AREA CHURCHES START SMALL, FIND SUCCESS

New churches aren't easy ventures to begin but several seem to be thriving in Southeast Missouri, an area in the midst of the Bible Belt.

Most new congregations actually begin as an arm of a "parent" church or association of churches who offer support through personnel, programs and finances.

La Croix United Methdeau. It took 26,000 telephone calls to local residents to find out what sort of church the community wanted in a new church. The congregation met first in October 1988, with just a few people gathered.

Now the church is thriving with services each Saturday night and twice Sunday morning.

In its 12 years, the church has moved from a small group into a movie theater to a new complex on Lexington Avenue.

A Scott City, Mo., pastor knew he wanted to build a pioneer church in the community and has devoted his life to the project.

The Rev. Ken Strong of Father's Arms Fellowship, a nondenominational church, said he knew God was paving his path.

The church began with a home meeting, expanded into a garage and now has a building on Main Street.

Fruitland Community Church looked to an established group for help with its beginning. The church was a goal for the Cape Girardeau Baptist Association, a group of Southern Baptist churches, and Lynwood Baptist Church took the lead in its development.

The church began meeting in the fall of 1999 and is now looking to build a permanent home in Fruitland, Mo.

To get the Fruitland church started, Lynwood asked 50 members to commit to the new church and to attend worship there. Attendance nearly doubled by the first month or two of worship services.