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| Dayspring Fellowship, Knox and Ninth, 2003 |
Dayspring Fellowship promotes itself as a "Homegroup" based Church. This is not by accident. Dayspring founders discovered early on the value and absolute necessity of small groups of Christians gathering to share their hurts, pains and joy, defeats and victories. To share insights from the word of God. Share and minister to one another in a way that is impossible when we meet to worship on Sunday morning.
My wife and I were in another fellowship for many years—one in which we were among the founders. For reasons we still do not completely understand, God led us to launch out to where we did not know. We know now that partly at least it was to become a part of Dayspring Fellowship.
We visited a dozen or more large and small Churches for a year. The very first Sunday we visited Dayspring we had the witness of the Holy Spirit this was it. It certainly wasn't the location, the building or its furnishings that attracted us. The location was poor and "church" had to be set up and broken down each Sunday. There was something we sensed and needed. There was a warmth and acceptance that we had not felt at other Churches we had visited.
We wanted to know everything about this Fellowship before we would commit ourselves to being a part of it:
1. Its doctrine—we found its doctrine to be true and fundamentally correct according to the Scriptures.
2. Its leadership—we found its Leadership to be zealous and dedicated but fully open to the leading of the Lord. We asked, "Are your plans set in concrete or are you willing to go in another direction if the Lord so lead". We were assured while they thought they were on the right track they wanted to be receptive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
3. Its purpose and its goals—the Fellowship's purpose and goal was to become a "Cell" (Homegroup) Church. A Church that met in small groups that would enhance loving relationships, Share from the word of God and multiply itself. A Church that would come together once a week in a rented space for corporate worship and teaching. A Church that would own no buildings, that would not be encumbered by programs and committees such as most traditional Churches. Dayspring Leadership had visited several successful Cell Churches and desired to duplicate their success. The pattern was adopted and the Church launched.
Despite the Leadership's best efforts the Church decreased in number instead of increasing as supposed.
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| Buddy & Billy Leathers |
My wife, Billie and I joined Dayspring at their low point and became part of the Senior Home Group. The Senior Home Group warmly accepted us. For the first time, being Christians in many years, we experienced genuine Christian loving relationship. The Senior Home Group was greatly concerned about Dayspring's spiritual health and prayed reverently concerning it. The Group was led to ask the Elders to consider either buying or renting a better facility to aid in our Sunday worship service.
The Elders agreed and appointed two Elders to investigate possibilities. After much prayer and diligent searching God led us to a building on Ninth Street in Durham of a recently disbanded Fellowship. The Elders and the owner of the property prayed on the sight seeking God's will concerning the building. The Lord opened the door wide open. Dayspring arranged to purchase the Church building and a house next door. Both the Church building and the house were in bad shape and needed extensive repairs. The house was completely renovated and rented to help with mortgage payments. The building has also undergone intense renovation under the supervision of a Deacon & Deaconess Board installed by the Elders.
In the year 2000, God led two of the Elders to attend a Global Outreach Seminar sponsored by Trans World Radio in Cary, NC. The enthusiasm gained there ignited the other Elders resulting in a special Seminar by the Trans World team for leaders and potential leaders. It was at this Seminar Dayspring caught the vision of becoming a Global Outreach Church.
Dayspring held its first Global Impact Conference in 2001. Since then it has become an annual event.
God has honored this commitment. Dayspring has gained many new members and increased its missionary giving over ten times in three years. Missionary giving includes many local outreach ministries such as Durham Rescue Mission, Pregnancy Support Services, Child Evangelism and others. Dayspring also supports several foreign missionaries making it clearly a Global Outreach Church.
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Dayspring
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