If I Can Do It Anybody Can

136 Pages·2011·3.92 MB·English

by  Jack Cunningham

IF I CAN DO IT
ANYBODY CAN!
A HANDBOOK FOR CHURCH PLANTERS
WRITTEN BY
JACK CUNNINGHAM
CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA
IF I CAN DO IT ANYBODY CAN!
A HANDBOOK FOR CHURCH PLANTERS

Written By:
Jack & Elsy Cunningham
© September 1998

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 2
Jack
 &
 Elsy
 Cunningham

Newlyweds
 &
 Church
 planters

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 3
FORWARD

"Though
 thy
 beginning
 was
 small,
 yet
 thy
 latter
 end
 should
 greatly
 increase."
 –
 Job
 8:7

  As
 I
 travel
 throughout
 the
 United
 Pentecostal
 Church
 participating
 in
 Church
 Growth

Conferences,
 Camp
 Meetings
 and
 other
 services,
 I
 am
 often
 asked
 about
 the
 church
 my
 wife
 and
 I

pioneered
 in
 Newport
 News,
 Virginia.

 This
 book
 covers
 some
 of
 the
 glorious,
 and
 not
 so
 glorious,

highlights
 of
 our
 time
 as
 pioneer
 church
 planters.

 Without
 hesitation
 I
 would
 have
 you
 to
 know

that
 the
 church
 planting
 years
 of
 our
 life
 were
 the
 most
 enjoyable.

 Elsy
 and
 I
 have
 found
 nothing

else
 to
 equal
 the
 joy
 associated
 with
 church
 planting.

 To
 have
 been
 called
 of
 God
 to
 start
 a
 church

and
 watch
 it
 grow
 is
 the
 highlight
 of
 our
 ministerial
 life.

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 4
I
 wish
 I
 had
 the
 space
 to
 write
 about
 every
 convert
 and
 the
 unique
 circumstances

surrounding
 their
 new
 birth
 experience.

 We
 will
 share
 some
 of
 the
 more
 notable
 conversions
 and

trust
 that
 these
 stories
 will
 bless
 and
 challenge
 you.

 Many
 lives
 were
 miraculously
 changed
 at
 the

altars
 of
 the
 United
 Pentecostal
 Church
 of
 Newport
 News,
 Virginia.

  If
 you
 are
 reading
 this
 book
 because
 you
 are
 giving
 serious
 consideration
 to
 planting
 a

church,
 let
 us
 encourage
 you
 to
 take
 the
 plunge.

 If
 God
 has
 called
 you
 and
 the
 church
 has
 placed

it’s
 blessing
 upon
 you,
 you
 will
 make
 it.

  Elsy
 and
 I
 are
 not
 overly
 talented,
 nor
 do
 we
 posses
 a
 high
 level
 of
 intellect.

 For
 the
 most

part,
 we
 are
 fairly
 normal
 people.

 We
 have
 learned,
 however,
 the
 secret
 of
 leaning
 on
 the
 Lord,
 and

the
 power
 associated
 with
 being
 totally
 dependent
 upon
 Him.

 He
 has
 never
 failed
 us.

 No
 matter

the
 situation
 or
 circumstance;
 He
 has
 never
 let
 us
 down.

 Jesus
 Christ
 has
 always
 opened
 doors
 and

led
 us
 in
 the
 right
 direction
 to
 accomplish
 His
 will
 in
 our
 lives.

  As
 you
 read
 the
 pages
 of
 this
 book
 you
 will
 find
 that
 Elsy
 and
 I
 are
 two
 people,
 average

people,
 who
 are
 filled
 with
 a
 desire
 to
 do
 something
 for
 God.

 Know
 what?

 He
 has
 used
 us
 to
 do

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 5
some
 pretty
 awesome
 things.

 Of
 which,
 planting
 churches
 is
 among
 our
 favorite
 jobs
 we
 have

performed
 for
 the
 Master.

  As
 normal
 as
 I
 am
 He
 chose
 to
 use
 me
 to
 build
 a
 great
 church.

 If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!

May
 the
 Lord
 bless
 you
 and
 lead
 you
 as
 you
 give
 yourself
 to
 the
 up
 building
 of
 the
 Kingdom
 of
 God.

Jack
 Cunningham

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 6
THE CHALLENGE!

Chapter
 One

"And
 so
 were
 the
 churches
 established
 in
 the
 faith,
 and
 increased
 in
 number
 daily."
 -­‐-­‐
 Acts
 16:5

HOW IT ALL BEGAN...

We
 were
 happy
 and
 content
 working
 with
 the
 United
 Pentecostal
 Church
 of
 Chicago,
 where

Michael
 Anderson
 was
 Sr.
 Pastor,
 when
 God
 began
 to
 deal
 with
 us
 about
 pioneering
 a
 church
 on

the
 east
 coast.

  Not
 knowing
 exactly
 where
 we
 would
 begin
 a
 new
 church,
 we
 considered
 all
 our
 options.

We
 could
 have
 returned
 to
 one
 of
 our
 home
 districts,
 West
 Virginia
 or
 New
 York
 Metro.

 We
 also

considered
 North
 Carolina
 and
 upstate
 New
 York.

 We
 had
 visited
 both
 districts
 and
 were

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 7
impressed
 with
 their
 burden
 for
 the
 lost
 and
 their
 attitude
 toward
 planting
 and
 growing
 churches.

