Land Street Church of God turns 90

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Land Street Church of God celebrates its 90th anniversary next week with weeklong revival.

The church, like many in the area, had humble beginnings. Evangelist W.T. Brafford preached a tent revival in August 1918 and in October 1918, met in the home of Henry Tims with charter members Nellie Abney, Cora Cox, Lula Bradley, Effie Foster, Henry Tims and Ella Tims.

The church has been in its current location since 1936, but has maintained a fairly low profile.

"We just love the Lord and try to take care of the community as best we can without irritating anybody else," Pastor Paul Taylor said.

The church is making an effort to expand and now a service may average 50 people -- up from in the 20s a few years ago.

"People say, 'Where is Land Street?' Since I've been here, we've been trying to get out in the community and let people know where we are," Taylor said.

Taylor has become chaplain of the Harrisburg Police Department and the church has entered floats in the Harrisburg Homecoming Parade and Holiday Lights Parade.

History

The church moved out of the Tims home in 1920 and into a tabernacle members built for $500 on four lots at the corner of South McKinley and Barnett streets. The tabernacle included a three-room parsonage for Pastor John Yates and his family, according to a church history.

The church used the tabernacle until the fall of 1923 when the congregation purchased a church building from the Christian church at the corner of McKinley and Raymond streets. It then moved to a building in Gaskins City, in 1933 moved into a store building on South Granger Street and in 1936 purchased the Land Street building from a Free Pentecost congregation.

The great flood of 1937 damaged the building and disrupted services for several weeks. Despite the damage, the church grew and continued to use the building for several years before taking the needed action of finding a new building.

In 1953, the church appointed Andrew J. Rafferty, an experienced builder, as pastor, and he and church members built what is now the older section of the church. The building was dedicated in May 1954.

Shortly after the dedication, Rafferty died.

Under the leadership of Pastor James C. Jones, construction to double the building's size happened in 1975. In January 1990, the church expanded and paved its parking lot behind the church on Homer Street.

Worship

The church has seen considerable change in its 90 years, but Taylor believes the message and worship have been constant. Church of God is a Pentecostal Church and the worship style is expressive.

"We believe in the laying on of hands, healing through atonement and speaking in tongues. We are an emotional church and sing and play music," Taylor said.

"We have a lively worship service."

As for a typical worship service, Taylor said no such thing exists. The members may have a plan for a service, but believe God directs them.

Taylor recalls in one service the congregation was doing a rather a rather routine and mundane thing: Reading the church bulletin for the following week.

"A lady asked for a prayer because she was sick and was going home. We prayed for the Lord to heal her and others stood up for prayers. We didn't get to sing, didn't get to preach, but people were saved," Taylor said.

"I tell people, 'We don't even sing, we just read the bulletin and God moves us.'

"We just believe in letting the spirit move us. God is a God of order and it is not like everybody is up doing crazy things, but God does move in our service and is moving. And we believe Jesus is coming back any second."

Taylor says since he became pastor in 2004 he has witnessed five miracles in the church.

He remembers the details of each event.

One involved Kathy Webb who suffered a brain aneurysm and was taken to a Marion hospital with expectations she could die. Church members prayed for her, the hospital rushed her to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.

"They said she would be there 14 months. She was there 14 days. God healed her and she was doing fine," Taylor said.

Member Orville Baney was diagnosed with terminal cancer with six months to live. He was transported to the VA Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., and church members visited him in his room to pray and anoint him with oil.

"They opened him up and said there was no cancer. They let him come home. The doctors don't know what happened," Taylor said.

Sherry Tolley was stricken with severe Parkinson's disease.

"We prayed for her and she got her license back and is driving. She is still pulling through it," Taylor said.

There are other stories that church members recount.

"We have done great miracles in the church. God has blessed us and we are growing," Taylor said.

The Taylors

Taylor hails from the Kankakee area. He has pastored in Junction City, Kan.; Bayonet Point, Fla.; Canton, Ohio; and Auburn near Springfield before coming to Land Street Church of God.

He said Church of God churches he has pastored have been traditionally small.

"The first church I had, the first night I think we had three people. When I left they were in the 30s and doing well," Taylor said.

Part of the low number was due to the town being a military town and 20,000 men were mustered out to Desert Storm.

Harrisburg is a good fit for Taylor and his wife, Beth, who is an Eldorado native.

"It's kind of home. My wife is from Eldorado and I just jump on Interstate 57 and I'm home in four hours," Taylor said.

Taylor has been involved in missionary work in China. He made a friend in Hong Yang, a former communist who has since become a Church of God minister.

Taylor and his wife in 2003 accompanied Yang to China smuggling Bibles into the underground church, a risky venture that could have resulted in imprisonment and deportation.

"For 10 days we met with the underground churches in different places. It's unbelievable to see the way the Lord works if people are hungry. One night we baptized 200 people in a garbage can," Taylor said.

In China it is against the law to utter the words "Jesus" and "Bible."

"They say 'book'," Taylor said.

The crew got in trouble when one of the group decided to street witness. He was arrested and other members of the group were scrutinized.

"The first night we were there, I gave all my Bibles out to the underground church. When (police) came to search our room I didn't have any," Taylor said.

Taylor was not in trouble, but knows he could have been.

"It wasn't something I did light heartedly. I did a lot of praying before I went," Taylor said.

He hopes to return to China next fall.

Homecoming

The church's official anniversary and homecoming is Oct. 18 and beginning Monday, there will be speakers at 7 p.m. each night.

Monday and Tuesday pastor/evangelist Betty Shaver will speak; Wednesday David Mays of Eldorado Church of God pastor and district overseer will speak; Thursday Clay Watson, pastor of a church near Miami, Fla., and son of Land Street Church of God Pastor in the 1980s Bernie Watson will speak; Friday there will be a foot washing baptismal service; Saturday Gaylon Steward, pastor of Raleigh Church of God will speak; and Sunday Dan Hampton, state overseer of the Church of Church of God speaks followed by a dinner.

-- DeNeal receives e-mail at bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.

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