The History of Pentecost in Maine
In August of 1960, there was a brand new Independent Pentecostal Home Missions Work, that had been opened up at Milo, Maine. The Pioneer Pastors of that Work, were Bro. & Sis. Leslie Libby. Not much is known of this Work, where in Milo it actually was, nor how long it existed. But, on the last page of this book, you will find an excerpt from the old "Full Gospel Newsletter," on the cover page of the August 1960 Issue, Volume 32, Number 8. This Newsletter was started By Elder F. Harold Bickford. Bro. Bickford was originally Saved at the old North Dixmont Methodist Church, and later Ordained as a Methodist Minister there, as well. Around 1917, or just prior to, God Led him to Aroostook County, Maine, where he attended the 1917 Aimee Semple McPherson Tent Revival at Washburn, and recieved his Pentecost.
Maine was predominantly Methodist, Baptist, Adventist, and Catholic, prior to 1906. During The Great Outpouring Of The Holy Ghost in Los Angeles California, at Azusa Street, those Pentecostal Fires spread all over, and hit Maine. In 1906, the very first place The Holy Ghost hit, was an old Calvanistic Baptist Church in Newburgh Maine, "The Newburgh Center Union Society." A Bro. Harry Woods was the pastor in Newburgh Center, at that time. Folks were soaking the altar with their tears, crying out to God for their loved ones Salvation, when The Holy Ghost fell in that place, and they were all filled with The Holy Ghost, and began to speak with Other (Unknown) Tongues, as The Holy Ghost Gave them the utterance. The stretch of the Main Road, in front of the church back then, was called "Middle Road." While folks would be riding down the road in front of the church, in their wagons, The Holy Ghost would get ahold of them, and they were under such Conviction, By The Holy Ghost, they would begin to cry out to God in Repentance, right there in their carriages, riding down the road, in front of the church. The old church set up on a hill, right there on the Main Road (Route #9 & #202), in the little Village of Newburgh. Those Holy Ghost Fires spread to Southern Maine. After The Great Outpouring in 1906, the little church at Newburgh turned "Pentecostal," and was nick-named the "Newburgh Centre Pentecostal Church." Prior to 1917, there were NO Pentecostal churches north of Bangor, in Maine, nor in New Brunswick, from Plaster Rock to Saint John.
Just prior to 1917, apparently in the Spring of 1911, two young men were praying in the Union Church in Fielding New Brunswick, and recieved The Holy Ghost, with The Initial Evidence (Begining Sign) of speaking In Other Tongues, as The Holy Ghost Giveth the utterance. Acts 2:4 kjv. Sometime in the early part of 1917, God was placing His Soldiers in place in New Brunswick & Aroostook County, where He wanted them. They started seeking God, wanting ALL God had for them, and those young men got together with their pastor friends, and they were getting hungry for God, and they all decided to invite Sis. Aimee Semple McPherson to come to Washburn Maine with her tent, and hold a Revival. She did, and many were Saved, filled with The Holy Ghost, Delivered & Healed By The Power Of ALL Mighty God, ALL Glory To God. After that Revival, Pentecostal churches started springing up all over Northern Maine & in New Brunswick. Other churches turned Pentecostal, at that time. \par \tab Elder F. Harold Bickford, as mentioned previously, was in on that great Revival. God had strategically placed His people, right where they needed to be, at the right time. There was a lady Minister, whom folks affectionately called "Mother Clark." With God's Help ONLY, she started the Mars Hill & Blaine Pentecostal Churches, near to that time. Bro. Bickford & his wife, Sis. Norma, helped Mother Clark in those Works. After she fell asleep In Jesus, Bro Bickford became the pastor of those Works. While in Mars Hill, God Used Bro & Sis Bickford to start several Pentecostal Churches in Aroostook County. In the early years, God Led Bro. Bickford to start the Full Gospel Ministerial Fellowship, and he held Annual Conventions each year, in Mars Hill. Ministers & saints would come from near and far to the services. Elder Bickford was Given, By God, a TRUE heart for Pentecostal Home Missions. He was the "great grandfather" of Independent Pentecostal Home Missions in the State of Maine. Most every Pentecostal preacher in Maine & New Brunswick, in the early years of Pentecost in Maine & N.B. Canada, held a Fellowship Card (Ordination papers), with the Mars Hill Full Gospel Ministerial Fellowship. \par \tab Until 1920, there was NO Jesus Name (not meaning "Jesus Only") churches in Maine, or New Brunswick. In 1920, God sent Bro. John H. Dearing here, from Idaho, with the Jesus Name Message. Bro. Dearing was the Jesus Name Pioneer to Maine. He was here until he died in 1940, at the age of 60, with the exception of only leaving about 1 year to try to help establish, With God's Help only, a Bible School out of State, and write some Bible Studies. He was the Spiritual Overseer, over the other Jesus Name pastors & churches in Maine & New Brunswick. Through his efforts, many of the Jesus Name churches came into existence in Maine, that we know about, today.
