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Many Churches Rich In History

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 23, 2008

PLANT CITY - Nearly 200 churches call the Plant City area home.

Many of the churches, large and small, trace their roots to the late 1800s.

The churches sampled here vary in history, size and denomination. Some have about a dozen families attending on a regular basis. Others might have more than 150 families in worship services on any given Sunday.

The one thing members of local congregations tend to have in common is a deep affection for their churches and a deep faith.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church
In 1889, four years after the incorporation of Plant City, the Episcopal Church purchased property on the southeast corner of Wheeler and Mahoney streets. In 1902 the Rev. J. H. Weddell founded St. Peter's as a mission of Trinity Church, Thonotosassa. In 1908 the central interior of the church was erected at Mahoney and Wheeler at a cost of $2,500.

The church relocated to 302 N. Carey St. in 1953.

"Our parish profile gives a complete history of the church," said B.J. Broxton, an office manager at the church. "In 1953 the property at Wheeler and Mahoney was exchanged for the block of land where the church now stands. The church building was moved, and from 1975-1989, while Fr. Grayson Garvin was rector, the new rectory was purchased, the bell tower was built, the Zimmer pipe organ was custom built, the north and south transepts were added, and the church was remodeled to include the high altar" at the center.
Cypress siding was replaced on the church, giving it a distinctive color and historic look that matches its history.

The Rev. Thomas Thoeni will be host to the Episcopal bishop in the fall when the church celebrates its 100th year in existence.

Wings Of Deliverance

In Bealsville, southeast of Plant City, an 832-square-foot wooden building with a peaked tin roof stands abandoned and overgrown by vines and trees at 4713 Horton Road.

Formerly known as the Wings of Deliverance Pentecostal Church, the church served a black congregation some 35 to 40 years ago.

"The building was there when I was a boy," said Jeremiah Hallback, 65, who lives in a home he built on family land across the street. "It wasn't always a church, but when the owner moved out in 1970 he rented the building to people who used it as a church."

A white wooden cross can still be seen nailed to the front of the building facing Horton Road.

Helen Dexter was a member of the church. She lives just a few blocks away in the sparse, rural neighborhood.

"Trudy Bell Hallback organized the church," Dexter said. "There was a small congregation but we attended there for five or six years. Bishop Kevin Williams of Cleveland, Ohio, was our Pentecostal leader."

Later the church moved to 501 S. Waller St. in Plant City and changed its name to The Wings of Deliverance Faith Temple. The church was founded by Calvin Williams Jr., with Viola Knighten as pastor. Knighten was initially a member of the Horton Road church. She helped relocate the church to Plant City in about 1977.

After the black congregation moved to Plant City a church with white members was established there. Now, only the empty building remains.

First Presbyterian Church Of Plant City

Historical documents at the church offices give a detailed history of the First Presbyterian Church of Plant City.

Capt. F.W. Merrin, who arrived with his family in 1884, was a Presbyterian elder and Sunday school worker in Mississippi. Upon arrival he searched the town looking for other Presbyterian families. About six families accounted for 19 members for a new Presbyterian church, which the Rev. J.W. Shearer organized the following summer. The first building was erected by the members at the northwest corner of Reynolds and Thomas streets in 1892.

The cornerstone of the current church building was set in 1924 and services began there in February 1925. The red brick church, just west of city hall, has long been a prominent Plant City landmark. The church has 172 members and is led by the Rev. David B. Delph.

Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal

The Pentecostal Church of God, Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal, at 400 W. Baker St., was originally the first permanent site of Holy Name Mission Catholic Church.

In their history book, "Plant City: Its Origin and History," Quintilla Geer Bruton and David E. Bailey Jr. wrote that the first Mass in the church was celebrated in May 1931, when the name was changed to St. Clement Catholic Church.

In 1980, St. Clement had more than 300 families. In the summer of 1976 construction began on a new parish center on North Alexander Street south of Interstate 4. The building, now referred to as Cronin Hall, a church social center, was named for the Rev. David B. Cronin, the church leader during that time. A new sanctuary was built on the property in 1998. St. Clement has about 1,600 families in its membership. The Rev. Tom Anastasia is the pastor.

The diocese of St. Petersburg deeded the Baker Street property to the Salvation Army in 1982. Ten years later ownership was transferred to Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal.

Primera Iglesia Bautista Le Fe

The historical structure at the southwest corner of Evers and Herring streets is the home of Primera Iglesia Bautista Le Fe, formerly the Primitive Baptist Church.

Originally named the Progressive Primitive Baptist Church when it was founded in 1916, the picturesque church built by its small congregation at 509 N. Evers St. is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The sale of the church and the 1 acre on which it sits was completed in 2002 to the Hispanic congregation, which had been meeting at 1212 Reynolds St. The Primiera Iglesia Bautista La Fe, or First Baptist Church of the Faith, outgrew its former location, said the Rev. Didimo Sancas, the pastor.

The sanctuary - with its lavender, blue and green stained-glass windows - has 18 wide wooden pews that face a simple pulpit and a small baptistery.

Downstairs, below ground level, three classrooms, a small kitchen and office flank the main meeting room. Its walls hold a blackboard once used by students from the nearby 1914 Plant City High School Community Center.

"Our congregation continues to grow," Sanchez said. "Sometimes the church is completely full."

St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church

The Revs. H. Box and J.A. Hunter organized the St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in the Lincoln Park area in 1918.

The church, now standing, at 110 S. Warnell St., was erected in 1947 under the supervision of the Rev. C.W. Burns.

Church administrative assistant Lillie H. Joe said there are about 300 members attending.

Burns remained pastor of the church for 38 years from 1936 to 1974. The original wooden structure was replaced with concrete block, with further renovations to the interior made in the 1990s. Property in the immediate area has been purchased to add parking space for the growing membership, Joe said.

Elder Larry D. Sykes has been pastor at St. Luke since 2002.

Allen Chapel AME Church

The Rev. Mandell Smith is the pastor of the more than a century old Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1109 Laura St.

The church was founded by the Rev. A.L. Brunson in 1901, and the building where the congregation worships has seen renovations and restorations many times during its storied history.

The church was rebuilt in 1909 by the Rev. T.T. Gaines, and rebuilt again in 1925. Other renovations followed during the next 75 years, including a major restoration under the Rev. J.C. Williams in 1952. But by about 2000 the church was in disrepair. Threatened with the building being condemned as unsafe for use in 2001, the church's new pastor, the Rev. Gregory Gay, solicited help from members of the church, his family, city employees and local merchants to help demolish and remove the old structure and rebuild the church to its present glory.

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com.

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