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About The ROCK Ministries |
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THE ROCK Corporate HQ |
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Our History |
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It all began with a hunger for more of God.
The denominational church where Todd Smith pastored several years ago was experiencing tremendous growth. Many people were coming to know the Lord. In fact, over 3,000 people received Jesus at this awesome church in just over 3 years. There was just cause to begin a building program that could manage the ever increasing church members and growing ministries.
However, even in the face of excitement and apparent success, a raw hunger remained in the spirit of Pastor Todd. It was this hunger that spurred Todd to seek more of what God had intended for his life. He knew that there had to be more to God, more to Christianity, and more to his spiritual relationship than he had ever experienced. As a result, Pastor Todd Smith received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on September 14, 1995.
Soon thereafter Pastor Todd felt the call to take a step of faith and pioneer a new work where liberty could abound, where the gifts of the Spirit could flow, and where people from all walks of life could worship together. On July 17, 1996, Pastor Todd resigned as the senior pastor of his denominational church and announced plans to birth a new charismatic, spirit-filled church. The hunger for spiritual freedom in Pastor Todd's heart and in the hearts of a nucleus of people brought about the conception of THE ROCK Christian Fellowship. On July 21, 1996 the doors of the new church were opened wide and the adventure began!
The first service of THE ROCK Christian Fellowship took place in an abandoned church building. The building had been vacant for some time and was in total disarray. Much effort was spent cleaning, painting and landscaping. It seemed to be a huge task, but because of the unity within those charter members the work was accomplished and God's sanctuary was made ready.
The time spent in that first facility was nothing short of POWERFUL. In every single service people were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and set free from bondages. People came because they were hungry for the love of Jesus and they just wanted to be real and honest in their relationship with Him.
After a short time, the need for more space became apparent. THE ROCK purchased a shopping center and developed it into a sanctuary, children's center, youth center, adult classrooms and administrative offices. Much build out and construction had to be done to transform the facility into a practical and useful place of worship. Once again the covenant partners (church members) of THE ROCK united together to achieve the unachievable. On the first Sunday of May 1996, THE ROCK family gathered for the first service in its new facility. Because of God's promises and His faithfulness, THE ROCK Christian Fellowship had a new home.
To say that God has blessed since then is an understatement. Since 1996, THE ROCK has experienced enormous success. The calling and vision of THE ROCK Christian Fellowship is to plant churches all over the world. At present, there are 39 churches governed under THE ROCK Ministries, Inc. So far there are four ROCK churches in Georgia, USA (Flowery Branch, Dahlonega, Cleveland, and Habersham). There are also ROCK churches in locations, such as Bucaramanga, Columbia, South America, Brest, Belarus; Tokmak, Ukraine; Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine; Belovodsk, Kyrgyzstan; Kazakhstan; Russia; Tajikistan; Uzbekistan; Aba, Nigeria; Lima Peru; Iquitos, Peru; Hyderabad, India; Usulatan, El Salvador. Plans are underway to start more churches in the coming years in the United States, and other regions of the world. THE ROCK's vision is to have a ROCK church on every continent (except Antarctica) and a ROCK church in every nation of the world by the year 2025.
The people of THE ROCK are not ordinary. They are dedicated. Caring. Committed. Faithful. Persistent. Our mission statement is clear, "CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE LIFE AT A TIME."
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