Adream began in the home of Judy and David Tate. Twelve people met to worship in July
2000, and they made plans for a new worship community in LaFollette, Tenn. With love for Jesus shining from their heart and face, these 12 were on fire for God! By April 2001, they had moved into the LaFollette Senior Citizen’s Center, and church mission status came in 2002. They even realized another missionary milestone when they purchased a radio station where they could share Jesus with more people. The station went on the air in 2007.
In December 2007, the church moved to a space in Woodson’s Mall. With their missionary zeal moving fast, they put up three sign boxes in strategic locations, and the pastor received
many Bible study lesson requests.
The numbers were growing, 50 attended a spiritual retreat weekend, and then came the blessed day in February 2009 when the LaFollette Mission Group became a church company. Property was donated for a new church building, and the site was dedicated on
June 30, 2012.
After much prayer, saving, and discussion, work started on the new church site in 2016. The members did as much work as they could themselves, but they didn’t have much money. The building grew in spurts and their faith remained strong. When the money ran out, they prayed again, trusted God, and worked harder, both for the building of the new church and for the people in their communities.
God brought new members to the area, some in retirement, and some to work. In 2018, a capital campaign began to see where God was leading. Should they continue building as the money came in, should they sell and buy a smaller church, or should they borrow and finish the building? At the end of the campaign there was a victory banquet, which raised approximately $140,000 in pledges to continue the current church building. What a praise session!
Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to finish the church, so in 2019, the church members voted to try to sell their property. For a year they waited to see what God would do. Several people came to look at the property, but no one was able to complete the buying process. In December it was re-evaluated, and in January 2020 the members voted to move forward with building once again. A contractor and supervisor were secured, and the little sleepy building site was once again up and running with the hum of subcontractors and praises to God!
Lafollette Church became the 179th church of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference on September 19, 2020. After 20 years of dreams and hard work, the church members completed the steps to become an official Seventh-day Adventist Church. They hope to worship in a finished part of their new building by Christmas. They ask for continued prayers as they complete their miracle church.
The members believe in miracles, and they believe God wants a church in Lafollette. The dream God gave those 12 people in 2000 has grown. Today, they are active with Bible studies (taking place in person, on the phone, and in jail), the Bags of Love Ministry to foster children, basketball camps for youth, blood pressure clinics, diabetes clinics, Vacation Bible School, cooking schools, a Facebook presence, and a soup kitchen … all while continuing to finish their church!
Georgia Cumberland | November 2020
Comments are closed.