 In
1908 at Pilot Point, Texas, the Church of the
Nazarene – a denomination formed in the footsteps of
Methodism’s John Wesley and the 19th century
holiness movement in America – was born.
A mere 15 years later, the young church planted a
congregation in Lincoln. It came about on August 10,
1923, when Rev. Ed Gallup of Springfield First
Church of the Nazarene met with a group of nine
individuals in the home of Mrs. Estella Adams on 4th
Street and formed the very first Nazarene
congregation here.
Within a few short years, a local businessman
donated a storefront property on Clinton Street to
the church and that building served the church well
into the 1930’s. The growing congregation eventually
razed the building and sold the land in favor of a
corner lot on Pulaski Street. A new structure was
built on a foundation of concrete blocks salvaged
from the demolition.
The church enjoyed many good years of growth and
service in that downtown location. By the late
1970’s, they once again experienced growing pains
and sought a new place to build. This time it chose
the newly minted Westville subdivision. The building
on Pulaski Street was sold to the Church of Christ
and in early 1980, a new brick structure was
completed and dedicated. It has served as the home
of the Church of the Nazarene in Lincoln ever since.
The history of this little group may not seem that
significant, but there are some notable points of
interest. For instance, in 1926 the church called a
woman, Rev. Helen Peters, to serve as their pastor.
For some Christian groups, such a choice would have
been considered too radical, but the Church of the
Nazarene recognized women for ordained ministry from
its very beginning. Records show that Rev. Peters
was instrumental in the growth of the young church.
More than once the church has had co-pastors,
husbands and wives that served equally in service to
the congregation and the community.
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Over the last 100 years, the church
has continued to share hope in Jesus Christ – which
is a key part of what it means to be “Nazarene.” We
have hope because God is for us. We have hope
because through Jesus Christ our sins can be washed
away. We have hope because the Holy Spirit can
transform a life completely. And we have hope
because God has prepared a future for His people
that is beyond imagination. For these reasons, in
2017 the congregation voted to change the name from
“Lincoln First” to “Hope Chapel.” Our name may have
changed, but our mission is the same as it was in
1923.
On Sunday, August 27th, Hope Chapel
will celebrate its 100th birthday with a special
service at 10 a.m. The theme will be “Looking Back.
Leaning Forward” and will feature several special
guests including the District Superintendent of the
Illinois District Church of the Nazarene, Rev. Terry
Armstrong and his wife Becky. Mrs. Armstrong, a
former teacher and gifted communicator, will bring
the morning message.
The church family invites everyone – friends, former
members and attenders, and neighbors in the
community to help mark this very special occasion.
[Pastor Greg Wooten] |
