On Saturday, a man dressed in 19th-century garb will lead a horse onto the property at Apple’s Chapel Christian Church and give a brief sermon in German.
Bill Tullar will stand under a roughly hewn covering and re-enact what the congregation would have heard in the early 1800s, when the country church formed and was served by a circuit-riding preacher.
The event is one of many this weekend , when the nondenominational church celebrates its 175th anniversary.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm for remembering the old days,” associate minister Tim Geiger said.
The church’s structure and congregation have grown quite a bit since Adam and John Apple founded it. About 300 people attend Sunday services.
“Our nursery is overrun right now,” said the Rev. Allen Myers III, who has led the family-oriented church since 1980.
The congregation includes people from McLeansville, Whitsett, Browns Summit and Greensboro.
The church, originally called Apple’s Meeting House, is a conservative, evangelical church that spends about $100,000 supporting missionaries around the world.
The church also has a vibrant seniors group that takes trips once a month, and a congregational nurse program helps keep members healthy.
Carolyn Apple Childers, who has helped plan the anniversary celebration, said she is a member at Apple’s Chapel because it’s “a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching” church.
Saturday will focus on history, and Sunday will focus on worship.
The public is invited.
Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at jamie.kennedy@news-record.com or 449-4610
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