How did we get here?
The short story Christ the King Anglican Church
Mission Hope, a new church-planting initiative in West Virginia, along with several families in Beckley, began a new mission in Beckley in the Spring of 2018. Long story short, God is at work here, growing a new church in Southern West Virginia. We called our pastor, Fr. Chris Borah, and Christ the King Anglican Church began worshipping at 2014 S Kanawha St in October 2020, every Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
The slightly longer story of Christ the King
Mission Hope Beckley began with a desire among a few families for a historically rooted, biblically orthodox, and spiritually vibrant church in southern West Virginia. This desire grew into a more certain understanding of a clear call of God and led to a period of prayer and seeking wisdom for how to proceed.
In February 2017, we met with Bishop Steve and Sally Breedlove. The original core group was encouraged to consider two options:
- One option was moving to a town with a growing church within the ACNA (and Diocese of Christ Our Hope).
- The other was beginning the groundwork for a mission in southern West Virginia.
Bishop Steve and Sally were generous and wise, but Bishop Steve did sound a practical note when he said that the reality was that he was not hearing from church planters who want to come to West Virginia. Bishop Steve stated that he left feeling the presence and guidance of God and stated that God, “will make it clear.”
In a few days, Bishop Steve received an email with the subject: “West Virginia Church Planting.” This email was from Derek Roberts, a transitional deacon in Colorado, who would soon move to Charleston, WV and plant Hope Church.
The weekend of Fr. Derek’s ordination, some men from what would become Mission Hope Beckley’s core group gathered with Bishop Steve, Fr. Derek, Fr. Jim Sallie (Rector of Redeemer in Parkersburg, WV) along with Canon Alan Hawkins (COO of ACNA) for prayer and discernment. Scott Berg, director of Young Life in West Virginia, along with brothers Josiah and Sam Smith, represented Mission Hope Beckley. There was a clear sense from those present that God was at work in West Virginia and a keen desire to see the Gospel spread in our state. Bishop Steve’s message throughout the weekend resonated deeply with all who love and live in the Mountain State. We are overlooked, looked down upon, and abandoned, but God loves those who are weak and vulnerable. God loves West Virginia. Many people shared a prompting over the course of many years to pray for West Virginia and specifically about planting Gospel-centered Anglican churches here.
Bishop Steve’s refrain in light of this moving of God in an unlikely place was, “Lift up your hearts!” That was the theme of the weekend. And as Derek was ordained, a sense of God working in West Virginia was palpable. Those of us from Beckley left that weekend feeling loved and seen by God, and hopeful of what he would do.
Hope for Southern West Virginia
Not long later, the core team in Beckley was contacted by a pastor in Hope Mills, North Carolina. Fr. Elijah Lovejoy said that Bishop Steve had been at his church, Resurrection Church, and had mentioned (with passion) how he felt God was at work in West Virginia, and specifically talked about Beckley and (what would become) Mission Hope Beckley. Fr. Elijah didn’t think much of it beyond a desire to pray for Beckley, but in the following week, three members came to him—independently—and said they believed God was calling Resurrection Church to help us. Elijah saw this as a move of God and contacted Josiah and Sam Smith.
What came next was a direct answer to the specific prayers of Mission Hope.
Fr. Elijah, gifted in organization and sensitive to the Spirit, organized a circuit-rider model to serve Mission Hope Beckley and help get the plant started. Specifically, his plan was to invite Christ Church in Winston-Salem, NC, with Rector, Fr. Ben Sharpe, and Hope Church in Charleston, WV with Fr. Derek, to partner with Resurrection and begin a rotation of once-a-month services in Beckley, where a priest would travel to Beckley along with some others from the church, and help establish a worshipping community here.
A Worshipping People
For the most part, Anglicanism isn’t very complicated. It is a tradition rooted in gathering together to worship and pray. The idea of our budding mission was that a large part of what is inviting and transformational about Anglicanism is the biblically-rooted, liturgical worship service. Starting an explainer-type study would reach the intellect, but not the imagination, which Fr. Elijah believed to be key. The team agreed, as this jived so well with our desire to share our own experience in worship with our community.
So, for the better part of 2018, we gathered together each month to worship in Beckley, and it was a profound blessing to the Beckley core group and the growing number of folks connected with the mission. Fr. Elijah’s leadership was a profound gift. Seven different priests in our diocese, many more deacons, and many others from these three churches have served Mission Hope Beckley.
The Foundation is Formed
In February of 2019, Fr. Elijah led a weekend of prayer and vision in Beckley, alongside the other pastors and leaders from Resurrection Church, Hope Church, and Christ Church, and the Beckley core group. Out of that tremendously valuable time, the Beckley group articulated some foundational values.
Fr. Ben of Christ Church, who had also come to serve and celebrate in Beckley, in the summer of 2019, he came for six weeks and stayed in Beckley, leading a “Foundations” catechesis class that involved most of the core group and their older children in preparation for confirmation. Fr. Ben’s class was a key time in the church’s history that solidified and emboldened the group. Christ Church has also sent Fr. Chris Borah and Fr. David George to serve and celebrate in Beckley.
Over these last 2 years, Fr. Derek Roberts (from Hope Church in Charleston) has served as the primary pastor for our group, and has been available throughout the life of the church to counsel and serve. The core group has made the drive to Charleston to attend and join in the life of Hope Church during those weeks when we haven’t had service in Beckley. Fr. Derek has made innumerable trips to Beckley to help oversee the early stages of the church’s life. Hope Church has provided help in so many ways, not least of which is financial support. (In fact all the church’s have been very generous with Mission Hope along with the Diocese of Christ Our Hope.) Hope Church’s heart is to grow and plant and Fr. Derek’s vision for seeing churches planted all over West Virginia is matched by his actions and the budget he has set for Mission Hope.
In November 2019, our core group met with Bishop Steve, Fr. Chris Borah, and his wife Jodee in Beckley, and with much prayer and great joy, Fr. Chris (and his family) accepted the call to come and to plant a new church in Beckley.