Pennsylvania history

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

1881: Old Meeting, Philadelphia, PA

An assembly known as the Old Meeting in Philadelphia at 18th Street and Fairmount Avenue is known to have existed in Philadelphia by 1881, for Miss Mary Ann Smith (later Mrs. Mary Harry), a recent immigrant to the United States, was directed there by the Irish evangelists James Campbell and William Matthews. A Mr. Reed was a leading elder in that assembly. But after Miss Smith visited a nearby ‘exclusive’ meeting, she was not allowed to return to the Old Meeting.

1884: Downtown Meeting, Philadelphia, PA

Mrs. Harry records that there was no other assembly in Philadelphia to which she could turn, so the Old Meeting was evidently was the only ‘open’ brethren meeting in the city at that time. The young girl wrote to the evangelists, pleading with them to come to Philadelphia, and they did in May 1884, holding tent meetings on South Broad Street below Federal Street. On the first Sunday of the tent meetings, seven Christians Broke Bread together, the beginning of what became known as the Philadelphia Assembly or the Downtown Meeting. Those present were Miss Mary Ann Smith, her brother Robert and mother Mrs. Charles Smith; James Campbell, William Matthews, William McEwen (brother of John Knox McEwen and father of Hugh and Sam McEwen), and John Greer.

Many were saved in the first season of these tent meetings. When winter came, the Philadelphia Assembly rented a room over a blacksmith’s shop at 1113 South Broad Street. It was there that the assembly had its first Conference on Christmas Day, 1887 at which Donald and Charles Ross, James Campbell, William Matthews, Norman Case (later with the China Inland Mission), Frank Crook, William Staner, David Oliver, and John Haliburton were preachers. (Mrs. Harry also mentions attendance by her future husband from the Harrisburg assembly, so the Harrisburg Assembly was in existence by 1887.)

The Christians met for several years over the blacksmith’s shop. Many were saved and added to the group, and many believers came from the ‘old country’ and joined them. Open-air meetings conducted by the assembly were common, and there the greatest opposition to the Gospel was felt, stones and bricks being thrown at the preachers.

The Christians at the Downtown Meeting went through several moves, to 13th and Wharton, 15th and Federal, 17th and Federal, 21st and Latona, and then to 20th and Dickinson, where they remained for many years and apparently erected their own building. This building was sold in 1945 and they moved to rented quarters at 71st Street and Woodland Avenue, and then to 64th and Woodland until 1952, when the meeting disbanded, after 68 years of existence.

1910: Mascher Street Assembly, Philadelphia, PA

From this Downtown Meeting, several others sprang up. People living in north Philadelphia rented the Iron Hall in Kensington for assembly meetings, in fellowship with the Downtown Meeting. These later moved to Howard Street, and in 1910 purchased their own building at 2447 North Mascher Street, known as the Mascher Street Gospel Hall. The Mascher Street assembly continued to exist until 1982 but was not on Mascher Street in its final years.

1926: Olney Gospel Hall, Philadelphia, PA

In 1926, the Olney Gospel Hall in North Philadelphia hived-off from the Mascher Street assembly, which had become quite large with over 200 in fellowship. The Christians met first on N. 5th Street between Lindley Avenue and Tabor Road. In 1928, they moved to 314 W. Chew Street, which is the present location of Olney Gospel Hall

The original elders at Olney included John McQuillen, David Oliver, David Harry, William Richmond, E.B. Sykes, Harry Strain, and John MacEllan. Another early elder was John McQuillen. Sam and Hugh McEwen had Gospel meetings there in 1927. Open-air preaching at the corner of 5th and Tabor was a feature of the assembly. John Bothwell was known for his distribution of Gospel tracts in the neighborhood. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, five preachers made Olney their home assembly. They were Charles Keller, John P. Conaway, William Robertson, Ed Richmond, and Clay Fite. In the late 1940s, Paul Plubell made his home there.

Among those commended to the Lord’s work have been Edward Richmond, who pioneered and shepherded a work in Dover, DE (now called Dover Bible Chapel), and C.C. Fite, who preached throughout the continent. The Italian evangelist Cesare Patrizio was also associated with Olney Gospel Hall, though commended by the Bryn Mawr Assembly.

1927: Grace Gospel Chapel, Philadelphia, PA

Grace Gospel Chapel in Philadelphia began in 1927 when a group split off from Olney Gospel Hall. These Christians met on the second floor of a commercial building at 5th and Rising Sun Avenue in Philadelphia. Robert Barnes, George Canning, Granvil Godshalk, and James MacDonald were the acknowledged leaders and among those who started the assembly. In 1944, they rented a former Episcopal church building for their meetings, on Willow Grove Avenue in the suburb of Wyndmoor on the north side. This small building was next to a large Roman Catholic facility; about a year after Grace assembly occupied the building, the Catholics purchased it and had it torn down for their own expansion.

So in about 1946, the assembly moved into a storefront in the Erlen section of the city on Cheltenham Avenue. This was a busy street and the storefront was next to the Erlen Theater. The Christians called their new home Erlen Gospel Chapel.

