Sister Eloise Glenn, one of our founding members, wrote us a letter giving us the details of the founding of Words of Life. Following you will find excerpts from her letter.
In 1945, four members of a local church were at a “dead end” and they could not go any further. The leaders of the church had stated that they did not want a “Holiness Church”.
After seeing the sick healed and people speaking in unknown tongues while attending tent meetings, Sister Belle Creasman and Sister Glenn desired a deeper walk with God. They went to the woods behind Sister Glenn’s house and found a big rock on the hillside. These women anointed that rock and began to pray for God to open a door for “The Full Gospel”. The group of women grew to 7 and their whole little community could hear them pray.
Because of their commitment, in 1957 on a Sunday morning, God spoke to two different ministers and told them it was time for them to leave their churches. Sister Glenn’s husband, Posey and Mr. Galyean asked Pastor Jim Lee to come to the church and preach for them. After a time, the Methodist association asked to have the church back that they were meeting in. Mr. Wesley Banks donated land where the original sanctuary of Words of Life still stands today. Services began in the new structure in February 1958. In July 1959, Words of Life, Inc. was registered with the state of North Carolina. As the church grew, Sunday school rooms and restrooms were added, the church was bricked, a well was dug and Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Lisenbee gave land for the cemetery. Pastor Jim Lee led the church for 20 years.
During the next period of time, Pastor Charles Holland, Pastor Gary Burnett and Pastor Tim Lee served as pastors.
In 1987 God began dealing with Carl Bishop who is our current pastor. For two years he too would go to a rock in the back of his house and pray for hours asking God to “rethink” His calling him to minister. He was shy and very happy to be a workman and not a minister. August 3rd, 1988, after struggling with what was suppose to be a disabling back injury, Pastor Carl and wife Linda had an opportunity to go to Baton Rouge, LA for a youth conference at Family Worship Center. When they opened the doors of the church, they felt something they had never experienced, but knew they wanted that in their home church. Little did they know that Pastor Carl would receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and their lives would change forever. Carl received total healing in his back and began evangelizing in 1991 with Brother Paul Ramsey. In February of 2005, Pastor Carl became the pastor of Words of Life.
As the original structure had become too small, a plan was put into place to build a new sanctuary. After much prayer, construction began. We were blessed with many tradesmen in our congregation as well as men and women willing to invest “sweat equity” to not only see the sanctuary completed, but a new fellowship building as well. Even though we encountered many obstacles, God brought us through triumphantly. On Easter, 2007, we held our first service in the new sanctuary.
Today, we continue to have the place of worship these two ladies began praying for in 1947. A place where people can freely come and worship the Lord, and where we still see the Glory of the Lord come down and dwell with His people.
