Annual Revival

Tubman Chapel began as a storefront in 1975.  Eld. Henry Tubman was given a vision by God and he undertook that vision with great sincerity and with much adversity.

Eld. Tubman had been a member of a church that was started by his family a number of years ago.  His mother thought that he would someday become the pastor of the church.  Eld. Tubman had developed  fundamental difference with the doctrine of faith as it was being taught.  Eld. Tubman felt the leading of the Lord to branch out on his own.

He was told by his family members that he did not have a vision from the Lord.   He was told that he was a jack-legged preacher and that his church would fail.   Eld. Tubman continued on with his vision.

He opened Tubman Chapel.  The first member to come to the church was Sis. Mary Hindman.  Mary Hindman was a small timid lady.  She came into the storefront running from her current boyfriend.  Eld. Tubman greeted her with a smile and welcomed her into the church.  He was up preaching when she ran into the church.

To Mary Hindman's surprise, there was no one in the church but Eld. Tubman.   She looked at him and said, "How are you gonna be preaching to an empty church?"  Eld. Tubman smiled and said, "I am preaching to the angels who are holding the places of the people who are on their way."  Eld. Tubman asked her to have a seat and he went on with his sermon.  When he was finished with his sermon, he had an altar call.

This is recorded as stated by Mary Hindman.

I thought to myself, "This fool must be crazy.  How are you gonna have an altar call with just one person in the church."  Before I knew what was happening, I was walking to the front of the church.  I feel down on my knees in the middle of the aisle and began crying out to God with all of my heart.  I got saved on that day.

I was looking for someplace to hide when I ran into the church that day.  I found a place where I didn't have to hide from anyone anymore.

Mary Hindman became the first member of Tubman Chapel.  Sis. Hindman invited several of her friends to church, one of which was a local musician who played at a club.   She talked Eld. Tubman into letting the musician, Gary Oakley, play for the church.   Eld. Tubman was displeased with this after three weeks of Gary playing for him.   Eld. Tubman took Gary aside and told him, "You can not play for me anymore.   I can not have an unsaved musician."  Gary told him okay and left the ministry.

At this time, Tubman Chapel had ten members.  Tubman Chapel's membership grew at a slow pace, but it grew.

Eld. Tubman and Sis. Hindman were married in 1978.  During this time, Eld. Tubman had begun to get discourage and doubt that he had heard the voice of the Lord correctly.  Sis. Tubman was a great help to him during this time.

During 1980, the little storefront that was Tubman Chapel was burned to the ground.  After some investigation by the police, it was found out that the fire had been set by some men who were after Gary Oakley.  Gary had told them that the church was where he lived.  A week later, Gary Oakley was in the hospital dying of gun shot wounds.

Eld. Tubman went to the hospital to see Gary.  Gary was so ashamed when Eld. Tubman entered his hospital room.  Eld. Tubman told him that he was going to pray for him.  Eld. Tubman prayed for Gary to fully recover.  This is what Eld. Tubman told to Gary.

"I am praying for your recovery because when you are healed you will never play in a club again.  You are going to come play for me.  You will always have a limp when you walk so that you will remember how your actions hurt the people of God who loved you."

The members of Tubman Chapel were very nice and kind to Gary.  They showed him love above and beyond what they should have.  Gary Oakley gave his life to Christ because of the actions of the members of Tubman Chapel.

Eld. Tubman found out who the men were who burned his church.  He went to the club that the men owned and talked to the men.  The men were mean and threatened to hurt Eld. Tubman.  He was not moved my this.  He asked the members of the church to go on a three-day and night fast with him.  He was believing God that the men were going to give him the property on which their club set and part of the money to build the church.

On the third day, Eld.Tubman went to the club again.  This time the bouncer of the club, Davis Franklin tried to forcibly throw Eld. Tubman out, but he could not pick up Eld. Tubman who was noticeable smaller than Davis.  Davis went and got the owner of the club.  The owner of the club told Eld. Tubman that he was going to call the police on Eld. Tubman.  Eld. Tubman still would not move.  The club owner told Eld. Tubman that he could stand there as long as he wanted to.  Eld. Tubman stood up in front of the club for two hours straight without a break.

During the middle of the third hour, the club owner came out and said, "What is it going to take for you to move from this spot, preacher man?"  Eld. Tubman looked him dead in the eye and said, "I want this land and a $15,000 dollar donation from you."  The club owner looked at Eld. Tubman, cursed him out, and told him to keep standing there.  Eld. Tubman did not move from that spot.

The club owner told Davis to move Eld. Tubman, Davis told the club owner that he was not going to try to move Eld. Tubman.  The club owner fired Davis on the spot.   Eld. Tubman held his hand out and told Davis, "Son, come over here and join me.  I can make you one promise, God will never fire you."  With that phrase, Davis became Eld. Tubman's bodyguard.  (Davis later on gave his life to Christ and became Eld. Tubman's armourbearer.)

Eld. Tubman and his bodyguard stood in the same spot for four more hours, making it seven total hours that Eld. Tubman had stood in front of the club.  The club owner walked out of the club with most of his staff behind him.  The club owner handed a piece of paper to Eld. Tubman, it was the deed to the club.  The club owner also gave Eld. Tubman $5,000 cash and a signed IOU for $10,000.  Two days later, Eld. Tubman received a cashier's check for $16,000.  This made the total given by the club owner $21,000.  Four of the staff members that had walked out with the club owner plus Davis (the bouncer) gave their life to God standing out in front of the former club.

Eld. Tubman had the land, the building, and the money to began rebuilding his church.  Tubman Chapel held its first service at the new location in 1980.

The club owner was found a month later, dead on the side of the road, seven blocks from where Tubman Chapel was located.  Eld. Tubman allowed the funeral to be held at the church.  During the funeral, Eld. Tubman let the five people who had gotten saved on the day the club was given to him tell their testimony.  Twelve people attending the funeral gave their lives to Christ.

Tubman Chapel began to grow from that point on.  In 1995 when Eld. Tubman died, the church had over 300 members.  Before Eld. Tubman died, he told the church that Eld. Dutch Greedson, one of the current members would be the pastor of the church after he died.

Tubman Chapel continues to grow.  It has become a place for people who are looking for a place to hide.  Once they get to Tubman Chapel, they don't have to hide anymore.

Tubman Chapel joined the Greater Buelahland Fellowship in 1999.

Sis. Mary Tubman-Carraway, Davis Franklin, and Gary Oakley are still members of Tubman Chapel.

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