City of Shalom
We have the privilege of partnering with other church plants dedicated to make disciples in the community around them. One of our church planting partners is City of Shalom Church in Rocky Mount, NC. City of Shalom was anticipating the public launch of their church at the end of February, but God had other plans for the launch of this church. Here’s an update from their lead Pastor Lemanuel Williams:
Last month City of Shalom’s intended launch for our Sunday gatherings came to a sudden halt. Since then, we have been in deep prayer, seeking—as the Psalmist says—not to “lift up our hearts or raise our eyes too high,” but instead to “calm and quiet our souls” as we trust the Lord to guide and provide for us the place He desires us to be.
One day, while driving around, Mrs. Brenda Cooper—a community leader in South Rocky Mount (one of the neighborhoods in our target area)—reached out to me and asked, “Have you checked out the old Salvation Army on Paul Street?” I replied, “No, but I’ll go check it out.”
When I pulled up, I was genuinely surprised. I expected a run-down building that would require significant repairs. Instead, I found a building in ready condition—currently on the market for sale. I immediately contacted the agent and scheduled a viewing.
What makes this location even more significant is where it sits. The building is nestled right in the heart of a neighborhood and in close proximity to churches that were once among the most thriving in the area—Foster Memorial Baptist, Red Budd Holiness Church, and Ebenezer Baptist. In their heyday, there were lines outside of these churches, with people waiting just to get in. Today, many of these congregations are declining. There is an older generation of pastors nearing retirement, often without a clear succession plan, and there are few—if any—new churches being planted in the area.
This reality has only deepened our sense of calling. We are prayerfully asking the Lord to pour out His Spirit and do a fresh work again in this community through City of Shalom Church.
As it turns out, the building had been on the market for nearly six months, which gave us meaningful leverage to negotiate a lease-option agreement. After several weeks of negotiations and arriving at favorable terms, the sellers asked us to have our attorney draft the lease. We are currently waiting for the lease to be finalized so we can begin preparing to occupy the building!
Chapel on Grace Street — an old Salvation Army building and the future home of City of Shalom Church.
Our aim is to officially launch Sunday services on April 19th. In the meantime, we will use our Easter service—held at Booker T. Washington Theater in downtown Rocky Mount—as a preview gathering and an opportunity to share our new location and launch date.
In the midst of all of this, Building Shalom continues its work and is bearing fruit. We are seeing several of our neighbors flourish through our Financial Literacy and Homebuyer Preparation program. One of the great joys for me personally is the opportunity to explicitly share about our God—the One who is actively seeking their flourishing. Recently, I even had the unique opportunity to invite many of them to our Easter service at Booker T. Washington Theater.
What’s becoming increasingly clear is how these two expressions—Building Shalom and City of Shalom Church—are meant to complement one another. The vision we have carried is beginning to take visible shape, and it is truly awe-striking to witness the early budding of it.
Participants of Building Shalom celebrating the completion of the program.
The Lord has also used this unexpected season to deepen our community. Over the past several weeks, our Fellowship Groups (what we call our small groups) have been walking through two books—one on church membership and the other on Christian community. With many on our core team being new to the faith, both church planting and the vision of the local church have been new concepts. Yet this has been an incredibly fruitful time of teaching, growth, and discipleship. In the midst of it all, our commitment to this work—and to one another—has only grown stronger.
As we approach Easter, we are especially excited to baptize a couple who have recently come to faith. I look forward to sharing their testimony video in next month’s newsletter!
There is so much more we could share about how God is at work, but finding and securing a place for our Sunday gatherings is a major milestone—one we know many of you have been praying for and supporting. We are deeply grateful for your partnership in the gospel.
Lemanuel Williams | Lead Pastor
