Our History

Our church began as a movement to seek a more faithful way to follow Jesus. This movement initiated with phone calls and prayer meetings, quickly growing into our first worship service on October 1st, led by Revs. Michael and Kaylyn Lindsay. In the following weeks, a group of individuals emerged as the “Transitional Leadership Team” (TLT), stepping up voluntarily to guide this new movement for a time. The TLT provided short-term decision-making.

As we progressed, several other pastors were asked to assist with worship like Jerome Goddard, Ben Butler, Bob Rambo, Andy Miller, and Wesley Pepper. During this time, prayer groups formed to support the movement throughout the week, and we formed a partnership with New Covenant Church, for which we are eternally grateful! They graciously provided a place for our “nomadic movement” to gather.

Each Sunday, small groups met at 3:00 PM, followed by worship at 4:00 PM. An incredible number of people turned out to worship each week during that unconventional hour! In November 2023, our church decided to join the Global Methodist Church, and the name “New Journey” was chosen as a temporary name. With the assistance of Presiding Elder Rev. Wesley Pepper, we began the search for a permanent pastor.

Until that was finalized, other pastors, including Revs. Kristen Schrickel, Tim Prather, and Hugh Griffith, filled in. In December 2023, Bob Rambo was appointed pastor of New Journey. Until Bob could officially come on board in March 2024, pastors such as Drew Holland, Michael Davis, Jim Genesse, Will Rambo, Rocky Shack, and J. Nelson provided vital support. On April 7th of 2024, New Journey Church entered into an agreement with Starkville Academy, allowing us to move our Sunday worship to 10:00 AM, which resulted in an immediate increase in attendance.

Throughout the summer, attendance remained steady and even grew. In April, we formed committees, and our Nominations Committee submitted a list of servant-leaders to fill these positions, which was approved at our first-ever church conference on April 28th. On September 15th, we held our second church conference, where we voted to purchase 15 acres of land on Highway 25 South and officially adopt the name “Starkville Global Methodist Church.”

None of this has been easy; it is still not easy! But God is good all the time. As the psalmist wrote, “We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.” As we embark on our second year, we remember the fire and the flood. However, we also have so much to be thankful for. The goodness of God has sustained us, and this evening, we look around in awe at the “place of great abundance” that God has brought us into.