Dover-Foxcroft church nearing 75th anniversary

DOVER-FOXCROFT – The history of the local Living Word Assembly of God Church, which celebrates its 75th anniversary next month, includes the fact that two of its former pastors helped to lay the foundation of the early Pentecostal movement in the nation.

A celebration to observe the Dover-Foxcroft church’s milestone will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, with an invitation-only banquet and at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, with a special service for all.

Joseph Flower and Charles Greenaway, who both became known worldwide within the movement that later became known as the Assemblies of God, served the Dover-Foxcroft church in the early 1940s.

“There’s a Scripture that says, ‘Don’t despise the day of small beginnings …’ and sometimes we wonder where people come from that do become important and famous – well, they come out of little communities like ours,” Pastor Tom Bruce said Wednesday. “God could call anyone from anywhere at any time to serve his kingdom.”

The historical account of how Flower and Greenaway happened to settle briefly in this community is both endearing and humorous. Flower, who recently had married, decided to bring his wife on a honeymoon to Sebec Lake in 1940. But the couple didn’t come alone. Flower was concerned about his friend Greenaway, who was grieving over the death of his wife, so to lift Greenaway’s spirits, Flower asked him to come along, Bruce said. Greenaway obliged. After the men spent the first two days fishing, Flower’s wife sent Greenaway packing, he said.

It was on that trip that both men became acquainted with the local church. Greenaway later served as pastor from 1940 to 1941 and Flower took the pulpit from 1941 to 1942, Bruce said.

During the early years, the church, which remained independent and sovereign, was served by itinerant pastors who stayed for brief periods. In later years, the pastors stayed longer, according to Bruce. Wesley Crowe, who assumed the job in 1953, stayed for seven years, V. Wilson Hickam served from 1960 to 1966, and Bruce became pastor in 1994.

Bruce said the local church was started by Albert and Verona Boyer in 1930 in their home before it was moved to the Knights of Pythias Hall, where it was officially established on Oct. 2, 1933, as the Calvary Mission. Albert Boyer served as its first pastor.

In 1942, the membership purchased and relocated to the former Baptist church and over the years, changed its name from the Calvary Mission to Glad Tidings to the Dover-Foxcroft Assembly, before settling on the present name, Living Word Assembly of God Church.

As the congregation grew, so did the church. An approximately 80-foot addition was constructed on the original building in 1995.

Bruce said he has observed the highs and the lows in attendance, something all churches have encountered at one time or another. He said he also has witnessed the splintering of churches over philosophical differences. “For us, we just stay where we are and we just build off the people who laid our foundation.

“We believe in the moving of the Holy Spirit in different operations like speaking in tongues and divine healing,” Bruce said. “It kind of sets us apart from other churches in the community.”

Because community outreach is important to the church, it has played a leading role in the operation of the local food cupboard. The membership initially began as a small food cupboard in the basement to serve church members and for those who came to the door seeking help, Bruce said. During those years, he and members would go door to door in some needy communities and offer bags of food as well as a spiritual message. As other food cupboards closed in the community, Bruce said, his church took on the additional responsibilities making it difficult to continue his outreach efforts.

The church is a place to worship, but it also is a springboard for charitable acts, according to Bruce. A sign that long was posted in the sanctuary in the church said, “In to worship and out to serve.”

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