Dryden Road Pentecostal Church History
A Christian With A Zeal For God
Brother Frank Pennington was discharged from the service, November, 1945. He was a young
Christian from Jackson County, Kentucky and had seen some of the cruelties of the war. He came home to
Dayton, Ohio with a zeal to do something for God. Prayer meetings were started in his home and he had a
desire to see people saved. He had a younger brother, Charley, a sinner who was wounded in France, July,
1944. He was sent to a hospital in England until he recovered from his wounds, then sent back to the front lines
until the war was ended. He was discharged in August 1945. I bring this in because it is very important later
on in this history. Sister Jenny Hurst, Brother Frank's sister, moved to Dayton which meant more help for Brother
Frank, for she was a great prayer warrior. She fasted and prayed along with Brother Frank for they knew they
were in the will of God.
They Find A Place To Hold Meetings
In the spring of 1947, Brother Frank rented a small room, 12' x 24' from his brother-in-law, Roscoe
White, who was not saved at the time. This room was to be an addition to Roscoe White's home on Palmerston
Avenue. Without knowing it, he was building a place to start a church. In the meantime, Brother Frank's wife,
Thelma was saved. Her sister-in-law, Kathyrn Berry and another sister-in-law, Irene White were also saved. No
doubt Sister Irene influenced her husband, Roscoe, in letting us have prayer meetings in the addition to their
home. God worked in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. There was much praying going on in those
days. Brother Eddie and Sister Dorothy McCarroll were among the prayer warriors. It just so happened they
lived close enough to Roscoe White, he could hear them pray. Roscoe got under conviction and was saved.
We had moved into the room we rented from Brother White. It seated 30 people. Winter came and we had a
small coal stove at one end of the room. Believe me, we sure did get warm! We scarcely noticed the heat, for
we were so fired up in our souls that nothing could distract us. We had some real Holy Ghost meetings.
Church Has Revival
Brother Charlie Brooks came and held a revival for us in the spring. Among those saved was
Charley Pennington. He had just married a very sweet, dedicated, Christian girl, Sister Mary Powell. Mary
knew that someday Charley would be saved. There were several more who found the Lord in that revival.
Our First Pastor
Milton Young was our first pastor. Staying with us for about three months, he felt it not the will of the
Lord, so he left. By this time the weather was getting warm and we were crowded. We moved out into the
backyard. We had several truckloads of cinders spread on the yard and the brothers would string lights so we
could see. That is where Brother Charley received the Holy Ghost (out in the yard, flat on his back in the cinders).
A Church Is Born
Our crowd was getting larger and more were being saved. Brother Frank saw the need, so we set
out to find some ground to build a new church. He found three lots for sale, close to where we were, on Ralliston
Avenue. In the early part of 1949 the church was started at 2811 Ralliston Avenue. We were growing so fast
and the need was so great that Brother Frank would work on his job and work on the church too. The others
were doing the same. How they worked! The church building was 30' x 40' and we thought that was a big
building! The brothers didn't know too much about building, but the Lord sent some good people to help us.
We had three Sunday School rooms. We were getting along real good with the building when we ran out of
money. In those days you couldn't walk into the bank and borrow money any time you needed. We moved into
the church and hung a tarpaulin over the door and burlap sacks over the windows, and began to make plans to
finish the church. All the materials needed to finish the job began to come in - sheathing and flooring - people
were so good to help us.
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Left to right; Johnny Vickers, Chester Robinson, Frank Pennington, Charlie Pennington, Eddie McCarroll, George Stearns,
and Estil Gullette. At the studio for the Sunday radio broadcast. This picture was taken prior to the church moving to
Dryden Road. |
The Church Is Chartered, Our First Fellowship Meeting
Brother Frank and the trustees made a trip to Columbus to have the church chartered. We soon
started making plans for our first fellowship meeting and dinner. It was warm weather but the sisters didn't mind
cooking for our church dinner. We were enthused, and were looking forward to all the visitors we would have.
The day came for the Fellowship Meeting. It was hot and we had a large crowd. Several ministers were there,
and the service was really inspired. When the service was almost over, Brother Jimmie Lamb stood to his feet,
and began telling the crowd how we needed to finish the church. He received a $700.00 offering. It gave us the
boost we needed to finish the church. The Lord had proven Himself to be so real to us once more.
