History of Charles Church Christian Life Center (August 20, 2023)

The main church sanctuary and attached building were formerly the property of Bethel Baptist Church, which outgrew this location and moved down the road. It was used for other purposes after being sold by Bethel and was purchased by a group led by a board of elders. These elders included local ministers, traveling missionaries, and national leaders. This group purchased this building in December of 1975.

Many elders traveled, and the group decided to install Chuck and Betty Call as pastors of the local body that would assemble here. Chuck Call was a former builder who helped do or lead many initiatives to repair the facility so it could be used for church meetings.

During one of the early prayer meetings, some encouraging words came to the new congregation that would use this location as their meeting place. One of those words given in 1975 was as follows.

The Lord does not dwell in buildings made by man’s hand but in the hearts and lives of those He has remade by His Spirit. Yet the Lord has seen fit to put His name in some areas of worship, and He has placed His Name here.

Always approach this place with reverence, for the Name of the Lord is here. It is not because of thee, but because of covenants He made many years ago with worshippers of generations beyond thy time. And He hath not removed His name, but He hath chosen to call the end of those covenants and let thee be partakers. For the children of those folks have not been heirs of my promises, but you by faith have chosen to be heirs of my promise.

As surely as the children of Abraham did not come into the promises, but the children of grace did. So I have chosen to pour upon thee as a people of my love, the Covenants and the blessing and the benefits of my presence. And it shall break forth upon thee as a mighty river gushing forth from locks. And as the sluice gates are open, so shall My life flow forth unto these people and through thee to be a blessing unto many.

This initial group assembled recognized that they had been led by Holy Spirit to reestablish a church congregation in this location that had been without a congregation for many years. They also recognized that the work of the Lord here stood upon the covenant of early worshippers in this geographic location. It reminds us of the message of Jesus in John 4:38 that we have been sent to harvest in a field that the previous generations have planted, that they labored for many years, and we are now privileged to profit from their labors and reap the harvest. This is a humbling and blessed thought.

Adjacent to this property is a stone marker and the old foundations where once stood the Charles Parish, built about 1708 and burned a century later, on the site of two earlier parish churches, built about 1636 and 1682. This parish was first known as New Poquoson Parish in 1635 and was renamed Charles Parish in 1692. A Charles Church marker about one mile west of the church on route 134 was erected in 1950 by the Virginia Conservation Commission (Marker Number NP-1). The history of this paragraph is found on the market, and it is titled Charles Church.  

The first two words of our church name is drawn from the title on the historical conservation marker to honor our ancestors in the faith whose covenant with God has dramatically impacted our walk with God and our capacity to impart spiritual gifts to others (Romans 1:11) and to empower them to be strong in the faith, helping them fulfill their God-given destiny.

One of the early church members was Dorothy Dee Moore, who was officially installed as a deacon in 1988 and served as our Pastor from 2005 until April 2011. She carried the torch picked up by the leadership of worshipping Jesus and teaching the Word of God. She exhorted us to look to a new direction to receive ministerial licensing through a different organization that recognizes women in ministry, and the Lord led us to the MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries. Evans and Mary Beth Powell completed these processes in June of 2013 to become ordained through this organization.  

Elizabeth Moore, our second Pastor's daughter, serves as an elder and worship leader in our fellowship. Out of her love for Jesus, she inspires us all to be lovers of Jesus. She reminds us all that, first and foremost, the Father is seeking sincere worshippers (John 4:23). We are called to be worshippers rather than serve God's purposes second (Matthew 4:10).

We are here now as the remaining second generation from those whom the Holy Spirit led here in 1975 to rebuild a church congregation. We now feel the time has come for us to continue the building they began and manifest God's purposes for us here. We don’t want to bury the talents God gave us to invest in the earth (Matthew 25:24-25). Therefore, we want to offer to assist those who believe God is leading them here with the following:

• We want to help persons to know God experientially as stated by Jesus in John 17:3. This means spending time with Him in prayer, praise, worship, and in the Bible.

• We want to encourage all people that you can hear God’s voice. He wants to speak to you about your life, your family’s life, and the things that concern you (John 10:27).

• We want to teach the basics of the Word of God and inspire others to read and study the Bible for themselves. Since all concepts about God, if they are true, must be drawn from the Bible (Matthew 24:35).

• Everyone has been called to ministry. Approximately 97% of every congregation has a ministry outside the church (e.g., mother, teacher, construction worker, nurse). We want to help equip (Ephesians 4:12) those who come here to minister in the home and marketplace where you are called to serve the purposes of God (Acts 13:36).