Friday, November 23, 2007

New churches everywhere

New churches seem to be popping up all over town this month. This week's religion briefs list two new Assembly of God congregations and last week, I wrote about a new CME church.

The Rev. David Hoey called to tell me about his church, Rhema Word Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, now meeting in Steeple Chase Baptist in West Shreveport. Hoey had been praying about planting a new church for the last two years. In March, he decided to take a little bit of a sabbatical from his job pastoring Lane Chapel CME. Not long after the bishop called to ask him about planting a new church.

Rhema Word (rhema is Greek for 'living word') is the first black Methodist church between Jewella Avenue and Keithville. Hoey described it as a "contemporary Methodist service" with lots of praise and worship music and no dress code. So far he's got about 50 members -- some from other denominations and some who were unchurched.

"It's been a joy and pain," Hoey said of his first church planting experience. "The joy is it gives you the opportunity to start from scratch. The pain is you're starting with no resources."

Rhema Word is meeting at 3 p.m. Sundays at Steeple Chase, 7016 Steeple Chase Plaza.

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