WS Chronicle

The Love Church was recently honored as the Church Of The Year at The Chronicle’s Community Service Awards Banquet.  The church has been on the front lines of changing people’s lives through Christ.

The church recently celebrated its seventh anniversary and has grown each year.  Senior Pastor Curtis Friday said after the anniversary it felt like the church has became “a complete church.”

“We don’t celebrate anniversaries every year; we usually do it every other year,” said Friday.  “We celebrated seven years because I felt like seven was a great accomplishment due to the tests and trails we endured to get here.”

Friday says the troubles they went through early on makes it that much more satisfying now that the church is in a better place.  He feels there is no progress without struggle.

“One of the things I tell the church all the time is ‘if God took the struggle away then he has to take away the strength you gained from it,” he said.  “So the seven years did feel hard but it gave us the strength and growth we needed.”

“I think we needed that and they were some hard years but the test was needed so that we could grow, not just in numbers but individually.  I wouldn’t take it back for the world.”

Sowing into the congregation is of the utmost importance for Friday.  Beginning two years ago the church gave away a car to a member in need.  They will do the same on Easter Sunday.  According to Friday this is a tradition they want to carry on every two years going forward.

“There is a young lady that rides the bus to church every Sunday and she even walks sometimes so we think it’s time to surprise her with a car,” he said.  “I think it will be a blessing because we love to do outreach.”

“We do a lot of outreach but we call it inreach because we actually have members that are in need,” Friday continued.  “It’s awful for other members to say we are in need and see the church give to everyone else.”

In the future, Friday wants to have a sports/business complex where people can have activities or sporting events.  On the business side that would allow someone to open up a business at the complex and let them operate for six months rent free.

After six months, if the business is not doing well they would close shop to allow another business an opportunity to thrive. If it is successful, they would then begin to pay rent or be allowed to move to a different location.

As a young minister Friday says it’s very important to him that he pay homage to the pastors that have paved the way for him and other young preachers.  He says he acknowledges them any and every chance he can.

Friday says the name Love Church came about from a mentor of his who has a church by the name of The Rock Church.  Also his spiritual father in the ministry has a church by the name of The Word Chuch. He felt the one name was catchy and applied that to his ministry.

“We just wanted one word to make it simple and it comes from the verse for God so loved the world so if he loved the world let’s love him too,” said Friday.

Friday says the church is non-denominational and they just believe in the Word.  He feels denomination means separation so he doesn’t want to be separate from the body of Christ because “we are all one.”