The area gradually deteriorated, and the Christians began looking around for a more suitable place to meet. In 1970, they learned of an available building long known as Ardsley Chapel in Ardsley, then about 10 miles north of the city. The Erlen assembly purchased the building, calling it Ardsley Bible Chapel, which is the current meeting place of the assembly on Jenkintown Road at Harrison Avenue.

In 1984, the assembly was small and struggling. Apart from Robert Barnes, the early leaders had all passed on, and the assembly had no designated elders. The Enfield Gospel Chapel, about three miles away, was at that time a thriving assembly with a number of young families. A number of these families, about 40 people in all, decided to leave Enfield and join the Ardsley group. James Hulshizer was the leading brother among these.

The assembly became convinced of the Scriptural need for designated elders, and James Hulshizer was chosen, followed later by Albert Crompton. Paul Logan and his family then returned from the mission field in Zambia for medical reasons, and Paul became another elder. In 1989, Norman and Alice Roberts came to the assembly, and Norman joined the three in eldership. In 1994, four young men were added to the eldership: Karl Peterson, Dean Henrich, John MacPherson, and William Parfitt. Karl Peterson was commended for work within the assembly. Ardsley Bible Chapel has commended and co-commended workers to Zambia and Mozambique.

Maranatha Tabernacle, Darby, Philadelphia, PA

While the Christians were at 20th and Dickinson, some of the group then living in the vicinity of Darby in the southwest suburbs, built Maranatha Hall or Maranatha Tabernacle in or near Darby. A radio preacher, George Palmer, was there for many years. This assembly later was called the Collingdale Assembly.

1914: Collingdale Gospel Chapel, Philadelphia, PA

This Collingdale Assembly is not to be confused with another assembly of similar name, which began when an Irish preacher, Mr. Nickelson, came to Darby in 1914 and held Gospel meetings. Several were saved, and the little band began meeting in 1915 as an assembly in a rented room in the Odd Fellows Hall in Darby. Robert Henry and Harry Pinney were the principals at establishing the assembly, having moved from Philadelphia. In 1921, the growing assembly built Collingdale Gospel Hall a mile west in Collingdale at MacDade Boulevard and Hillside Avenue. The assembly grew and increased its auditorium and Sunday school capacity in 1953. Now called the Collingdale Gospel Chapel, the assembly has commended several to the Lord’s work in the Dominican Republic, Zaire, and Quebec.

1890’s: West Philadelphia Assembly, Philadelphia, PA

In the 1880s or 1890s, George McCandless, who had a printing business, was preaching on the streets of Philadelphia. He rented a store at 20th and Kater Streets in south Philadelphia and put a big Bible in the window along with some Bible texts. He invited men to a Bible study and in other ways attracted families to gather, apparently as an assembly. A number of these families later moved to west Philadelphia and met in a room in a large building at 67th and Market Streets, owned by James Arthur, a building contractor. The assembly at that time became known as the West Philadelphia Assembly.

Mr. Arthur knew of George MacKenzie, who had only recently become acquainted with the New Testament manner of gathering and would soon become outstanding itinerant preacher and encouraged him to teach at the new assembly. In about 1900, Mr. Arthur won a contract to develop a residential area in Kenilworth, New Jersey. He brought some of these Philadelphia Christians with him and helped start an assembly in Kenilworth. He sold the Philadelphia building at that time, and the Christians who had been meeting there moved a short distance west to a store between 58th and 59th on Market Street. The group at that time was small and was affiliated with the ‘Grant exclusive’ brethren.

A Mr. Mory then built a four-story apartment building at 5917 Chestnut Street and rented the whole first floor to the assembly. There it flourished and grew, and many well-known speakers came for special meetings, including Henry Allan Ironside, A.E. Booth, and George MacKenzie.

1948: Lansdowne Bible Chapel

Then a split occurred, and one group moved out, to 58th and Hoffman Avenue. These were identified with the ‘open’ brethren. In 1948 they moved into a basement-only building in nearby Lansdowne and became known as the Lansdowne Gospel Hall, and after that the Lansdowne Gospel Chapel. They later added an above-ground auditorium, but a fire forced them to move out for six months. At that time, the brethren who had remained at 5917 Chestnut, invited them back into that space. When the repairs were finished, the rift apparently healed, those brethren joined with the Lansdowne group.

In 1956, some of the families moved further out into the suburbs and established the Malvern assembly. The Lansdowne assembly today is known as the Lansdowne Bible Chapel, located at Greenwood and Wycombe.

Malvern Gospel Chapel, Philadelphia, PA

An assembly in Malvern, in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, was founded in 1957. In 1956, several families living in that area and who were attending the Lansdowne Gospel Chapel, which was closer in to the city, were exercised to start a new testimony in their neighborhood. They met together for prayer for several months. Some from the Bryn Mawr Gospel Hall joined with this group, as did others. The families of Thomas Fraser, James Mehaffey, Stanley Hart, John Dorazio, Herman Sauer, Charles Wilson, and Hans Kurash formed the nucleus of the group.

In 1957, they purchased and extensively remodeled an old Quaker Meeting House at Woodland Avenue and Roberts Lane, calling it Upper Main Line Gospel Hall in Malvern, and that year celebrated their first Lord’s Supper there. A major effort was made to reach the children of the neighborhood. A Friday night “Happy Hour” for children would run for 12 weeks each spring and fall; a very desirable side benefit was the involvement of the whole congregation.

