LTC began as what we thought was a good idea around 1992. , and my wife Carol was not sure what the Lord had in mind, yet our hearts were drawn to the Lake Tillery region and what we believed the future held for this area.

Little did I know that for the next 10 years, the Holy Spirit would continue working on my heart calling me to a pulpit ministry. I used every excuse I could find. Carol and I had two young boys. I owned my own business and had become chief of the local volunteer fire department. I was heavily involved in my church, playing in the praise band and teaching Sunday School. If my plate was not full enough, I was a drummer in a music ministry, whose purpose was sharing the Gospel with everyone who would come and listen.

In my mind, I was doing all that I needed to do to serve the Lord.

Unaware of the change which was about to take place in our lives, I answered the call to pastoral ministry at age 38. I entered Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte Campus, in the Spring of 2002 and completed my studies at RTS Spring of 2006.

During the Fall Semester of 2005, I received a phone call from Ken Cross, senior pastor of Sandhills PCA in Southern Pines, asking if I was interested in Church planting. I told him “The thought had crossed my mind”. Our conversation ended with an invitation to meet with the Missions Committee of Central Carolina Presbytery. Ken wanted me to share my possible call as a church planter. The outcome of the meeting led to Carol and I attending the Church Planting Assessment Center, held by MNA (Missions to North America) of the PCA in Lawrenceville GA.

Carol and I were approved for Church planting, but we were to begin under the tutelage of a church planter. This was perfect for Sandhills PCA, as the session was looking for an assistant pastor who would in time, plant a church in Moore County. The Session presented me with a call to this position which was at first difficult to take because my focus had been on Lake Tillery. As I wrestled with accepting the call to Sandhills, I grew in the understanding that it is God who had called me into ministry and that I must follow His leading and not my desire. My heart was still for the Lake Tillery area, but I was at peace that perhaps I could one day support a planter in the Lake region but at this time, it was not to be me.

Through a providential twist of events, the opportunity for a plant at Lake Tillery came about and I was sent by Sandhills PCA and Central Carolina Presbytery to carry out this work.

In November 2009, we moved from Seven Lakes to a rental home located on Lake Tillery. We began with a Bible study in our living room, which was attended by 13 people. 3 came regularly form Moore County, 2 from Stanly County, 4 from Montgomery County as well as Carol and our boys.

As the study grew, the desire to gather on Sunday morning for Worship also grew. On Sunday, the 28th of March 2010, in a former real estate office near the Lake, we held our first public worship service.

As the time of gathering and meeting people, some would come and go. It was difficult for some to come and worship in a real estate office, but the Lord brought many who were faithful.

March 8th, 2015... Lake Tillery Church particularized. This means Lake Tillery Church became an organized congregation, ruled by its own governing assembly, the Session.

Since the beginning, there have been triumphs as well as trials. In the midst of it all, the Lord is the one who is faithful and working in the lives of each individual as well as the body as a whole.

Lake Tillery Church is becoming a lighthouse along the Lake Tillery Corridor as the Gospel is being lived out through its members.

At present, we may be small in numbers, but our reach is far. Being a lake community, not everyone who attends LTC lives full-time at the lake. This unique location has given us the opportunity to regularly minister to people who live in 8 different counties.

This unique situation has made it at times, difficult for the congregation to gather outside of worship, but we manage.

This congregation is a welcoming congregation who loves Jesus and loves each other. We are not perfect; each one of us knows that we are sinners saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ.

We are no longer in the real estate office; we now meet in what was originally a convenience store. Before we moved in, it had been divided into 2 businesses. We put the building through some major renovations and have created a nice place to gather for Worship; however, this place is also temporary and a little off the beaten path.

The Lord has blessed us with 4.5 acres on Lilly’s Bridge Road. Our plans, which can be seen on the website, will be the next place we plan to gather for Worship but also a place for ministry to take place. Our area is growing by leaps and bounds. As an example, (of the Lord planning for the future), the future site of LTC is across the road from a new development which will have approximately 930 new homes as well as commercial development. Most of these homes will be full time residences.

The time is now, and the fields are ripe for harvest, for sowing and for watering. If you are looking for a place to learn the word of God, grow in the word of God and be used by Him for His glory, come be a part of Lake Tillery Church.

So much has been left out of this history because it is His story. It is best to hear from each one who is a part of LTC, of what God has done and is doing in their lives. To hear what Jesus is doing in us, through us, and out of us, in spite of us…for His glory!

Come and be a part of what the Lord is doing.

A life following Jesus is not a sprint, it is a marathon.

What part are you going to play in the History of Lake Tillery Church?

In the words of an old song by the Carpenters, “We’ve only just begun”!