Experienced Pastor Returns Home to Plant Church Hazel Green Church Started on Eater Sunday 1997 After 29 years of pastoral ministry in several other geographic areas, Tom and Judy Whitten returned to their home district to start a new church in Hazel Green, Alabama . Early in October of 1996, the Lord began to direct the Whittens that He wanted them to return to Tom's home area to plant a church. So they shared their dream with Alabama North District leaders. Soon it was decided to move ahead with the effort. Hazel Green is located in Madison County near the Tennessee state line. It is near where Tom grew up and on his home district where in 1962 he found Christ. Since 20,000 people live in this area without a Nazarene Church, the possibilities are incredible. Their children, Randy and Jedonna, live in this area and wanted the church to come. Early in the work, the Whittens lived with their son Randy because no church or parsonage existed. Since Judy and Tom are both ordained ministers, they share the various phases of pastoral ministry. A Phones-4-U campaign was used to announce the start of the church. Thirty-five hundred calls were made and 50 persons attended the opening service on Easter Sunday 1997. The church was organized on December 6, 1998. Huntsville First Church assisted the new church with prayer support and allowing use of office facilities. The church started meeting in the Fire Hall where Randy Whitten is assistant fire chief. Then the new group moved to a storefront building. Last November, the church was able to purchase prime property with a parsonage and chapel already there. The congregation has a vision to build a new sanctuary soon. The property was purchased from a Methodist family who had lived on the property for more than 50 years. When they decided to sell, the asked God to send them a buyer who would make a Christian use of their property. They were so happy to have the church purchase the property that they paid all the closing costs, survey fees, and much more. New people are attracted to the Hazel Green Community Church of the Nazarene because of the congregation's outreach to needy folks. When asked about the focus and future of the church, Pastors Tom and Judy Whitten replied: "Our desire is to accept all who walk through our doors regardless of their color or creed or station in life. Our purpose is to change lives through the transforming power of Christ. Our vision is to build a strong holiness Nazarene church with a firm foundation built on the changes Christ makes in the life of the believer and to be a lighthouse and a place of rest for those we pass on the busy highway of life." Gainsville Church Sponsors Hispanic Church Marcelino Landino , a loyal Nazarene layman from Mexico, moved to the United States to support his family with traveling construction work. Building strip-mall type buildings, his employers frequently moved him to several locations across the southeastern area of the United States. Wherever he worked, he always tried to find a Nazarene congregation. When Landino moved near the Gainesville (GA) area and demands for relocation to new construction sites were no longer required by his employer, he contacted the Georgia District Office concerning the location of Nazarene churches in the Forsyth or Hall County areas. It was suggested he contact Pastor Lon Heighton at Gainesville First Church. That's precisely what he did, and the results are inspiring. Soon Landino and Heighton discussed the possibility of beginning a mission effort at Gainesville First Church. The established congregation and church board were supportive and affirming. The Latino congregation came into existence through prayer, fasting, and divine leadership in September 1997. The new group used multiple strategies to demonstrate their care and availability for the rapidly expanding Hispanic population in Hall County. They used Saturday evening Bible studies, tract distribution, door-to-door visitation, outdoor gospel film presentations, clothing and food distribution to the needy, and personal evangelism. The new group, now averaging 28 in worship, meets for Sunday School during the Anglo morning worship service and gather for worship in the sanctuary following the English service. Combined services are planned for baptism, fellowship, and missionary emphases. The vision shared by the English and Hispanic groups for the future is for the Latino congregation to become a catalyst for further new starts around Greater Atlanta, establish a training center for pastors and lay leaders, develop a metro Hispanic radio ministry, offer ESL classes, and grow to an average attendance of 200 in five years. Rather than starting a fully organized church, this ministry partnership considers itself as one congregation instead of two. They believe the advantage of this focus, at least for now, is to really get to know each other, to worship together, and to yoke together in ministries that neither congregation could attempt without the other. Insurance Executive Starts Church at Arab, Alabama After driving 30 miles each way to Huntsville First Church for years , Randy and Francine Rathmann felt the Lord wanted a new church in the community where they lived. Never expecting to be the founding pastor, Rathmann, an insurance salesman and certified financial consultant, has served the church for ten years. It all started with a Bible study in the Rathmann home where they hoped to gather a core group for a new church. In 1989, Pastor Ralph Brown, District Superintendent Bud Garber, and Church Planter Consultant Bill Wiesman approached them about starting a new church. With no pastoral