Our Church History
Because of this, we are here in Effingham to place our time, energy, and resources into the things that are eternal and not temporal. Jesus has called his church to be a witnessing community (Acts 1:8). A church that does not have a comprehensive evangelism strategy is probably not fulfilling that function, or at least not very well. "Ministry is People".
We exist to exalted the glory of God in Effingham and the World through:
Sharing the Word, Showing the Word, Teaching the Word and Serving the World!
Come and join us and be a part of history as we fulfill our purpose.
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Summary from our Pastor:
We are here to establish a Church in Effingham that will function as a book of Acts Church and stay true to it's Biblical purpose of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making Disciples.
It is NO secret that there are Churches in Effingham that have become: a social gathering, click, pomp an circumstance, religious, prideful, a spiritual circus... a money making machine... a multi million dollar business... a place to celebrate ourselves... show off our peacock feathers... a place were men and women are rejected because of their color... race or sin... a place of backbiting... character assassination... personal gain... sin and idolatry... It has become not much different than the white washed tombs in the days of Jesus. Becoming more about the Preacher... then it is about God... more about ministry platforms... agenda... following... property... gaining wealth... and bigger buildings.
In what has been called the "Bible Belt" of the south, it is sad, but we have raised a generation of hirelings that don’t know what it means to walk in real faith. We have taught people about the organization of the Church... but there is NO living organism in the Church...
Leadership has become more concerned about there programs then God's Purpose!
Many years ago, Pastor John Aguilar planted a Church in Rincon called the "Church on the Rock". One of the Founding families was Charles and Shirley Malphus. We began in an apartment with a few people. That few turned into a few more and somewhere between 15 and 20 we out grew the apartment and moved to the Giles Community Center on 7th street.
During that time Pastor John had an Associate Pastor (who will remain nameless) who was taking care of the Church when Pastor John had to travel oversees to minister in Conferences and plant churches (something pastor john had been doing for years).
Pastor John, being gone often, the Associate Pastor in the Feburary of 2003, wanted to take the church in another direction and since he had been doing the work of pastoring in Pastor John's absence, Pastor John, freely gave the Church to his associate. In April of 2003, the associate pastor, now pastor of Church on the Rock, change the name of the Church to "Church of the Harvest" and began functioning independently.
As Pastor John continued to labor oversees planting churches in Africa and India, he was promoted to Overseer/Bishop of Shepherds of Grace International. The former "Church on the Rock", unnamed Church, continued to operate in Rincon and over the years placed/connected itself under different ministries.
In 2008, the former church in Rincon was going through a difficult time and the former associate, now pastor, contacted Bishop John and soon came back under the Spiritual Covering of Shepherds Of Grace International.
By 2009, as the Church came to order, the Lord began to bless the Church and by the end of 2009, we began to see a disturbing change. With the church now doing well, the former Pastor became less and less accountable.
Shepherds of Grace International, believing that good Spiritual Covering requires humbleness, submission and accountability, began to "call to order" the unnamed pastor, over a period of about eleven months. It was at the third "call to order", rather than hold oneself accountable, the pastor chose to leave the fellowship.
We love the pastor and pray for him, that like the prodical son, he would return to humbleness, submission and accountability in ministry, whether he ever come back under our covering or not. We understand now that he is no longer the Pastor of that Church
During this time, God was speaking to Charles and Shirley Malphus, who had been faithful and loyal through all the years of change. God told them that they were not to leave the Spiritual Covering of Shepherds of Grace.
As Elders of the Church from the beginning, the Malpus's are submitted to following the heartbeat of God and laboring for souls, believing for a refreshing and true revival for Effingham County.
Under the Spiritual Covering of Shepherds of Grace International, the last week of January 2011, we have begun a New Ministry in Rincon, "Shepherds of Grace Church". Our first meeting was in the home of a local family and within a matter of days the Lord provided a place for us to have services. We moved to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore Building, in the Upstairs Room.
We thank God that He has provided this meeting place and we know that we are at the ReStore for only a season. This is our "Upper Room Season"
Consider this: Before there was a Pentecost, there was an "upper room". The disciples did not change their world until after they spent a short season in the upper room. Only 120 in that day climbed the stairs to tarry in that place, but out of that "upper room season" came the birth of the New Testament Church. Souls saved, delivered, healed, many signs and wonders.
This is our "Upper Room Season"