 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
our 100th birthday with a special service at 10:00
am. 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. We invite everyone – friends,
former members and attendees, and neighbors in the
community to help us mark this very special
occasion.
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