Words of Faith African Methodist Episcopal Church History
The assignment to organize a new initiative was issued by Bishop Frank C. Cummings, who was the Presiding Prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District of Georgia. This took place at the 128th session of the Atlanta North Georgia Annual Conference in May of 2002.
The Reverend Walter D. Moon was given the appointment to start a new initiative in the Mableton/Lithia Springs area. With much prayer and fasting the search for a worship site began. Early on, Reverend and Mrs. Moon, their family and some friends began to have Bible study at their home.
On Wednesday, October 16, 2002, the decision was made to organize the group. It was agreed that the name of the new Church would be Words of Faith A.M.E. Church. Sister Reba Young was asked to serve as secretary for the organizational meeting. The following persons were present for that meeting: The Reverend Walter D. Moon, The Reverend Anthony Young, brothers; George Miller and Wade Jackson and sisters; Winford Moon, Gloria Miller, Sonja Jackson, Reba Young, Marsha Beard, Lisa Lockett and Geanna Miller.
After several months of searching the Lord touched the hearts of officials at Leland Christian Church who opened their doors to our congregation. The first service was held on Sunday, January 26, 2003. Twenty-two members were taken in during the first worship service.
Words of Faith A.M.E. Church was organized as a congregation by The Reverend Dr. Earle H. Ifill, Presiding Elder, East Atlanta District on May 7, 2003. By this time the Church had grown to 74 members who became the charter members. The Church became a member of the Atlanta North Georgia Annual Conference during its 129th session in May 2003 and was officially named Words of Faith A.M.E. Church.
The members of the Church Conference, by unanimous vote, voted to purchase our present site at 5719 Garner Road, Mableton, Georgia on October 3, 2003. The site was purchased from Leland Christian Church for $425,000.00. The Trustees of the Atlanta North Georgia Annual Conference were instrumental in making this purchase possible.
On February 8, 2004, the Church was dedicated, and the cornerstone was laid. Bishop Frank C. Cummings presided over the combined services. Several ministers, members, visitors, and friends attended the ceremony and fellowship dinner. A portable altar was made and installed the week prior to the dedication services. Physical improvements continued on a daily basis. On October 26, 2007, the Church was refinanced for $360,000 through SunTrust Bank. In October 2012 the site was refinanced for $235,000 which we believed would be the last time before retiring the debt.
Our emphasis has been and continues to be outreach. For the next five years, we ministered to the Bankhead Courts apartments until they were demolished in 2008. Our outreach center services Mableton and surrounding communities. In 2009, the Official Board voted to name the outreach center the Walter D. Moon Community Outreach Center which houses the Clothing Bank and the Danny N. Woods Food Bank. The Danny N. Woods Food Bank is the beacon of hope and help for members of our community. Over 35,000 pounds of food are distributed annually.
In April 2016, The Reverend Walter D. Moon retired after having served 14 years as Pastor of Words of Faith A.M.E. Church, the Church that he founded and grew to over 200 members. Reverend Moon believed in and taught tithing throughout his ministry. Over 50 ministries were created under his leadership and continue to thrive through tithes and offerings. Reverend Moon was a true servant that had the love, the heart, and the passion for God’s people. Sadly, for Words of Faith but we are sure Reverend Moon rejoiced, he went to his heavenly rest on April 4, 2019.
In April 2016, The Reverend Walter D. Moon retired after having served 14 years as Pastor of Words of Faith A.M.E. Church, the Church that he founded and grew to over 200 members. Reverend Moon believed in and taught tithing throughout his ministry. Over 50 ministries were created under his leadership and continue to thrive through tithes and offerings. Reverend Moon was a true servant that had the love, the heart, and the passion for God’s people. Sadly, for Words of Faith but we are sure Reverend Moon rejoiced, he went to his heavenly rest on April 4, 2019.
Reverend Lockett went to work immediately increasing membership through Christian evangelism. Every Saturday, Reverend Lockett and the outreach team went door to door and to local shopping centers witnessing the Gospel of Jesus, The Christ. In reward for this labor, the Church has grown to 339 members.
Realizing that the monthly mortgage payments were hampering the Church’s ability to effectively do mission work, Reverend Lockett set a goal to raise funds to retire the then $84,000 loan debt. Under Pastor Lockett’s leadership, The Church raised over $58,000. Shortly thereafter in April 2017, Words of Faith celebrated a “Mortgage Burning” after paying off the loan on the Church in under fifteen years. We were honored to have the Presiding Prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District, Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, celebrate and encourage the congregation on this auspicious achievement. A fellowship dinner was held at Bay Breeze in Mableton, GA where over 125 members, family, visitors and friends were treated to dinner.
In 2019, Words of Faith A.M.E. Church was voted “Outstanding Church of the Year” by the Atlanta North Georgia Annual Conference (ANGC) Lay Organization. The ANGC Young Peoples’ Department (YPD) recognized Pastor Lockett’s outstanding leadership among the youth. At Words of Faith, fourth Sunday was set aside as Youth Sunday where young people provided leadership in every aspect of worship.
