A BRIEF HISTORY of Open Bible Assembly (Revised 8/2009)

At irregular intervals during the intervening centuries great revivals have occurred in various sections of the world. These revivals were energized and controlled by the Holy Ghost, and quite naturally with recurrent outpourings of the Spirit as on the day of Pentecost.

The tendency has been to a lapse into formalism and a departure from the full Gospel, within a generation or two after these refreshings.

During the closing period of the Nineteenth Century following a mighty wave of intercession, energized by the Holy Ghost, and led by a number of holy men, mighty revivals swept many sections of the world, with an increasing cry to God for another Pentecost.

During this mighty revival of repentance, regeneration and holiness of heart and life, that swept through the South and Midwest, some of the old established church organizations no longer desired the membership of these fire-filled Holiness preachers and laymen, and as a result many independent churches were established, and associations formed, where people could feel free to seek God, not only to be genuinely saved, but also to be definitely sanctified and baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire.

It was the first Sunday of August of 1991 when this Independent Holiness Trinity Pentecostal church was formed known as the Open Bible Assembly in McEwen, Tennessee. We rented the McEwen Senior Citizens’ Building located at the corner of Main and East Railroad Street. Bro. Roscoe and Sis. Annie Mae Patrick were elected as the founding pastors of the church. Bro. Kent Curtis was elected as the first Minister of Music. After staying there one month, we were able to lease the old Buckner Funeral Home building located at the corner of Highway 70 and Wilkie Street. This building was a nice location with a fairly spacious interior to begin inviting people to come worship with us. We had some wonderful services in that place where God came down and met with us. Also during this time we were able to purchase a brand new studio style Kawai piano and a good number of folding chairs with a few folding tables as well as other necessary items. The community was also good to donate things for use in the church. Bro. Ronnie and Sis. Leona Thompson came to us in 1992 as the Assistant Pastor and remained for approximately two years. In November 1992, Bro. Bedford Smith, Sr., one of the founding church members was the first to go to meet God.

Time came for us to build a permanent church home. Approximately 6.72 acres, which is the present location, was purchased the end of 1993 from Bro. Roscoe & Sis. Annie Mae Patrick. The land was originally part of the Walter Averitt farm. Excavation began in 1994. We also bought a metal quanset type building because of the tight budget. In February 1994, Sis. Annie Mae passed away. During the remainder of this year we allowed the freshly excavated soil to settle down. On November 19, 1994, the first marriage of a church member occurred in Foster, Oklahoma. Bro. Kent Curtis married Sis. Lea Anna Cole. Three weeks later Bro. Kent’s father, Earl Curtis passed away too. Early 1995 we started putting the metal building together. Much of it was already standing when a tremendous wind came in March and destroyed the building. What a wedding present for the newly weds! Bro. Roscoe had also gotten married only a month earlier to Sis. Opal Smith. This was the first marriage performed in the church. After much prayer and consideration, we decided to redesign and build the present building using the same foundational slab that we started the metal building on. During this time the first baby of the church, Nathan Cole Curtis, was born on November 9, 1995 to Bro. Kent and Sis. Lea Anna Curtis. After several delays we finally moved in on December 30, 1995 and the first worship service was December 31 with a baby dedication and then, a big, New Year’s Eve Singing that night featuring Naomi and the Segos. Bro. Roscoe also submitted his resignation as official pastor that day so a younger pastor could come in to take the church on to deeper things with God. The first of February 1997 Bro. Jason Bowden was installed as pastor but was released from his duties a couple of months later due to differences in doctrine. Bro. Velton Hooper came to us on the second Sunday of April 1997 as an interim for a few weeks but after prayerful consideration God placed him as our permanent pastor until November 4, 2001. During his pastorship the church has been completely finished on the main level and the parking lot was half concreted and the church mortgage was paid in full in less than five years. Praise God!! After Bro. Hooper resigned Bro. Kent Curtis was elected as Interim Pastor. He remained in that position for 5 months until Bro. Kevin Prisock from Dayton, OH was elected as pastor the end of March 2002. His first Sunday was April 14th. He remained only 2˝ months and resigned willfully on Father’s Day, June 16, 2002 due to unreconcileable differences. Bro. Kent was re-elected as Interim Pastor until God sent another pastor to the church. In September 2002 the church was able to purchase a new decorative yard Identification/Message sign and four road signs to match. On September 11, 2002, Bro. Robert Sheffield of Savannah, GA was elected as pastor. Later that month a large, manufactured home was purchased as a parsonage and setup on the backside of the property. He preached the Community Thanksgiving service on November 24th, and they were able to officially move to McEwen on December 13th. Bro. Sheffield stayed on as pastor until October 2003 when he moved on. Bro. Kent Curtis was elected again as Interim Pastor and shared the pulpit with Bro. Ronnie Rye each week until the church decided on a vote in January 2004. Bro. Kent Curtis was elected to be full time Pastor and accepted the call on February 1, 2004. He remains pastor to present. Many rich blessings have been received in this period of time including the church becoming debt free again from the parsonage note by September 2004. At that time we celebrated a note burning for our Homecoming service. The church was also bricked in September 2005 and the window trimming reworked which dramatically improved the appearance of the building. A large carport was added to the end of the parsonage in the summer of 2005. The big cross on the west end of the building was installed in the spring of 2006 which also made a lovely addition to the property. A spacious front porch with sidewalk and a new metal roof was added to the parsonage in the summer of 2006. An extension of the concrete parking lot was added in the summer of 2007, making the parking lot 150' x 150'. A concrete driveway from the parking lot to the road, and from the parking to the parsonage was added also. In the spring of 2008, we had a metal roof installed on the church. We have seen growth in every way in the church, and as God provides strength and finances we will see many more souls won into His kingdom and other plans materialize.

From day one to now God has provided for His people. Many blessings later we still feel like the most blessed church in the county. We appreciate the goodness of God and desire to walk just as close as we can to His will and ways. May we always be a Haven of rest for the weary and a place that can be spoken of as a soul-filling station.

Amen!