The History of the Assembly of Christians in Dungannon Gathering to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ
Compiled by Mr Fred Wilson
The seeds of the assembly in Dungannon were planted in 1868 when a Mr William Dudgeon came to have some Gospel Meetings in the town. It seems Mr Dudgeon spent his childhood in Dungannon where his father held an important government position.
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When William Dudgeon got saved in 1865, although he had spent 2 years in medical studies at Trinity College, Dublin, he decided to change his course and take the “church ministry” course.
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Upon graduation he was appointed a preacher in Dublin. While reading the Bible he began to have grave doubts regarding infant baptism. He then sought the help of a Baptist pastor in Dublin who taught him believer’s baptism. This resulted in William Dudgeon severing his link with the established church that very day and subsequently he was baptised by immersion.
Sometime later after an interview with the preacher Charles Spurgeon, he was appointed preacher in Melksham, Wiltshire. He was much used of God and many souls were saved. However his scruples about certain things that were practiced in the church at Melksham and having heard of George Müller, the famous Orphanage owner, he decided to go and visit him in Bristol to discuss these issues. Having witnessed the faith that George Muller had in God (by then George Müller had built at least 3 large orphanages without asking anybody for a penny), William Dudgeon decided to step out boldly to preach and teach depending alone on God for support and guidance without any link to any denomination.
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His interest in Dungannon brought him to the town in 1868 where he had Gospel Meetings in the Society Rooms (now the Masonic Hall) on Thomas Street. One of the people who attended those meetings was a young business man called William James Trimble. WJ Trimble was troubled as he heard Mr Dudgeon preaching about the sufferings of Christ on the cross. After one particular meeting while in conversation with Mr Dudgeon, WJ Trimble appreciated that Christ had died for his sins on the cross and he was soundly saved.
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Shortly after these meetings Mr. Trimble and other like-minded Christians, carried on bible and prayer meetings above his China shop in Church Street. They discovered through reading the Bible over the next few years that their place of worship did not follow the Scriptures in the simple pattern of the New Testament. One of those who gathered with Mr Trimble and his wife was a Mrs Knox who, tradition has it, was Lord Ranfurly’s wife.
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Around 1882, Mr James McKinley came from Keady to start a rope making business in Geraghty’s Lane behind St Patrick’s Hall (Union Place). He too had left his family’s place of worship after he got saved in 1875 at meetings preacher Mr David Rea had in Darkly . Along with others who had got saved at that time in Darkly , James McKinley got baptised by immersion and was gathered as a local church (assembly) to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Initially they gathered in the house of a man called John Bothwell and eventually in a Gospel Hall in Keady town (building is now the Keady Masonic Hall).
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When James McKinley came to Dungannon there was no assembly. He began to enquire if there were any Christians in the town only to find that many did not know what he meant by Christian! He eventually made contact with Mr Trimble and Mrs Knox. When he found them sincerely studying the word of God and having prayer meetings , but as yet unfamiliar with believer’s baptism and the simple pattern of New Testament Assembly, Mr McKinley taught them from the Word of God the simple pattern of Act 2:41-42.
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Around 1883, Mr Trimble and those who met with him were baptised in the Black Lough and along with Mr and Mrs James McKinley gathered to break bread for the first time as a New Testament assembly in their front room above the China Shop in Church Street. Mrs Trimble, being reluctant to leave her denomination, did not join the newly formed assembly at that time. At a later date however she did appreciate the truth of the New Testament assembly and was eventually received into the fellowship of the assembly.
Later on, the Dungannon Assembly rented an upper room off Dungannon Square behind where the Library is now and then moved into a room in the Society Rooms (now the Masonic Hall) in Thomas Street. Around 1897, the Society Rooms becomes the Masonic Hall and the Assembly moved to the building next door (the old Primitive Methodist Church).
The Primitive Methodist Church on Thomas Street was built in 1860. In 1880 the building’s ownership passed to the 5th Lord Ranfurly and shortly after that in July 1881, the Primitive Methodist , vacated the building - apparently this branch of Methodism died out. Lord Ranfurly divided the building into 3 parts: one large hall upstairs and 2 smaller halls downstairs.
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In November 1884 , the first Dungannon Baptist congregation was formed and they meet in part of Lord Ranfurly’s Hall. Records show that by 1890, part of the top half of the Hall had become an Orange Hall. Possibly around 1897, the Dungannon Assembly moved into one of the smaller rooms in Lord Ranfurly’s Hall.