Because of the different backgrounds of those in fellowship at the new assembly, decisions and agreements had to be made on matters such as choice of hymn book, the style of the Lord’s Supper, and the type of preaching meeting. This was done in a spirit of unity. As the numbers grew from the starting group of about 50, an addition was made in the 1960s, and another in the 1980s. The name Upper Main Line Gospel Hall was changed to Gospel Chapel to distinguish the group from the Kingdom Hall title used by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Another change to Malvern Gospel Chapel was made to better reflect the area, and then Malvern Bible Chapel was adopted to emphasize that the whole Bible was preached. The number in fellowship in the late 1990s is about 140.

Those active in leadership from the early years include Harold Harper, Edgar Brightbill, Mervin Madsen, Bart Sloane, Godfrey Greenhow, and William Calderwood. In the early 1970s, the church government was placed in the hands of a group of seven elders. The assembly has commended workers to France, Zambia, and Peru.

1914: West Philadelphia Gospel Hall, Philadelphia, PA

Another group of Christians were also called a West Philadelphia assembly. Though the names given to its various meeting places have not been identified, I will refer to them collectively as the West Philadelphia Gospel Hall. The assembly was formed in about 1914 and was an off-shoot of the Downtown Meeting because of a number who were living in the western area of the city. They first met in a store front property on South 60th Street near Spruce. Some of the early brethren at the West Philadelphia Gospel Hall were David Sutter, John McLeod, Thomas Anderson, Albert Anderson, William Cameron, James Smith, Albert Wilson, William King, William Long, and Edward Moffitt.

In 1933, the assembly purchased a building at 62nd and Jefferson Streets in the Overbrook section of the city. It was simply a basement with no above-ground floor. In 1933, Sam McEwen had Gospel meetings in the newly purchased building. In 1963, they sold that building and moved further west to rented quarters in Broomall before moving to their new hall in 1967, located on Route 252 south of Newtown Square. In 1927 or 1928, Robert Halliday and John Conaway had fruitful meetings at the West Philadelphia Gospel Hall.

1906: Ardmore/Bryn Mawr Gospel Hall

In 1906, a group of Christians who had been commuting in to town from the suburbs began meeting as the Ardmore Assembly in the Merion Title Building. A year or so later they moved to Bryn Mawr and became known as the Bryn Mawr Assembly. The believers met for years in the reading room over the public library. Mr. Cesare Patrizio was commended from the assembly in about 1918, and Oswald MacLeod in 1928. Others have been commended to the Lord’s work at home and abroad since that time. The preacher James Marshall made the Bryn Mawr assembly his home assembly for many years.

A new building was erected in 1923-1924 the Bryn Mawr Gospel Hall which is still used today. Some of the names from that time are Samuel Martin, Hugh Clark, Harry Iolitt, Robert Irvine, King Irvine, William Goldsmith, William Oliver, and Charles Dautle. Two expansions to the building have been made since the original, the first in 1975, and the most recent in 1994.

One of the interesting things about the Bryn Mawr assembly was the large number of men and women who worked in the private estates in various capacities. The weekly prayer meeting was on Friday evening to accommodate these folks. Another feature of those days was that the prayer meeting at Bryn Mawr was almost as large as the morning meeting. The Bryn Mawr assembly sponsored an annual Thanksgiving Conference for many years.

1921: Italian Meeting, Philadelphia, PA

Before 1921, a work was being carried on among Italian immigrants in Philadelphia. Cesare Patrizio and Louis Rosanio had tent meetings and decided to form an Italian meeting because of the need to use the language for many coming into the country who did not know English. This meeting began in 1921. They met for years in different places in south Philadelphia. Among the various addresses was 8th and Reed Streets. In later years they moved to the Tycony section of Philadelphia; in the 1966 the meeting was disbanded. (See Ethnic section)

1906: Enfield Gospel Chapel, Philadelphia, PA

The assembly now at Enfield Gospel Chapel on the north side of Philadelphia, came into being in 1906 at 2838 Ridge Avenue. It later moved to 14 E. Clapier Street where it was known as the Germantown Gospel Hall. The assembly moved to its present location at 6 Summit Lane, Oreland in 1968. Leaders over the years include Charles Brinkman, Harry Sailer, Fred Vollmar, William Wills, William Rickert, Chester Myers, and Ernest Schwarz.

1935: Ebenezer Community Chapel, Philadelphia, PA

In the mid-1930s, Whitfield Nottage moved to Philadelphia, where he founded the Ebenezer Community Chapel in Philadelphia, ministering there for more than 30 years before retiring.

1973: Germantown Christian Assembly, Philadelphia, PA

The Germantown Christian Assembly began in 1973, the planned product of a Gospel Crusade convened at the Church of the Atonement in the Germantown area of Philadelphia. Under the leadership of B. Sam Hart and others from Calvary Gospel Chapel in West Philadelphia, the new assembly began with 27 members. The assembly’s initial Sunday morning services were conducted in the local YMCA, and the Breaking of Bread and other services were held in the building of the Church of the Atonement on Green Street.