A man by the name of Eugene Allen from Sedgwick, had moved to Idaho, for a short time, just prior to 1920. While there, he met Bro Dearing. Upon returning home, he invited Bro Dearing to come to Maine. That was 1920. Bro Dearing began holding meetings in Sedgwick. A Pentecostal Work started there, during that time. Bro. Allen remained the Overseer of the North Sedgwick Pentecostal Church, until he died. The Work faded out, after that. There is now a charismatic church in that town, that has NOTHING to do with Bro. Allen's Work. The North Sedgwick Pentecostal Church was an Independent, Jesus Name Pentecostal Assembly. Bro. Dearing came here Proclaiming The Pentecostal & Jesus Name Message, for 20 years.
Next, Bro. Dearing went to East Corinth. Sis. Mary "Kitty" McLellan, a little dwarf lady, who was also a School Teacher, was holding Pentecostal Cottage Meetings there. (Sis. McLellan, and her sister Nora, were small in stature, but mighty In The Word of God.) Sis. Anna Miller (who later became Bro. Dearing's wife) was helping Sis. Kitty in the services there. Upon arrival, Bro Dearing became the principal speaker, in those meetings. In the summers, the group acquired a tent, and held meetings in the Bradford, East Corinth and Charleston area. They would set the tent up, and hold meetings in the tent most of the summer, sometimes having meetings every night, for sometimes two to three months at a time. Great persecution accompanied Pentecost in those days, during the Azusa St Revival, the Revival in 1906 at Newburgh, the Washburn Revival in 1917, and all the way up through the early Pentecostal Pioneer days, especially, even into the 40s & 50s.
In the winter, the meetings were held in peoples homes. In the summers, the tent was erected out in the country, in people's backyards, and pastures. People would come from all around. There was a group of kids that would persecute the church group by throwing acid on the grass to burn the women's stockings, and throw acid on the tent, to burn holes in it. The women folk would have to go out and sew up the tent the next day, so they could have church again the next night, when it happened. In 1923, the tent was erected, across the road from where the Charleston Pentecostal Church now sits. About that time, the Davis Sisters & Bro Clifford Crabtree started street meetings in downtown Bangor. The City Officials gave them permission. The only other group in those days having Street Meetings was the Salvation Army. However, after the meetings became "too Pentecostal" for the City, the Officials squelched them. The Davis Sisters & Bro. Crabtree, (a young, single man at that time), acquired use of an upstairs hall at 22 Water St. for services. They established the "Pentecostal Mission," and installed Bro. Dearing as the first pastor of that Work. Then, the Davis Sisters & Bro Crabtree moved on to St John New Brunswick Canada, to establish the Full Gospel Assembly there. When Bro Dearing took over that Work, Bro H. Simeon "Sim" Adams went to continue the meetings in the Charleston area. The group there acquired use of the old Holts Mills School House, and that's where they permanantly held meetings there, for the next few years. After a few years, a man purchased the old Charleston Schoolhouse, that sat on the property where the current Charleston church is today. That man gave the Charleston Schoolhouse building to the group meeting at the Holts Mills Schoolhouse, to use for their new permanent, church home. Thus the Charleston Pentecostal Church was Officially established. The group appointed Bro Sim Adams, at that time, as their "Official" pastor, although he had been pastoring the flock, all the while, at Holts Mills.
