The years immediately after the Civil War were a bittersweet moment for black people in Alamance County. Although released from slavery’s yoke, these newly emancipated citizens were soon consigned to the periphery of civic life as disgruntled whites imposed segregation mandates on education, business, housing, and even places of worship.
Yet, these dismal developments didn’t extinguish one source of light for the county’s black residents.
Since 1875, the Children’s Chapel United Church of Christ has been a beacon of hope for freed slaves and their descendants, who’ve managed to keep this storied institution alive long past the demise of Jim Crow segregation.
In fact, this Graham-based congregation is as vibrant as ever as it prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary later this week. Not only are the church’s own parishioners looking forward to this milestone; it has also snagged the attention of Graham’s municipal leaders, who recognized the legacy of the Children’s Chapel on Tuesday with a special proclamation from mayor Jennifer Talley.
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The church’s significance within Alamance County was apparent even in its earliest days when it emerged as an offshoot of Providence United Church of Christ, whose own origins hark back more than 260 years to the late Colonial period.
The impetus for the church’s foundation actually came from a white pastor named J.W. Wellons, who realized that Providence’s black congregants needed a new place to worship after the Ku Klux Klan demanded race segregation in the religious domain. Wellons went on to establish a new congregation in 1875. A year later, he and his flock moved into their first permanent building – a wooden structure built on land donated by a former slave owner, William “Bill” Trollinger.
The church’s original building eventually gave way to a new sanctuary, which opened its doors at 334 East Harden Street in 1911. This site has remained the congregation’s earthy abode ever since its completion, although it has been substantially refurbished and expanded over the years. Many of these upgrades have occurred on the watch of the church’s current senior pastor, Rodney K. Foxx, whose nearly 35 year tenure is easily the longest that the Children’s Chapel has witnessed in over a century.
The Children’s Chapel ultimately took its name from an Antebellum expression that one of Wellons’ assistant pastors had used to address the enslaved blacks in the community. Although paternalistic by modern standards, the moniker has stuck – although these days, it has broader associations to “children of God,” as David Trollinger, one of the church’s longtime parishioners, freely confirmed.
The great grandson of one of the men who had laid the bricks for the church building in 1911, Trollinger takes a measure of pride in the endurance of this generations-old congregation.
“Its pastors, its community, and its faith have ensured the church’s longevity,” the 63-year-old Graham resident went on to observe. “And it has been the scene of baptisms, weddings, christenings, and family celebrations for as long as I can remember.”
Trollinger added that he’ll be present and accounted for when the Children’s Chapel commemorates its 150th anniversary on Saturday with a formal banquet at the Community Life Center next to Graham Presbyterian Church.
This forthcoming gathering, which will require a ticket to attend, received some official blessing on Tuesday when Graham’s mayor delivered her aforementioned proclamation on behalf of the church.
As part of this symbolic decree, Talley declared Saturday to be a day of tribute to Children’s Chapel UCC. She also took particular notice of the “dedication and service” of the church’s longtime senior pastor.
“Reverend Foxx,” she proclaimed, “encourages his congregation to serve God, the church, and the community, spreading the love of Christ in ways that will positively touch many lives.”
