top of page

A Brief History of SCC

IMG_3060.HEIC
016.JPG

A Brief History of Suffolk Christian Church

​

Origins

 

Suffolk Christian Church was founded in 1860 by Isaac Brock Wellons (1821–1877). In 1854, six years earlier, because of a controversy over church management, the bishop and the Rev. James O’Kelly left the Methodist Episcopal Church to establish the Christian Church based on five cardinal principles:
 

 

  • The Lord Jesus Christ is the only head of the church.

  • Christian is a sufficient name for the church.

  • The Holy Bible is a sufficient rule of faith and practice.

  • Character is a sufficient test of fellowship and membership.

  • The right of private judgment and liberty of conscience is a right and privilege accorded to all.

 

 

Already the founder of several Christian churches, Dr. Wellons organized this church with 22 members at his Suffolk home on Kilby Street (now West Washington).​

 

Early Growth and Architecture

 

 

His warm and positive preaching style, combined with tolerance, eloquence, and sound doctrine, gave him a reputation as a “great revivalist” preacher at churches across the region.

 

The congregation dedicated its Romanesque Revival sanctuary on March 10, 1861, on the present site.

 

This style, which arrived in America in 1840, is characterized by:

 

  • Round arches and windows

  • Shallow-pitched roofs

  • Simplified ornamentation often executed in brick

 

 

Inspired by architecture of the 11th and 12th centuries, the style was popular for churches and synagogues—allowing congregations more individual latitude in architectural expression.

 

Although the four original entrances and doors were retained, the facade was remodeled in the mid-1920s, and the towers replaced.

​

 

Music and Worship

 

 

The original Jardine & Son 1893 pipe organ has been restored several times, most recently in 2002 by A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, to 2,468 pipes.

 

Twice in the 20th century, donors gave Neo-Gothic stained glass windows, including:

 

  • “Christ the Light of the World” (designed by Henry Lee Willet, 1952)

  • “The Good Shepherd” (Willet-Hauser, 1994)

 

 

An electronic carillon was installed in 1963.

​

​

Education and Leadership

 

 

SCC members founded and contributed to educational institutions in the region.

 

The church was served in 1872 by Rev. William Wesley Staley, while minister at SCC, who was also the secretary of the Board of Trustees of Elon College. He served as Elon’s first non-resident, unpaid president from 1894–1905. His leadership prevented the college from closing.

 

Deacon Junius Edgar West (1866–1947), a prominent Suffolk citizen, served two terms as Mayor of Suffolk and was a trustee of Elon College and the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University).

​​

 

Modern Era

 

 

The Christian Church merged with the United Reformed Church in 1931, becoming the United Church of Christ.

 

Entering the 21st century, SCC is not currently affiliated with a denominational organization.

bottom of page