in 1911, he was commended to full-time Christian work about 1913. Mr. Smith moved to Asheville and first lived in a tent at the lower end of Swanannoa Avenue, from which he witnessed for the Lord Jesus. When several were saved and instructed, the Christians became interested in having the Lord’s Supper. Mr. Smith instigated the building of the Asheville Gospel Hall on Alabama Avenue.
The Varner family moved to Asheville in 1921 and were among the first in fellowship. Miss Carrie Bellinger, who had moved from Columbia, SC was a devoted and useful sister in the assembly. Evangelist Robert Curry worked with the assembly in the early 1920s. W.G. Smith had tent meetings in the summers of 1924 and 1925. During the later 1920s, Fred Nugent and Andrew Foster worked in the Gospel at nearby Canton. Some who were saved there and who later came to Asheville were Opal Snyder, Mrs. Reed, and Willa King. An assembly was started in Canton but was short-lived. The Lannings moved to Asheville in the 1930s and contributed much to the Asheville assembly.
In the early 1930s, three different evangelists – James Smith, David Calderhead, and Oswald McLeod – lived in and worked out of Asheville. James Smith’s initiative in 1937 brought about the purchase of property and building at 20 Hanover Street, the home for many years of the Asheville Gospel Chapel.
During the World War II years, there was much to discourage. At times Ralph Poole was the only man to carry on at many of the meetings. Mr. Poole had been saved through the ministry of Donald Ross in Savannah. The women were faithful in maintaining a Sunday School. In about 1945, James A. Innes, his wife, and their three sons moved to Asheville from Minneapolis. They were a great help to the assembly for many years. About 24 were in regular fellowship in this period. William Brown came from New Jersey to assist in the work until late 1947.
After the war, the Sunday School, which had been discontinued, was restarted and a period of growth ensued. Soon the assembly needed more room. An addition to the Ashville Gospel Chapel was made in the fall of 1947. The children’s work grew through the start of a Bible school by Tom Innes and children’s meetings with Ernie Gross. Some were saved and several Christians who had left the fellowship in previous years returned, so that by 1952, there was again need for more room. The lot next to the chapel was purchased. This was the time of the Korean War, and some young men who had been active in the assembly were drafted. Plans went ahead, however, and an addition was started in 1953, about the time when a Family Bible Hour was started. When the Korean War ended, some men returned. Walter Peck moved back to Asheville and associated with the assembly. The Southeastern Workers’ Conference was held there in March 1955.
A peak attendance of 145 was reached in 1958. There was a shift at this time from attendance by children whose families had no connection with the assembly, to an increase in the assembly family. By 1964, the Christians were considering a move. An offer for the Chapel property was made and accepted. Property on Old Haw Creek Road was purchased and a chapel built. The first meeting in the new building was January 15, 1967. An addition to the building was completed in the fall of 1993.
[edit] Address/Contact
|
Current Address, Date Street Phone # |
Contact Address Street Phone # |
|
Past Address, Date Building Name Street |
Past Address, Date Building Name Street |
[edit] Links
[edit] Meetings
[edit] Leadership
Present Elders
Past Elders
Present Deacons
Past Deacons
[edit] Commended Workers/Ministries
Full-Time Service
[edit] Also See
Asheville Gospel Chapel, NC
[edit] Author
Dan H. Smith, Ed.D. President, Emmaus Bible College
[edit] Resources
Questionnaire Responses
Asheville Gospel Chapel, anonymous, undated but after 1994
Historical Sketch of the Sanford Chapel, anonymous, undated, but after 1989
Brief History of Graham Bible Fellowship, anonymous, undated, about 1990
Letters of Interest, January 1944, p. 25; July 1946, p. 16; December 1949, p. 18; November 1953, p. 3; March 1954, p. 12; June 1959, p. 11; March 1975, p. 5
History of Cherrydale Bible Church, in The Cherrydale Messenger, fall 1997
Hampton Roads Community Church, mid 1990s
Grace Gospel Chapel: Historical Sketch of Assembly, 1998
Letters of Interest; November 1946, p. 34; December 1946, p. 30; October 1966, p. 9
Letters of Interest, July-August, 1972, p. 22
25th Anniversary Celebration of the New Hampshire Avenue Gospel Chapel, 1989
Letters of Interest, Oct. 1952, p. 13; March 1953, p. 18
Letters of Interest, August 1948, p. 22
Looking Backward, by Mary A. Harry, January 1946
Waynesburg Bible Chapel, undated
History of Indiana Gospel Hall, 1988
Our Heritage: Assembly History in the Philadelphia Area, March 7, 1999; by William J. Oliver and Robert Rea
A Brief History of Malvern Bible Chapel, 1996
History of the Germantown Christian Assembly, Philadelphia, Pa., Charles Hart, 1990
History of Monterey Chapel, P. David Sheaffer, undated
A History of the McKeesport Gospel Hall, by Harold F. Clark, 1999
Letters of Interest, November 1953, p. 3; January 1954, p. 9; June 1959, p. 11; February 1970, p. 33
