History of Lowry Gospel Hall
A gospel tract mistakenly put in a minister's
oat box was instrumental in the early history of the Plymouth Brethern in
Lowry, MN.
It all began when a druggist from Howard Lake, MN, Mr. Long, came to
Glenwood to sell some medicine he had patented. He stopped at the livery stable
owned and operated by Alex McLaughlin, who had previously lived in Howard Lake,
MN. Mr. Long had some gospel tracts that he was going to put in Mr.
McLaughlin's oat box, but by mistake he placed them in the sack of a
Presbyterian minister, Willie Scott. The tract changed Scott's way of thinking
and Mr. Scott and a group of Scotch and Canadian immigrants in the Lowry area
formed the Plymouth Brethren Assembly.
Early meetings were held in a church building they had erected north
of the Soo Line Depot on the west side of the Tom Humes Slough about 1887-1888.
Member of the Lowry Gospel Hall, William Blair who operated one of the
elevators in Lowry decided to go back to their farm in Leven township. With the
cooperation of other Brethern started a small assembly in Reno township by
building a new meeting place, a log cabin, situated on the cemetery grounds 2
miles east of Lowry. This building was later destroyed by a tornado. This led
to the present building in the town of Lowry, In 1900. Hugh and Lizzie Bryce
sold the Evangelical church of Lowry to Job Andrews, Kenneth McKenzie, &
William McIver. It was later named the Lowry Gospel Hall.
In later years, annual Bible conferences were held each year in June.
The purpose of the conferences was to further the work of the Lord by prayer,
Bible study and preaching of the gospel. They were held at the town hall in
Lowry with many people from other assemblies in the U.S. and Canada attending.
Many gifted Bible teachers and evangelists would participate in the meetings,as
Messrs. Rideout, Ironside, W. Haigh, Carl Armerding to name a few.
As the conferences grew larger they were held at a Lake Mary camp
facility, then Lake Geneva Bible Camp in Alexandria, MN, and later at Lake
Koronis Bible Camp in Paynesville, MN. Now we get together at Barsness Park in
Glenwood for a small family Bible camp each summer. Many lives have been
influenced by the Sunday School, camps and other meetings as a result of the
work started at the Lowry Gospel Hall over 120 years ago.
Submitted by Judy Blok |