Elon University - Phi Psi Cli Yearbook (Elon, NC)

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A Short History of tliE Ctiristiao Cliorcli Tlie Christian Church was organized in August 1794, at Old I.ohanon, Surry County, Va. In the December previous James O ' Kelly and thirty others witiidrew from the Methodist conference because of the autocratic Episcopal attitude of IJishop Francis AsIhut. At this meeting at Manakintown in 179:3, despairing of any concessions from the bishop, they organized, and called themselves Republican ] Iethodists. At the meeti ng tlie following year they discarded this name and decided to simply be called Christians. At the time of O ' Kelly ' s revolt from the Methodist Ciuirch he was a presiding elder in that church. About twenty of his ministers and one thousand members followed him into the new church. The first Christian Church was organized by O ' Kelly and his followers in 179-i near Chapel Hill, N. C, and was called O ' Kelly ' s Chapel. The new ciiurch grew very rapidly, for O ' Kelly was very popular in those reoions. He and his followers traveled over parts of North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and as far south as Alabama and Georgia, holding revivals and preaching sermons. The first college founded by the Christians was Antioch College at Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1853, with Hon. Horace IVIann as its first pres- ident. Among the numerous other colleges it has founded is Elon College.

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Tlie Ltii ' rtesf VAmnh Today

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.- ' 5:n ' i;j,:(:fiTj: ; ' ,.Ci» ' Vii ' Ji|., Tlic beautiful Christian Temple lield its first worship service Sun- day, March 16, 1924. Rev. Leon Kdgar Smith, D.D., was the first j)astor and Rev. J. (). Atkinson, D.D., delivered the first sermon. The church is the largest one in the conference. It consolidated tlie Memorial Christian Temple, the Third Christian Church, and the Old Pr() idencc Ciu-istian Church. RK . II. S. IIAHDCASTLK, D.I). I ' astor THE COLLEGE • ••x