In 2020, Pastor Lockett, in response to the call of God and to ensure that our seniors, Shining Stars, have safe transportation to and from worship, empowered the Trustees to seek out and purchase a wheelchair accessible bus. In February 2020, Words of Faith raised, above Tithes and Offerings, $58,000 to pay for a 15 passenger, wheelchair accessible bus, in cash.
When the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, Reverend Lockett acted immediately to protect the congregation and reconstitute the worship experience. He started by launching Online Worship service and Bible Study via zoom. The Saturday morning Prayer Band pivoted to teleconference. In April 2020, our website, wofame.com, was launched. At that time, our Instagram and Facebook accounts were published. Our sanctuary was re-configured according to CDC guidelines. In October of 2020, twenty (20) additional seats were added for worship in the WOF Fellowship Café. Online Bible study for the beginners, intermediate and teen classes soon followed. Under Pastor Lockett’s leadership, we partnered with Germicide Tech to disinfect and sanitize our Church on a regular basis.
COVID-19 did not impede the congregation from doing ministry. Putting faith above fear, Pastor Lockett provided bold leadership encouraging the congregation to continue to meet the needs of the community amid the pandemic. 100 families were blessed with Thanksgiving boxes. In December, the Angel Tree Prison Ministry distributed gifts for over 100 children. The Women’s Ministry visited the Shining Stars and sung Christmas carols. The Debutante and Master’s Commission assisted Big Bethel by handing out blankets and toiletries to the homeless. In March 2021, The Winford G. Moon Women’s Missionary Society collected $450 in gift cards for District 10 Disaster Relief. Additionally, The Winford G. Moon Women’s Missionary Society collected 5,500 masks for Snapfinger Elementary in Dekalb, Clay Harmony-Leland and Bryant Elementary Schools both in Cobb County. In April 2021, The Winford G. Moon Women’s Missionary Society did an Easter Basket and Bonnet Parade for the Shining Stars. The Sons of Allen adopted a mile on Garner Road to ensure the roads surrounding the Church were free of litter.
In October 2021, Pastor Lockett, and the Words of Faith A.M.E. Church family, erected and dedicated to The Lord, The Nya Jean Murphy Playground, in honor of our youth and all youth in the Cobb County area. Presiding Elder of the Atlanta East District, The Reverend Thomas Stegall and District Consultant Katherine Stegall attended and participated in the dedication ceremony.
In 2022, Pastor Lockett organized the Trustees to embark on a journey to expand our fellowship hall to provide handicap accessible restrooms. To date, under his leadership and stewardship, the Church has raised over $50,000 towards the estimated $200,000 renovations. We are certain that if God has brought us to this task, God will see us through.
The year 2022 was a milestone year in the life of Words of Faith A.M.E. Church. On September 18th, 2022, we celebrate our Twentieth Anniversary. We celebrated all year long. We began with a spiritual revival on Good Friday. The Saturday following, our youth praised God during the Easter Festival. On Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection and thanked God for giving His Son, Jesus, The Christ our Savior. In April, we shouted for Joy at our Spring Concert. In July, we created space for all members to come back to Church at our annual cookout. We recognized, honored, and celebrated the integral part our youth play in the life of the Church with a YPD skate party in August.
In 2023, burst pipes from a frigid winter, didn’t drown our rejoicing nor our resolve to serve The Lord with gladness. The Sons of Allen and the men of the Church organized DIY (Do It Yourself) workshops refinishing and modernizing the fellowship hall, several classrooms, the nursery, and the kitchen.
Prayer has the power to transform, for indeed, in the year 2024, the Almighty moved through Brother George “Zanny” Miller to summon the Church to fervent prayer. On Friday, February 16, 2024, under the leadership of Sister Gloria Woods, the Prayer Warriors gathered for a solemn Prayer Lock-In. From 9:00 p.m. on Friday evening until 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, the faithful lifted their voices in prayer, sang hymns of praise, and anointed the entire Church edifice with oil. Their prayers centered on the very place where a broken pipe had afflicted the Church for three long years. With unyielding faith, The Reverend Larry Lockett and First Lady Mrs. Davida Lockett led a powerful prayer, rebuking satan and earnestly seeking the Lord’s divine will. The Lord answered with a vision—the broken pipe was removed, and the men’s restroom was not only restored, but through prayer, supplication, with thanksgiving, the Lord graciously provided a much-needed handicap-accessible restroom. And thus, the Lord continued to add to the Church daily those who were being saved.
We thank God for the opportunity to spread the Good News of Jesus, The Christ. Words of Faith’s mission is to seek out and save lost souls and provide for the needy by: Teaching the Word, Transforming the Lost, Touching the Down-Trodden and Training for the Work. We continue to give God all praise and glory for the great things He is doing, and we thank Him for His bountiful blessings. Our focus is on prayer, praise, and intentional outreach.
“We are doing a great work on the wall, and we can’t come down.”
“…upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18 KJV).”
The Lord’s name be praised, Hallelujah!