On January 7, 1996 at 9:30 AM, Teresa and I unfurled a banner and hung it across the front of Roland Grise Middle School.
The banner said:
GLAD TIDINGS COMMUNITY CHURCH - A New Kind of Church with a New Kind of Vision
Glad Tidings had started. Eleven people, besides Pastors Henry and Teresa and their two children, showed up that day for its first service. We didn’t have any funding or support, but we did have a great vision and a great calling from the Lord. We had little in assets, but we had a lot of determination that we would succeed no matter the cost. Teresa played on a keyboard bought from Brendle’s at their “going-out-of-business” sale for $250.00 and a sound system bought from Radio Shack for less than $100.00.
The next week we had seven people in attendance. Over the years, we have grown from these initial seven and have weathered the trials that, more often than not, forces a Church Planter to give up. Any Church Planter can attest to the fact that starting a successful new Church is even more difficult than starting a successful business. It is one of the most joyous endeavors that a man and woman can make. It is also one of the most bruising experiences. Yet, when the battles are over and the victory has come, it is something remarkable to see. Glad Tidings of Wilmington is remarkable. We should not exist, but we do. We have broken all the rules and, yet, we have succeeded. We started out with absolutely no financial support, no spiritual support, and no personnel support. We had no one to turn to, but God. So we turned to Him. Often! God has never let us down. Today we exist because His Vision has become our vision. The lives that have been changed and the miracles that God has done in our midst attests to His faithfulness to His people. We could not recount them all here, but they are constantly talked about in our fellowship. We know that we have a great calling to carry out a great vision. Come join us and see what God is doing. There is always room for more.
Below is a Historical Time Line. A more concise history of Glad Tidings is in the works. It will be published shortly. It is an interesting account of God working today as He has always.
Quick Time Line
January 7, 1996
The first service is held at Roland Grise Middle School with 15 people in attendance. Glad Tidings grows to 35 during the next several weeks. Pastor Henry is directed by the Holy Spirit to be very careful who the first members are. Pastor Henry shares with the Church, “Just as the first twelve Apostles were the most important people that Jesus brought together, so it is with the first twelve members of Glad Tidings. In fact, Glad Tidings will become what the first twelve members are. If they lack faith, they will draw those who lack faith. If they want to grow a great Church, they will draw those who want to grow a great Church.” Most of the first 35 people are from a Church split. Seeing that they were not interested in connecting in a new vision, Pastor Henry asked the 35 attendees to continue their search for a Church elsewhere.
July 7, 1996
We moved from Roland Grise to the Christian Karate Center located on South Kerr Avenue. Again, we begin to grow and soon over 35 people begin to attend there. Again, this group of people are not inclined to grab hold of the vision Pastor Henry was attempting to share. They would rather he grab hold of the vision of a television evangelist they were interested in. Pastor Henry, as he will become known for, stands on the vision God has given to him and will not settle for less. Again, he asked this group to find another Church. As they begin their exit, a new couple named Gary and Marsha Osborne begin attending. They become great friends who become instrumental in the success of Glad Tidings.
January 5, 1997
Glad Tidings moves to two small rooms located in the back of Ernie’s Hair Styling. At this time, the Church has 12 people attending which are the family members of Gary and Marsha and Pastors Henry and Teresa. The two families become very close. At this time, the Church will seat 12.
Spring 1997
Pastor Henry and Gary become one in heart for Glad Tidings. They vow that they will work together for the vision of Glad Tidings.
July 6, 1997
Growth continues and an addition room is rented from Ernie’s. We can now seat 40. During this year, Glad Tidings again grows to 35 members. These begin to catch the vision. Glad Tidings is on its way.
January 4, 1998
We begin to hold Sunday Services at Holly Tree Elementary School because of limited room to grow. We continue to meet at Ernie’s for mid-week activities. We grow to 50 members.
January 3, 1999
Glad Tidings renovates a vacuum cleaning repair facility at Market Place Mall near Home Depot. We move into this facility and continue to grow to 60 members.
June 4, 2000
Glad Tidings moves to 6724 Amsterdam Way in the Dutch Square Industrial Park. We lose some members during the move. We now have 50 members. We hold services as we remodel this warehouse.
August 27, 2000
We have our dedication service and 120 people attend. Many of these people become members. We continue to grow and soon have 175 members.
