Church History
WORD For Life Church Ministries (WFLCM) was officially birthed on September 10, 2006 after several ministers and interested persons came together in agreement with the vision the Lord had laid on the heart of the Founder, Rev. Dr. Myrtle P. Elliott Jones.
On May 1, 2006, the Lord spoke to Dr. Jones and confirmed her desire to plant a church by direction of they Holy Spirit sending her to 2 Chronicles 7:11-22. The Scripture revealed that God had heard her prayer and the desires of her heart to build a church to Him. The Lord spoke to her to raise the standard of spiritual purity and intenisty toward His Word.
Dr. Jones shared this vision with her husband, Rev. Dr. Freddie, and their daughter, Deacon Yolanda J. Gaston. She also shared the vision with Rev. Orlando Bego and his wife, Rev. Chauntia Bego. They all agreed to plant the church and began to meet on a weekly basis. Joining them to plan the church were otheres including Sister Shonte' Drakeford, Sister Marilyn Seabrooks Myrdal, and Sister Pamela Shaw.
The original four members met at different locations to fast and pray for direction and guidance for the church. Dr. Freddie suggested that a celebration be held to commemorate the birth of the church. Rev. Orlando enlisted the support of Rev. Dr. James L. Martin, Sr., Senior Pastor of Corinthian Baptist Church in Lanham, Maryland to host the event, and the Celebration was held on Sunday, September 10, 2006, with more than 250 people in attendance.
The first official church service was conducted on September 17, 2006 at the Temple Hills Church of God at 3:00 p.m. Three persons joined at that service, coming by Christian Experience. The new members were Brother Emmanuel Bego, Jr., Sister Veltina Evans, and Brother Troy Shockley. By the end of the second month, WFLCM had welcomed 14 new members and three persons under Watch Care; a total of twenty-five were in fellowship with the church and approximately another twenty were in regular attendance.
By the end of October 2006, WFLCM received word from the DC Baptist Convention that it had been listed as a New Church Start with the Convention and would be under consideration as a chruch for Convention membership. WFLCM is thankful the Lord is growing us in love, strength, power, and numbers in Christ Jesus. To God be the glory! The church continued to grow and expand its ministries in 2007 and 2008, growing from 11 ministries and 42 members in 2007 to 18 ministries and 51 members at the end of 2008.
In 2008, Pastor Pat was given a vision of our own church home. She shared this vision with the WFLCM family and we all began looking for the property of Pastor Pat's vision. In 2010, Pastor Freddie located the property while waiting at a stoplight. The property had an existing building surrounded by acreage. In January 2011, WFLCM purchased the property at 11519 Ft. Washington Road, just a little less than three years from Pastor Pat's vision.
On Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 4:00 p.m., the vision became a reality when more than twenty clergy (Bishops, Pastors, Ordained Preachers, and Ministers) along with the WFLCM congregation processed into the Word for Life Church sanctuary while more than 150 family members, friends, and other well-wishers looked on and joined in the celebration as we sang a hymn of the church, "God of our Fathers."
In 2016, hearing God's will for their next phase of life and ministry, Pastor Pat and Pastor Freddie notified the church of their intention to resign from the pastorate. Pastor Pat and Pastor Freddie initiated a series of meetings with Reverend Larrin Robertson, then the Minister to Children and Youth at Metropolitan Baptist Church (Largo, MD) about succeeding them as the pastor of WFLCM. After a time of prayer and fasting, Rev. Robertson agreed to meet with the pastoral council and a congregational meeting soon followed where a unanimous vote paved the way to the beginning of a successful perod of transition.
Beginning January 1, 2017, Rev. Robertson joined WFLCM as the Pastor-Elect/Pastor of Ministries and served alongside Pastor Pat and Pastor Freddie for nine months until the date of their retirement, September 30, 2017. Over the duration of their pastorate, Pastor Pat and Pastor Freddie served God and the people of God with integrity. As the time of their pastoral leadership came to an end, they continued to demonstrate the love of God and the people of God that has become a hallmark of WFLCM. We praise God for Pastors Emeritus Rev. Dr. Pat and Rev. Dr. Freddie Jones.
On Saturday, October 7, 2017, Reverend Larrin Robertson was installed as the second pastor of Word For Life Church Ministries. By God's grace, WFLCM will continue to grow spiritually and in number.
Reverend Larrin Robertson, Pastor | Email: admin@wordforlifechurch.org | Church phone: (301) 292-2066
Mailing Address: 11519 Fort Washington Road, Fort Washington, Maryland 20744-5814