A Godly Beginning…

As cars arrived and people began to enter the home of Roy and Pat Cunningham on September 15, 1991, it is fair to say that most everyone felt a direct intercession of God. That meeting in September concluded with these stated goals:

Go forward with the idea of starting a new church ministry in order to:

• Reach the community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• Edify and build up the saints in the church

Roy Cunningham, Ron Brucker and Dan Clement accepted the responsibilities of leadership only after they had gained much godly counsel from Dr. Charles Scheide who was the Pastor at Faith Bible Church in Vineland, NJ. On Sunday, October 13, 1991, the inaugural service of newly formed Fellowship Bible Church was held in the Little Red School House in Mickleton, NJ. Approximately forty people came to that service, responding to flyers placed in local stores and telephone calls made to potential attendees. Some came just to lend support to the fledgling ministry. The church’s first message was given by Gary Holden of Word of Life who returned on several more occasions to minister God’s Word. The first youth outing that fall saw two teens come to claim the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior, a direct answer to the prayers of the leadership.

Although God’s hand on Fellowship Bible Church was apparent from the very start, this did not keep the young church from facing a challenge that almost unraveled it before it was even a month old. The Little Red School House was only to be a temporary location, for permission to use the facility was withdrawn. After only two meetings, Fellowship Bible Church was soon to be without a home if a new location couldn’t be found in less than two weeks. Frantic searching began as the members canvassed the area for a place to meet.

A request was submitted to the Clearview Regional High School Board of Education to use their facilities for Sunday meetings. In what was a specific instance of God’s direct intervention in the affairs of Fellowship Bible Church, the school board representative said it had just been decided that week to open up the school facilities on Sundays. Furthermore, through perfect timing, the use of Clearview Junior High School was granted with just three days to spare. Fellowship Bible Church had once again found a home!