Our roots date back to the "Restoration Movement," and it is our goal to "restore" the New Testament church in our time--to determine from the Bible what the church was like in the beginning, and to be like that.*

The actual body of believers in Mt. Carmel was formed in 1930. May 4, 1930 was the first meeting of the Lord's Church in Mount Carmel, Illinois. They met at 218 West Seventh Street in a former Baptist Church building. There were eleven members present that day.

In 1934, the Nazarene Church bought the building on Seventh Street, so the church began meeting in each others homes. The church began to grow and sought a larger meeting place. In October 1939, the church began constructing a building at the corner of 11th and Market Street and moved into it December 17, 1939.

In 1945, elders were appointed: Arch Doty, Otto Feldman, and Otis Seibert. A new building at 1121 Cedar Street was built in 1962 and moved into on December 26, 1962. In 1963, Cliff Stewart came to work full time as pulpit minister. In 1965, Paul Butterfield came and preached until 1967.

In 1967, Bob Adams came and preached for seven years. In 1972, Bob Armstrong, Phil Humphrey, Bernard Seals and Dale Webster were appointed elders. In 1974, Mike Knappier came to preach here. Later, Barry Dodson came as associate minister. They started a preacher school that developed several ministers. At that time, the Joy Bus Ministry was running ten buses each week.

In 1980, the church had its 50th anniversary celebration with an attendance of 662. Two original members were present, Harold Feldman and Bernadine Horrall. In 1981, they had "Bring a Friend Day," and 783 were in attendance. Mike Knappier then left after serving as minister for seven years. Butch Travis came and preached for about a year.

In 1983, Ken Kilpatrick moved to Mt. Carmel to serve as evangelist. The church had purchased 18 acres just off of Highway One North. They moved into their new building on July 13, 1986 when they had an open house with 800 in attendance. In September, they began the outreach program of their "Sonshine School" with 58 children attending.

In 1989, Ed Lloyd was hired as our minister. In 1991, the church appointed elders: Eddie Bare, Jim Burns, Larry Harness and Chuck Sternberg. Around that time, Jim Dickey, Vernon Higginson, Jim Macer, Larry Meadows and Joe Sellers were appointed deacons.

In June 1995, Herb Woollard began serving as full-time evangelist. In January 1999, Dan Ford came to serve as our evangelist. Later, Dustin Bunting and Terry Greenway were appointed as deacons.**

Gary Gearhart, came in January of 2003. In 2004, Terry Greenway began serving as an elder. In 2005, Vernon Higginson began serving as an elder, and Jim Dickey was again appointed as deacon.

Our current minister is Mitchell Covington who began work here in July, 2007. He has served in the mission field in Russia and preached God's Word for over 25 years. We invite you to join us to hear his dynamic lessons and to help us continue our paths towards proclaiming the wonderful message of Jesus and glorifying His name!

*Some text taken from "What You Can Expect When You Visit the Church of Christ," by Joe R. Barnett, Copyright ©1992 Pathway, Inc. **Church records kept by Rob Sellers.