For a month, Turning Point Ministries Church of God of Prophecy has been holding evening services in the YWCA, 815 W. Fourth St., but its journey began even earlier.
Donna Harrison, worship leader, attended a Church of God of Prophecy in places she previously lived, but when she moved to the area almost four years ago, she could not find one.
The closest church was an hour and a half away.
Article Photos
Donna Harrison, worship leader, plays music during a recent Sunday evening fellowship service.
PHOTOS?PROVIDED
She contacted the overseer, who already had been contacted about starting a church in the area. He reached out to the Rev. Bill P. Luckadoo and his wife, Connie. They worked at Cross Roads Church of God of Prophecy, in East Salem, and sought a change of venue.
"A year ago, I didn't know them," Harrison said. "God answered a lot of prayers to get them here."
For Harrison, it was all about following God's timing and not getting ahead of Him. She waited three years, but the Luckadoos moved to the area almost a year ago.
"All the timing worked," Connie said.
Bill still pastors at Cross Roads until a suitable replacement can be found and then he will devote himself fully to the ministry here.
Before a location could be found for Turning Point, Bible studies were held in their home.
"We needed to get in an open space," Bill said. "We searched the area. We haven't found that property yet."
They thought that renting a room would work better until a more suitable location could be found.
"What better location than an already established Christian location?" Bill asked.
From 6 to 8 p.m. every Sunday, they set up in the Colonial Room of the YWCA Northcentral Pennsylvania. Those two hours are spent on music, prayer and a brief message.
"We don't limit time on worship or praise," Bill said. "We go with the flow."
How long they will worship in the YWCA is unknown.
"There's no set amount of time that we will rent," he said. "We're responding to ideas and to opportunities. We'll feel that spiritual direction, whether it's renting or purchasing property."
On the first Sunday of the month, food and drinks are available to make it a fellowship time when they can talk directly to people who visit. Bill greeted anyone who walked by the room and invited them for refreshments and to hear about the ministry.
He calls Turning Point a ministry because he sees a church as an organized group, which is the goal they are working toward.
They are relying on word of mouth, fliers and advertisements to fill the seats of their makeshift church, which Bill said will promote helping people, not talking about helping people.
One of the organizations they want to work with is Family Promise, which helps local families find safe and affordable housing.
In addition to Family Promise, they want to help people in all stages of life, young, men, women, singles and married couples.
What they will do specifically is up in the air until they see what the area needs, whether it is providing food or visiting those in hospitals or nursing homes or something else.
"Each community has needs," Harrison said. "Each community has different things they're facing. What one community might need, another community might not need. We want to fill in the holes - what's not provided."
Harrison stressed that they are not looking to replace anything other churches do well, but work with area churches to help people.
"One church can't do it all," she said.
Church of God of Prophecy does not target any specific area. It has locations in more than 130 nations, in large cities and small towns. Instead, it targets areas that need ministries, Harrison said.
It is similar to Pentecostal Holy Church, Harrison said.
"People seem to think we prophesy," she said. "I think that's taking it too literally."
