"For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened" (Mark 6:52).

Don't Forget the Miracles

by Allen Whitt

It happened when I was pastor of the Sophia Free Will Baptist Church in West Virginia . Sophia is a wonderful church. I had developed a great concern and love for missions work because of the church's rich heritage in missions and mission personnel. (It is the home church of Jim and Vicki Sturgill, my missionary heroes.) My wife Nancy and I had become part of the church family, and it appeared that we might just be there forever.

God had a different plan, and He introduced it to me in an unusual way. The day my life changed directions began as usual with an early breakfast, feeding the animals on the farm, and doing some paperwork as I prepared to attend an important morning meeting in Lewisburg. While driving down the mountain and through our small community, I reflected on our church and how blessed the ministry had been there.

 

When God Speaks

As I drove past an old abandoned store building, God spoke to me. I remember feeling anxious and an unexplainable excitement. I drove just beyond the store building to a wide spot along the road and pulled over. His words kept echoing in my soul, "Buy that building for a church."

I turned the vehicle around and drove back to the old building. I got out and walked toward the biggest mess I had ever seen. The grass and weeds were almost waist high. Beer bottles, cans, and old batteries littered the entire lot. I looked through the cracked windows and glass door into a wasteland of fallen ceiling, wet carpet, broken floor tiles, and a pool of water that let me know the roof was no good.

Photo: The gas station as Allen Whitt found it.

I stepped back from the front of the building and said, "Lord, this would take a miracle." At that moment, I noticed that the frame of an old light located way above the door cast a shadow of a cross against the building. That was the first miracle.

I drove on to my meeting, and I was both sad and excited. I had promised God that I would always do what He asked me to do, and I knew that, somehow, God would take those broken down walls and build His church. Sadly, I knew also that we would have to leave our safe haven in the Sophia Church.

When I passed the old store building on the way home, the words of an old preacher came to me. He said, "When you get good and comfortable, God will come and put you to work." He was right! I knew I had to go home and tell Nancy that the Holy Spirit had invaded our comfort zone.

When I walked into the kitchen Nancy was fixing lunch. She looked up with a welcoming smile, and I just let it out with a bang. "Nancy, God wants us to buy the old store building on the way to Meadow Bridge and build a church." The second miracle came when she said, "Okay."

 

Ironing Out the Details

We told the wonderful people at the Sophia Church what had taken place. They were sad, but they never questioned our decision to do what God said. After all, this was a mission-minded. I think that beyond their disappointment, they realized that God had chosen their church to prepare us for this work.

We purchased the building and 2 1/4 acres of property, and we began the long process of transforming that old building into a church that would please God. Trymon Messer, former director of the Home Missions Department, suggested that we contact Roy Roach, then chairman of the West Virginia State Association Mission Board. He expressed interest and asked if I could meet with the board at their next meeting at the Loudendale Free Will Baptist Church. I didn't know it, but the next miracle was on the way. I did not want to go to Loudendale. When I left there 50 years ago, I swore I would never go back.

As young boys, my brother and I had been abandoned in Williamson, West Virginia. My father took us to a movie theater, dropped us off, and never came back. The authorities placed us in a children's home in Grundy, Virginia. From there we were taken back to West Virginia and placed in the state's foster program.

We stayed in many homes, but the worst was in Loudendale. For years, I tried to forget the memories of what took place there. My pain, I could forget, but when I remembered the things that had been done to my brother, who died in 1969, my hate for those foster parents was as strong as the day I left.

As I drove to the meeting, my nerves were a wreck. When I started up the road that crossed the mountain into Loudendale, my heart began beating so fast I was shaking all over. I held the steering wheel so tightly that my fingers ached. I stopped the car. I didn't know what was happening to me, but all of a sudden, as I stepped out of the vehicle, the same voice I heard in front of the building in Danese said, "Forgive her." [pull quote] I fell to my knees in front of the car, and from the dungeon of unforgiveness, I was set free by the key of forgiving. [pull quote]

As I stood to my feet, God's presence overwhelmed me. At His command the forgiving was easy, but it humbled me to the point of exhaustion to think that God had started the process of building a church to deliver me from the 50-year burden of harboring anger.

