Church History
The Birthing
On August 27th, 1996, New Life Outreach opened its doors for the first time! With Pastor Bobby Perry and 14 members, 9 of which are still members presently, the church made itself known within the town of Fort Gay, WV, by transforming an old clinic into a church house.
The church was officially named "New Life Outreach" on January 20, 1995. That year marked the birth of this body with about 15 members to that which now consists of over 100 members! There were many leaders that God used to bring this body to be, the list includes these honorable men who served as pastors: Arnold Damron, Tony Baldwin, Bobby Perry, Tracy Dingess, Ray Church, and Steve Ramey.
Established & Growing
The doors of the new church were opened on August 27, 1996. Bobby Perry was the interim pastor to help give spiritual structure to the body and make way for the pastor to come. Although there were many struggles and trials along the path, they were only growing pains that were to bring forth a refreshing station for many believers to come over the years. Spiritual growing pains used to produce character, identity, and dedication were accompained with the growth in the identity of the church body.The structural growth that came through fundraisers (which helped to remodel the new building and pay off the building in a short amount of time) and much hard work from many in the community, made way for the next phase of New Life Outreach. In January of 2002, New Life Outreach became recognized as a non-profit entity. At that time, the church established a set of "Articles of Faith" and a "Church Covenant." The path was already set, and with a few determined members that were willing to stay the course, the birth pangs of this church were only signs of God's amazing accomplishments that were to follow.
Fruit of the Labor
With the identity of the church established and the spiritual growing and stretching underway, God made a shift that quickly moved the church forward in such a way, that caused many to take notice! Shortly after Bobby Perry and Steve Ramey received the directive from God to come to help lead and direct the church in July of 2003, a revival took place and people from all over the region came to see what God was doing in Fort Gay, WV! God called people from the neighboring counties in West Virginia and Kentucky to plant here and serve within the body here. In a matter of 2 months, the attendance grew from 15 people to 90 people regularly attending 3 services a week! The praise team grew from 1 person to 7 also! Quite a few changes were made to bring a functionality to the growing body. Order and structure within the church is mostly why the growth of the body has been able to be maintained, nurtured, and is still flourishing!
Phase Two: Same Body, New Building!
With the attendance of 90 plus people for a few years, the leadership knew that a new facility would need to be purchased! Pastor Bobby Perry called the church to begin praying and sowing in faith for a new property to build on. In 2008, they purchased the new property, located just up the road from the church, on Cedar Heights Road. The foundation was being laid for a larger facility to hold the growing number of people God was sending to New Life Outreach. Pastor Steve Ramey was now leading the flock of New Life Outreach. God placed Pastor Ramey into place and began to open the doors that the previous pastors had been preparing for. The new building was underway and it quickly began to take shape. Many church members contributed to the building of the new church, which helped to keep labor costs at a minimum. Young and old, men and women, all working together to make this place a house for the body of Christ. Once the building was ready to open for church services in August 2009 , the attendance had already grown from 90 to 125 people! Youth services were moved from Thursday nights to Tuesday nights, so that all of the family could be at church on the same evening! With more room to grow, people began pouring into New Life Outreach, some to remain permanently, while others just passed through!
It's Only the Beginning
Since the doors have been opened, the church has been seasoned and seated in prayer and worship! The worship team now consists of 9 singers and live musicians! Ministries and programs that reach children, women, men, recovering addicts, visitations to shut-ins, local mission projects, etc. The heartbeat of Pastor Ramey is that the church continues to reach up to God through prayer and reach out to people with passion! The entire process, hardships, triumphs, loses, and victories over the years has been in preparation for the continued growth in passion and servanthood for our Savior Jesus Christ. To build His kingdom with excellence in ministry in all forms possible, is the mandate. To love people where they are and lead them to Jesus so that He can transform them into disciples. New Life Outreach most recently has went live with services broadcasting on their Facebook page. Videos of messages and ministries can be found on Youtube, as well. We invite you to come and see!