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===Raleigh, NC===
====1924: Raleigh Gospel Hall====
At about the same time that the work in Asheville began, a similar interest was stirring in Raleigh in the north-central part of the state, the so-called Piedmont area. The work at Raleigh dates to before 1924, when James C. Chappell returned from World War I. He had heard about the New Testament church meetings through a fellow soldier. He discussed what he had learned with his friend David Allen. They invited [[Samuel McEwen, Sr.|Sam McEwen ]] and W.G. Smith to come to Raleigh for a Gospel effort, and these evangelists held a tent campaign in September 1924. After the campaign, a hall was rented on Gaston Street, and the first Remembrance meeting in the Raleigh Gospel Hall was held in November 1924, attended only by David Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Chappell, and the two preachers. About a month later four other Christians had joined the circle around the table. Records of the assembly show a continuous growth in numbers.
The two evangelists returned each year for five years. Souls were saved each year. By 1931, there was an assembly with 40 in fellowship, meeting in a former church building. James Chappell, a pharmacist, carried on an extensive pastoral and visitation ministry.
Before continuing with the work in Raleigh, we turn to the ministry of Lester Wilson in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. Mr. Wilson, more than any other individual, was responsible for the building up and maintaining of the assemblies in this area, and for instituting a modified style of meeting. He favored the use of large buildings for the meetings of the assembly, introduced the now common practice of a Sunday morning Family Bible Hour, and encouraged a strong musical program. The following are the words of Mr. Wilson from his article in Letters of Interest, 1943, p. 25, with portions edited out:
“In 1931, I came south from Canada with Brother Fred Nugent. We arrived in Canton, NC and after about three months we went to Raleigh where there was a hearty little assembly of around twenty; the fruit of the labors of [[Samuel McEwen, Sr.|Mr. Sam McEwen ]] and W.G. Smith.
Mr. Nugent left me after three weeks in Raleigh and I labored alone around Raleigh for three years, having meetings mostly in rural sections. A number were saved in the following places and fruit of these meetings remain unto this day 1943: Clayton, Six-Forks, Wendell, Wilder’s Grove, Ebenezer, and Swift Creek.
