Life Church Launches in Starkville, Mississippi

Months in the making, Starkville's brand new Life Church launched with its grand opening on Sunday, September 20, 2009. The church group, led by Pastor John Daniels, meets Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at the Hollywood Premier Cinemas on Stark Road.

Home to Mississippi State University, Starkville is a lively town of about 40,000 people. Although some would argue that there are enough churches in Starkville, committed members of life church would argue that Life Church is just the type of church the town needs.

Daniels and his family relocated to Starkville from Birmingham, AL with not much more than a vision from God after renting their home and selling most of their furniture. Pastor Daniels, his wife Laura and their two daughters did not know anyone in town, but quickly began making friends and forming relationships that would become important in carrying out the vision that God had given them.

Daniels wants Life Church to be that place where everyone feels welcome regardless of their skin color, economic status, social standing, or any other factor that could cause division in a group of Christians. One of the goals of the church is to show the love of Christ to all people.

Pastor John and wife Laura began by holding meetings in their apartment to share their plans for the church with anyone interested. Soon, the meetings grew and word about the the church spread quickly.

One of the relationships Pastor John was able to form filled an important need in Life Church. Jason Minor, a Starkville native, is the church's Worship Pastor. The two men and their families were able to form a bond and quickly found that their thoughts about ministry were very similar. Pastor Minor says that he has been fortunate, as an African American man, to serve in racially and culturally diverse ministries. He believes that those experiences have prepared him for service at Life Church.

The first service of Life Church welcomed individuals and families of all age groups, ethnicities and cultures. The diverse congregation worshipped to an equally diverse selection of music ranging from contemporary Christian to gospel. Pastor John delivered the first in a series of sermons titled "Thirsty." A skit performed at the close of the sermon about a simple bottle of water drove home Pastor Johns point that water can quench thirst better than any other and, thus spiritual thirst can only be quenched by The Living Water, Jesus Christ.

The nursery was in full swing so parents who wished to drop their infants and toddlers off could enjoy the worship service without interruption. The children's church, led by First Lady Laura Daniels was an exciting time for children to learn God's word through lessons, songs, and a skit.

With about 120 in attendance, Life Church still has room for growth. To find out more information about Life Church, call Pastor John Daniels at 662-684-9099.