The church in Bangor, eventually moved from Water St to Harlow St, and finally settled at 40 Central St, upstairs, for the next several years. It was while the group was meeting on Harlow St, that Bro Dearing went out of State, to try to establish a Bible School, and write his Bible Studies. He was only gone a year, and while he was gone, he left Bro Sim Adams in charge of the flock at Harlow St. At one point, while Bro Adams was pastoring the Charleston Work, he was also pastoring on Harlow St, downtown Bangor, at the same time. During the 1930s, while Bro Dearing was pastoring the church at 40 Central St, he suffered greatly with Asthma, to the point, he would have to be carried up the stairs to the Mission hall, and held up, while he stood to preach, then after meeting, he had to be carried back downstairs to the car. It was during that time, other Ministers helped him pastor the Work, and filled in as "Interim pastors," while he remained the Spiritual Overseer of the Work there. In 1940, Bro. Crabtree returned from New Brunswick and assumed the pastorate. After that, the church moved a couple of times, and it's name changed from Pentecostal Mission, to Pentecostal Assembly, and finally to Glad Tidings Church. After Bro Crabtree left in 1970, the church became a trinitarian church, and is now charismatic.
In Charleston, Bro Sim Adams pastored there awhile, then, Bro. James Sherman Lounsbury, was pastor for a time. While pastoring in Charleston, Bro. Lounsbury, was also pastoring the Newburgh Centre church, and started the Bangor Gospel Tabernacle, downtown Bangor on Exchange St. It was 1938, when he was pastoring all three churches at once. The Bangor Gospel Tabernacle eventually moved to Brewer, and became what was the UPC church of Brewer. After Bro Lounsbury got done pastoring in Charleston, Elder George E. Briggs, became pastor there. He pastored a short while, then, Sis Beth Tibbetts, was pastor for a little while in Charleston. After that, Bro. George Briggs was pastor again, for a short while, until Bro Eugene Kimball of Portland became pastor. Bro Kimball served the Work in Charleston, With God's Help ONLY, for 17 years. At that time, Bro. Ronnie Libby became pastor. Bro. Libby was pastor from 1963, until he resigned, about the year 2000. The Charleston church went trinitarian, and is now charismatic, unfortunately.
During those early years a Pentecostal Work sprang up in Bradford, but that faded out, sadly. A couple of young ladies had a burden to go start a house church in Argyle. After awhile that Work faded out, as well.
Around 1920, Bro Fred Grover came into Pentecost. Around 1926 or 1927 or 1928, Bro Fred started meetings upstairs in the old Forrester's Hall on Water St, downtown Old Town. It was in those meetings, that Bro. Harvey Howe got Saved. After he got filled with The Holy Ghost, he started studying Bro Dearing's Bible Study's, and God Called him to preach. Bro. Harvey & Bro Charley Mitchell went to Pea Cove & started Cottage meetings and Bible Studys. Fred & Lizzie Briggs owned a big, old, barn dance hall in Pea Cove. The building sat just up the road from where Pea Cove Campground is, on the opposite side of the road. Fred & Lizzie Briggs got Saved, and they shut the dance hall down, and turned it into a Pentecostal Church. Bro. Fred Grover was asked to pastor that church, too. He pastored both the Old Town church, and Pea Cove, at the same time, for several years. Bro. Fred was a real Home Missionary, ALL Glory To God. While pastoring in Pea Cove, he started the Cardville church. The Cardville church is now UPC. Also while pastoring in Pea Cove, he went to Ellsworth, and opened up Pentecostal meetings in an old dance hall there. That Work, after many changes, several moves, and several pastors, over the years, is the same Work that Bro Jimmy Heard pastors today. Bro Heard is Jesus Name, but his congregation is now charismatic. With God's Help only, Bro Fred, along with Bro Harvey Howe & Bro George Kennedy went to Bar Harbor and opened up a Pentecostal Mission Work there. The Cardville, Ellsworth, & Bar Horbor churches were started, With God's Help only & By God's Grace, For God's Glory alone, all during the deep depression, in the 1930s, to my knowledge. After Bro Jimmy Heard took over the pastorate in Ellsworth, he merged the Work in Bar Harbor with the Work in Ellsworth, and the building in Bar Harbor was sold. The Town Hill church was apparently started, as a result, of the Work in Bar Harbor. The Town Hill church is most likely charismatic today, unfortunately. While Bro Fred was pastoring in Pea Cove, at some point, maybe in the early 1940s, he went to Carmel., and purchased the original church building in Carmel. The original building set out closer to the Road (Damascus Rd), and was up on blocks. Bro Grover installed Bro Clare Sylvester as the first pastor of the Work in Carmel. Bro Clare Sylvester & Sis Alice Bennett had been holding services (probably "open air meetings"), prior to that, in the old Carmel Auto Rest Park. For the first several years, the Carmel church was an OLD FASHIONED Jesus Name Pentecostal Work, the WHOLE time that they worshipped in the original building. Eventually, Bro