In those early days, a man called John Lowry got saved through the testimony of the believers. When he heard about the necessity of believer's baptism he became so exercised that he wanted to be baptised immediately. The Christians asked him to wait a while as it was winter time and so cold. But brother John said that he feared that the Lord would return at any moment and be would the never have the opportunity to obey the Lord. So a little company made their way out to the Black Lough, broke the ice there and he was baptised in those freezing conditions. The happy man found that to obey was better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15.22).
In 1908, the Baptist congregation left Thomas street Hall. Fred McKinley said that the vacated hall was rented out to ‘Tom, Dick or Harry’. It was even used as a bicycle repair shop at one stage. After the first World War, it was used as the Dungannon Labour Exchange.
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By 1923, the assembly were the only occupants of the building so Lord Ranfurly offered them the opportunity to purchase the Hall . They assembly bought it on 15/3/1923.
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The Trimble’s had 3 boys and an adopted girl: Andrew, John, Ira and Mary Barkly. They all got saved and were received into the Dungannon assembly. Andrew moved to Belfast and became a Medical Practitioner and was in an assembly in Belfast. John immigrated to the USA and was an elder in the Bryn Mahr assembly (Pennsylvania, USA); Ira remained in Dungannon and worked in Trimble’s Shop- he was one of the most respected Christians in Dungannon. Mary married Stewart Abernethy and had 3 daughters – the whole family were in fellowship in the assembly.
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The McKinley’s had a big family James, Annie, Lily, Agnes, Ruth, George, Bob, Fred and Etta. They all professed faith in Christ and most if not all were in fellowship. James moved to Belfast to work in the rope works there, Annie married Ira Trimble, Agnes died in her early 20’s, Lily immigrated to the USA and married an Irishman called John Madill-both were in 73rd Street Assembly in NY. Mary also immigrated to USA and married a Philadelphian called Robert Irvine- both were in the Bryn Mahr assembly. Ruth, Robert and Bob all immigrated to New Zealand. George and Bob joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force during WWI. George, who was called George Knox in honour of the Knox’s, died of his injuries in The Somme in 1916. Bob, who was called Robert John in honour of RJ Johnston who was his mother’s brother and who went to Angola as a missionary in 1889 but died with a fever as the ship cast anchor in Benguela, survived the war and lived for years in New York. Fred (called after the missionary Fred Stanley Arnot) stayed in Dungannon, married Lily Lockhart, one of WJ and Annie Lockhart’s daughters, and was a stalwart in the Dungannon Assembly for years and highly respected by all in Dungannon. Older town folk will remember the toy shop during Christmas time as a real Disneyland!
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Just prior to the Second World War the building was renovated restoring it more or less to its original shape. About this time, the owner of a local cinema got saved through preaching of the famous W P Nicholson. This man discontinued his cinema and gave the believers enough cushioned seats for the newly renovated Hall - making the Dungannon Gospel Hall one of the most comfortable to be known!
The Dungannon Assembly over the past 130 years has had a real interest in the salvation of Dungannon folk. Gospel Meetings are carried out every Lord’s Day at 7 pm, Children’s Meetings have been carried out since at least 1930 in the Milltown Hall; many series of Gospel Meetings have been carried out both in the Gospel Hall and in Milltown, as well as other locations - including tents, portable halls and rented premises. Many adults and children have been saved over the years to the Glory of God.
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Various other gospel outreach activities have been associated with Dungannon Gospel Hall over the years . A Sunday afternoon gospel Meeting was conducted for many years from the very early years of the assembly in a Mission Hall in Tullyaran, near Donaghmore, until the late sixties. A Sunday School was carried out in a lady’s house in Donaghmore for years. Open air meetings were carried out in the surrounding villages in the summer month: Pomeroy, Aughnacloy, Donaghmore, until the late 1960’s. An Easter conference was held in Dungannon during the 1970’s.
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The assembly continues to reach out with the Gospel. Due to there being a number of Portuguese speakers among us and because of the large numbers of Portuguese speaking people that now live in the area, various initiatives have been taken by the assembly to reach out to Portuguese speakers with the Gospel. A Portuguese Sunday School was carried out on Sunday afternoons for a good many years in the Milltown hall until all the children had mastered the English language.
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Individuals from a variety of ethnic backgrounds attend the Sunday School, Bible Explorers and the once monthly International Gospel Meeting and have learned the truths of the gospel and the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
In the kindness of God through the changing years and in the changing times the Gospel of his Grace is still preached and through the foolishness of preaching it has pleased Him to save them that believe and so the testimony continues to His Glory. We continue to meet on the first day of the week to remember the Lord Jesus and look for the promise of His coming.
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