Chapter 18
HATFIELD
Much of what we have already discussed centered around the leadership of Rev I.E. Wilson. Brother Wilson was the first person we have who recorded minutes of the association back in 1937. He was the association's secretary as well as pastor of the Bethel church on 800 William Street in Decatur, Illinois. His son, Rev James Wilson was able to share some previous history of his life. Apparently, the first church he pastored was on the Illinois River. He attended a school affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church in Minneapolis, MN. He met his wife, Sister Wilson most likely in that school as she had become a citizen after World War ii. Not able to have children of their own, they adopted Jim shortly after his birth in the 1940s.
 
Brother I.E. Wilson was a predominant leader in the association from the beginning
Brother Wilson's heart was always closest to our Youth Camp programs. He was a driving force, along with Brother Schwambach and Brother Dyhouse in the association's purchase of the 72 acres near Dale, Indiana that would become one of the largest ministries of the BMA.
 
Brother Wilson had a passion for our youth that was unmatched by many.
Due to poor health at the time, Brother Wilson resigned as both secretary of the association and as pastor of the Bethel church in Decatur. But his days of evangelism and ministry were not over by any means. The family left Decatur in 1945 after the war and left the pastorate of the Decatur church in the hands of Brother Etnier. He continued to preach, teach and do evangelistic work in Waynesville, IL, Logansport, IN, Rockport and Hatfield. During one of these visits to Hatfield, the people of the church asked Brother and Sister Wilson to consider taking over as pastor of their church. In 1946, the family moved to Hatfield and pastored there for the next 37 years.
What Brother Wilson didn’t know ahead of time was that the members of the Hatfield church considered themselves a “Free Love” church. Free love is a term that today means sexual freedom as in the right and ability to sleep with whomever you want whenever they might let you. However, this isn’t how the term was used before the 19th century. Back then, it primarily referred to the ability to marry and divorce as two consenting adults saw fit without the consent or pardon of the Church or the state. Most times it had almost nothing to do with sex at all and everything to do with individual, marital, and female rights. This was true in America as well up until the 20th century with some exceptions that did emphasize sex.
In 1848, John Humphrey Noyes founded a Christian community in Oneida, NY. The group adhered to the belief that Jesus’s second coming had already occurred in the year 70AD and that it was now possible for believers to bring forth Christ’s kingdom in a sin-free society. Other Oneida type groups also sprung up across the Northeast and, at its peak, the group had over 300 members. The groups made money by making silverware.
Believing that people should be able to have sex with whomever they wanted, the group engaged in a kind of ‘complex marriage’ whereby social cohesion and procreation were the goals in that order. They also believed that it “takes a village” to raise a child and the entire community was expected to contribute to this goal. As might be expected, this made a lot of the members miserable since they were often separated from their children and since Noyes got to pick who was allowed to have sex with who.
Anyone who ever knew Brother and Sister Wilson would also know that this type of behavior was unacceptable to them and definitely against the teaching of Jesus and the Bible. He let them know that. He also drew a line that no one questioned and the church quickly gave up this philosophy. Brother Wilson then continued as their pastor. For another 37 years.
Like many of us sons of BMA pastors, we grew up in the church. We probably got a better training for preaching listening to our fathers than we ever would at Seminary. Brother Jim grew up in the church and gave his life to Jesus at a very early age. He first participated and later led youth camps each summer of his life.
 
In those days, the small towns of Folsomville and Jockey, towns close to our Youth Camp, were thriving communities. Mining at the nearby coal mine stripper pits was abundant work and many came to it. Brother Jim started a church in Jockey that was his first pastorate. Although several tried to make a church in that community go, none ever fully succeeded. As a result, Brother Jim took on a pastorate in Vandalia, Illinois. This church had had several pastors over the years. As related by Brother Jim, Brother Varnell started the work there and quickly installed Brother Max Campbell as its pastor. Brother Campbell was replaced by Brother Hornbeck who pastored for many years. Brother Jack Morrow pastored the Vandalia Church when we built the dining hall at Bethel Youth Camp prior to 1959. A man named D.B. Eggelston briefly pastored the congregation. Then in 1966, Brother Jim Wilson took over the pastorate and pastored from 1966 to 1972.
Bethel Tabernacle in Vandalia, Illinois
As Brother I.E. Wilson prepared for his retirement, the church in Hatfield, Indiana called his son to come take his place. Brother Jim pastored for many years, oversaw the building of several facilities, including a large gymnasium and fellowship hall. The outreach to this small community extended to all ages, including many of the youth of the community. He and his family also travelled extensively singing southern gospel music.
Only after decades of ministry did Brother Jim retire and pass on the pastorate to a young man who had just come out of the Assemblies of God. Rev John Wongler took over the reigns in 2017 and under Pastor Jim’s watchful and helpful eye, he has made the church to grow even more.
 
Both men look like they even have the same smile. Brother Jim could not have picked a better man to walk in the footsteps he has left in Hatfield for so many years. Brother John, who has already led our Junior Youth Camp programs for the past three years, demonstrates a love and passion for Jesus and his community that will take this congregation into the future with great glory to our Lord and a future that is unlimited. God bless them both!
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