Central Worship Center: Where Church & Community Meet

By Mia Freneaux

    When Pastor Bill Parsons of Central Worship Center attended a monthly meeting of MMPAC, he didn't know what big plans God had for his church.  Central Worship Center owned a church across from Central Middle School.  When they found that the building was not what their congregation needed, they traded it for acreage on Blackwater Road owned by Grace United Pentecostal Church.  Central Worship will build a beautiful new church just where the cross is planted on that property.  They had planned to sell the back 15 acres as a way to finance the church building.  God had another idea.  "Louis DeJohn was at the meeting talking about supporting CCAF (Central Community Assistance Foundation) and how Cooking In Central was looking for opportunities to impact the community.  He spoke about needing a permanent place to hold the annual Cooking event.  The thought struck me – we have 15 acres." Bill approached Louis after the meeting, and Louis wanted to see the property immediately.  "Louis was very touched when he saw the property, he said it was exactly what Cooking was looking for.  So we spoke to our respective boards, and the agreement was made," remembered Bill.  "It's the greatest thing I'd ever heard," Louis said, "It was like manna from heaven.  Having the property essentially donated to us meant that we could start construction of the pavilion and parking right away instead of waiting 10 years to acquire the necessary financing."

    Cooking In Central holds the property through a "no money lease," which means they pay nothing to lease the property.  They have a 20 year lease, with two 5 year options to renew, with a yearly renewal option after that.  Any improvements they make on the property revert to Central Worship Center if they move elsewhere.  "We're going to be leasing the property out to other functions throughout the year," Louis shared, "When the property is leased, Central Worship will receive 50% of the proceeds of that lease."  Cooking In Central has first right of refusal if Central Worship Center should ever decide to sell the property.  Other than the initial cost of clearing the land (sent out for bid and given to the lowest of the 5 received), Cooking has had volunteers doing all the work.  "Pete Firmin of Firmin Construction sent over his equipment and the diesel fuel to finish the levelling," Louis said.  "We paid 3 of his employees to operate the equipment, but everything else was donated." He and several other Board members have spent much of their personal time as well seeding and cleaning the property.

    Pastor Bill and his congregation are so excited that their church can support such a great event.  He shared, "I thought of the scripture where it said that Jesus went about doing good works (Acts 10:38). We knew we had the opportunity to use an asset we had for the betterment of our community and to support a good cause.”  At this point, Central Worship Center is waiting for approval from Planning and Zoning to construct their new sanctuary.  What's next?  "Finding financing," said Pastor Bill with a smile, "We're hoping that our church can really be used by God to impact the community for good and for His kingdom."  Louis added, "I hope everyone in this community will use their energy to the betterment of Central."  Can I hear an "Amen"?

    Central Worship Center is presently meeting at 12483 Hooper Road.  It meets at 10:30 on Sundays for worship and 7:00 Wednesdays for Bible Study. Their phone number is 278-5619.