Coming soon
Sun Dec 6th AM
Ps Wayne Swift
| |
The History of the Apostolic Church
The
Apostolic Church is an outgrowth of the 1904-1905 revival in Wales.
Evangelical Church, Penygroes, Wales
It was in the South Wales
village of Pen-y-Groes that what can only be described as a massive movement of the Holy Spirit
caused a sudden and dramatic expansion in the Christian church in general and, specifically, in the
birth of the Apostolic Church.
Historian Edwin Orr noted; "Drunkenness was immediately cut in half, and many taverns went
bankrupt. Crime was so diminished that judges were presented with white gloves signifying that there
were no cases of murder, assault, rape or robbery or the like to consider. The police became
"unemployed" in many districts. Stoppages occurred in coal mines, not due to unpleasantness between
management and workers, but because so many foul-mouthed miners became converted and
stopped using foul language that the horses which hauled the coal trucks in the mines could no longer
understand what was being said to them, and transportation ground to a halt" (Orr
1975c:192-193).
During this time of great spiritual upheaval, there came a reality of what was once considered to be
something limited to the experiences of Biblical Characters. Such manifestations as Speaking in
Tongues were experienced by many. As the lives of those affected by this movement progressed
deeper into the revelation which was being given to them by God's Holy Spirit, there were
restorations of the ancient positions of Apostles, Prophets and others mentioned in
[Ephesians 4:11].
It was this vision of Apostolic Doctrine which gripped a young miner yet the first leader of the
Apostolic Church, Daniel Powell Williams. In 1913, he was ordained an Apostle in The Body of
Christ (a posh name for the Church or world-wide body of Christians) and remained so until
he died in 1947. His brother, William Jones Williams, was ordained as a Prophet in 1913. They, along with
others, were called together to demonstrate the New Testament offices of Apostle and Prophet in the
United Kingdom. As a result of this, these ministries have been exercised in countries and continents
of the world.
Since the people with this Apostolic Vision started congregating, they were known as The Apostolic
Church. Now, as it happens, there were totally unconnected yet remarkably similar events taking
place in other parts of the United Kingdom.....
In Scotland...
Among the people who responded to this new batch of heavenly callings were Andrew Turnbull who
moved from Portobello, Edinburgh, to Glasgow and his work there became part of the Apostolic
Church in 1919.
And in England....
The Holy Spirit was working in Hereford in the life of Edgar Frank Hodges who had received the
Apostolic Vision. He built a small church and called it the Apostolic Church (note that he knew
nothing of what was happening in Pen-y-Groes at the time).
The Holy Spirit was operating in the same way in Bradford, Yorkshire. There were several groups
called The Apostolic Churches of God in the North of England under the leadership of Herbert
Victor Chanter. In 1922, an invitation was sent to the leaders of the churches in
Scotland, Wales and Hereford to attend the Easter Convention (these three churches had merged into one fellowship in
1920). As a result of this, the churches in the North of England became united with a
fellowship which was now growing throughout Scotland, South West England and Wales. These churches
became the one fellowship, The Apostolic Church.
A report presented to the Apostolic World Conference held in Canada in September 1999 indicated that there are now 52 countries in which there is some representation of the Apostolic Church.
|
Morwell Community Church