We asked Helen Noel to give our newsletter some memories that were special to her while attending Holly Grove Christian church during her lifetime.
In her own words:
“My mother, Sarah Brooks Noel, used to tell my brothers, sisters, and I that on our homeplace on Route 635, now known as West Chapel Dr., there was a brush arbor. The brush arbor was made out of brush and old trees. This brush arbor was called “West Chapel”. It was a meeting place for Church before Holly Grove Christian church was built. I remember my mother also telling us how the Church was a beacon of light for our community. Many revivals were held, old hymns were sung, prayers were made and one of the older members gave thanks to the Lord for sparing his life through another week.”
“I remember the old Holly Grove Church pageants at Christmas time. One play was called “Why Christmas”. I tried to memorize nine pages of the play. The play was about three or four families. We needed an old man walking with a cane to look in on these families to see what you would call a “Christian Home”. I played the old man with the cane. The first three families were busy getting ready but the last home was the Christians home. They were peacefully reading the Bible. As acting out the part of the old man, I was converted and was thinking to myself “Do you think they will let me come in?” I then knelt down on my knees and all sang Joy to the world.”
“In this church many souls accepted Christ as their personal savior, as I did too. We would all gather down by Shelton’s mill for the Baptismal services. It was so peaceful; birds singing, skies blue, water trickling down over the dam and we would sing “O Happy Day, When Jesus washed my sins away”
So if we will work together as one big family and do the things well pleasing to our Lord and serve him, he has promised never to leave us or forsake us and that he is coming back again and has also promised that where he is, we will be also.”
Helen Noel, May 1999
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