About Us

Brother John Rockhold and his wife came to Kilbourne in June of 1932, for a three-month revival to evangelize and preach Acts 2:38.  They'd been meeting in the home of Crumble Ainsworth near Boeuf River when Fleet Turnage led a search for a better location. They finally settled on Tiger Bayou, under an elm tree. 

They built a platform for the preachers that would hold about 6 people at one time, and planks were placed across logs to form an altar.  No seats were available, so the congregation had to stand to hear the word; still, people came by truck loads from all over the community, as far away as Darnell, and about 100 people received the Holy Ghost during that summer.

After the great revival was over, and the weather began to be cool and rainy, Laura Jean Williamson made room in her home to have regular services until a building could be erected.  The men found a piece of land and bought it from Blanche Stephenson for $40.00.  Tom Traylor, Tommy Layton and Tom Toney signed the deed for it on October 13, 1932. Joe and Oscar Tullos, Tom Traylor and Tom Layton cut logs from the Tullos and Traylor farms and hauled them by wagon to the Bryant Saw Mill, where they were cut into lumber.  They sawed blocks from some of the logs, and rived shingles from them to cover the tabernacle by using a big wooden mall to hammer them out.  Everyone helped in every way they could. 

Throughout all the construction, revival was still going on and people were still receiving the Holy Ghost.  Sawdust was spread for the floor and a platform was built for the rostrum and pulpit.  Two long benches were placed behind the pulpit, and then benches for the congregation were made.  The windows were made like doors, and swung from hinges.  Two big oil drums were used for wood heaters. Small kerosene lamps and lanterns hung along the walls to provide light.  Praises to God did ring the first night services were held in that tabernacle.

Brother Alford Malone was the first pastor.  Other pastors were

• Brother Crumble Ainsworth;
• Brother Finley;
• Brother Crawford Ewing; (A Sunday School was organized about that time.)
• Brother Otis Thompson;
• Brother Joe Tullos;
• Brother and Sister Herron Howell; (About that time, three rooms were built across the front of the tabernacle for the parsonage. Brother and Sister Howell were the first ones to live there.  Brother Henderson was the Presbyter.)
• Brother and Sister Graves;
• Brother and Sister Butler;
• Brother and Sister Buck McKeithen; (Brother McKeithen would preach, sing, work, visit and conduct a revival, all at the same time.  He also taught singing schools.  During his pastorate, Brother Joe Dukes conducted a revival and 21 young people, along with many adults, received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Mathis Ward gave the church a three-room house for Brother Buck to live in, and the tabernacle was torn down to make room for and the new white church.  Henry Dunn brought a tent to serve as a temporary tabernacle during construction.  Brother Ward also bought a church bus, and brought people to church from all over the country.  It was used to transport people to Urania for Camp Meeting, as well as to all the fellowship meetings in the area.  Bible classes were taught, some lasting as long as two weeks at a time.  Two of the teachers were E. B. Echols and Brother Sassman. After Brother Ward stopped driving the bus, Tom Albritton gave the use of his school bus to the church; Sister T. C. Albritton would drive it to all the meetings.  It was also used as a Sunday School classroom.)
• Brother Leonard Loftin was the eleventh pastor; (Around that time, another room and a porch were added to the parsonage.)
• Brother Tom Mayo;
• Brother Hebert;
• Brother Lamb;
• Brother Self; (That was around 1958, when the church became affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International.  Brother Hawthorne was Presbyter.)
• Brother Lloyd Lowery; (Brother Chance was presbyter.  During Brother Lowery's term as pastor, the church was turned around to face the south and a brick front was built onto it.  A brick parsonage was also erected.)
• Brother T. J. Mahoney was the next pastor; (During that time, donuts and peanut brittle were made and sold to secure the money to make payments on the church.)
• Brother McKeithen returned as pastor; (The baptistry was constructed at that time.)
• Brother Billy Copeland; (Air conditioners were installed in the Sunday School rooms, and a twelve foot room was added to the parsonage.  Hubert Neal donated the old Methodist Church building to be used for the fellowship hall.  The community was struck by a tornado in March of 1976. It tore into the church, fellowship hall and parsonage, partially destroying all of them.  Brother Copeland and others repaired the buildings.)
• Brother J. B. Carlock;
• Brother and Sister Ronald E. Ratley; (Brother Ratley and his family came to Kilbourne in April of 1978.  During his time as pastor, with the help of Sam Harris and Louie Layton, the abandoned railroad bed between the church and the main highway was leveled, which allowed landscaping of the church and parsonage property, and the paperwork was started to purchase the railroad property from the state.)
• Brother Dwight Barber came in 1991; (A carport was added to the parsonage.)
• Brother Bobby Ikerd; (The railroad property was purchased.)
• Brother Victor Reagan; (The church was remodeled.)
• Brother Ratley returned in 1999. (A large parcel of neighboring property was donated by Sister Linda Mae Harris, and after her passing, her home next door was purchased and extensively remodeled into a new Fellowship Hall. Tim O'Neal, Louie Layton, Robert Brumley and Larry Finley were among the men leading the work.)

The United Pentecostal Church International can trace its roots back to the formation of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in 1914.  The initial split from the AoG in 1916 happened because of differences in doctrine: we believe in the oneness of the Godhead and baptism in Jesus’ name.  The split of 1925 occurred, sadly, not over doctrine but because of racial differences; however, those fences were mended by 1945.

Many authorities date the specific origin of the Pentecostal movement to January 1, 1901, at Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas, when Agnes Ozman received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues.  Chapter 2 of Acts tells us that on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit overwhelmed the followers of Jesus and they spoke in languages they hadn't known before. God's children had been speaking in tongues ever since that day, but the realization was made in Topeka that it was a direct sign of the infilling of the Holy Ghost. This revelation ignited a spark of great revival, which spread quickly and led directly to one of the most famous and pivotal events in Pentecostal history, the three-year-long revival at the Apostolic Faith Mission on 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles.

By 1914, ministers in the movement saw the need for a united national organization, and the roots of the UPCI were born.  Today the United Pentecostal Church International lists over 30,000 churches and meeting places around the world, with a constituency estimated at 3 million people.