In 1974, the Christians purchased a large house at 610 E. Mount Pleasant Avenue, which became the home of the assembly and of the Grand Old Gospel Fellowship, the organization established by Mr. Hart for camp work and radio ministry. By mid-1975, more space was necessary, so plans were drawn to approximately double the seating capacity. The expansion was finished in 1978 after delays caused by a fire and neighborhood opposition. Within a few months, the new sanctuary was filled with new faces.

In 1980, B. Sam Hart left to plant another church (his radio broadcasts and Gospel crusades have led to the establishment of ten or more assemblies in black communities along the eastern seaboard), and Charles Hart was called to pastor the Germantown Christian Assembly. By 1982, the assembly had five elders and nine deacons. In 1983, the assembly observed the 100th birthday of its oldest living member, Whitfield Nottage, whose name is written large in the history of black evangelism in America.

The growing church with its many outreaches into the community and prisons, and active programs within the church, soon required three full-time and three part-time workers. At the end of the 1980s, the old building was torn down, and replaced by a new structure, seating 450 persons.

Others active in leadership over the years have been John Holley, Andrew Trusty, Dan Curbison, Charles Jones, Ed Harris, Ron Felten, and more recently Emmitt Cornelius. The assembly supports many missionaries and has commended workers to India and within the U.S. Ed and Carmen Harris were commended to the Lord’s service at the Willingboro Christian Assembly in New Jersey.

1950’s: Frankford/Mayfair Gospel Hall

The assembly at Frankford Gospel Hall in Philadelphia bought a church building in Mayfair in the early 1950s and called it Mayfair Gospel Hall. The new building doubled their seating capacity and gave them a new neighborhood in which to work.

1913: Roxborough Bible Chapel, Philadelphia, PA

The assembly of Christians now at Roxborough Bible Chapel began in about 1913 and was known as Wissahickon Gospel Hall, with members residing in the Wissahickon, Roxborough, and Germantown areas of Philadelphia. Three brethren were instrumental in starting the assembly as a convenient location for the local residents James Martin, Thomas Craigmile, and Albert Berry. They came from other assemblies in the Philadelphia area. Over the years, the meeting place for the assembly moved through several rented facilities in Wissahickon, the last being at 5154 Ridge Avenue.

In 1953, a parcel of land at 460 Flamingo Street in Roxborough was purchased. The Roxborough Bible Chapel was completed that year. From this location, the Sunday School and youth work begun in Wissahickon has continued to be an outreach. William Von Buchwald, James Herman, Samuel Thomas, and Paul Roberts are presently active in the leadership of the assembly.

Missionary interest is important in the assembly, and they regularly contribute to the support of workers who have had an association with the assembly and have labored in France, Honduras, and Indonesia. Miss Alice Buckland was commended in 1993 to youth work in the assembly and camp work at Greenwood Hills and Iroquoina.

Mid 1920’s: Hatboro Gospel Hall, Philadelphia, PA

In the mid-1920s, Ralph Richards lived in Hatboro, a small village north of Philadelphia, but was in fellowship at the Downtown Meeting in Philadelphia at 20th and Dickinson. He met a Mr. Hunton, a Christian business man who lived in Hatboro but was not affiliated with the brethren assemblies. Mr. Hunton, however, was acquainted with some of the Christians at the old Germantown assembly. Mr. Richards brought him to the Downtown Meeting one Sunday, and Mr. Hunton liked what he saw.

Emory Richards, Ralph’s brother, returned to the area about then, and joined the fellowship at Mascher Street on the north side of the city. Soon, in 1926 or 1927, Mr. Hunton and his large family were in the fellowship at Mascher Street.

Mr. Hunton and others at Mascher Street were exercised to start a Gospel effort in Hatboro and held cottage meetings there. They invited Oswald MacLeod, who along with Samuel Rea had tent meetings there in 1928. A Gospel outreach was continued in Hatboro in 1929 by James Marshall, Charles Teller, and local brethren from Philadelphia. In tents pitched that summer, they saw a few saved, including Mr. and Mrs. Haskell Coleman.

A new assembly was formed in Hatboro in November 1930, with more than 20 in fellowship. The assembly first met as the Hatboro Gospel Hall in half of a rented storefront on Montgomery Avenue, a partition dividing the assembly meeting room from a drum storage area. In 1935, the partition was taken down, and the assembly had full use of the storefront. The wooden floors, wooden folding chairs, and walls filled with Bible texts, are remembered. In that first year, the Hatboro assembly jointly with Mascher Street commended Samuel Rea to the work of the Lord.

In 1943, a building fund was started, and in 1946 the Christians purchased a lot at 23 W. Moreland. Construction was begun that year and completed in 1948. The Hatboro Gospel Hall still meets at that location. Many Gospel series were held by the assembly in the following decades, with speakers such as Gordon Reagor, Hector Alvez, Norman Crawford, Paul Plubell, Fred Holder, and many others. The hall was enlarged in 1982.

1983: Believers’ Fellowship, Yardley, Philadelphia, PA

Believers’ Fellowship, now meeting in a rented building in Yardley, northeast of Philadelphia, began in 1983 in the home of Paul and Joy Karleen in nearby Levittown. The assembly was started by the Karleens, Sam and Mary Lou Hardman, and Dan and Sue Matlack. Sam Hardman, John Avery, and Paul Karleen have been the leaders of Believers’ Fellowship.

