OBF members Sally Shackelford and Martha Strong, left, serve cups of water to visiting kindergarteners on a walking tour of Old Towne Olive Branch. Photo courtesy of Jim Shackelford
A family of five and two of their neighbors who wanted to be a part of a local CBF church formed the nucleus of the congregation that is now Olive Branch Fellowship, a Baptist Faith Community in Olive Branch, Miss.
Amy and Andy Wilson and their three children had previously helped start Trinity Baptist Church in nearby Cordova, Tenn. "As school teachers in Olive Branch, they wanted to become part of a church within their own community that values CBF affiliation," said Martha Strong, whose husband, Chuck, is pastor of Olive Branch Fellowship.
The Wilsons talked with leaders from CBF of Mississippi and Tennessee CBF about their willingness to help with another church start. They found Maxine Moseley and Carolyn Wray, who also were seeking a CBF-friendly church in the Olive Branch area, and began working with the two state CBF organizations and Trinity to help sponsor the new church. Enlisting the help of the Strongs, who moved from Senatobia, Miss., to Olive Branch as church planters, the group soon gained additional support from First and Second Baptist Churches in Memphis.
Olive Branch Fellowship held its first worship service in March 2005. Today, the church has about 40 members with 25-35 in attendance on Sunday and 25-30 on Wednesday evenings.
"One aspect of our church that all our members seem to appreciate is our willingness to have open, thoughtful discussions of questions about the Bible, the church and God that allows us to agree to disagree when needed but always to approach our study with commitment to explore the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives," Martha said.
The congregation meets in a free-standing building that is part of the Pigeon Roost Place shopping center in Old Towne Olive Branch. They are looking for a larger facility to provide significantly more classroom, office and storage space. "Finding affordable property that is also suitably located is proving to be a significant challenge for our congregation," said Martha.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.