History
Of
Lane Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
(excerpt)
One hundred nineteen years ago a small group of God loving, sharing and caring people banned together in His name to organize and build Lane Chapel Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. These Christian pioneers of the late 1800 built this church on the corner of Walnut and Madison Streets. For some unknown reason the church burned mysteriously one night. The mystery was never solved, nor was the church rebuilt at that site. The members of the church never gave up hope and continued to worship together wherever they could.
July 1909, under the pastor ship of Reverend T. C. Little, Lane Chapel was rebuilt on the corner of North Green and Jackson Streets. With a new church and membership increase, Lane Chapel made its mark in the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church and the community. Lane Chapel served as a place of worship and a place of recreation for the young and not so young. Lane Chapel’s parsonage was built in 1923 under the leadership of Reverend J. B. Stephenson.
On April 5, 1936, Tupelo was devastated by a tornado, Lane Chapel was not untouched by this tornado. All that was left standing of the church were the two inner walls. Following the tornado, the church members worshipped at schools and other churches that were useable. Lane Chapel was restored at the North Green and Jackson Street location under the leadership of Reverend E. L. Siggers.
Lane Chapel Colored Methodist Episcopal Church had surely met many changes since Walnut and Madison Street, and the tornado of 1936. In May 1954, at the General Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, Lane Chapel and every Colored Methodist Episcopal Church were met with another change. The General Conference of 1954, voted to change the name from Colored Methodist Episcopal Church to Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. In the late 1960’s, another change occurred, the Urban Renewal Program purchased the land and structure of Lane Chapel. In November 1964, land was purchased as a project to East Mississippi Annual Conference by the late Bishop Norris S. Curry with the help of Reverend E. L. Siggers. Almost five years later, on February 2, 1969, the East Mississippi Annual Conference deeded this site on North Madison Street to Lane Chapel Christian Methodist Church.
On August 8, 1971, the dream of a third structure became a reality. Lane Chapel is now located at 1509 North Madison Street. In 1977, under the leadership of Reverend R. V. Johnson, Lane Chapel completed the educational annex. The educational annex was dedicated and named in honor of Reverend Johnson.