1922: Plumsteadville, Fountainville, Grace Gospel Chapel Philadelphia, PA

In November 1922, a young Christian, Chester Myers, became burdened about people living in Plumsteadville and surrounding villages north of Philadelphia. Having tried various means of spreading the Gospel, he invited Mr. Harold Harper, then preaching in the Germantown Gospel Hall in Philadelphia, to come to the Plumsteadville schoolhouse for Gospel meetings. The school was packed to capacity and the meetings were continued beyond the original closing date.

Following that, and for the next several months, Mr. Harper held Gospel meetings in many chapels and schools. This faithful preaching of the gospel of God’s grace resulted in 75 to 100 souls trusting Christ as Savior. After the evangelist left, Chester Myers undertook the unfolding of the Word of God to these newborn souls. Bible classes were held in Danboro Chapel and in the homes of Mr. Harvey Huber and Mrs. Benjamin Snape.

Ten automobiles were used to carry interested believers to the annual Thanksgiving Day conference at Collingdale Gospel Hall in Philadelphia. As many of them had learned the truth of Christian baptism from the scriptures, 19 took the opportunity to be buried with Christ in baptism. Among this number were Harvey Huber, Mrs. Benjamin Snape, Hilda Snape, Mr. and Mrs. Arlington Myers, Howard Tyson, Carrie Leatherman, Helen Lear, Lloyd Tyson; and Monroe, Wilmer, Mabel, and H. Welcome Detweiler.

A meeting was arranged for the benefit of a number who had expressed desire for teaching about New Testament church truths. As a result, 22 believers met to remember the Lord at Fountainville Chapel in December 1923. Much persecution followed. So intense was it for some believers that they were forced to leave their homes. The Lord sent many of His servants to help the new testimony.

The first Bible Conference at Fountainville Chapel used Harold Harper’s tent for the dining room. During the summer months open-air meetings were conducted in Doylestown, Stockton, New Hope, Lonsdale, Quakertown, Souderton, Telford, Perkasie, and Point Pleasant. In the winter months a class for young people was held on the first and third Saturday evenings of each month. These proved to be a source of growth. Fellowship funds from these meetings were sent to workers around the world.

In Fountainville Chapel and nearby places Frank Detweiler, Harold Jones, David Blackburn, August Hasse, and others preached the Gospel and souls were saved and added to the Lord and to the assembly. In May 1928, the Christians decided to build a chapel on the Easton Highway to house the assembly. Grace Gospel Chapel in the Curly Hill, PA area was opened formally in January 1929. The assembly held for many years a Memorial Day conference. Open-air baptisms were held in the summer months in Pine Run Creek on the John B. Detweiler farm, and in the creek under the bridge near the William Tyson farm.

In 1953, about 100 were in fellowship at Grace Gospel Chapel. The assembly has commended to the work of the Lord: Frank M. Detweiler, H. Welcome and Helen Detweiler; and John and Eleanor Schultz.

1975: Sellersville, Philadelphia, PA

In 1975, an assembly was formed and met in the basement of Steve Hulshizer’s house in the village of Line Lexington, midway between Philadelphia and Allentown. Steve, Bill, and Dave Hulshizer, and Dave Dove, all from Enfield Gospel Chapel in Philadelphia, were the principals in the starting of the assembly. In 1979, the Christians moved to their present location, and formed the North Ridge Bible Chapel in Sellersville. Elders in the assembly have been Steve Hulshizer, Wes Reif, Bill Hulshizer, and Don McCaughey. The assembly has commended workers to the Lord’s field in Ecuador, Honduras, and the Bahamas.

Pittsburgh, PA

1876: McKeesport, Pittsburgh, PA

The first assembly in the Pittsburgh area was in McKeesport, a southern suburb of Pittsburgh, in 1876. No other details are available for this time period, but it is known that from 1908 to 1913, an assembly was meeting in an upper room in downtown McKeesport, to which William Pinches came to preach.

1913: Homestead Assembly, McKeesport, Pittsburgh, PA

When several of the saints had moved away or passed away, the remaining believers in 1913 joined with the Homestead Assembly some few miles away. Those in fellowship at the Homestead Assembly at that time included Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Clark and Mr. and Mrs. William McAra.

1933: McKeesport Gospel Hall, Pittsburgh, PA

From 1913 to 1933, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Clark held a Sunday School in their home and carried on Bible studies in various homes. Gospel tent meetings were held. Many were saved in these years. After Alexander Wilson started a Sunday School in his home in McKeesport in 1933, the believers involved in that work decided for form an assembly in the area, in fellowship with the Homestead Assembly. An empty storeroom was located and rented at 1301 Soles Street. The saints, twenty in all, met for the first time there in March 11, 1934 to Remember the Lord. The Joseph Clark, William Moore, and Alexander Wilson families were among those.

This first McKeesport Gospel Hall was heated with a pot-bellied stove in the middle of its only room. There were no other amenities. But the assembly was vibrant, with 100 children in its Sunday School. Sam Rea and Tom Ferguson were among the early preachers coming to the Hall.

