Happy 25th Anniversary WCC!
Over 25 years ago, on Sunday, November 17, 1991, we held an organizational meeting in our home to discuss the idea of planting a church. We invited around 40 people to attend. Fifteen people came. At the end of the meeting, I handed out index cards asking those present to express their commitment to be a part of a church plant. Ten people committed to help. We agreed to name the church, Wilson Community Church.
On Sunday, December 8, 1991, we held the first small group meeting in our home. We invited the fifteen from the first meeting to attend, plus all those we had invited before. Five people came. Counting Robin and I, that made seven people. But we weren’t discouraged. We kept meeting weekly and the Lord kept adding to our number.
By mid January 1992, our first small group had grown to three groups. We averaged around 26 adults in weekly attendance between the three groups. So, we decided to launch a Sunday morning worship service. We thought renting a school would make for a good location. After visiting several schools around Wilson, we felt that Forest Hills Middle School had the best visibility and the most functional auditorium for our needs.
I still remember going to FHMS to ask the principal about renting the auditorium. My friend, Larry Etheridge, who is now with the Lord, went with me. We had all three of our small groups praying that week for a successful meeting. But the principal was not encouraging. He first told us that school policy wouldn’t allow him to rent to a church. So, I asked if he could show us the policy. He pulled the policy manual down off of his shelf and turned to the page about renting to outside groups. I noticed him raise an eyebrow as he started to read aloud. It turned out that the school actually had a policy on how to rent the auditorium, cafeteria, and other parts of the school to outside groups, including churches!
“Well…” He said. “It really doesn’t matter what the policy is. You still have to have a member of the school staff open and close the building every Sunday. And I don’t think any of our staff will want to do that.”
“What about the custodians?” I asked.
“Hah! I have a hard enough time getting them to open the building on nights and weekends for school events. I’m sure they won’t help.”
“May I ask them personally?” I questioned.
“Not today. They’re busy today. If you’ll come back tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM, we actually have a meeting with all the custodians, so they’ll all be here.”
“OK. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” I said.
That evening, we had all of our people praying for the meeting with the custodians. I couldn’t sleep.
At 7:30 AM the next morning, I went into the office at FHMS to meet with the custodians. The principal started leading me to the room where all the custodians were gathered.
“May I meet with them alone?” I asked the principal.
“Sure, if you want.” He replied, with a shrug of his shoulders.
When I entered the room with the custodians there were three of them present. As they looked up, I closed the door behind me and sat in a circle with them. I told them about our church and about our desire to meet at FHMS on Sundays. I also told them that the principal had told me that they wouldn’t help me, but that we had a whole church of people praying and I knew that they would help.
So, I pulled out a calendar and passed it to the first custodian and said, “If you can help, please write your name on the Sundays that you’re willing to open and close for us.”
One of the custodians said that he couldn’t help, but the other two, and I still remember their names, Mr. Barnes and Mr. McGhee, took the calendar, and between the two of them, covered every Sunday for the next three months. I hugged them and thanked them. And then, went back to the principal and showed him the calendar.
“Hmm… well, I guess you’ll be wanting to rent then.”
“Yes sir. We will.” I replied.
We launched our first public worship service in the FHMS auditorium on January 26, 1992 . We had 66 people attend our first service. Little did we know that day that we would be renting FHMS for the next 15 years.
After 19 years of doing portable church, 15 at FHMS and 4 years at Community Christian School, we purchased the former Regal Cinema in September 2010. We remodeled much of the building, turned one of the six theaters into our worship space and started meeting for worship there on May 1, 2011.
Looking back on 25 years of ministry, there’s so much to remember and be thankful for. But I mostly remember the little things, the days of small beginnings, and how God has faithfully built His church as we were faithful to be His church.
“Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” (2 Kings 4:1-7 ESV).
“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
