A VERY Brief
History of Shiloh Chapel
by Pastor Ron Parker, February 2004
Shiloh Chapel was built over a one year period from
1896-1897 by the late Rev. Frank W. Sandford (1862-1948) and the students
from his Bible School, called at that time period The Holy Ghost & Us Bible
School. The school grew rapidly to become a community of over 500 full-time
family residents, who sold their property and gave their money to come
there. Initially billed as a missionary training school, it quickly became a
prayer center for the evangelization of the world.
The pivotal person in this highly controversial saga
was Rev. Sandford. Soon after 1900 he publicly announced his perceived role
as the Elijah of Malachi 4. He understood his role as being “the Restorer of
all things,” and proclaimed many such restorations such as the keeping of
the Jewish Feasts, Sabbaths, baptism, communion, and the Kingdom of God on
earth. The fellowship, now headquartered in Dublin, NH, is still
incorporated in Maine as simply “The Kingdom.” In time Sandford announced
other biblical roles as well, but the bottom line was that his authority and
roles were not to be questioned.
Many, many people found great good in the Shiloh
community, while many, many others were seriously damaged both emotionally
and spiritually. While there are no simple answers as to why such opposing
results happened, it deserves proper biblical analysis.
The school closed down in 1920 due to the increasing
pressure of child-custody lawsuits. The people went back to their families
or settled in the Durham/Lisbon area. Shiloh Chapel then became a small
farming community, housing at times 10-20 people over the next half-century.
The ministry evolved into a local church community. I was sent here to be
its pastor in 1987. During the mid ‘90’s I began to see some of The
Kingdom’s problems where current church policy was largely still dictated by
Sandford’s teachings. The majority of the members of Shiloh Chapel and I
left the Kingdom fellowship and reincorporated as a new, independent,
evangelical church in 1998. I enrolled in New England Bible College
(Conservative Baptist) and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Ministry in 2001.
Now we seek to minister the life changing power of
Jesus Christ through the incredible message of grace. It is not about
a man, or prophetic claims, but about The Man, Jesus Christ, and His
claim to be the Son of God, the one and only Savior who, by His own
sacrifice on the cross, paid the penalty for my sin and yours.
The history of Shiloh Chapel has had much written about
it, both pro and con. Here’s the short list:
Books:
The Sublimity of Faith by Rev. Frank Murray
Shiloh by William C. Hiss
Fair, Clear, & Terrible by Shirley Nelson
The Almighty & Us by Arnold White
Internet:
www.fwselijah.com
www.kingdomchristianministries.org
The links listed above are independent websites and are provided for
informational purposes only. Shiloh Chapel does not necessarily
endorse and/or agree with all of the content posted on these websites.
Useful Information:
Cemetery List
1917 Membership List