In the summer of 1991 two students helped complete a survey in the Redland area. The survey affirmed the need for a new church, and the plans were made to start a mission.
James Kilpatrick, Minister of Youth at First Baptist Church of Homestead felt the call to pastor the new mission. With six care families and Jim as pastor, the mission planned it’s first Sunday service. The date was September 1991.
The church met at the pastor’s home for the first month. It celebrated it’s first official worship service with 81 people in the agricultural building. The auditorium had the bare essentials.
Many wonderful and exciting things began to happen. The church grew. The first baptisms for adults and children were held at First Baptist Church of Homestead. We saw people’s lives changing. We saw many come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
In the beginning the average Sunday morning attendance was 115. We had to rent the auditorium and extra chairs. For months we held children’s church during adult worship. The adult bible study was held at the pastor’s home, and children’s choir was held at another member’s home. We were out of space.
Plans were made to constitute ourselves as a church on the first anniversary in September of 1992. God had given us a vision for our own building, and the search was started for this purpose. Then Hurricane Andrew came and the place where we met was damaged. We went back to the pastor’s home or sometimes to a local park.
We did constitute ourselves as a church in 1992, and God provided an opportunity for us to purchase a 4 1/2 acre parcel of land directly across from the Agricultural Center where we first started our mission.
It took faith to look at an old building with an old barn and a termite infested house and imagine what it could become.
Funds were limited but, with the help of our membership, 85% of the work on our property had been accomplished. The church continued to grow. In 2002 we started our new family center which was completed in 2003.
In 2005, we became an Interdenominational Christian church and welcome all people of all denominations. We are a bible teaching, fellowship oriented body of believers.
We continue to move forward, and God continues to make us grow. We invite you to become part of the history of this church as we walk forward and see His hand in our future.