Bro Frank & Bro Charley Pennington | Radio Ministry
We moved into the church in the spring of 1949. Brother Frank thought it would be a good idea to
get on a local radio station. We knew plenty of people in Dayton might come to the church if they knew it was
there. A group got together and went on the air at a radio station in Springfield, Ohio. I recall we had four
musicians with Brother Frank and Brother Charley to do the singing. It sounded heavenly when the Lord got it
just right! Before we knew it, people began to come to church and would say that they had heard the radio
broadcast. The church began to fill up and our three Sunday School rooms were overcrowded. We tried
hanging curtains in the church and teaching classes there, but it didn't work so well. We hadn't been in the
church a year and we were already overcrowded. The members decided we had to have more room. The
church was extended 25' more on the back and we built four more Sunday School rooms, making a total of
seven.
Brother Charley started preaching. By nature he was sort of timid, but when the Spirit began to move
on him he wasn't a bit timid, singing or preaching. |
Part Time Pastor
The church was growing so fast. We knew we had to have a pastor. The church officials went to
Richmond Indiana and talked to Brother Jerry Callahan. He consented to be our pastor. He couldn't be with
us all the time, but we had a pastor at last.
I remember how we enjoyed Brother Callahan when he would preach. The spirit would move on him so great
it would bless our souls. We had good revivals in those days. I remember our first evangelist was Sister Loretta Huff. There were several souls saved and filled with the Holy Ghost in every revival. Our baptismal services were
held in Wolf Creek and many times there would be twenty or more baptized. | Sis Loretta Huff |
Remodeling Again
This time we had to add to the front of the church, for there was no more room in the back. We were enjoying our new church and our good meetings, but we didn't have a full time pastor. Brother Callahan felt he wasn't doing the church justice by not being with us very much. We were getting along fine, but we needed a full time pastor. Brother Frank went to Brother Vearl Vaughn (who was a member of Sister Laura Shank's church) and talked with him about being our pastor. On September 7, 1952, by unanimous vote of the congregation, Brother Vaughn was elected our pastor. Our Sunday School attendance had reached 200 or more and the church was again becoming overcrowded.
Without A Pastor Again
At this time Sister Shank became ill and she needed Brother Vaughn back at his home church.
Before he came to our church we had the understanding that if he were ever needed at his home church, he
would return. Brother Vaughn resigned as our pastor December 28, 1952. I remember the church was full and
when Brother Vaughn got up to announce his resignation, he also said, “You have a young man right here
among you who would make a fine pastor.” Well, we thought who does he mean? Then he went on to say,
“Brother Charley Pennington is a good preacher, is faithful, and is one of you.” I remember Brother Charley
and Sister Mary were sitting over to one side of the church and everyone looked toward them and Brother
Charley began to cry. Everyone in the church stood up and voted Brother Charley Pennington in as our pastor.
The Fore-Ordained Plan Of God
Bro Charley, Sis Mary, Sandy and Charlie "Brown" Pennington, 1960. |
I don't know whether all of you will agree with me, but you see, when this same young man, who had
just been seriously wounded on a battlefield in France on July 27, 1944, I believe God, in His Wisdom, looked
into the future and saw the Holiness Church on Ralliston Avenue in Dayton, Ohio and said, "Young Man, I am
going to spare your life. I have a work for you to do."
As God sent Aaron to help Moses, I believe he spared Brother Charley to be Brother Frank's helper.
Brother Charley was our pastor for over twenty years.
At the time Brother Charley was elected our pastor he was employed at Moraine Products. In
November 1953, he resigned his job so he could devote his full time to the church.
The church at this time had contracted radio time on WPFB in Middletown, Ohio, for a half hour on
Sunday afternoons. More people heard our broadcasts and came to the church and again we were
overcrowded. |
A Look To The Future
We all realized that we had to have a larger church and more parking space. Plans were made
October, 1955, to raise money and set aside a fund for a new church. Although it hurt us to have to give up the
old Highview Church, we all started working toward our new one. The following fall of 1956, the church
purchased five lots on Dryden Road. We soon began pouring the basement. We were really enthused about
our new church. We had to have the walls built by a contractor. It didn't seem very long until the walls were up
and the men in the church started on the roof. Everyone worked. We had carpenters, electricians, plumbers
and whatever we needed. The sisters worked hard too! We cooked hot meals to take to the brothers who were
working. We knew we had to raise the money to pay for our new church and we didn't have any idle hands.
We had bake sales; some sold candy, some made aprons and pillow cases, some made flowers for Memorial
Day and sold them. We were all eager to get into our new church.
Easter Sunday, April 21, 1956, we had our first service in our new church. We had almost 300 in
Sunday School. We were so proud of our new church, we thought we really had plenty of room. The church was
50' X 96' and seated around 500. We had twelve Sunday School rooms. Now to get busy to fill them up, and
that we did.
Our first evangelist, Sister Huff, preached a revival before the church was completely finished.
Dedication Service
The church was finally completed on December 7, 1958. Brother C. L. O'Bannon preached the
dedication message. We had a large crowd in attendance and we really enjoyed Brother O'Bannon's message.
