The Newport Church of Christ
The Local Congregation
The Church of Christ has been meeting to worship in Newport since 1914. The beautiful building where we currently meet was constructed in 1974. Charles Newell, Randy Matheny, Frank Love, Robert Patterson, and Chris Mullins have served as Minister s in this location. The current Minister is Lloyd Westbrook, who had been serving since 2006.
We are grateful for each person who makes up the Newport Church today. We appreciate the special talents and abilities that each one had, and their willingness to use them. We pray that God will continue to bless us as we serve him.
Church of Christ
The membership of the Dewey Avenue Church of Christ congregation come from the faithful members, who moved from the rural areas to live in St. Marys, West Virginia.
During the year 1906, with thirty-one charter members, the first regular meetings were held in the old M. E. building, where the present Methodist Church now stands. This building served the congregation as a meeting place for fifty years. A new building was constructed on the opposite corner of the street where services were first conducted March 22, 1959.
The Lord’s Church, that meets in Newport, was started in 1914 under the supervision on St. Marys Church of Christ. The John Shaw Building on Maple Street was purchased in 1916. The top floor was removed and the lower floor of the building was remodeled into a meeting place. Pews were bought from the Baptist Church in 1915.
In the Early 1950s a complete revamping was done. A new baptistery was constructed, tow bathrooms were installed, and one addition was built on the back to be used as two classrooms. William Dewell was Minister at this time.
The first trustees were W. A. Wilson, Marcus Bayless, Clarence Theodore McCullough, J. O. Rogers and Cyrus Bayless. It is interesting to note Cyrus and Marcus were brothers. Marcus moved his family to St Marys. Cyrus and his family became faithful members of the church. Some of the descendants of Cyrus still today are members of the congregation attending services at Newport.
The church bought property from Howard and Ferne Ward Pryor for $5,000.00 on the corner of Green[e] and Woodland Avenue.
The house for the Minister was erected on this lot in the 1965 by men of the congregation. The first minister to live in this home was Evangelist Donald Kelly and his family.
Due to the growth of the congregation, Charles Newell, Minister at the time, suggested a new meeting house be built. In 1974 bids were taken for sale of the old church building. Ralph Hendricks bought the property. It was used as a storage building for Newport Lumber.
Frontier Construction Company was hired to build the new church in 1974 at a cost of $125,000.00. The loan received for this project was paid off in 1991.
The New building was dedicated on November 9, 1975 at 2:30 p.m. It was a beautiful sunny day around 80degrees. There was 278 present at the dedication. The program included: Opening remarks – Charles Newell; prayer – Danny Hearn; Song leaders – Larry Singleton and Howard Pryor; Prayer - Dwight Sanford; speaker – Jess Nutter and closing prayer – Sanford Barnett. A tour of the building followed the dedication.
The main building sears 200 people. It has a baptistery and two rooms in from of the building. At the rear of the building is a nursery and lobby. Classrooms, a utility room, two restrooms and an office for the Minister are in the addition off the main building. In the 1990s an additional parking lot was purchased and made on the Rosie Riggs property.
Some the furniture from the old church building on Maple Street is still in use today. Howard Pryor donated a clock that is still in use.
In 1992 the church purchased new carpet for inside the building. The outside received a new sign, blacktop driveway and new landscaping.
Following is a list of full time preachers the Newport Church has had: Charles Thomas, William Dewell, E. G. Rockcliff, Gary Vaught, Dale Davis, Robert Patterson, Donald Kelly, Charles Steele, Scott Johnson, Charles Newell, Randy Matheny, Frank Love, Chris Mullins.
“The Churches of Christ Salute You”
(Romans 16:16)
