OUR HISTORY

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Rev. Charles Christopher Craig

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Little has been written concerning the early life of Rev. Charles Christopher Craig.  Public records indicate that he was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina during the final years of slavery, the son of Charles and Martha Craig.  Sometime during the 1880’s he met and married Emma Collins and together they had a daughter, Lucy Craig.  A true evangelist, Rev. Craig‘s passion was “preaching out” or planting churches.  Fisher Memorial was one of the first of some sixteen churches that he started with the help of his wife. Two other historic churches were Providence UHC in Raleigh, NC and Morning Star UHC in Clinton, NC.  According to Rev. Craig’s death certificate, he died in Kinston on June 1, 1928.  His final words were, “I have done my work, I have finished my course, I am ready to go home”.

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Mother Emma Craig

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Mother Emma Collins Craig is listed in various sources as being born in 1872 in Roxboro, North Carolina to Harvey and Mary Collins.  She received an education beyond the primary and secondary levels, graduated from Shaw University and taught for several years before marrying Charles Craig, thus ending her teaching career, as was the custom for women of her day.  Following Mother Craig’s involvement in the founding of Fisher, she went on to live a very long and productive life, founding two churches on her own-Union Chapel, Ridgeway, North Carolina (1912) and Mt. Calvary United Holy Church in Philadelphia (1938); founding.  The Holiness Union in 1917; serving as secretary for the Southern District Convocation and as president of the Women’s Home and Foreign Missionary Convention; and also serving as General Mother of the United Holy Church.  Mother Craig died at the age of 94 in 1966.

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Concise History

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Since its inception, Fisher Memorial has stood on these hallowed grounds, a testimony to God’s faithfulness.  Throughout the years, it has been said and documented that the church which has now become Fisher Memorial was founded and organized in the home of the then Charles. C. Craig and Mrs. Emma C. Craig.  The year was 1884, two years before the meeting of 1886 in Method, N. C. which gave birth to the United Holy Church of America, Inc.  The Craigs were originally members of St. Joseph A. M. E. but became a little too noisy for the congregation and felt it best to leave rather than to cause further problems. Bishop Elroy Lewis explained in a letter from a previous journal that they (the Craigs) had received “an experience called eventually’ the second work of grace’, but biblically, ‘sanctification’, which caused them to be more emotional than the membership to which they belonged.   The church existed for a couple of years as an independent entity and when the group met to establish what has become The United Holy Church of America, Inc., it was the initial church.  Hence, it became the “mother church” of The United Holy Church of America, Inc. These pioneers not only planted a church but eventually gave birth to a denomination- The United Holy Church of America, Inc.

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For 20 years, the church was served by Rev. C. C. Craig and Rev. Atkinson. The former held the initial group together during this period.  In 1904, a traveling evangelist, Rev. Henry L. Fisher from Wilmington, N. C., was invited to conduct a revival which lasted a full month. A new church was built that same year and the Rev. Henry Fisher was invited to do the dedication.  The following year he was called back to become the pastor of the church.  Believing this to be a call from God, Rev. Fisher baptized and led the congregation faithfully for more than forty years.

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The first church building, as were most black churches of that era, was a wooden structure, with the pulpit being to the left side of the structure, making way for two, very large, pot-belly stoves which were the primary source of heating. An interesting fact about the second edifice when it was erected was that it was one of the few black churches built with red brick, coal furnace, running water and with two indoor toilets.  Now this was something usually found in the bigger white churches.  Even in those early years, the church was ahead of most contemporary churches in the black community.

In 1916 Reverend Fisher was consecrated a bishop in The United Holy Church of America, Inc. , serving as its second president and pastor of the mother church for 42 years , until his death in 1947.

At the passing of Bishop Fisher, the leadership of the church fell upon a young minister from Roxboro, N. C., Reverend A. W. Lawson, Sr.

In 1956, Gospel Tabernacle‘s edifice was condemned as a fire hazard and was torn down.  Only the section known as the junior church remained and was used as the main sanctuary.  Within one year, the members acquired the financial means to rebuild the church. In 1958, the new church was completed and renamed Fisher Memorial United Holy Church in honor of Bishop Fisher.

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In 1960, Bishop Lawson was consecrated to the bishopric and was assigned bishop of the Youth Department of The United Holy Church of America, Inc.  Bishop Lawson stood successfully at the helm of Fisher as leader with outstanding vision. Numerous organizations were revitalized or added.

Under the leadership of Mrs. Floyd McKissick, the Fisher Day Care Center was established in 1965, one of six centers started by Head Start in the basement of six local churches.

 

Sadly, in 1981, Bishop Lawson passed away.  After the passing of Bishop Lawson, Rev. Elroy Lewis became the first full-time pastor of Fisher Memorial.

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Under Bishop Lewis’s leadership several structural improvements and cosmetic changes have been made to the edifice.   In addition, the church has increased its property holdings by purchasing several lots surrounding the church and paving the parking lots.  For over a decade, Fisher has had a successful Food Bank under the auspices of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.  During Bishop Lewis’s thirty-six-year tenure Fisher Memorial moved to the cutting edge of ecumenical outreach and became one of the few black churches that forged relationships with non-African American congregations, such as is the case with First Presbyterian of Durham and the United Church of Christ of Chapel Hill, the latter bringing about what has become a staple around the community and Europe, the United Voices of Praise Choir.

In October of 2016, Fisher Memorial welcomed as its new leader the

 

Elder James A. Blake.  He now holds in his hands the baton passed to him from leaders of previous generations.  It is through him that God will guide Fisher to new heights in the 21stCentury.

 

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