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History of GCC
In 1968, Leon and Lynda Vernon, and their four daughters Dawne, Rhonda, MaryEllen and Holly, moved to Grove, Oklahoma to buy a fishing resort. Never dreaming that five years later, they would be the founding pastors of the first non-denomination church in Grove, Oklahoma, Grove Christian Center.
It all started in 1939, when a lady, Lucy Henry, began praying for her property on the corner of HWY 10 and Shundi Road (name given by Bro. Leon Vernon and GCC) would one day be the home of a mission church that would reach the nations. It would be 36 years before she would see her “dream” come true. God “waited” for Leon (two years old in 1939) and Lynda (born in 1939) to grow up, find each other in 1953, and then 15 years later move to Grove. They pastored together for 33 years and traveled to Central America, Nepal and ten other countries until Leon’s “home-going” in 2006. All four daughters are ordained ministers. Daughter Rhonda, and her husband David Knox, are now the pastors, and working along side them her sister, Mary Ellen Fritchey, is the secretary/treasurer - the position she has held since 1980. Sister Lynda is still a very active part of Grove Christian Center, traveling often to the mission field and enjoying the anointing and vision God has placed on the Grove Christian Center. |
Beliefs of GCC |
1) Authority of the Bible - The Bible is the inspired word of God, a revelation from God to man, the living infallible and everlasting rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason. (II Timothy 3:15-17; I Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12) This is the recorded Word of God on which everything else is determined and is the standard by which all things are judged.2) The Triune Godhead - The Godhead is comprised of three separate and distinct personalities. The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. who are eternally self-existent, self-revealed and function as one entity. (John 1:1-5, 10-14; Matthew 28:18-20; Genesis 1:1-2; John 17:5; John 16:13)
3) The Salvation of Man - Man's only hope of redemption is through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24 and John 3:3) On the Cross, Jesus Christ became sin and sickness, providing both salvation and healing for all mankind. (Psalms 103:3), being justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. "For by Grace we are saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) 4) Virgin Birth - Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin girl named Mary, and therefore Christ was and is both truly God and truly man.(Isaiah 3:64; Matthew 1:18; Matthew 1:23; and Luke 1:28-35) 5) Bodily Resurrection - Scripture is clear that Jesus was raised back to life not just in Spirit but in body. This is the "heart" of the Christian faith. (Matthew 16:21; Mark 9:9; John 21:19; Acts 4:33; Acts 10:39-41; and Romans 10:9.) 6) The Holy Ghost - The Holy Ghost is present in the world and works in the lives of believers to guide, strengthen, empower and minister. Through Him, we are able to have life abundant as well as life eternal. (John 3:3; 5-7; 16:13: John 20:21: Acts 1:5-8; 2:4; 2:38-39; Romans 8:11) 7) Sacraments - Water Baptism (Matthew 28 :18-20) and Holy Communion (Lord's Supper) (I Corinthians 11:23-26) |