I stopped by the home where we had lived as children, and a neighbor told me that the man had died. His wife had moved to Florida and remarried. I drove on to the meeting and my spirit soared. I knew the state and the national mission boards would accept the project. God was in charge of the details! This great truth became even clearer a short time later when I received a package from Home Missions. It contained a letter from the woman whom God had told me to forgive. It included a check for $100 for the new church. Details!

 

He Will Make a Way

It seemed as if renovating, cleaning, and repairing the building was more than we could handle. I was not qualified to make the decisions concerning the design of the new interior. We needed someone to help us with these details. You guessed it, another miracle!

I received a call from a man who had once lived in the area but had moved to Riceville, Tennessee. He was the mission director for Mt. Harmony Baptist church. He asked if it was true that we were about to start a mission church in Danese. When I answered yes, his response was, "Would you let us come and help?"

When his church group arrived, one of the men was a professional builder. He made all the difficult decisions needed to insure that renovation was up to code and pleasant to the eye. The group came back and helped us many times. I have never met people so intent on working for God by helping others. They tore out old walls, built new ones, and did a lot of cleaning. They built the pulpit, stage, and front porch roof. They bought and installed the baptistry. On one trip, they did all the framing for the school interior.

When we purchased the property, the owner assured us there were no underground fuel storage tanks. He was wrong. We discovered two tanks buried on the front of the property. I called the Department of Natural Resources, and they promptly came and inspected the area where the tanks were located. They informed us that the cost of removing and disposing of the tanks would be $10,000, and he would secure contractors to begin the work immediately.

Overwhelmed, I prayed, "Lord we need another miracle. We don't have that kind of money." Two days later the DNR Officer called and asked if he could meet me at the site. When he arrived I was praying he would not ask for the money up front. After we greeted each other he said, "Mr. Whitt I did some checking through our office and I found an account earmarked for tank removal. Because there is $10,000 in the account, there will be no charge to the church for removing the tanks." He was amused by my celebration.

I told the officer that we had found another smaller tank on the opposite side of the building that had been used to store heating oil. He informed me that his department did not remove anything but gasoline storage tanks, and we needed to dispose of this tank however we could.

The next day, as Nancy and I drove by the building she noticed a large object protruding from the lower side of the building. You might say the next miracle was sticking right up in the air. The water main running beside the tank had developed a leak, and water had pushed the tank right out of the ground. We called a neighbor who wanted the tank, and he quickly brought a tractor and dragged our problems away at zero cost.

Photo: The church sanctuary today (left), and the school gymnasium (right).

Miracles in the Making

I can’t tell you how many times that God has surprised us with divine intervention during the nine-year history of Faith Free Will Baptist Church. But the greatest of all miracles are the people whose lives have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

During those years, we have witnessed the salvation of children and adults. We have experienced the healing power of God. We have seen broken families put back together. We have seen a Christian School built where children can receive godly training. What started in four Sunday School classrooms has grown into a new school building with wonderfully equipped classrooms and a high school gymnasium. During the 2010-2011 school year, the county Board of Education will fund a West Virginia Pre-K class in our school. Awesome!

The church, which began in an old building purchased for $35,000, has grown into a beautiful sanctuary, a new school building, a remodeled home, and 21 acres of property, all of which was recently appraised at 1.2 million dollars. To God be the glory!

Next in line, as we continue to share the gospel, is a Christian day care program and an onsite children's home. On the horizon we can see cabins where groups and associations can come to visit, an outdoor amphitheatre to enjoy gospel music in the mountains, and eventually an assisted-living center.

Sure, all these things sound impossible—far too much for a little mission church in Danese, West Virginia, but don’t forget the miracles!

About the Writer: Allen Whitt continues to pastor Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Danese, West Virginia.