Brother Lester Rose and his family, from Indiana, began coming to our church. Brother Rose was a
good preacher and Sister Rose could play the piano. They were so good to help the church. Brother Rose was
officially elected by the congregation as our assistant pastor, July 26, 1959. They were faithful to the church.
Burn The Mortgage
September 10, 1961, was “Burn the Mortgage Day” at the Dryden Road Pentecostal Church. We
had paid off our church debt. We had our annual homecoming and dinner for this occasion. Brother Frank,
Brother Charley, and Brother Rose burned the mortgage.
New Growth
We continued to grow, so we had a business meeting and decided to build an addition to the church. In 1968
construction began, and by summer time we had our addition completed. We had ten Sunday School rooms
in the basement of the new addition and a beautiful parsonage on the main floor.
Building Fund
The Lord was blessing us so good at the church, we felt we should do something more than we were
doing. April 1970, we started a building fund for whatever purpose the Lord saw fit. We worked on our building
fund and waited on the Lord. Brother Frank and Sister Thelma went to Florida during the winter and met some
real good brothers and sisters from West Palm Beach. They were with us in our August Camp Meeting and
really enjoyed the wonderful blessings they received. They were amazed at the spirit and power we had in our
churches in Ohio. They enjoyed Brother Charley's preaching and wanted him to come to Florida and preach for
them, so he went down for a few meetings.
We were enjoying our meetings so much. It seemed the Lord was blessing us in every service. I
remember in one service, Brother Charley was moved by the Spirit to pray for different ones. When he prayed
for me the Spirit spoke to me that the Lord would take care of all my troubles if I would just leave them all to Him. Not long after that, I was stricken with a heart attack. I didn't question the Lord for I knew what the Spirit had spoken to me. When I was able to go back to church I was so thankful for each one of my brothers and sisters who had held me up in prayer during my long illness. I was so thankful that God had spared my life to be back in church again.
God Is Dealing With Brother Frank And Brother Charley
Brother Frank moved to Florida. He said he tried to get out of going, but the Lord kept dealing with
him. He had problems with his back and when he told the Lord he would do what He wanted him to do, the Lord
healed him. Brother Frank found a Baptist Church for sale in Lakeworth, Florida. At a meeting on November 30,
1970, the members of the board voted to buy the church. The church was 90' X 38' and on about an acre lot.
We thought, if Frank wanted to start a church in Florida that was all right with us. It was in a pitiful rundown
condition. It sure didn't look like it was worth much. I thought, "Brother Frank sure has a hard task before him."
They had about twenty-five or thirty in Sunday School. It reminded me of our starting at Highview. Some of
our folks from the church went down to see how Brother Frank was getting along. They would tell us how hard
he was working on the church. Brother David Moore was the pastor of the church and lived in the church
parsonage. We were very pleased with the progress of the church in Florida. We could tell the Lord was
dealing with Brother Charley, but we didn't know the Lord would takr him to Florida.
Our Pastor To Leave Us
October 1971, Brother Charley called a church meeting. Brother Charley told us the Lord had
been dealing with him for some time to go to Florida and pastor. We were shocked! He thought, "they have
their own pastor," but when he received the news that the pastor had resigned in Florida he was left without an
excuse. The Dryden Road Church, which he loved, would be without a pastor. Brother Charley selected three
of the best ministers to come and try out for our pastor. We got down to business and started seeking the Lord
for his will. It was breaking our hearts to have Brother Charley leave after twenty years. We couldn't stand in his
way, and we wanted him to be in the will of the Lord. We were a sad congregation.
One of the ministers came to preach for us. We enjoyed his preaching, but he didn't seem to be the
one. We kept on praying. The second one came and preached and we had enjoyed his preaching for years,
but he wasn't the one. All this reminded me of when the Lord sent Samuel down to the house of Jesse to anoint
a king over Israel. They were all capable, but it was the one whom God had chosen that Samuel was looking
for. That's the way we were. We wanted the will of God above everything else. The third minister came to
preach but it was a different story. The day Brother Arvis Swafford preached, we all saw the Hand of God
working. We had never seen the Holy Ghost work in a way which was so real to us. God put his approval on
Brother Swafford just as Samuel knew when he saw David that he was to be the King of Israel. We all knew
that Brother Swafford was to be our pastor. We had a church vote and Brother Swafford was voted in
unanimously as our pastor. Brother Charley began to make preparations to move to Florida. He preached his
last message to us on Sunday, December 5, 1971. On Monday, December 6th, Brother Charley and his family
left for Florida.
