History of
Davidson Chapel
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Est. 1906
Davidson Chapel C.M.E. Church had its' beginning in February, 1906. The land for the church was purchased from the late Ben and Alice Dunlap. The church was built under the auspices of Rev. L. B. Davidson, who became the pastor. Because of his diligence and dedication, the church was named in his honor.
The church was located on Athens Street. The street was later renamed Queens Street and is now known as Martin Luther King Jr. Drive today. The original trustee board consisted of Haywood Franks, W.M. Tate, C.W. Dowsing, B.T. Dunlap, E.D. Cook, and John D. Brooks. The church was affiliated with the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church of America. At a General Conference in 1954, the church changed the word "Colored" to "Christian" in the church name.
In 1966 the church structure, which was all wood, was decaying and the Board decided to rebuild. Bro. Wesley Gordon accepted the contract to dismantle the church and clean the lumber. Bro. Berley Pruitt, one of the officers of the church and an instructor of Vocational Education at Fifth Street Jr. and Sr. High School in West Point accepted the job of building the church, donating his services. With the help of members and friends in the community, a brick church was built.
Bro. Wesley Gordon, Burley Pruitt, John M. Coleman, Elias Cottrell Stewart was the trustees for the new church. The pastor was Rev. S.W. Hargrove, Rev. Nelson C. Trent was the Presiding Elder, and the Right Reverend Joseph A. Johnson Jr. was the Presiding Prelate of the Mighty Fourth Episcopal District of the CME Church. The membership consisted of 41 members.
Service was held at St. John AME Church during the time of construction. The first Sunday meeting in the new Davidson Chapel CME Church was held on October 9, 1966. The speaker for the occasion was Rev. S.W. Armstrong, pastor of the Sanders Chapel CME Church in Columbus, MS. In 1984, additional land was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. John C. Coleman for the purpose of expanding the church. As church officers met, they came to the conclusion that the new additions would include a Church Office/ Pastor'sStudy, Kitchen with Fellowship Hall, and an additional restroom.
In 1987, the mortgage for the expansion was obtained and implementation of the plan for expansion began. Under the leadership of Rev. James Malone, the final transactions were made.
Other pastors of the church that were very instrumental to the growth of the church were:
Rev. Mitchell Stewart, Sr. | Rev. James Malone |
Rev. Sandy Davidson | Rev. Willie Harper |
Rev. William Wallace | Rev. Eugene Dixon |
Rev. S. B. Richardson | Rev. Earnest Sanders |
Rev. H. S. Jackson | Rev. Clarence V. Parks |
Rev. W.L. Holmes | Min. Winston Johnson (Present) |
Rev. Gus Thomas | |
Rev. John Hargrove | |
Rev. James T. Stewart |
A small church with a rich heritage, Davidson Chapel is proud to have had a Bishop elected from its congregation. YES, that's correct! Bishop Caesar David Coleman! Bishop Coleman served as Bishop in the Eighth Episcopal District and Senior Bishop of the C.M.E. Church.
Many years have come and gone in the life of Davidson Chapel and its members. The Lord has truly been good to us and He has blessed the few that have survived the many hardships and storms of the churchfs history. Perhaps the member most responsible for its survival in the early years was Bro. Elias Cottrell Stewart, whom was a member from 1919 to 1991. He was truly a faithful and dedicated member. Davidson Chapel had its rebirth through the leadership of Bro. Randolph Walker. He and his wife Jean were very instrumental in organizing many events and groups such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration, Explorer Post #172, and Boy Scouting. The church members and other volunteers served as scout leaders. Bro. Walker brought to the church and its members the idea that there is nothing that can't be accomplished if you give your all; NO TASK IS TOO GREAT!
PREVIOUS/CONTINUED PROGRESS:
- For the past fourteen years, the MLK Celebration has been sponsored by Davidson Chapel with Sis. Anna Jones as Event Coordinator.
- In 2003, a chancery rail was installed to make Holy Communion accessible to all.
- In 2005, we were made the "STEWARDS" of the Earline Coleman Mattix Scholarship. The scholarship is funded by the Coleman daughters: Janice, Brenda, and Carolyn. In 2008, Bro. Martin Edwards was the first to receive the scholarship.
- In 2007, we were appointed a new Pastor/Captain, Rev. Clarence Parks.
In July of 2009, Min. Winston Johnson was appointed pastor.
Minister Winston Johnson is now our pastor and the captain of our ship; prayerfully we are headed to a better relationship with our God. We believe that with his guidance through Christ we will go to the next level.
Please continue to pray with us as we endeavor to do the will of the Father. As you browse through our website, be sure to check out the Schedule of Services and the directions to our location. We look forward to blessing the Lord with you.
SEE YOU SOON!
