Creekside Chapel: A Free Methodist Church

 

Creekside Chapel was originally known as the First Free Methodist Church of Allegany; we are still proud members of the Free Methodist Church-USA. Creekside was one of the first FM churches in existence.
 
The Free Methodist Church was established in 1860 by, among others, local lawyer turned minister B.T. Roberts (he also founded the school that is now known as Roberts Wesleyan University, in 1866). In a time of turmoil regarding slavery, women’s rights and growing poverty, Roberts and others took a stand for those individuals who were being mistreated by society and even the church. The Free Methodist Church was established to provide a church without cost (others were charging for pews) and one that would stand up against slavery and the mistreatment of women and the poor (many churches did not want to take a stand on such “controversial” topics); therefore adding “free” to the already existing Methodist name. These new churches were places where:
 
  • slavery was condemned and all people were treated as though they were free…
  • both women and men were free to respond to the call of God to lead and preach…
  • all people could attend and freely sit in any seat of their choosing without the obligation to pay for it…
  • people could learn to live lives free from the trappings and material desires of this world…
  • the Holy Spirit was free to minister to and move in and through the people, resulting in a freer kind of worship.
 
Free Methodists seek the power of the Holy Spirit to visit our churches and communities, igniting a Spirit-Fueled Movement in our day. We desire to see the wounded healed, the broken-hearted encouraged, the lame walk, the dead be brought back to life, the darkness overcome with the light of Christ, and the Kingdom of God advance. Movements like this can only happen when the power of the Holy Spirit is unleashed through people who surrender themselves entirely to the Lord and His service. We are a people who hunger for igniting a Spirit-fueled movement in our day. For more information on the Free Methodist Church, click here.