experience, Rathmann agreed to preach until the church was large enough to call an ordained minister. Huntsville First Church raised $2,500 seed money and someone donated a sound system. The church was launched with its first service on October 2, 1989. Current attendance averages over 40, and they have 19 members. The church has ministered to several hundred different individuals since its inception. Until February 1999, Arab Harvest Church met in the Community Center where it was necessary to transport all equipment and set up every Sunday. They carried pulpit, hymnals, sound system, and nursery equipment in the back of Rathmann's pickup truck from his garage to the Community Center every Sunday. Some of the equipment, including the pulpit, Rathmann made with his own hands. While other church plants often start with a core group, this church had almost no one at the beginning except the Rathmanns and their daughter and her family. Behold what God has accomplished through this faithful group. Just a few months ago, they moved into a church building that has been completely remodeled. Having reached this milestone, Rathmann recently resigned in favor of calling an ordained pastor. When asked about that decision, he said: "Convinced that there is a great opportunity to minister from this new facility and the fact that I am worn out, I have resigned as pastor in favor of new leadership. I am excited about what God will do with his church through our new facilities. Besides being a husband and a father, this has certainly been the greatest challenge of my life. I can look back and see how God prepared me for the challenge that I never expected. It is exciting to see what God has around the next corner." Marietta First Church Sponsors West Cobb NewStart Demonstrating steadfast commitments to faith sharing, Marietta (GA) First Church has sponsored a new church in West Cobb, started a Korean church in their facilities, and is well under way with planting a Hispanic church. All this happened in 12 months. Pastor Bob Milburn has led the mother congregation in these outstanding outreach efforts. Pastor Karen Seers, long-term church member at Marietta, sensed God's call to plant a church in the West Cobb area of Atlanta. As she shared this sense of calling, the Marietta congregation responded by sponsoring the new church. The New Start at West Cobb began as a Sunday evening Bible study on September 16, 1998, and held its first worship service January 31, 1999. Vital connections continue between the churches. Pastor Seers reports monthly to the church board at Marietta church. A representative of the Marietta church board serves on the steering committee of the West Cobb church. Children from the new church continue to participate in Caravans at Marietta on Wednesday nights. The two congregations meet together on Sunday evenings on special occasions. And it is planned that the two churches will continue to meet for a combined service at least once quarterly. The West Cobb church meets at Due West Elementary School. Average worship attendance in April was 48. The new church has 22 members. They recently pledged $12,000 for future property acquisition. The people profile of the new church includes six teens, 22 children, and 28 adults. When asked about the uniqueness of West Cobb church, Pastor Seers explained: "We have a female pastor, we have strong support from our sponsoring church, and we do not have a narrow demographic target group. Having a strong sponsoring church has provided us a great start, and we are grateful." Invitations directed to persons interested in a new church states the vision of the baby congregation; "We have a vision for our church to be a place where God is forming a family out of strangers." What a great invitation, and what a great vision. Marietta First Church has made a strong investment of personnel in this new work. They are already beginning to reap satisfaction s from their investment. Others are stepping into places of service left open by the core group who moved to West Cobb. As a result, the Kingdom is strengthened and new people are being won as these two congregations work together. Mountain Community NewStart Began on February 1, 1999 Pastor Reggie Hampton and his family sensed a growing conviction God was directing them to plant a new church called Mountain Community Church. The new church was to serve the Clarkesville, Demorest, and Cornelia areas of Northeast Georgia. The Hamptons, in response to their directive from God, moved to the community, took secular work, and started to systematically get acquainted with their community. After moving to the area, the Hamptons started a Bible study in their home in September 1998. Several of the core group are Nazarenes who live in the area but were driving a considerable distance to worship at Gainesville First Church. The church is now meeting in a well-located commercial space on the main street of Cornelia. They expect to be organized into a self-supporting church by the end of 1999. Already four people are new to the Church of the Nazarene, and they have won their first convert to Christ. When asked about their vision for the future, Pastor Hampton reported: "Christ is the answer to lead a holy life, love others, and have close relationship with Him. We want to be a church that will also 'spark' other new starts to become a fire storm for Christ." NewStart Church Begins in Fast-Growing Area of Atlanta Editor's note: Crossroads NewStart, Atlanta--though not yet officially organized--has been meeting on Sunday afternoons in shared facilities of Calvary Chapel since November 29, 1998. An average of 20 persons attend their