Scoville and DeWeese
1908 - Woodland Christian Church
With Lexington growing rapidly at the turn of the 20th century, the 500 and 600 blocks of East High Street, between Kentucky and Clay Avenues, were developed as part of the “Chautauqua Woods Addition.” The area developed quickly as part of a major growth spurt which opened the east end of Lexington. The local paper reported as many as 150 lots sold.
In 1907, the seven Lexington Disciples 0f Christ congregations met to consider how a new congregation might be formed on the rapidly growing east end of town.
Broadway Christian Church called upon the well-known evangelist Charles Reign Scoville to conduct a revival in the spring of 1908. After three weeks of capacity crowds, where people were sometimes turned away, it soon became apparent that Broadway's sanctuary would not be large enough to accommodate the expected crowds.
The churches came together to share the expense of renting the City Auditorium in Woodland Park. The new brick auditorium (which replaced the original wooden structure in 1906) stood directly across High Street from the current church location and was the venue for countless musical and theatrical productions.
In April, near-capacity crowds gathered to hear Scoville preach, and his wife Arlene Dux Scoville perform as lead soprano for the mass choir. The Christian Standard (April 25, 1908) wrote a full account of Scoville's revival. Given Scoville's reputation for dealing "telling blows" against "spiritualism, Christian Science and other fads," there was some doubt that the revival would succeed in such a conservative town. "Popular forms of sin, in and out of the church, were condemned in unmeasured terms," the Standard reported. The preaching quickened the lives of the whole community. "It was a revival that revived."
The revival spirit spread like fire and sparked the interest of many. Nine hundred-nine new members joined the Lexington churches, and 106, many of whom were members of other Lexington churches, enrolled as charter members of the new Woodland congregation.
The first worship service of the new congregation was held on May 24, 1908 in the Woodland Auditorium. Professor Benjamin Cassel DeWeese, of the College of the Bible, and an elder at the Broadway Christian Church, served as acting minister during the organizational period. An 1876 graduate of the College of the Bible, from Jacksonville, Illinois, who served churches in Kentucky, Ohio, and Missouri, DeWeese was praised as a friendly and well-read. One of his last public appearances was placing the cornerstone in the present church building, in 1924.
In 1907, the seven Lexington Disciples 0f Christ congregations met to consider how a new congregation might be formed on the rapidly growing east end of town.
Broadway Christian Church called upon the well-known evangelist Charles Reign Scoville to conduct a revival in the spring of 1908. After three weeks of capacity crowds, where people were sometimes turned away, it soon became apparent that Broadway's sanctuary would not be large enough to accommodate the expected crowds.
The churches came together to share the expense of renting the City Auditorium in Woodland Park. The new brick auditorium (which replaced the original wooden structure in 1906) stood directly across High Street from the current church location and was the venue for countless musical and theatrical productions.
In April, near-capacity crowds gathered to hear Scoville preach, and his wife Arlene Dux Scoville perform as lead soprano for the mass choir. The Christian Standard (April 25, 1908) wrote a full account of Scoville's revival. Given Scoville's reputation for dealing "telling blows" against "spiritualism, Christian Science and other fads," there was some doubt that the revival would succeed in such a conservative town. "Popular forms of sin, in and out of the church, were condemned in unmeasured terms," the Standard reported. The preaching quickened the lives of the whole community. "It was a revival that revived."
The revival spirit spread like fire and sparked the interest of many. Nine hundred-nine new members joined the Lexington churches, and 106, many of whom were members of other Lexington churches, enrolled as charter members of the new Woodland congregation.
The first worship service of the new congregation was held on May 24, 1908 in the Woodland Auditorium. Professor Benjamin Cassel DeWeese, of the College of the Bible, and an elder at the Broadway Christian Church, served as acting minister during the organizational period. An 1876 graduate of the College of the Bible, from Jacksonville, Illinois, who served churches in Kentucky, Ohio, and Missouri, DeWeese was praised as a friendly and well-read. One of his last public appearances was placing the cornerstone in the present church building, in 1924.
- Charles Reign Scoville: The Man and his Message, By H. H. PETERS, State Secretary, Illinois Christian
- Missionary Society, (Bethany Press: St Louis, MO) 1924, 39.
- Available: Charles Reign Scoville “The Man and his Message” http://archive.org/stream/charlesreignscov028019mbp/charlesreignscov028019mbp_djvu.txt
- See also: http://ncbible.org/nwh/ProScoville.html
- Lexington Herald, Nov 20, 1920; See also Lexington Herald Aug 19, 1908, p5, Col 3; November 21, 1908, p. 1, Col 5.