South Henderson Pentecostal Holiness Church is preparing to celebrate its centennial anniversary and Pastor Mark Richardson extends an open invitation to the community to the June 4 service for a special look back at the first 100 years of the church.
Richardson was a guest on TownTalk Wednesday and said the celebration kicks off that first Sunday in June and will continue all month long.
Back in 1923, Henderson was the site of a five-month long tent revival, a very successful way to “plant” churches for the Pentecostal Holiness Church back then, Richardson said.
The revival took place mostly on what is now Southerland Street in Henderson, although it did travel to other spots in the town. And at the end of that five months, the seeds for a new church were planted.
Richardson was himself a member of the church beginning in 1996. He had various roles and was on the Pastor Frank Sossamon’s staff from 2003-2007. He spent 14 years at a church in Siler City before returning to Henderson. He’s been back as pastor for almost two years.
The present church building was constructed in 1980, and Richardson said the sanctuary has been undergoing a pretty big facelift in preparation for the 100th anniversary celebration.
There’s been lots of painting going on, new carpet installed and the newly covered pews should be installed soon. There’s a new sound system and a new LED projection screen that Richardson referred to as a wall.
“We’ve updated our sanctuary to bring it more of an up-to-date and modern look,” he said.
“We saw the new screen come to life for the first time” recently, he said, which is nothing short of amazing.
And church leaders may just roll out that new projection screen at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 4 when they show pictures of the first 100 years of the church – from then until now.
There will be coffee and donuts to enjoy as the slide show rolls on and viewers can remember and celebrate the people of the church during its first century.
“We’re celebrating our past and preparing for the future,” Richardson said. “We’re not finished writing the story of what South Henderson Pentecostal is trying to accomplish.”
Visit https://www.shphc.org/ to learn more about the church and its programs and services.
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