Harold A. Haynes went there to pastor, and while there, God used him, ALL GLORY TO GOD, to build a new church (The current building). After Bro. Haynes left, the church went trinitarian, and is UNFORTUNATELY owned by charismatics today. Also, while Bro. Grover was pastoring in Pea Cove, he helped Bro Wilner Stallones (pronounced Stallings) establish a Pentecostal church in West Old Town, in the home of Eliza Young. After they left, a Brother went and held meetings in the old Schoolhouse there. Sometime after that, a church was erected there. The church had mostly all trinitarian pastors after the building was built, except one from 1985-1992, Bro Norman R. Mersereau, who was Jesus Name. The church eventually was eventually sold to the Foursquare movement, and became charismatic after that. The church was eventually shut down, and the building sold. It was an Auction Hall for while, but may be empty now, not sure. While Bro Fred was pastoring in Pea Cove, at some point, a new church building was erected there, it is where Christ Church of Faith is today. That had become the original UPC church of Pea Cove, but later was pulled out of the UPC, years later. Christ Church of Faith is right next to the Pea Cove Campground. Several years ago, Bro. Ronny Wilbur went and purchased an old Nazarene church, and remodeled it, and opened up a new UPC church in Old Town. His church is on the same road, but on the South end of Bennoch Rd. He is still UPC. In the early to mid 1930s, Bro. Grover was one of the preachers that helped Bro Dearing at the Bangor church, when he was sick. He may have been Interim pastor for about 6 months in Bangor, not sure just how long. He was pastoring all three churches, at the same time, during that time. About 1943, Bro. Grover apparently had to have a massive operation and had to give up the Old Town & Pea Cove churches. Apparently the Old Town church was closed, and Bro George Briggs was asked to take over in Pea Cove. After Bro Briggs was pastor in Pea Cove, Bro Bliss MacQuarrie became pastor in Pea Cove. He was pastor, when the Pea Cove church joined the UPC, and the Pea Cove UPC Campground was built. The Campground was built about 1947.
Bro Harvey Howe had helped out in Pea Cove, until God Led him to Howland about 1931, to start a Pentecostal church there. He was also holding Cottage meetings and Bible Studys in Enfield, Lowell, & South Lincoln while pastoring in Howland. By 1936, they had acquired a small house on the Lagrange Rd for a church. They had converted the downstairs into a Sanctuary, and the upstairs into an apartment, where Bro & Sis Howe lived. Bro Howe probably continued to pastor there, till sometime in the 1940s. In 1936, Bro George Kennedy, was not serving God, he was backslidden, apparently. He was reclaimed in the fall of 1936, at the old Pea Cove Pentecostal church, and later entered the Ministry. But just before he came back to God, Bro George was visiting Bro Howe one evening. A group of bullies from the town didn't like Bro Howe's preaching against their evil doings. They decided to go beat Bro Howe up. Bro. George put on a long overcoat, and a hat to disguise himself, and went out to confront them. It was dark and they couldn't see Bro George too well. They said, "Are you Harvey?" He said, "Yeah." They told him, "We've come to beat you up!" While they lit into Bro George, Bro Harvey jumped in Bro George's truck, and went across town to get the Sheriff. By the time Bro Harvey got back with the Sheriff, those boys ran off. They never did catch 'em, but there wasn't a mark on Bro. George. The next day, at work, at the town mill in Howland, some people were talking about how Bro Harvey had given them boys a run for their money. Bro Harvey's father in law overheard it. He spoke up, and told them, "It wasn't Harvey, it was George!" Bro. Harvey's wife was Saved in Bro Harvey's meetings in the Lowell & Enfield area, around the fall of 1931, and soon after she became his wife. After Bro Grover recovered from that massive operation, he took over the Work in Howland that Bro Harvey started, and continued the meetings there for awhile, sometime in the 1940s. After that, Bro Grover went into Evangelistic Work. The Work in Howland faded out, and the building is probably torn down, as there were so many changes in the town over the years. During the winter of 2012-2013, God Led my wife and i to open up a House church in Howland. Those meetings closed, but we later returned, and in December of 2018, in fulfilment of a prophecy, God Blessed our church Corporation with the old Catholic church in West Enfield, on the Old County Rd, for one dollar. The building at 121 Old County Rd had been Catholic from 1896, when construction was started on the edifice, until 1962, when the Catholics sold it to the West Enfield Baptist Church. So, the building had been a Baptist church, all that time, up until our church corporation was Blessed to purchase it from them, in 2018. After pastoring there, a little over two years, we felt Led to give the building to the church in Brewer for one dollar. They have been having services there, supposedly, to this date. Bro R. Wade Townley is the pastor of both churches, currently.
