Suffolk News-Herald

King’s Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church, 62300 Old Myrtle Road, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend.

Elder John H. Kindred, pastor for 33 years, and his congregation began the celebration with a banquet Friday. The event will continue at 4 p.m. today, and the Rev. George Smith and the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church of Suffolk will be in charge of the service.

The church got its roots in 1903 when a handful of dedicated Christians established the church in the Myrtle community. Although they did not have a building to worship in, the founders and early members of King’s Grove had a service every fourth Sunday in an old lodge hall across the street from the current church.

The church’s first pastor, Brother Cousin, served the congregation until Elder Mary E. Bray was installed.

She came from Norfolk by bus, train, car or whatever method of transportation was available to preach in Myrtle.

In 1909, Elder Solomon J. Whitfield became a member of King’s Grove, where he was assistant pastor to Bray until 1935.

He later was installed as pastor. He worked there until his death in June 1970.

In the late 1920s, the congregation decided it wanted to construct its own building. In 1929, Henry King – for whom the church is named – donated the land while other congregation members donated their time and skills as carpenters, electricians and architects to erect King’s Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church.

King’s Grove joined the Pentecostal Holiness Union of the United States of America, and in 1936 the church was able to host the 33rd Annual General Union Session. They had only nine members and five dollars but the spirit ran high.

In 1961, Whitfield gained an assistant pastor, Elder John H. Kindred. During those early years, Kindred was ordained and began to preach one or two times a month.

In 1971, Kindred became pastor. The next year, on May 28, 1972, seven years after breaking ground on a new building, the congregation moved into its current church building.

The church has grown to more than 80 members today.

Deacon Arthur N. Holliman also began preaching around this time.

In 1993, Missionary Queenie Kindred, the first lady, was called to preach and was ordained by the Pentecostal Holiness Church of the United States of America.

She serves as the Young Adult Sunday School teacher, the church secretary, and is a member of the Deaconess Board, the Missionary Board and the Pastor’s Aid Committee.

She continues to serve King’s Grove as a preacher every third Sunday of each month.

With more than 80 members in the church congregation, Kindred in 2000 envisioned an expansion to the pulpit, choir seating and baptismal pool.

This addition was completed in 2001.

The church now holds three standing services every Sunday morning, including the prayer breakfast/testimony service, 8:30-9:55 a.m.; Sunday school, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; and the morning worship service, 11:30 a.m. Communion is served every fourth Sunday and prayer/Bible study sessions are held from 7:30-9 p.m. Wednesdays.