The Church Marches On
Soon, our new pastor moved his family into the parsonage. We were well pleased with our new
pastor and his sweet family. Brother Swafford preached under the anointing of God. Sister Swafford was a
blessing with her special singing. The church enjoyed great spiritual progress with Brother Swafford. We
experienced an increase in church and Sunday School attendance. In 1972 a fellowship hall was built to further
Christian fellowship. At some point of time in '73 or '74 Bro Swafford had a young minister from Indiana come over to preach a weekend service, his name, Rev Bennie Sutherland. It was later told by Bro Sutherland that as he was leaving the church that very weekend he felt that the Lord was showing him something, he told his wife as they were leaving that although he wasn't sure what it was, he felt like there was something here (at DRPC) for them. He has said that at the time he thought it might be a revival or some type of a meeting, not knowing what was in store for his future.
Brother Arvis Swafford resigned as pastor November 1974.
Brother Wendell Pittman was elected pastor of the church in June 1975. Brother Pitman felt the call
of the Lord to evangelize, and resigned September 18, 1977.
Dryden Road was once again without a pastor. As we sought the Lord, we were sure He would hear
our prayer and send someone to pastor us.
Brother Charley Pennington, and Brother Joe Bill Houston each contacted Pastor Bennie Sutherland
in Avoca, Indiana and asked him to come and pastor the church. At the time Brother Sutherland was pastoring
the Hilltop Pentecostal Church in Avoca.
Brother Sylvester Carpenter and Brother Den Watson moved Brother Bennie, his wife, Sister Jane,
and their two children, Richie and Renae to Dayton, Ohio, January 2, 1978.
Pastor Sutherland has worked very hard over the years to further the Gospel, and has held high a
standard of Holiness in the Miami Valley.
In 1978 the church was twenty-two years old and needed some remodeling on the inside. New pews,
carpet, and paint gave the church a new look.
More room was needed for our Indoor Campmeeting. The fellowship hall was extended to the church
parsonage and a kitchen was added, May, 1982.
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Bro Bennie & Sis Jane Sutherland |
Our annual Indoor Fellowship Meeting takes place the third week of August. We have some of the
finest preaching in the country, and wonderful fellowship with all of our friends.
The need for a separate parsonage was recognized. We wanted to give our pastor and his family
more room and privacy. A house was for sale behind the church on Holman Street. The property was
purchased, and there a new four bedroom parsonage was built.
Looking Ahead
Pastor Sutherland saw the need for us to purchase more property if we were to ever expand. He had
previously talked with the Dayton Power & Light Company on several occasions about a one acre lot next to
the church. The Lord opened the door when the timing was right and He knew we could afford to pay for the
land, we have since purchased the lot. The Lord has also allowed us to purchase 3 other lots adjacent to the church that will prevent us from becoming land locked. Future plans for some of these lots include a storage barn for church
equipment and vehicles. Pastor Sutherland is continually trying to envision the future for the church of tomorrow.
The summer of 1999 saw us begin a large remodeling project, the second under Pastor Sutherland's
leadership. We began by resurfacing the whole parking lot and changing the landscape of the property. Inside, new
windows were placed throughout the basement, and the church offices were remodeled. In January of 2000 our
new sanctuary windows were installed. Our remodeling of the sanctuary was completed in February of 2001. (click here to view our remodeling of sanctuary)
As we look back to the little humble congregation which started in Highview Plat some fifty-eight years
ago, we thank the Lord for the way He has blessed our church at Dryden Road. We praise Him for His many benefits.
In the fall of 2006 the church voted to begin saving and working towards building a new fellowship hall. We had outgrown our facilities and were looking to build a Youth Center/Fellowship Hall that would meet our needs in the years to come. We gained occupancy of our new building and celebrated Christmas dinner there for the first time in 2010. We designed the building so that sone day it will be complimentary to a new church.
This year the Sutherland's are celebrating their 35th year at Dryden Road. He and his family have
been a great blessing to the church. Their family has doubled since arriving that cold January in 1978.
Since arriving both Richie and Renae have married and Renae has two children of her own. The Lord has blessed Pastor and Sister Sutherland in their ministry. Through their dedication and faithfulness to the Lord the Dryden Road Pentecostal Church has been restored and has equalled its past greatness.
We trust that each of you who reads this brief history will be challenged to do all you can for the cause of the
Gospel. Do pray for the Dryden Road Church that it may continue to stand out in the Miami Valley as a
Lighthouse for the Glory of God, and a soul saving station for all who are lost.
Original Church History written by Mazie Boggs (deceased)
Updated 1994 by Sylvester & Ruby Carpenter
Updated Dec 2001 & Feb 2007 by Jeff Roberts
Special Thanks to Frank & MaryAnn Lindsey for compiling DRPC History