The year is 2011. Bishop RJ Matthews stands looking over a barren patch of land at 2467 S. Frontage Road, along Highway 82, just outside of Columbus.

He has a vision for the land, a vision that will take more than a decade to come to pass.

Now, the land is no longer barren. A monumental building stands on it, housing believers and aiming to become a beacon for the community.

“It definitely means the world,” Matthews said. “For me, growing up in the area, it’s an area I love. It’s an area that impacted me, shaped me so much as a person and in ministry. As a teenager, God put the vision in my heart to build a church one day.”

Feb. 24 marked the official dedication of the building, and the weekend was filled with celebration.

The weekend also marked the 27th anniversary of the church itself, which was a fitting time to christen the new worship space.

“We thought, what better time (to celebrate) as we finish our building and have our church anniversary?” Campus Pastor J. Marcus Brooks said. “We celebrated all weekend long.”

The weekend was especially moving for Matthews.

He still serves as lead pastor for Columbus’s church, but he has also served as lead pastor for The Harvest in Houston, Texas.

So, coming back to Columbus to see the product of his vision completed, was a dream come true.

“(It was amazing) just to watch our church family, such faithful people, just be so dedicated and to watch them go in and see their eyes light up,” Matthews said. “To see the excitement in their hearts. To worship with them there, in a place that they’ve given so generously and been so faithful during the process. It was everything.”

The three-day celebration began on Friday night with a worship service to dedicate the new building.

Saturday was the heart of the proceedings, with a black tie homecoming banquet, celebrating those who have given to the project.

“It was about appreciation,” Matthews said. “It was about celebrating every person. We had the name of every person that had ever given toward this project. We celebrated and acknowledged those on our team who went above and beyond.”

Sunday morning was the first Sunday service in the new space, as well as the anniversary celebration.

“It was special,” Matthews said. “Lives were impacted and changed. We had our very first salvation in the building, on Sunday morning. It was amazing.”

Location is key
The area chosen for the church, Brooks believes, will be a key part in not only sustaining the congregation, but growing it.

“At that time, we didn’t know what all industry or advancements or different things that would be headed out down Highway 82,” Brooks said. “But it puts our church in a position to affect our community and the community coming that way. So, it’s really big, in that position, to be a blessing whether it’s Columbus or West Point or Starkville or Noxubee County. Whatever direction, we just want to be able to touch (others) and exemplify Christ.”

He said the congregation currently averages about 130 to 140, but he looks for that number to grow.

Matthews does not claim to be a psychic though. He simply attributes choosing a good location to one word, faith.

“It was faith every step of the way,” he said. “From purchasing the land, to taking the time to try and build our savings. Really when we started, we began the process completely debt free, we were not borrowing at all. So, the majority of what was done out there was because of the generous giving of our congregation.”

Eventually, the church had to finance the project, but Matthews was thankful the project got as far as it did before then. He was also thankful to secure financing in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The new building is a multipurpose space, and the current state is the first of three planned phases.

There are plans for two additional wings to the site, according to Matthews, which will include a children’s wing and a wing with office spaces, a cafe and other amenities.

The dream he had so many years ago, is finally coming true, but in a much larger form than he could have imagined.

“I would just say, ‘Thank you. Thank you to our community, our congregation, to everybody who has played a part in helping the vision come to pass.’” Matthews said.