The Name "Palm Chapel"

February 20,1971
Niceville, Florida

While prayerfully endeavoring to find a suitable name for the church we have agreed to organize in this area I had a dream. In this dream I saw a white church house with a walk leading up to the door and a big palm tree on either side in front of the building. Over the door were the words "Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church" The name bore so heavy on my mind I decided to do some research on the words "palm" and "chapel."

After much thought and some research on the word "palm" I submit the name "Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church" as the name for the church to be organized here.

The palm is mentioned many times in the  Bible and has different meanings and also many uses. The Arabs tell us it has 360 uses.

The date palm is one of the most important trees in the East. The fruit is the daily food of millions and is used extensively in  place of bread. Wine is made from the sap and the seeds made into food for the camels. Other parts of the tree are used to make baskets, roofs for the huts and many other articles. The Palm Groves of Jericho were always famous.

There were palms in the district of the Mount of Olives where the people took the branches of palm trees and went to meet Jesus. John 12:13.

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. Psalms 92:12. The glorified are mentioned in Revelations 7:9 as clothed with white robes and palms in their hands.

Other good references are Exodus 15:27; Songs of Solomon 7:7; Leviticus 23:40; Deuteronomy 34:3; Ezekiel 41:19; Kings 6:29,32,34; Kings 7:36 ; 2nd Chronicles 3:5; 28:15.

Chapel: A place of Christian worship. A place for religious service, usually having its own altar, a sanctuary. Amos 7:13, 3:14. Also same definition as Bethel (A Holy Place).

In addition to the above research the name also seems appropriate for this locality.

Mary Harris
Charter Member