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The church of Christ did
meet at one time in Wakefield long before the current congregation
came into existance in 1989. It was better known as The Wakefield
church of Christ.
The remainder of this page
however, will only highlight the re-planting. The
South County church of Christ originated as a planting of the church
of Christ in Warwick, Rhode Island. There were a group of faithful
brethren living in the South County area who travelled to assemble
with the brethren in Warwick. A man by the name of Bill Schindell
tried to get a work going again in Wakefield, but the military moved
his family from New England.
Gary Babcock, a native Rhode
Islander, had planted churches in Sterling and Tolland, Connecticut.
In 1988, he moved back to Rhode Island to re-enter his work with
the Public School system as an elementary school teacher.
Upon learning of the need, Gary offered to assist the church in
their goal to re-plant the church. From
October of 1988 to March of 1989 we met only on Sunday nights and
remained part of the Warwick congregation. On April 2, 1989,
we had our first meeting as an independant congregation in rented
space at the South Kingstown Office Park in Wakefield. Twenty-four
people were present on that occasion.
With the assistance of the
Sherrod Avenue church in Florence, Alabama, we purchased a building
in August of 1990. We had our first meeting in our new building
at 3510 Tower Hill Road in South Kingstown on the 19th of that month.
In 1992, we finished the basement
of our building providing 7 classrooms and a fellowship room. This
was completed with a loan from our supporting church and with the
physical labor of our own members.
April 2, 1997 marked the
eighth Anniversary of the re-planting of the church of christ in
South County, RI. In eight years the congregation jumped from 24
in attendance to an average of 77 on Sunday mornings. The church
experienced much growth in that time period and 70 souls were immersed
into Christ. We celebrated
our eighth anniversary on Sunday April 6, 1997 and said good-bye
to Gary and Sue Babcock. Gary Babcock had worked hard for all the
years he served as our preacher. He will always be admired for his
dedication to this congregation and to the many souls who have been
brought to Jesus through his patience and instruction. Gary and
Sue left the congregation to work with the church of Christ in Trumbull,
Connecticut.
Arthur "Bud" Fenner and his
wife, Melissa had been members of the church here for a number of
years. Bud formally worked as the Youth Minister. Upon
Gary's departure, Bud was asked to assume the work as preacher of
this congregation.
On April 2, 2000, Elders
were appointed for the first time in our history. After a
time of prayer, fasting, and study, Timothy Bonzagni and Scott Hassell
were selected by the congregation to serve as Shepherds of the church.
This particular Lord's day also marked our Eleventh Anniversary
of meeting as a church in Wakefield. After the sermon that
Sunday morning, Bud laid hands upon these two men and commended
them to the Lord in prayer led by Gary Babcock.
In June of 2000, Our Shepherds
asked the church to recognize Andre King as a second minister for
the congregation. Bud and Andre worked together serving as evangelists.
Andre has committed his life to teaching and preaching. After graduating
from Sunset International Bible Institute (SIBI), Andre began work
with them as the New England recruiter in 2001.
In 2003, Bud and his family
left for Connecticut where he was appointed Minister to the Ward
Street church of Christ. To this day, the church here continues
to have strong bonds with the Ward Street brethren.
Sadly, the eldership was
dissolved in early Spring of 2004. Shortly afterwards, several members
left. The Sherrod Avenue brethren in Alabama continued to financially
and spiritually support the work here, giving us stability and encouragement
as we healed.
In early fall of 2005, our
prayers for an evangelist were answered. Hurricane Katrina had wrecked
many lives and displaced thousands, but for us it was to be a blessing.
The church in New Orleans had just taken on a pulpit preacher the
year before Hurricane Katrina landed. With the loss of church properties
and displacement of it's members, the church there was not able
to support it's new preacher. He started looking for a new place
to spread God's Word.
Our History continues...
May we continue as a congregation as long as we remain faithful
to God and His Holy Word.
Listed below
are past doings, events, and programs offered by the church here at
South County. We rejoice as we look at how the Lord has used us to
accomplish His work in South County Rhode Island!
- Classroom
Education for all ages
- FishBuck
Incentive Program
- Cottage Studies
- A church
Library
- Our own Vacation
Bible School
- Class/Course
Program
- Bible Study
By Mail program
- Benevolence
Program
- Clothing
Give-Aways
- Hearts in
Bloom
- Ladies Ministry
- Youth Ministry
The Lord
has truly blessed us! We recognize that the work will never be finished
until Jesus comes and that there is still much to do. Please pray
for us as we strive to fulfill God's purpose in our lives.
To Learn more about
us or to request a free Bible Study course email the church. |
