| The first meeting of the group was to form the
nucleus of the Wissinoming Gospel Tabernacle of the Christian Missionary Alliance and it
was held on Thursday evening, September 1, 1920 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fredrick
Foster, 5912 Keystone St. Most of those present had been attending services at the
Hebron Tabernacle of the Christian Missionary Alliance where Mr. Foster was the Sunday
School Superintendent and member of the Executive Committee.
At the conclusion of the seventh of these cottage meetings, Rev.
Fredrick Senft, Pastor of Hebron Tabernacle and Vice-President of the Christian Missionary
Alliance, conducted a business meeting to discuss the possibility of the initial group
organizing and becoming associated with the Christian Missionary Alliance.
The first Sunday service was held on October 24, 1920 and shortly
after, Pastor Senft conducted the first Sunday evening communion service for the
congregation.
The first of the then famous Sunday evening open-air services were held
in Wissinoming Park on June 19, 1921 for adults. On Sunday afternoons, children's
meetings were held at which as many as 200 children were in attendance.
Additional services continued on various street corners and in a large
tent that was erected at Torresdale and Robbins Avenues. These meetings were
terminated when a violent storm destroyed the tent.
A larger indoor meeting place was needed, so Pastor Senft appointed a
three man committee to locate one in 1921. They chose a store at 5928 Torresdale
Ave. next to the saloon at Torresdale Ave and Comly St. This building was originally
a boathouse along the Delaware River and later moved to Torresdale Ave. to be used as a
fish market. The first Sunday morning service was held here on September 11, 1921
which also marked the beginning of the Bible School.
The spiritual needs were administered adequately by many pastors,
missionaries, and evangelists, but in the Fall of 1923 the committee desired to call a
permanent resident Pastor. On October 23 a call was extended to Walter L. Erb, then
Pastor of a church in Pine Hill, NJ. On November 11, 1923, he was installed as
Pastor of the Wissinoming Tabernacle and was later ordained by the Christian Missionary
Alliance.
A committee was appointed to select a site for the erection of a church
building. Initially a lot was purchased at Torresdale Avenue and Devereaux
Street. This was sold in favor of a double lot location at 4606-10 Devereaux Street.
Thus from the cottage meetings of the 1920s to the Torresdale Avenue Store, to the
basement church, and later the additions of the 1930s through the 1950s emerged the
permanent stone structure of the 1960s complete as it appears today. The church
obtained a charter from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be officially incorporated as
the Wissinoming Gospel Tabernacle of the Christian and Missionary Alliance on February 7,
1931.
Pastor Erb broadcasted a weekly program over Station WTEL.
Initially these were conducted on Thursday evenings from the station studio with a Sunday
School lesson on Saturdays. Later the Sunday morning services originated in the
church auditorium from 11 A.M. to 12 Noon. These radio programs were discontinued on
December 30, 1956 in favor of more purposeful presentations in keeping with current needs.
Pastor Erb resigned on November 21, 1954 and was made officially Pastor
Emeritus and Visitation Pastor. After Pastor Erb's death, the church honored hi9s
memory by naming it Walter Erb Memorial Church. |
