| History Of Woodbine Family Worship Center |
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Our history began as a mission Church through The Union Grove Church in Independent Hill in 1875. Woodbine was constituted under the leadership of the Reverend W. T. Newman, the initial pastor. This all started in the original Little Church that is sitting in the Woodbine Cemetery. On June 2, 1950, the cornerstone was laid on the present Woodbine Church building. On May 6, 1952, the building was dedicated. August 23, 1953, will be a date that many people of Woodbine will long remember. For it was on that Saturday about 11:00 p.m. the new building burned, just fifteen months after having been dedicated. The following Sunday morning, with sad and heavy hearts, the Sunday School and worship service was conducted out in the open beside the ruins. We proudly rededicated our church on November 29, 1953. The highlight of 1959 was the beginning of our radio program, heard each Sunday morning on the local station, WPRW. In August 1961, our program was expanded to FM frequencies. On October 22, 1962, the realization of many years of planning and hard work was seen in the completion of Phase I of the education building. This building provided improved facilities for teaching and educating the Woodbine Community about Jesus Christ. It also included the Pastor's Study, the Sunday School office, and a well-equipped nursery. In 1962, we also moved the original Woodbine Church (Little Church) to its present site. The 'Little Church' was used for as a overflow for the Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. In February 1973, under God's guidance and the leadership of Mable Carter and Gene Wells (then 14), a tremendous amount of effort was initiated toward the restoration of the original Woodbine Church. Our Little Church is now a historical landmark where relics and papers dating back to the late 1800s are being displayed. It is a church where one can come and get a glimpse of the faith and dedication of an earlier generation. In the early 1970s, a vision was cast for Woodbine to have a Christian school that would be an outreach to the community. On August 29, 1983, the vision became a reality. At 6:30 a.m. the first student walked through the door. In the mid 1980's the school experienced overcrowding. In 1985 we launched the "Together We Build Program". It was a success! We completed our education building, and on October 20, 1985, we dedicated the new addition. Now under the leadership of Pastor Gene and Dana Wells we remember the past and look forward to the future. His vision from God is to use all the resources God has given Woodbine to further the kingdom. For Woodbine to be a glocal (which means to reach global people, locally) outreach to every one of all races and all nationalities. To be used by God to reach all age groups for Christ. |