January 2002
Glad Tidings is offered 20 acres of land which we purchased for $110,000.
May 2003
Glad Tidings faces division and a threat of take over by several scheming members of the Elders. Recognizing that a certain group of people in the Church are determined to direct the body towards a different direction, Pastor Henry begins praying for wisdom from the Lord. Soon he is made aware that some are teaching and confronting others behind the scenes over the watching of certain movies. He learns that people are being told that if they are reading Harry Potter, they are committing sin. A video tape is being secretly distributed among our people teaching them that they are sinners if they watch or read Harry Potter. Many of these people are from another Church with Pentecostal leanings, but who had become members. In secret, they begin teaching our people strange doctrines and promoting non-biblical ideas such as:
- Christians can be possess of demons,
- That those who speak in tongues and jump around the Church are more spiritual than those who don’t,
- Demons possess objects in people’s houses such as pictures and closets and believers must throw these items out of the house when directed by this group,
- That speaking in tongues is required to have the Holy Spirit,
- and even that the ceramic frogs in the Pastor’s front yard are demonic.
A few in leadership positions make an effort to force Pastor Henry to bend to their control and change his approach. They want a more Pentecostal Church. They do not want the concept of Liberty and Grace taught any longer and they want to control the teachings that Pastor Henry has brought to our Church. In reality, they want to return to their comfort zone of bondages, rituals, and traditions that didn’t work before and couldn’t work now. The reason is they are unbiblical. Still they want to return to them.
During a meeting called by these Elders in an attempt to take control of the Church and oust Pastor Henry, he rejects their attempt to redirect the Church and its vision. He tells them, “You have been called by God, not to determine the vision, but to fulfill the vision.” Pastor Henry declares, “You must choose the path you will take, but understand that while there are some things I can change, changing the vision of Glad Tidings is not one of them. You have to make a choice to buy into the vision of this Church or to leave.” He dissolves the Board determined to find Godly men and women of vision to fill the positions of leadership. It is a dark time of struggle.
June 8, 2003
Pastor Henry spends two weeks reading the Harry Potter series. He then spends time searching the Bible for guidance. He finds it. As a result, he preaches his famous “BLACK SUNDAY” sermon in which he refutes the unbiblical claim by those who say that watching Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or reading Harry Potter is sinful. He stands against the attempt by some to bring bondage into the Church through false teachings. He refocuses the Church on the Word of God and the New Testament teaching of Liberty and Grace and declares that Glad Tidings is and will always remain a Church of Liberty and Grace. This day is called “BLACK SUNDAY” because Pastor Henry stood against darkness and ignorance. It was a dark time for the Church, but Glad Tidings came out a better and more vibrant Church because of it.
Glad Tidings lost over 60 people the day Pastor Henry preached truth, but the Church was again at peace and continued to grow. An even greater result was that those who chose to stay, stayed for the right reasons. As a result, the vision of Glad Tidings became their vision. We have recovered from that period and the Church is stronger, more united, more at peace, more excited about the future, and more determined to fulfill our vision even though we are fewer in numbers. Another result was that Gary and Marsha felt the call into ministry and Pastor Gary became a full-time Associate Pastor of Glad Tidings.
October 2, 2005
Overcoming “Black Sunday” was not instantaneous. It had taken time to recover, but we have. Now, Glad Tidings must make another move due to limited space. We have outgrown our old facility and must begin the process of trying to build our own. During the transition, Glad Tidings will meet at Noble Middle School to allow for continued growth.
December 2007
Due to the downturn in the economy and the recession that hit the nation and is still felt today, we were unable to build our own facility. We are disappointed, but we will continue to do what God called us to do. Thankfully, we find a facility that meets school and Church building codes. We enter into a five year lease so that we can open our Christian Academy called the Academy of Excellence. We start with 7 students. During this time, we experience the problem of having several families leaving our Church to attend the new large Church recently started in Wilmington. This places great financial stress on the Church since they had pledge to support our move to the new location. Regardless, we move forward and stay true to the vision of God.
Today – We have discovered how wonderful our members are. They are strong and steadfast in their support. We are growing stronger with several new members and the Academy of Excellence now has 27 students. God is Good. We are now committed to reaching out to the Un-Churched community around us and grow our Church with renewed focus and energy. Come join us in our walk of faith and the excitement of a new future.
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