1427 Elmwood Avenue
Elmwood Avenue Church of God
Spawning 19 other Columbia-area Church of God congregations, this Elmwood Avenue landmark traces its roots back to the city’s first Pentecostal church, established in 1920 within a Granby Village residence. Arriving in Cottontown in 1951, its membership met in a tent during construction of the current sanctuary built from plans drawn by its pastor, Reverend O. B. Graham, who also served as architect, contractor, and superintendent of the building program. Since the dedication of its mid-century facility in May 1952, the congregation has enhanced its campus by erecting a “multipurpose” building housing a gymnasium, offices, and classrooms in 1989 and connecting the two structures in 2006. With a capacity for 600 congregants, the current facility serves as Columbia’s only downtown Pentecostal church.
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Elmwood Avenue Church of God, 2018. Historic Columbia collection
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Sanctuary of Elmwood Avenue Church of God, early 1950s. Image courtesy Elmwood Avenue Church of God