Sunday services held on Sunday afternoons in shared facilities of Calvary Chapel. Here is Pastor Harold Lake's time-line diary. I want GROW readers to rejoice in how the Holy Spirit is directing the founding efforts of this new church. Harold Lake's burden and vision - My wife, Merrily, and I had been seeking God's plan for our lives for three years. For several months, the Lord seemed to be taking me back to a specific area of greater Atlanta. Every time we drove into this area, I felt as if I had arrived home. I could not figure why I felt this way. Did I simply like this area: Why was I drawn to this area? During these months, Pete and Willie Combs joined us in praying for God's direction. Was the Lord prompting us to start a new church in this area: If there was to be a new church, it would have to be by God's direction. In early October 1997, I received a call to pastor a church in Pittsburgh. A decision had to be made. Was God leading me to an established church or did He want me to plant a new one? October 18. 1997 October 19, 1997, Sunday As I drove up Old Atlanta Road and onto Sharon Road, I passed Sharon Baptist Church. The parking spaces were completely full. Cars were parked on the grass, along the road, and backed up along the edges of their cemetery next to the church buildings. There was no thunder or lightning when I experienced the nearness of God. Actually, it was a bright cloudless morning. No audible voice. But my soul heard it as plainly as if our Father had been riding in my pickup with me. In fact, He was. My soul heard it as plainly as if it was a human voice saying to me: "Look on My fields; they are ripe and ready for harvesting. I'm sending more laborers into My fields to gather My harvest. You are to be one of them. After months of waiting, the answer came suddenly. And I was so grateful that it is a wonder I didn't run off the two-lane road. I continued my tour for another couple of hours. I talked with some more people. Now everything had taken on a new perspective. I was now looking through the eyes of a pastor. I was seeing my assignment in a fresh, new light. I have not looked back since. The enemy tried to sidetrack me and discourage me. Start a new church from zero-wow! I could hardly wait to get home to share with Merrily the events of the preceding hours. God had answered. We had waited so long. Yet I believe God's timing is always perfect-this was no exception. October 20, 1997 He asked me to call Rev. Elmer Carter to request a place on the agenda of the Georgia Mission Board, scheduled to meet the next day, October 21. He also asked if I could attend the College of New Church Knowledge in November at St. Simons Island. Rev. Carter said he would be pleased to work my presentation into their meeting for the next day. For several months, I have been doing demographic studies, talking with people, driving the streets of the area. I was learning all I could about this area. I had also been preparing a map of Atlanta including Forsythe, Cherokee, Gwinnett, Barrow, Dawson, Cobb, Bartow, Hall, and Jackson Counties. God has been preparing me for making a presentation to the GMB and I didn't even realize it. The night before the meeting, I placed red flags on the map indicating the location of existing Nazarene churches. I placed a gold flag in the center of the target area and drew circles around the gold flag at five-mile increments out to 20 miles. From the visual, it was apparent that the target area needed a new church. I made connection with Bill Combs, a lay member of the Georgia Mission Board, and asked to ride with him to the meeting. As we were riding, I told Bill why I was going to the meeting. I'm sure he was curious about what was in that large black plastic bag in the back of his car. It was my map-a convincing visual of what needed to done. Following the presentation, the Georgia Missions Board recommended the NewStart project to the Georgia District Advisory Board. The Advisory Board approved. November 3, 1997 November 15-16, 1997 November 19, 1997 November 20-22, 1997 November 24, 1997 December 2, 1997 December 8, 1997 December 11, 1997 January 15, 1998 February 26, 1998 November 29, 1998 January 3, 1999 February 15, 1999 April 11, 1999 Pastor Harold D. Lake, Jr. Newstart Sponsored By Timberlake Church Pastor Dale Taylor and the Timberlake church, located in the Metro Atlanta area, plan to plant a church in Henry (GA) County within a year. A core group has been identified, and they are enthusiastically committed to starting a new church. Timberlake has invited Mark and Sue Atherton to become the planting pastoral couple. Atherton, a 1999 Asbury Seminary graduate, will serve on the Timberlake church staff during the next 12 months while plans for implemented for the new work. The Athertons have been approved as planters through the church planters' assessment effort held at Southern Nazarene University. When asked about the vision and the challenge, Atherton said: "I look forward to working with District Superintendent Fred Huff, sponsoring Pastor Dale Taylor, and the people of Timberlake church, to bring a strong Nazarene church to Henry County. This church will carry the old gospel wine but deliver it in the wineskins of the 21st century. We want to deliver the biblical message of holiness using methods that will reach pagan people. Our burden is to see unchurched people not only accept God's saving grace, but understand that His grace is sufficient to radically transform their lives." The GROW staff believes the Timberlake pattern will work in hundreds of other settings. Straight ahead to Pastor Taylor, Timberlake church, and Pastor Atherton. |