Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock long possessed a desire to plant a life-giving church in Jonesboro. Their prayers began to be answered when God brought Chuck Gschwend, a former Jonesboro resident, to their attention.
Chuck moved his family to Little Rock in May of 2001 to spend a year with Fellowship Associates, a Leadership Residency program designed to equip seminary graduates to launch out and lead new churches which will irresistibly influence their communities. Chuck’s first mission was to find a partner, a co-teaching pastor and team leader, who would join with him in the work. God led him to Mitch Maher, who came with his wife to Little Rock in late December 2001 to join the residency.
Throughout the fall of 2001 Chuck held once-a-month informational meetings in Jonesboro, laying the initial groundwork for this plant. These meetings continued in the spring of 2002 when Mitch joined the effort, further defining the mission, philosophy, structure, and passion of the church.
In the late spring of 2002, the Lord moved in the hearts of a group of 30 or so adults who had been attending these meetings with Mitch and Chuck. Each committed themselves, by the grace of God, to this new work in Jonesboro.
During the summer months, the group began to meet on Sunday mornings for a time of singing and Bible study at Ridgefield Christian School. Mitch and Chuck continued communicating their vision for a godly and influential church as they brought the book of Titus to life during these Bible studies, attended by a growing number of people from Northeast Arkansas.
On October 6, 2002, it was official. Fellowship Bible Church of Jonesboro was a church! The church’s first baptisms had been held the Wednesday before and during the service on October 6th the church celebrated Communion for the first time. Bill Wellons and Rick Taylor, Elders from Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, joined about 150 people for this exciting time in the history of the church. Fellowship praises God for all He did and for His working in the lives of so many to not only make the public launch happen, but in such a memorable and glorious way.
