Even the Great Depression couldn’t stop him!

by Joseph Ware

Beautiful churches always enthrall me, and this one was no exception. It had everything—buttresses, stone, stained glass, trussed ceilings, and engaging charm.

Was this an ancient cathedral somewhere in Europe? No! It was a Seventh-day Adventist church in Hyattsville, Maryland, complete with Adventist stained glass including the image of Daniel 2 and the Three Angels’ Messages. Who was responsible for such an exquisite place of worship?

Shortly before the Great Depression began, a new associate editor came to the Review & Herald by the name of F. D. Nichol. Elder Nichol was a man of enthusiasm and energy, and to be merely the associate editor of the denomination’s most prominent paper was not enough. He wanted to throw himself into some real soul-winning work. So he gathered a team to run an evangelistic crusade in nearby Hyattsville, Maryland, an area known for its opposition to the Seventh-day Adventist truth.

Thirteen people were baptized in the series, and, rather than transfer them to nearby congregations, Elder Nichol felt that God was calling him to build a monument to the truth in dark Hyattsville. He decided to build a church fitting of the cause, debt-free. This might not sound like a difficult task, but by now the darkest days of the Great Depression were upon them. Nichol knew that this work would require patience and a blessing from God, so while they raised funds for the building, the company rented the Masonic Temple and held services.

After several years of fundraising, the congregation raised $25,000 (about $350,000 today) to build their church, and Nichol made sure they used it wisely. In 1939, after seven years of fundraising and building, the Hyattsville SDA church opened at a total cost of $24,998.75—a dollar and a quarter under budget. And it wasn’t a dingy, dilapidated building. It was a beautiful structure, built to last and to glorify God.

The church and the health center Elder Nichol built beside it still stand today as a testimony to what those who are ambitious for the Master’s glory can do, even in the midst of grave financial duress. And today a committed, diverse group of Bible-believing Christians worships in the gorgeous stone church.

Just as in Elder Nichol’s day, we face challenging times. This is all the more opportunity to see the hand of God work. What are you ambitious about? What do you want to do for the Master’s glory?