Mid-Way's 50th...

On February 7th, our home church celebrated 50 years. This is pretty amazing in its own right, but it is even more amazing considering Pastor Upchurch has been here the entire time. God has blessed Mid-Way over the years, and we have had the opportunity to benefit from God's faithfulness to Mid-Way. Amanda and I moved to Raleigh in 2004 to complete our internship before we went to Ethiopia. Going from a small church of 100 people to a church of over 1,000 people was a great opportunity for Amanda and I to gain valuable experience that would benefit us in ministry. Below is an article on Mid-Way's history which I wrote for the Baptist Bible Tribune, in the January issue. If you don't receive the Tribune then you can read the article below.

Stay strong and stay faithful.

Craig

"Fresh out of Baptist Bible College in 1963, a young preacher and his wife would head back to their roots with a firm belief in something the late pastor John Rawlings once said: “Find a city, drive a stake in it and give your life to that city.” It was that desire, through the work of the Holy Spirit, that lead James L. Upchurch to return to Raleigh, North Carolina to start Faith Baptist Church in 1963. Pastor Upchurch and his wife Rennie worked tirelessly to start this church; but as the church started to grow, some of the members began attacking the young preacher for his passionate words and soul winning. On December 8, 1965, Pastor Upchurch resigned as Pastor, unaware of the future, yet still burdened for the city of Raleigh.

On a cold December night, just three days after he resigned, when Pastor & Mrs. Upchurch seemingly saw everything they worked for change, twenty-six other people saw something different. Many of them had experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ through the preaching of Pastor Upchurch and together they saw God leading to start a new work and a desire to reach the community. So on that night in the small home of the young pastor, vision became reality.

Through prayer and a simple willingness to be used, a mission was established. After it was commissioned by Pastor Thorton Hall, the first service was held.  The first Sunday the group met at a house located in the middle of a scrap yard, no less, kindly offered up by one of those faithfully attending. Eventually, the new mission started holding services at a local YWCA; however, after a few weeks Pastor Upchurch knew something had to be done. A couple of years before, when Faith Baptist Church started, they met at that same YWCA and the thought of going through that process again was discouraging.

Today, if you take a drive south out of Raleigh, you will come upon 6910 Fayetteville Road, which is the home of Mid-Way Baptist Church. In 1966, what you would have stumbled upon was much different. For years, a man by the name of Virgil Sorrell prayed that God would send someone to reach those who lived close by. Mr. Sorrell kindly offered his small basement to be used for a meeting place, and upon moving the mission to the basement of Mr. Sorrell’s house, the gospel started to explode into action. People were being saved, lives were being changed, and over 125 people would cram into that basement for services. On February 10, 1966, Mid-Way Baptist Church was organized with Pastor Upchurch being called to shepherd the new church. Later that year, two acres across the street from the house they were meeting in was donated to the church by The Sorrell Brothers Lumber Yard.  On that land, the first building was built in 1966 and dedicated in April 1967.

In 1976, God allowed Mid-Way to purchase the Sorrell Brothers Lumber Yard, which was adjacent to the two acres that was already donated to the church. Today, Mid-Way has over 80 acres that is used to help reach the surrounding area for Jesus. From a small basement across the street to land and buildings worth over 14 million dollars today, all is a testimony of the faithfulness of God.

In the 50 years of Mid-Way’s existence, lives have been changed, families have been restored, buildings have been built and God’s Word continues to be taught.  Even through so many positive experiences, God has used difficult moments, as well, to grow the church. In 1974, a recession hit America and there were many times from 1974-1981 that Pastor Upchurch did not know if the church would survive. A new 1,500 seat Worship Center, a office complex and a large staff made the pressure even more difficult. God would use this opportunity to mold Pastor Upchurch to teach the church the importance of stewardship. Not wanting to continue to be weighed down by debt, Pastor Upchurch started teaching through stewardship in 1969; but, in 1987, everything fell into place.  That year, Mid-Way celebrated her first “Chest of Josh” Stewardship service by giving $17,244 to help continue the ministry of the church as well as not hinder opportunities because of financial stress. God has indeed blessed as over 10 million dollars has came through the Chest of Joash since 1987 to be used to expand God’s kingdom.

Mid-Way continues to see the gospel impact not only the local community but throughout the world as well.  A passion for missions, the people of Mid-Way have annually given over $240,000 to support missionaries and projects here in America and around the globe. In 2004, the Jeremy House was built to be an encouragement to missionaries who need a brief rest as they travel. Through the faithfulness of God’s people, Mid-Way supports over 93 mission projects and has never missed a monthly support payment to those they have partnered with Mid-Way.

On February 7, 2016, Mid-Way will celebrate her 50^th year as a “family of faith &  friends.” It is a rarity today to find a church still being guided by its founding pastor, but God has truly blessed the faithfulness and leadership of Pastor and Rennie Upchurch and their family. If you are able to celebrate with the Mid-Way family or if you happen to drive past what once was a lumber yard back in 1966, we trust you see clearly that everything that has happened in 50 years is because of the faithfulness of God. Every life touched both on earth, and those in eternity testify what God has done through the simple vision and prayer of a young preacher so many years ago. Truly, Mid-Way is a “miracle of its day,” and by God’s grace will continue to be for many years to come as God continues to show He is faithful."