Bro. Harold Albert Haynes started and pastored several Works, With God's Help only. God Used him, For God's Glory alone, to help pioneer & pastor the Work in Smyrna Mills, along with Bro Winfield S. Lincoln, and he built a church and pastored in Deer Isle. Unfortunately, the Work in Deer Isle faded out & closed, after several years. Also, Bro Chester B. Staples pioneered a Work, ALL GLORY TO GOD ALONE, in the 1930s in Rockland, and Bro Forrest Nickerson, helped him in that Work, as well as Bro Haynes. And, Bro Bill Cornish pastored the Works in Ellsworth, Bar Harbor & Town Hill, after Bro Fred Grover. I believe Bro Forrest Nickerson helped out in at least the Ellsworth Work, and quite possibly pastored that church too, in those early years. There are other Jesus Name Pentecostal pioneers, that laboured for The Master, during the 1920s-1940s, those early years, too numerous to be able to mention them all. Five Star Generals & Veterans Of The Gospel, men that have hazarded their lives for The Name Of The Lord Jesus Christ. Others started Works, With God's Help ONLY, AND For God's Glory ALONE, in the 1940s, and beyond.
When Bro Dearing came here, because of his TRUE Love, and being longsuffering, With God's Help ONLY, ALL GLORY TO GOD, MANY trinitarians came into The Light of Jesus Name Baptism. One such couple was Bro & Sis Charles Sweeney, affectionately known as "Ma" & "Pa" Sweeney. They were Pentecostal pioneers, as well in the early days, even to Southern Maine. Bro Dearing Taught the Ministers that came into The Truth, to not make an issue over Doctrine. IF he had shown any hostility to those who didn't see The Light of Truth, the outcome may have been much different. During Ministerial Fellowships, Special Meetings & Conventions, at the original Pea Cove Pentecostal Church (in the big old converted barn), they announced room for ANY Spirit Filled Ministers, living a clean life, to sit together with them on the platform. Many "trinitarians" & Jesus Name folk still Fellowshipped together at one another's meetings, and just lifted up JESUS! So-called "trinitarians" & INDEPENDENT Jesus Name folk attended UPC functions, after it was established in 1945. Soon after, the UPC declared they did no longer allow their ministers/churches to Fellowship with NON Jesus Name people, and eventually they declared they would NO longer allow their churches & Ministers to Fellowship with anyone who wasn't UPC!! MANY precious friendships were severed. Bro F. Harold Bickford suffered great hurt when his close, STRONG Jesus Name Minister friends, who had Fellowshipped with him so sweetly, for so long, withdrew themselves from him, to appease the orders of the UPC. Some of the Ministers that joined the UPC, later withdrew their membership with the UPC, because of the politics. But these UPC Soldiers Of The Cross, that were sincere, Served God Faithfully, and did a Work for God, ALL GLORY TO GOD!!!!!
Here is only one more of the Works we want to mention …
The Milo Pentecostal Church …
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