George Jeffreys, was a young Welshman from a Congregational background who was converted in the Welsh Revival of 1904. After being filled with the Holy Spirit he started to travel and preach the Gospel.
As a result of preaching at the Pentecostal Convention in Sunderland George was invited to Ireland by the two Gillespie brothers who gave him three shillings to pay his fare. The brothers along with a group of other young men had booked a church in Monaghan to hold Pentecostal meetings –however when it became known they were Pentecostals the meetings were cancelled.
On January 7th 1915 George Jeffreys met with this group of young men in Monaghan in Knox’s Temperance Hotel. They were on fire for God . Their slogan was “Ireland for Christ” and their hearts burned to reach the whole of Ireland with the Full Foursquare Gospel. At the meeting George accepted their invitation to commence a permanent work in Ireland under his direction.
To this end it was agreed to purchase a tent and the first Gospel mission was held in Monaghan in June when the tent was pitched on the North Road. One person who attended the meetings described George in this way ..” And then we saw Pastor George Jeffreys, for the first time. He was very young then, and had a shock of dark curly hair, sticking up on one side of his head. He was slightly built and stood with his head tilted to the right, like a bird, as if he was listening to something quietly, by himself. You noticed the eyes, very dark and solemn, but when he spoke, you forgot everything else, and listened”.
After these meetings other workers began to join the group and together formed the “Elim Evangelistic Band” in 1916 and its headquarters in Belfast. The message then spread out across Ireland and over to the rest of the United Kingdom.
Soon those with missionary zeal were heading out to other lands with the Foursquare Gospel. Through their sacrifice and commitment the Elim work has spread to 39 countries worldwide.
George Jeffreys considered the meetings in Monaghan to be the origins of the Elim Movement ; later writing “I regard Monaghan …. as being the place of this work” In an original vision given by God to one of the members of the movement they saw “a huge golden ring, like Saturn’s ring, with a multitude of other rings spiralling out of it, and God told her that it was one wonderful shining Work –the “Elim assembly”–out of which many many others would come.”
A portable hall was erected at Peter’s Lake and people began to gather together to worship God and proclaim the Foursquare Gospel. Over the next thirty years or so the Elim Church moved around the countryside taking the Gospel to rural areas until they settled at Urcher
In 1973 a new church building was erected on the Glen Road in Monaghan town. A variety of methods were used to get the Gospel message across ; open-air meetings, door-to-door visitation and special meetings. A children’s and young people’s programme started.
In 1995 a premises was rented on the Mall Road and the “Crossroad Youth Fellowship” started. It attracted young people from all sections of the community and from both sides of the Border.
Monaghan Elim celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2005 with a series of special meetings in the Four Seasons Hotel.
During the late 90s and early 2000s Monaghan Elim continued to expand with the result that we outgrew our premises on the Glen Road, Monaghan.
A church building program was planned for some years and construction of a new church got underway in late June 2011 on a new site on the Ballybay Road, Monaghan.
The new church complex was officially opened by Pastor Edwin Michael on 17th November 2012. We now have modern facilities including a church hall, Youth Complex, and a church sanctuary as well Sunday School and creche rooms.
Monaghan Elim was 100 years old in 2015. We praise God for the past and are excited as we look to the future. We continue to pray and seek God for a real move of the Holy Spirit in our town, community, Co. Monaghan and nationwide.