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Seven Years Later... A Special Dream Fulfilled

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(Left to right) Elder Gilbert Tripp, Elder Sam Adams, Minister Jim Hobbs and Elder Harold Williams offer congratulations.

What began on September 11, 2005 in a storefront at 601 E. Main Street in Spindale, and then to 953 US 221 Highway North, has culminated in a new building upon eight acres of land at 925 US 221 Highway North. The new building of the Rutherford Church of Christ now stands as testimony to patience, persistence, and dedication. 

On Sunday, January 6th, the first services were held at the new permanent home of the Rutherford Church of Christ. It was a momentous occasion, as more than 80 men, women, and children celebrated this special day. The congregation’s minister, Jim Hobbs, delivered the first sermon offered within the new building, an address entitled “The Works of the Lord are Great.” He emphasized that God had worked through many men, women and children of the Lord’s church to make the new permanent home possible, and that “today is a day to praise God.” 

The name given to this non-denominational congregation, the Rutherford Church of Christ, derived as a result of not knowing, at the time of its original organization, where in Rutherford County its permanent location would be located. After four years in the storefront in Spindale, the fledgling congregation came to need a larger facility, one which would include classrooms. The congregation located an empty building on US 221 North which had previously housed the Hodge-Podge Restaurant. When the decision was made to rent this facility, permission was granted by the owner to remodel the interior of the structure in order to accommodate the growing congregation’s needs. The members went to work and made the former restaurant a place of worship. They finally had classrooms. After over three years at this location, the Rutherford Church of Christ was in a position to buy eight acres of land next door. Plans were drawn up and the construction began. At last, a permanent home was becoming a reality! On Sunday, January 6th, the first services were conducted, and an excited assembly of members, friends, family, and guests took their first tours through the sparkling new building. The new structure has a nursery for the children, several large classrooms featuring doors which can be opened for expanded use, an office, and a full service kitchen. The design of the building allows for expansion, as needed, in 25 foot sections. The long-term goal for the congregation is to grow in numbers to between 150 and 175 members, and from this point plant the seeds for a new congregation in another section of the county. 

The Church of Christ uses the New Testament as its guide. It patterns itself after the first century church described in the New Testament. The minister of the Rutherford Church of Christ, Jim Hobbs, retired from secular work at the age of 54 and enrolled in the North Carolina School of Biblical Studies in Winston-Salem. He graduated in 2009 and has been with the local congregation since his graduation.

For each member of the Rutherford Church of Christ, it has been a long seven year journey, yet one which has been most worthwhile.

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