Pastor Melvin L Boles began preaching in 1959 in a storefront in downtown Meridian on 18th Street and 33rd Avenue.

He then built a small church in the southside district and from there to Tuxedo in 1971.  In 1978 he felt the Lord tell him to get on a hill so Evangel Temple Church was built and moved to the land it now occupies. In 1988, The drama productions were birthed by the Lord in the heart of his son, Mike, which drew thousands of people from all over the Southeast states and have had approximately 50,000 souls saved.

In 1998 the baton was handed to Pastor Mike Boles, the current pastor.

History of Evangel Temple Church:

Lee Drachennberg, with his family, traveled around the country preaching revivals until he took root in Energy, Miss. His oldest daughter, Rosie, met a guitar player named Melvin Boles there at Energy Church. They wed Christmas eve 1947 having no idea their life was about to change into another ministry.

Bro. Melvin, along with Rosie and Mary, her sister, began praying for the in-filling of the Holy Spirit. Rev. David Nunn from Dallas came to Meridian with a tent revival. It was at that meeting, Bro. Melvin received the baptism of the Holy Spirit that instantly changed his life. 

He built a pulpit at his house and he got busy. He began prayer meetings in homes that eventually led him to begin his own preaching ministry. The Drachenberg siblings, Mary, Richard and Vergie, were vital to the operation of the ministry. Mary was the first piano/organ player. She, Rosie and Melvin sang as a trio as well as Mary and her children. Even today, Mary’s family works in the ministry – in music, teaching and preaching. Richard and his wife, Joyce, served as treasurer/secretary of the church from its beginning until 2010 – a total of more than 50 years of service to the kingdom. He and his family served in many areas of the church from its inception until now. Vergie married and moved away.

From a congregation of mostly family, the church grew and bought a small store front in 1959. During this time, Bro. Boles also had a radio broadcast on Sunday morning on WCOC and then to WOKK. He had such a zeal for lost souls that he bought a tent and held revivals in surrounding communities that lasted approximately 10 years. He had notable salvations, deliverances from substance abuse, as well as healing and miracles during this time. He built a small church in the Southside community in 1961 and eventually bought a much larger one in the Tuxedo community in 1971.

It was there that his wife, Rosie, started a prayer meeting that is still going strong. While in Tuxedo she had a vision of the church being on television. It was not long after that the television ministry became a reality. Their daughter Cathy married a musician that eventually became the Minister of Music at the church. Mike married Debbie one year later, she became a vital part of the ministry.

In 1978 the Lord impressed on Bro. Boles to get on a hill. Searching for a hill led him to Highway 145 South. Matthew 5:14 – “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” He immediately began to tear down buildings using the old brick for the building of the church. He, Bro. Charles McGee, Bro. Johnny Anthony and Bro. Richard Drachenberg and others spent countless hours cleaning the brick until he had enough to build the church. Members of the congregation joined him to help construct the inside. It was completed and the ministry grew. 

Children’s and youth ministry began. The choir and the music ministry saw God do great things, one being their first recordings. The drama ministry was birthed due to a supernatural experience one weekend that changed Bro. Mike’s life and eventually began a ministry that has led thousands to Christ. After years of setting up and taking down props for the productions in the sanctuary, a theater was built after two years of labor and much prayer almost every night by the members of the congregation. The first drama was given to Bro. Mike by the Lord was “The Life of Christ.”

The property became home to the first sanctuary, which is now our Children’s Church, a youth building, known as the White House, and now a $21 million multi-complex that houses our sanctuary and dramas.

About the church:

Name: Evangel Temple Church.

Pastor: Pastor Mike Boles.

Denomination: Nondenominational.

How many members: 600-700.

Founded: 1959.

Contact Info: 601-693-1913.

Address: 3611 Hwy 145, Meridian, MS 39301.

Service Times:

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m., Worship Service 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday night classes 6 p.m., prayer at 7 p.m.

Weekly Programs:

Freedom Class, Monday 6 p.m. Lady’s Prayer Meeting, Tuesday 10 a.m.

Special upcoming events:

April 14 – Easter Weekend: Bro. John Kilpatrick on Good Friday 6 p.m.

Sunday April 16 – 10 a.m., special Easter Presentation of The Choice.

Annual events special to our church:

Easter and Christmas Production.

Cheryl Owens coordinates Worship Site Profile, which appears Saturdays in The Meridian Star. Recommend your site to cowens@themeridianstar.com.