“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!” Hebrews 13:8 Thirty-six years ago God gave birth to FBBC to spread the gospel and transform ministry in Houston County. Starting a church in the African American community during the seventies and eighties was extremely rare for this area. It was so rare, many openly discouraged Pastor & Sister Reid when they shared the vision God had given. What those who doubted didn’t realize was God had begun to reclaim His children – the baby boomers who left home and swore to never set foot in a church again. Fellowship became the church where the youth of that day – the 20, 30, & 40 somethings – could return to their home training. The things mama’nem used to say like – He may not come when you want Him but He’s always on time – began to take on an entirely new meaning. Everyone had heard it before and could finish the sentence for the pastor. But none of us really knew what it meant until we became the single mom wondering how the kids would be fed tomorrow or the young couple about to be evicted. Life came at us in living color. The “Ship” became our safe haven because that’s where we were all the same. Rich, poor, doctor, lawyer. Just young kids trying to do the best for our kids. Fellowship became known as “The Little Church with the Big Heart.” Thirty-six years later, a 58.37 acre Wi-Fi enabled campus, streamed services throughout the U.S., and Pastor Tolan J. Morgan at the helm. “The Little Church with the Big Heart” is much bigger, but it is still a safe haven for God’s children coming home. Now the children and grandchildren of the baby boomers are being anchored in the Word of God. Instead of traditional bibles in the sanctuary, it is now filled with iPads, iPhones and Androids. The message of hope that Pastor Morgan preaches and teaches each week is transmitted around the globe in seconds via social media. Just as this technology didn’t exist thirty-six years ago, neither did many of the issues those sitting in the pews face today. The common denominator is “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Mama’nem didn’t have the education they worked so hard to give us, but they had Jesus and the man of God. We didn’t have the technology our children have today, but we had Jesus and the man of God. Fellowships’ journey in the future will encompass the good and the bad that life brings. The campus, technology, and people sitting in the pews will change, but Jesus and the man of God preaching and teaching Jesus will remain steadfast. Hebrews 13:8 gives us that assurance.
Article post by Henry Hopson