The Orchard Group

Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Kile had a drive and a desire to take the gospel to people who did not know Christ. Having been raised in Eastern Pennsylvania, the Kiles found themselves ministering in Ohio after finishing their education. But the desire to take the gospel to a different culture remained strong in their hearts. In 1943 the Kiles moved to New York City to prepare for missionary work in the Soviet Union. Because of the inability to obtain visas at the time, the Kiles' plans were thwarted, and they accepted the ministry of the Greenpoint Christian Church in Brooklyn, New York. When they saw the tremendous needs and rapid growth of New York, the Kiles recognized they didn't have to go to the Soviet Union to find a place to serve. They had found one in the middle of the United States - in New York City.

Five years later, following the population trends of the day, the Kiles moved from New York City to the suburb of Linden, New Jersey to begin a church. In the same year, 1948, they began the work of the "Go Ye" Chapel Mission. The Mission was incorporated in New Jersey and received U.S. government tax exempt status in 1952. The Kiles were able to secure a used WW II army barracks as the first building of the first church begun by the Mission in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. The Scotch Plains church remains in existence today.

When Mr. Kile found that it was difficult to get people to attend services in a church building, he took it on himself to take the church to the people. He built a "church building" on the back of a trailer, and took the trailer into the streets of New York City, preaching the Gospel from what he called the "Go Ye" Chapel. Later units were self-contained on a truck chassis. As churches were planted, the "Go Ye" Chapel was used more and more as a tool to get new churches underway. The final "Chapel" unit was retired from service in 1979.

As the Kiles worked to get churches underway, Mr. Kile's hard work was legendary. Often he would sleep only a few hours a night. Early in the morning he could be found printing materials, or doing physical labor on church buildings. For Elmer Kile, church planting did not just involve bringing a group of people together. It also meant building a church building, and impacting the region.

After starting the church in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Mr. Kile turned his attention to rapidly growing Long Island. Once a rural area known for potato farms and commercial fishing, Long Island's population was booming in the years following World War II. The Kiles took advantage of Long Island's rapid growth when the second church was started by the "Go Ye" Chapel Mission in Hicksville, Long Island. Additional Long Island churches followed in Nesconset, East Northport, Glen Cove, Central Islip, and West Islip. A total of twelve churches were planted under Mr. Kile's leadership, in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut, and Eastern Pennsylvania. While at work securing property for a new church to be planted in Port Jefferson, Long Island in 1968, Mr. Kile succumbed to a massive heart attack. Mrs. Kile continued to serve the Mission as bookkeeper until her retirement in the late 1980s. Throughout their years in New York, the sacrificial service of the Kiles served as an inspiration to many who came to serve in the New York City area. Their work is fondly remembered today, for their faithfulness and steadfastness to the task of planting new churches in the New York City area.