One
 thing
 was
 for
 sure,
 we
 wanted
 to
 pastor
 on
 the
 east
 coast.

  In
 the
 fall
 of
 1980
 we
 were
 invited
 to
 preach
 a
 revival
 for
 our
 good
 friend
 Pastor
 Robert
 Hall

in
 Chesapeake,
 Virginia.

 While
 there
 he
 informed
 me
 that
 the
 church
 in
 Norfolk,
 Virginia
 was
 in

need
 of
 a
 pastor.

 He
 encouraged
 us
 to
 preach
 for
 them,
 and
 consider
 allowing
 them
 to
 vote
 on
 us

as
 pastor.

 We
 preached
 for
 them
 Sunday
 morning
 and
 evening,
 but
 did
 not
 feel
 the
 leading
 of
 the

Lord
 toward
 accepting
 the
 pastorate
 of
 this
 group.

  After
 informing
 Pastor
 Hall
 that
 we
 were
 not
 interested
 in
 the
 Norfolk
 church,
 he
 told
 us
 of

another
 opportunity.

 The
 District
 owned
 a
 small
 building
 in
 the
 city
 of
 Newport
 News.

 As
 far
 as
 he

knew
 there
 was
 one
 member
 left
 in
 the
 church,
 Sister
 Helen
 Williams,
 a
 sister
 seventy-­‐four
 years

old.

 He
 told
 us
 that
 the
 district
 intended
 to
 shut
 down
 the
 work
 because
 they
 had
 no
 pastor
 to

oversee
 it.

 Brother
 Hall
 invited
 us
 to
 go
 with
 him
 to
 see
 the
 city,
 as
 well
 as
 the
 building,
 and
 to
 meet

Sister
 Williams.

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 8
The
 building
 was
 less
 than
 attractive.

 In
 fact,
 it
 was
 in
 serious
 need
 of
 repair.

 The
 front

doors
 had
 been
 nailed
 shut.

 When
 we
 pulled
 on
 the
 handle
 of
 the
 back
 door
 the
 whole
 door
 came

crashing
 to
 the
 ground
 because
 the
 wood
 was
 so
 rotted.

 What
 a
 first
 impression!

  The
 window
 openings
 in
 the
 building
 were
 filled
 with
 a
 Plexiglas
 material,
 and
 most
 of
 it
 was

broken.

 The
 large
 gaping
 holes
 were
 large
 enough
 for
 neighbors
 and
 passersby
 to
 look
 through.

When
 it
 rained
 the
 inside
 of
 the
 church
 would
 get
 soaked.

  Lots
 of
 cleaning
 was
 necessary,
 as
 there
 were
 an
 abundance
 of
 cobwebs
 and
 dust.

 Though

the
 building
 had
 fallen
 into
 bad
 repair,
 the
 basic
 foundation,
 walls,
 roof
 and
 mechanical
 were
 all

sound.

  The
 small
 block
 building
 had
 been
 built,
 several
 years
 prior
 to
 our
 arrival,
 through
 the

personal
 sacrifices
 of
 Brother
 and
 Sister
 James
 Floyd.
 They
 literally
 built
 the
 building
 block-­‐by-­‐block,

as
 they
 were
 able
 to
 save
 or
 raise
 the
 funds.

 Brother
 Floyd
 is
 a
 master
 builder,
 so
 the
 block
 work,

cement
 floor
 and
 roof
 system
 was
 built
 to
 last.

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 9
The
 building
 was
 located
 in
 a
 wonderful
 and
 opportune
 place.

 It
 was
 right
 off
 the
 main
 four-­‐
lane
 road,
 Warwick
 Boulevard,
 which
 runs
 the
 length
 of
 Newport
 News.

 I
 liked
 it
 -­‐-­‐
 cobwebs
 and
 all!

Something
 felt
 good
 about
 it.

  Presbyter
 Hall
 telephoned

 Sister
 Helen
 Williams
 (the
 only
 member
 of
 the
 church)
 to
 ask
 that

she
 join
 us
 at
 the
 building
 for
 a
 look
 around.

 When
 she
 arrived
 she
 said
 something
 I
 will
 never

forget.

 As
 she
 laboriously
 walked
 down
 the
 center
 aisle
 of
 that
 little
 dirty
 church
 building,
 she
 was

carrying
 a
 bottle
 of
 olive
 oil.

 Her
 feeble
 hands
 were
 trembling
 and
 tears
 were
 streaming
 down
 her

worn
 face.

 The
 first
 words
 I
 heard
 her
 speak
 pierced
 my
 heart.

 I
 will
 never
 forget
 what
 she
 said
 "I

have
 not
 had
 a
 pastor
 to
 anoint
 me
 with
 oil
 for
 six
 months.

 I'm
 very
 sick.

 I
 need
 a
 pastor.

 Would

you
 pray
 for
 me?"

  To
 say
 the
 least,
 this
 faithful
 saint
 of
 God
 touched
 me
 deeply.

 We
 prayed
 for
 her
 and
 the

LORD
 blessed
 her
 wonderfully.

THANK GOD FOR MR. HAUGHTON!

If
 I
 Can
 Do
 It
 Anybody
 Can!
 –
 Page
 10