This church came into existence as a branch from the church then meeting in the old house near Phoenix Hotel, on Main street. The latter had enjoyed a very rapid growth from the year 1865 till the year 1869, when the audiences became too large for their house of worship, and a separate meeting for such as saw fit to attend it was organized in the old opera house, corner of Main and Broadway, January 1, 1870. In the spring of 1870, the old Presbyterian house of worship on the corner of Broadway and Second streets was purchased for the accommodation of this meeting, and was first occupied by it on May 1st of that year. On June 25th of the year 1871, it was thought best by the whole church to organize those meeting there into an independent church. This organization was effected on Lord's Day, July 16th, by the enrollment, with the consent of the mother church, of all who chose to enter into it. The whole number then enrolled was one hundred and twenty-eight.

      J. W. McGarvey, who had been already selected by the undivided church to preach in that house every Lord's day, was continued in that service, and the church was fully organized by the election and ordination of elders and deacons the same year. The elders first appointed were W. B. Emmal, Dr. I. N. Hodgen, Dr. R. A. Gibney, and J. W. McGarvey; the deacons, Robert McMichael, J. M. Hocker, I. Y. Smith, J. L. Shivel, D. D. Laudeman, J. P. Metcalf, J. B. Wallace and James Frost.

      J. W. McGarvey was both the preacher for this young congregation and professor of sacred history in the College of the Bible; and he continued this double service until the close of the year 1881, when the church had so grown in numbers that the time which could be spared from his professorship was inadequate to the demands of the church work. He consequently resigned, and John S. [40] Shouse, of Midway, Ky., was chosen to take his place. At this time the number of members was about three hundred and fifty, and these, together with the boarding pupils of Hamilton Female College, and many students of the College of the Bible and Kentucky University who were regular attendants, frequently crowded the house of worship. Under the services of J. S. Shouse this growth continued until it became necessary to provide more seating capacity for the large congregations. All practicable plans for enlarging the old house were considered

BROADWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

and found unsatisfactory, so it was finally decided to build a new one. Search was made for a suitable lot in the vicinity, but none that could be purchased was found, and it became necessary to tear down the old building and erect the new one on the old site. J. S. Shouse undertook to secure the necessary subscriptions of money, and had scarcely succeeded when he was induced to resign his position and accept the work of soliciting for an increase of the endowment of Kentucky University. His term of service closed with the year 1890. In this crisis, O. A. Bartholomew, of St. Louis, Mo., was induced to serve the church for one year in the double capacity of [41] regular preacher and architect of the new building. The new house of worship and a parsonage were constructed under his supervision and according to plans and specifications drawn up by him. On the first Lord's day of September, 1891, the new house, with a seating capacity of about one thousand, was formally set apart for public worship to the great delight of the congregation, which had for six months worshiped in the chapel of the university. The cost of the two buildings was about $22,000.

      But previous to this, in the year 1888, for the purpose of relieving the overcrowded condition of its audiences, as also for the sake of more efficient evangelizing in the city, the church had bought a lot on Chestnut street, and erected a house of worship on it at a cost of about $6,500. Here services were maintained regularly by members of the congregation, who were preachers, with the assistance of some of the elders and deacons, until the month of December, 1891, when, an independent church was organized there. This church being financially weak at first, the mother church continued to help it financially for several years.

      At the close of the engagement with O. A. Bartholomew, Mark Collis, who had been for six years Professor of English Language and Literature in Kentucky University, was induced to resign that work and serve the church, which he has continued to do until the time of this writing. The increase of membership which has marked the history of the church from its beginning has not been interrupted and the congregation now numbers about nine hundred members, besides about two hundred who have moved away from the city without changing their church membership.

      Throughout the history of this church it has borne a part in the benevolent work of the city of Lexington, and has contributed liberally to the support of the gospel in the state of Kentucky, in the more needy parts of our whole country, and among the heathen. Its members have manifested an interest in the poor and the sinning in every part of the world. No class or race of men are beyond the reach of their sympathy, and this largely accounts, no doubt, for the abundant blessings which God has bestowed upon the church. Her devotion to the faith and practice of the primitive church, for the defense and maintenance of Which she has ever stood, knows no abatement, and she has confidence that in the years to [42] come there is a still larger work for her to do than all that she has hitherto accomplished. Her officers now consist of five elders and seventeen deacons. She has an attendance every Lord's day which nearly fills her large auditorium; her Sunday-school is large and growing; her prayer-meeting is largely attended; and her young people, in their special lines of work, are active and zealous. She has every reason to thank God, and take courage.

[BCCHS 40-43.]

      J. W. McGarvey's "Broadway Christian Church: Historical Sketch" was first published in The Church Record (New York: Church Record Publishing Co., 1897), pp. 40-43. The electronic version has been produced from a copy of the book held by the Disciples of Christ Historical Society.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
373 Wilson Street
Derry, PA 15627-9770
stefanik@westol.com

Created 4 June 1999.