CHURCH OF GOD
CHRONICLE
S
The Shearer Schoolhouse Revival
by David G. Roebuck
repentant sinners and seekers for the until unexpectedly, like a cloud from a
experience of sanctification. Many skep- clear sky, the Holy Ghost began to fall
At this time I was a member of the Bap- tics of holiness were convinced, and on the honest, humble, sincere seekers
tist church and none of us believed in sancti- many more rough-living sinners were after God. . . . [O]ne after another fell
fication although I attended this revival. I converted.” under the power of God, and soon quite
noticed how those who claimed sanctification Will Bryant was among those seeking a number were speaking in other tongues
would go to their fellowmen and fix every- sanctification. Bryant had already been as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
thing right, making their confession to one conducting home Bible studies and wor- The Lord had done an extraordinary
another. . . . I began seeking God definitely ship services because the Liberty Baptist work in their lives. Conn wrote that it
for an experience I had never attained to. The Church, where he attended, met only one would be some time later before they
spirit within me would cry out, “Give me the Sunday a month. When the revival con- “would understand the doctrine, person
blessing like those other few have received.” cluded, he began a Sunday school in the and nature of the Holy Spirit.” But
. . . When I got all on the altar, one Thurs- Shearer Schoolhouse. Opponents to the despite the remoteness of their mountain
day morning about 9:00 o’clock, I was sanc- sanctification message fought these meet- community, God poured out a revival at
tified while sitting in my saddle on my horse. ings, however. Those who testified that the Shearer Schoolhouse, and Will
In that same year many of us received the they were sanctified suffered violent per- Bryant and the Church of God were for-
Holy Ghost.—W.F. “Will” Bryant secution. Their churches excluded them, ever changed.
and they were forced to worship in
T
hroughout our history, God has homes and makeshift log structures.
David G. Roebuck serves as
blessed the Church of God with In the midst of this persecution, God
director of the Church of God
revival. One of our earliest revivals honored their hungry hearts. A.J. Tomlin-
Pentecostal Research Center
took place in Camp Creek, North Caroli- son later recorded: “The people earnestly
in Cleveland, Tennessee.
na. In the spring of 1886, four evangelists sought God, and the interest increased
preached a 10-day revival in that commu-
nity’s Shearer Schoolhouse. They were
William Martin, Billy Hamby, Joe Tipton,
and Milton McNabb. Billy Hamby was
the brother-in-law of R.G. Spurling, who
had established the Church of God 10
years earlier as the Christian Union. Mil-
ton McNabb was the cousin of a local
farmer, Will Bryant.
The evangelists preached a new doc-
trine for the Camp Creek community.
They proclaimed the necessity of holiness
and called for their hearers to seek sancti-
The 10-day revival
fication. They were “given to much
in 1896 as well as a
prayer and fasting,” preached earnestly,
Sunday school led
and throngs of people responded. by Will F. Bryant was
Church of God Historian Charles W. held at the Shearer
Conn wrote: “Almost from the start of Schoolhouse.
the meeting, the altars were filled with
(Inset) W.F. “Will”
Bryant about 1905.
26 EVANGEL • DEC 2008
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