In 1938, the building was purchased, then enlarged. The addition was opened with a prayer meeting in February of that year, with about 130 in attendance. The assemblies represented at the prayer meeting were: Homestead Assembly, Friendship Avenue Assembly, East Pittsburgh Assembly, the North Side Assembly, Pittsburgh, the Indiana Gospel Hall, and the Mansfield Assembly.

The McKeesport Gospel Hall assembly purchased a lot at Prescott and Broadway Street in White Oak Borough in 1974. The brethren designed and built the new Hall, and the first service there was in March 1975. The assembly has held Conferences each year since 1949, usually with a few hundred people attending. The assembly has commended a worker to Chile, and others to ministries within the U.S. About 60 are in the assembly now.

1956: Murrysville Bible Chapel, Murrysville, Pittsburgh, PA

Bible Truth Chapel in Murrysville, in the Pittsburgh area, began meeting in December 1956, with nine in fellowship. Four of the families came from Beechwood assembly in Pittsburgh. The work grew and in 1958 the brethren started construction of a building to house the growing testimony. The chapel was designed to seat 110 in the auditorium. By the late 1990s, the name was changed to Murrysville Bible Chapel, still at the same location at 4779 Christy Road.

1958: Beechwood Bible Chapel, Pittsburgh, PA

After the four families left to form Bible Truth Chapel, the remaining families at the Beechwood assembly built the Beechwood Bible Chapel in Pittsburgh, which was dedicated in November 1958. In the mid-1980s, the name was changed to Browns Hill Bible Chapel and the assembly remains at the same location at 3349 Beechwood Boulevard.

1952: The Gospel Barn, Harmony, Pittsburgh, PA

The assembly meeting at the Gospel Barn, near Harmony on Route 19 north of Pittsburgh, had its start in 1952. Ed and Dorothy Bohl, who were acquainted with some brethren from Pittsburgh, fixed up their barn for a meeting place and invited the Pittsburgh brethren to come preach. The Bohls invited their neighbors, Peter and Lillian Frankenstein, who were Presbyterians, to come hear the preaching. They liked what they heard and began fellowshipping at the Gospel Barn. For a time, about 30 people came to the assembly meetings. When Mr. Bohl died, the assembly declined; Helen Theis and Lillian Frankenstein are the only remaining members at this writing.

1920: Donora Gospel Hall, Pittsburgh, PA

Donora Gospel Hall in the town of Donora south of Pittsburgh came into existence in 1920 in the home of William Kiddy on Kenric Avenue. Mr. Kiddy was formerly in fellowship at the Lonaconing Gospel Hall in Maryland. Through the years, the assembly met in three other locations in the town, and now is at 201 Thompson Avenue. Robert Grant Sr. and Louis Olsen were also involved in the start-up of the Donora Gospel Hall. Others in leadership over the years include Andrew Craig, Stanley Bell, Lester Wolfe, and Henry Todd.

Pre-1900: Elk Run Avenue Chapel, Punxsutawney, Pittsburgh, PA

The assembly now known as Elk Run Avenue Chapel in Punxsutawney, northeast of Pittsburgh, began sometime before 1900, and probably met in homes initially. The deed to the assembly for the land is dated 1899. A building was constructed soon after that, and a basement added later. Those involved in its start included W.F. Wineberg, Joseph Dennison Jr., George Murray, William Dennis, and Henry Strachan. Known for many years as the Punxsutawney Gospel Hall, the name was changed to its current one in 1970. The assembly has always occupied the same location on Elk Run Avenue.

The leading brother for many years was Clifton R. Wineberg. Other elders have been Clifton M. Wineberg and Tony Sushereba, in addition to those above. David L. Roy traveled from Cleveland many times to give help and encouragement, as did Lloyd Wineberg. David Madgwick was co-commended to Africa by the assembly. The assembly has always been small but has an active work among young people in the area.

1912: Indiana Gospel Hall, Pittsburgh, PA

The Indiana Gospel Hall in the town of Indiana east of Pittsburgh was formed in 1912, or perhaps a little before, as a result of the work of David L. Roy, who worked also in Punxsutawney. The Christians met first in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lott Frederick, and in April 1912 moved into a building at 526 Philadelphia Street in the town. Mr. Frederick was a true and loving shepherd of the Lord’s people.

Later in 1912, the Christians secured a lot on West Church Street for tent meetings by W.B. Johnston and David Roy. Similar meetings were held in 1913. Sometime between 1913 and 1916, the Christians rented a room in what they called the “Cement Block Building” near the Frederick home, for their meetings. In 1919, they held their first Annual Conference. Over the next two decades, the assembly moved through several rented spaces, and then in 1938, bought the lot at the corner of 5th and Locust streets at which the present Indiana Gospel Hall was constructed.

Located in a college town, the assembly has seen a number of students saved and brought into fellowship. Paul Plubell was commended to the Lord’s work in the 1940s and saw many souls saved before going to be with the Lord at an early age. William A. Seale, Jr. was commended to full time work as an evangelist in the early 1990s. Others involved in leadership over the years have been Jack Byers, Glenn Moose, James Walker, Cammie Plubell, William Craig, Robert Baird, and William Parks.

