Church History
Slavery & Religion in the Early South
Slaves in the early South were not allowed to worship alongside White worshippers. Nor were they allowed to gather in their own groups to worship alone, without White supervision, as mandated by the KKK. The underlying reason for this ideology was fear by many Slave owners that such unsupervised Slave gatherings would lead to upheavals and revolts, such as the Nat Turner Revolt that took place in Virginia in 1831.
Racial Separation Continues After the Civil War
The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865. This was a war between the North and the South. The Northern States had remained loyal to the Union and Southern States had seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. The war was fought primarily over Slavery. Although the North won the Civil War, change did not happen immediately. Racial separation and inequality continued especially in the South for many, many years.
James Willis Wellons
James Willis Wellons, a white man, was born in 1826 in Sussex County, Virginia. He came to Graham, NC in 1852 to attend the Graham Normal Institute. In 1856 he was ordained as a minister in Pittsboro, NC. During the Civil War, Wellons had served as a camp minister for the military troops. After the Civil War, Wellons was distressed by racial separation in the church. This led him to set about helping African Americans to build places for worship. He baptized and ordained over 100 African Americans, who also became members of the Afro-Christian Convention which Wellons also helped them to establish. Wellons established the Franklinton Christian College in Franklinton, NC, where African Americans were educated. Wellons was a founding father of Elon College, now known as Elon University. He lived to be more than 100 years old.
Children’s Chapel Christian Church
For many years, local slaves worshipped at Providence United Church of Christ (formerly New Providence) on Main St in Graham, as far back as 1763. One Sunday, after the slaves had finished their work, they gathered under the trees, about where the current cemetery is located, to listen to Rev Wellons preach. An assistant to Rev Wellons, Rev Daniel A Long, referred to the large crowd of slave men and women as “children”. This term was often used by slave masters to refer to the slaves regardless of their age. Thus, came the name of Children’s Chapel Christian Church. Among the slaves that had gathered were Hannah Russel, Dave Hunter Sr, Joe Allen, Hannah Everette, and a host of others. We are told that on rainy Sundays, services were held in a livery stable owned by a Mr Hornedy.
A Church is Built
William (Bill) Trollinger, a slave master, donated the land for the church. The first church was built in 1876. Joe Allen served as the first church secretary. A wooden, straight church with a raised altar for the preacher with deacon seats on each side, was built. Benches for the worshippers were made from pine wood. This church was built behind our present structure. A two-room house was also built for the church parsonage. On June 13, 1883, additional land was purchased. The deed was signed by William Fikes, William McPherson, and George Wilson, trustees of the church
A Church is Re-built
The church was later re-built in 1911 on its present site. James Hunter, Ed Tate, Charlie Trollinger, and Sam Hunter were a few of the men that helped to re-build the church. The bricks used to build the church were made where the cemetery is currently located. During this time, Mr Collor Russell served as treasurer and Mr P.D. Everette served as the church clerk. The church, which took many months to build, had a high ceiling. Coal and wood were used to heat the building. Although on some cold winter days the stoves did not warm the building, a warm spirit always existed.
Renovations
Over the years, many major additions and renovations have been made to the church. Among them were:
- A basement was built under the sanctuary so that central heat and a baptismal pool could be added.
- The Missionary Circle raised $3000 to build a “Hut.” This was the first “hut” to be built by a Black church in this area.
- The church office, rest rooms, and a Pastor’s Study were added to join the sanctuary to the “hut.” The steps that lead from the pulpit area of the sanctuary to the “hut” are still standing.
- The old windows were replaced with memorial windows. The window replacement drive was initiated by Miss Eva R Everette. Protective coverings for the windows were added in 2000.
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Children’s Chapel United Church of Christ
For many years, Children’s Chapel was affiliated with the Lincoln Conference. In 1966, Children’s Chapel Congregational Christian Church joined the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ. Our name then became Children’s Chapel United Church of Christ.
