WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – It comes as no surprise that COVID has turned our world upside down. Businesses going out of business. Families losing loved ones. Churches closing their doors. However, while thousands of churches are surviving, there is one in particular that is thriving.
With 14 missionaries amongst six continents, Westwood Missionary Baptist Church (WMBC) has been serving the Winter Haven area for almost 60 years. WMBC takes the name Missionary Baptist very seriously, offering a missionary training center to prepare missionaries for the foreign field, and a missionary housing complex providing fully furnished apartments for missionaries on furlough and retired pastors and missionaries.
WMBC is a traditional church grounded on the statement “The Sun Never Sets on the Ministry of the Westwood Missionary Baptist Church,” Pastor Walt said. Worship service consists of beautiful melodies from hymnals and preaching out of the King James Bible.
Before the pandemic, WMBC already streamed their services live on their website at westwoodmbc.org. Pastor Walt Lanier and his wife, Mrs. Leatrice, have seen the effects that Covid has completed.
“I know God’s work never stops so we, as a church, are determined to keep our doors open during the entire pandemic.” Pastor Walt added.
WMBC has been blessed tremendously over the past year. The church has seen more salvations, baptisms, and attendees than ever before. In addition to this, there have also been some new missionaries offered to the church.
Now their ministry can reach places such as Thailand, Romania, and Peru. Westwood even added a few missionaries to Israel. It is indeed true that the missions program has had substantial growth. Westwood has also seen growth within its Disaster Relief Ministry. WMBC has added missionaries to go out and give back to distraught communities within this program. Recently, a young man surrendered his life to the ministry, answering God’s call to preach.
Aside from the ministry, WMBC is in the process of building a larger fellowship hall. “Throughout this pandemic, God has shown to be faithful even when we are not,” Pastor Walt said. “It is indeed true that the sun never sets on the ministry at Westwood Missionary Baptist Church. God’s hand is truly at work.”
“We kept preaching the Word and sharing the gospel as the main purpose and goal of our church.” Pastor Walt said.
If you are looking to establish a new church home and build your relationship with Christ, Westwood’s doors are always open. If you are interested in becoming the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, come and join the missions school. Perhaps you may find Columbia, Haiti, or even Antarctica fitting for you.
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