1951: East Freedom Chapel, PA

The assembly known as East Freedom Chapel, in the town of East Freedom, 100 miles east of Pittsburgh, began in 1951 when Obie and Mary Ann Snider met together with Mary C. Walter in the Snider home at Singing Brook Farm. They were joined in fellowship over the next couple of years by Mrs. Walter’s son John, Hugh Caulfield, Cloyd Shaffer, and Sam Hagen. The fledgling assembly was faithfully taught and encouraged with regular visits by T.B. Gilbert, A.P. Gibbs, Joe Neibor, Herman Luhm, David Pollock, and John Milton Mills.

In 1960, the assembly moved into East Freedom Chapel at 16637 Mount Pleasant Street, its present location. The opening was marked by a month’s special meetings by Bill Paterson. Harold Blattenburger, David Harper, and Dan Snaddon, have also been active in ministering the Word. David Harper and his wife have been commended for work in the assembly. About 50 were in fellowship in 1996. In 1997, a wing was added to the building to accommodate increased attendance.

1992: Jefferson Road Bible Chapel, Brookville, PA

Jefferson Road Bible Chapel in Brookville, a small town about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, began in the home of Terry and Amy McCall in December 1990, and initially called Believer’s Fellowship. In June 1992, the Christians moved into an old Presbyterian church building on the property of one of the members. Numbers never topped 50 despite many evangelistic efforts. When all but one of the families moved away due to employment, the assembly disbanded in 1997. Two workers were commended by the assembly to the Lord’s work in Kenya. Eldership included Tony E. Sushereba and his sons James D. and Timothy T. Sushereba, and Terry McCall.

1905: Bible Truth Chapel, Reading, PA

The assembly in Reading had its beginning in about 1905, meeting on the second floor of a building at 8th and Penn Streets, which was the downtown area of the city. As the assembly grew, it developed into a group of about 125 believers. Later they moved to a second floor room at 6th and Franklin Street in a building called Stauffer’s Hall. Around 1928, they bought their own building, a former shirt factory at 5th and Franklin Streets in the borough of West Reading and converted it into a very fine hall for the assembly. Mr. John Bloore from Plainfield, NJ drew the plans for the renovation. It was called Bible Truth Hall in Reading until the 1950s, when its name was changed to Bible Truth Chapel.

Many brethren from Plainfield, NJ helped in the growth and development of the assembly. In addition to John Bloore, there were other regular visitors, such as Samuel Ridout, George McCandless, Fred Mackenzie, Richard Hill, and R.J. Reid. P. Daniel Loizeaux would visit every month and read missionary letters at the monthly missionary meeting. Harry Ironside frequently conducted evangelistic meetings at the Odd Fellows Hall in Reading. Thus, the assembly was associated with the ‘Grant exclusive’ brethren in its early days.

Much of the assembly growth came about through the evangelistic efforts of some of the local brethren. George Starke, who was the correspondent for many years, and George Kreidler were very active in children’s work throughout the city. They would rent store fronts and conduct children’s meetings in them. Also, many children were reached through an outreach in federal housing areas. George Hoeffelfinger, a founding elder, compiled and printed the first missionary prayer handbook in 1936. Paul Bitler, who later became a worker among the Spanish in New York City, was very active in the housing project work. Alfred P. Gibbs was brought in each year to conduct a week of children’s meetings.

During the years of the assembly’s existence, there were three commended workers. Paul Bitler was commended to work among the Spanish in New York City in 1944. He worked there for almost fifty years and saw Spanish assemblies established in Manhattan and the Bronx. Bill Oglesby was commended also in the 1940s and he first worked in the assembly itself for a number of years. Then he moved to the south, where he labored in Victoria and Richmond, VA, and also Raleigh, NC. Jim Yorgey was commended to the work in France and later worked for many years in Quebec.

In 1988, the assembly closed its doors at the building in West Reading. Its size had decreased considerably, and it was felt the building was too large. They then met in a room in the Day’s Inn in Shillington, a suburb of Reading. A small group met there until 1996 when the assembly was disbanded after more than ninety years of existence.

1920’s: Grace Gospel Chapel, Allentown, PA

An itinerant preacher from Reading, Gorge Holmes, became very active in seeking to establish a testimony in Allentown, near the eastern edge of Pennsylvania, in the 1920s. Eventually the group met together in a rented storeroom at 5th and Turner Streets in downtown Allentown. Most of the believers lived in the small city and the majority walked to the storeroom, which was heated with a pot belly stove in the center of the room. They called this place the Allentown Gospel Hall, and they met in the storeroom for over twenty five years. The Bethlehem Assembly, meeting in nearby Bethlehem, later merged with the group in Allentown.

Gilbert Renninger was one of the most active of the local brethren in establishing this testimony. His brother, Frank, later became the correspondent and carried on the work into the 1980s. During this time period, many brethren such as Inglis Fleming, David Kirk, and George McCandless taught the Word in the assembly. Lewis Chambers was a regular visitor who brought with him a model of the Old Testament tabernacle. P. Daniel Loizeaux came once a month to read missionary letters at the missionary meetings.

Welcome Detweiler, who later labored in North Carolina, conducted tent meetings in south Allentown. His brother, Walton Detweiler, who was self-employed, was a consistent worker in Allentown. On the third Sunday of each month, he would travel to Allentown from his home in Plumsteadville, near Philadelphia. He would conduct a meeting in the local jail and at the rescue mission, in addition to speaking at the meeting hall. He visited every month with very few exceptions for over forty five years.

