Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Tomlinson era (1903–1923)=== It would be [[Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson]] and his organizational skills, however, that would be responsible for the growth of the Camp Creek Holiness Church into a national denomination. A [[Quaker]] and [[colporteur]] (the publishing and distribution of religious materials) for the [[American Bible Society]], Tomlinson had received the sanctification experience (but had not spoken in tongues) and had connections with [[Frank Sandford]]'s Shiloh church in [[Durham, Maine]]. While not an ordained minister, churches often invited him to preach. The church at Camp Creek had known Tomlinson for seven years before they asked him to join their church in 1903. After climbing what is now known as Prayer Mountain in [[Murphy, North Carolina]] (located within the [[Fields of the Wood]] park), and reportedly being divinely assured that this fledgling church was indeed God's reestablishment of the New Testament church, Tomlinson joined the church and was soon elected its pastor.{{Sfn | Synan | 1997 | pp = 74–75}} This allowed Spurling and Bryant to pursue evangelism. Fourteen new members were added to the church in the first year of Tomlinson's pastorate, and other churches were soon established in Georgia and Tennessee.{{Sfn | Roebuck | 1999 | p = 6}} By 1905, there was a desire for greater organization among the churches. Delegates from four churches met at Camp Creek (approximately a mile northwest of Fields of the Wood) in January 1906 to conduct the 1st General Assembly of the "Churches of East Tennessee, North Georgia, and Western North Carolina." Though the intention was still to avoid the creation of a creed and denomination, the members' consensus on certain endeavors and standards laid the groundwork for the future denomination. The Assembly declared, "We hope and trust that no person or body of people will ever use these minutes, or any part of them, as articles of faith upon which to establish a sect or denomination," and that the General Assembly was not "a legislative or executive body, [but] judicial only."{{Sfn | Roebuck | 1999 | p = 7}} The 1st Assembly decided that [[Maundy (foot washing)|foot washing]] was on the same level as the [[sacrament]] of [[Eucharist|communion]] and, like other holiness groups, condemned the use of [[tobacco]]. Tomlinson served as moderator and secretary.{{Sfn | Synan | 1997 | pp = 77–78}} The name "Church of God" was adopted in 1907, and Tomlinson was elected general overseer in 1909.<ref name="Synan1997p.79">Synan, ''The Holiness–Pentecostal Tradition'', p. 79.</ref> The Church of God was a part of the [[holiness movement]] and believed in [[entire sanctification]] as a definite experience occurring after salvation. While individuals had spoken in tongues in the 1896 revival, tongues were not yet understood by the Church of God to be the initial evidence of [[baptism in the Holy Spirit]]. As news of the [[Azusa Street Revival]] began to spread and reach the Southeast, Church of God adherents began, more and more, to seek and obtain Spirit baptism. Tomlinson was one of these seekers. In June 1907, he traveled to [[Birmingham, Alabama]], to attend a meeting of [[M. M. Pinson]] and [[Gaston B. Cashwell]]. After being baptized in the Spirit at Azusa Street, Cashwell had returned to the South, spreading the revival and bringing many holiness groups into the Pentecostal fold. Tomlinson invited Cashwell to preach in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was there, under Cashwell's preaching, that Tomlinson received the Pentecostal blessing. After Tomlinson's experience, the Church of God's emphasis changed from being mainly holiness in nature, to being both holiness and Pentecostal, and it has identified that way ever since.{{Sfn | Roebuck |1999| pp = 9–10}} In 1910, the official publication, "The Church of God Evangel," was founded, and it remains the oldest continuous Pentecostal publication. Growth followed in the years after organization. In 1902, there was one church with 20 members. By 1910, there were 1,005 members in 31 churches throughout the Southeastern United States.{{Sfn | Synan | 1997 | p = 79}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page