In 1956, the assembly built their own chapel. Now known as Grace Gospel Chapel in east Allentown, on Irving Street, they remained at this location until 1995. Then they bought a larger building at 1642 Ehrets Lane in south Allentown, which is its present location.

Grace Gospel Chapel and its antecedents have commended workers to the Lord’s field at Immanuel Mission in Arizona and Colombia; others have been commended to ministries within the U.S.

Lancaster, PA

Early 1930’s: Lancaster Assembly

An assembly started in Lancaster, west of Philadelphia, in the early 1930s. Samuel Hocking had a machine shop in that city at Grant and Prince Streets. His and two other families started the Lancaster Assembly in the room above the shop. In the late 1930s, the group met in St. Mark’s Church on Pershing Avenue. When the Hocking family moved away, this assembly ceased and for a period of time there was no meeting in the Lancaster area.

Early 1940’s: Monterey Chapel, Lancaster, PA

In the early 1940s, many Spanish-American and Mexican residents lived and worked in the east end of Lancaster. Luis Montalvo started an assembly there in its own hall on Grofftown Road; the assembly had services in both Spanish and English. In the mid-1940s, many of the Spanish-American families moved away to the Steelton-Highspire area to work in the steel mills. Samuel S. Sheaffer, an elder in the meeting, kept the assembly going at Grofftown Road. At about that time, the assembly changed the name to East End Chapel.

About six to eight families met in the small chapel until the early 1970s, when the state made a decision to build Route 23 into Lancaster and purchased the land the chapel occupied. The Christians then met in the Bird-in-Hand Fire Company for about a year. In 1975, they purchased the Monterey Mennonite Church on West Eby Road, about five miles east of Lancaster, where they presently reside as Monterey Chapel in Leola. Robert Crawford, Bruce Yorgey, and Paul D. Sheaffer have been elders at Monterey. Several men of the assembly are active in teaching and counseling at the Lancaster Country Prison. Monterey Chapel supports the Water Street Rescue Mission as well as many missionaries. About 85 people attend Monterey Chapel.

1928: Greenwood Hills Assembly, Fayetteville, PA

The Greenwood Hills Assembly in Fayetteville in south-central Pennsylvania, was established in 1928 by K.B. Moomaw, J. Bishop Nicklas, Bigler Plasterer, Eddie Plasterer, Frank Blair, and Richard McIntire. First meeting in the home of J.B. Nicklas, the assembly moved into the Mt. Union U.B. Church building, and then into the dining room of The Inn of the Greenwood Hills Bible Conference Association. The Christians now occupy a chapel built in 1946, to which a multipurpose annex was added in 1993. Besides the men indicated above, leaders in the assembly have included George Landis, Howard Lankford, Robert Kirkpatrick Sr., Z.C. Hodges, and Bruce Kramer. In 1996 the number in fellowship was about 100, with 20 youngsters. The assembly has commended workers to the Lord’s vineyard in Zambia, Aletia Springs, the Philippines, Senegal, and Indonesia with Wycliffe.

1992: Boiling Springs / Carlisle Bible Chapel, PA

One of the more recent assemblies in Pennsylvania is the Boiling Springs Bible Chapel in the small town of Boiling Springs, near Carlisle southwest of Harrisburg. Early in 1992, five families that had met at the Greenwood Hills Bible Conference began to meet informally for fellowship in the home of William J. Wirl, Jr. in Carlisle. The other families were those of Robert Boelter, Douglas Bates, Rodney Booth, and William Howard. The Bates, Boelter, and Wirl families had assembly backgrounds. After a short time, the group decided to rent a room at a motel for Sunday meetings, and placed an ad in the Carlisle newspaper announcing the start-up of the meeting. This attracted the attention of the Charles Hocking family, who then met with the group. The name Carlisle Bible Chapel was chosen at that time.

They met at the motel until mid-1994, then relocated for a few months to an office building pending the purchase of an old Methodist building at 119 Fourth Street in Boiling Springs. They took possession in January 1995 and changed their name to the current one. The current elders are Douglas Bates, Charles Hocking, Charles Masland 3rd, Paul A. Myers, and William Wirl, Jr. The assembly has joined with the Chambersburg Gospel Chapel in commending Steve Witter to the work of the Lord at Emmaus University.

1981: Waynesburg Bible Chapel, PA

The Waynesburg Bible Chapel in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania began in 1981 as a Bible study. Two couples, Jan and Penny Buckhalter, and John and Robin Harding, began meeting in their homes with a desire for a deeper understanding of the Scriptures. None of them had prior knowledge or experience with the brethren. After about a year, William Skelton, who had knowledge of New Testament principles of meeting as a church, joined with them and confirmed what they had been learning in their studies. Numbers increased quickly and in 1983 a building at 859 North Bonar Avenue in Waynesburg was purchased, where the assembly meets today. Others active in leadership have been Paul Parsons and John Schmidt. The assembly has commended workers to serve in Burundi, Africa and with Friends of Turkey and CBM Ministries.

Sources

• Questionnaires and Other Correspondence
• 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