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"Empowering believers for an enriched and abundant life, now and forever." — John 10:10

The Word of Life Christian Ministries (WOLCM) is a story of faith that was tested, stretched and proven. What began as a small Saturday service in a West Side Chicago high school auditorium has grown into a ministry that has weathered storms, moved to new places of worship, fed families, baptized new believers, and now carries the Gospel of Jesus Christ online to anyone, anywhere.

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Through every season and every move, one thing has never changed: we have kept proclaiming the Word, and God has kept His promises.

A Calling and a Shepherd Prepared

Before there was a WOLCM, God was preparing its pastor. Du Warren Gibson is a Chicago West Side native who graduated with honors from Rezin Orr High School in 1989 — the very campus where WOLCM would one day be born. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science from DePaul University in 1996.

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His spiritual formation took root in the local church. In 1994 he was appointed First Teacher of the Brotherhood Union at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church. In 1999 he was one of 20 believers who followed the vision of Rev. Craig M. Smith to organize the Freedom Baptist Church of the Greater Chicago Area. He announced his call to ministry in February 2001, was licensed to preach on Father's Day 2001, and served six years as Freedom's Children's Church pastor.

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In June 2003 he received the Master of Arts in Christian Ministries from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, and on November 9, 2003 he was ordained to the Gospel ministry. Through prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, The Word of Life Christian Ministries was incorporated in Illinois on February 28, 2005, with a clear assignment: bring the Gospel and Biblical teaching to Chicago's West Side in a contemporary, relevant way.

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The Birth of Saturday IMPACT (2007)

On April 7, 2007, 142 worshipers filled the Orr High School Campus Auditorium at 730 N. Pulaski Road to celebrate the first Saturday IMPACT service — Inspirational Moments Pursuing Answers Concerning Truths. Pastor Craig M. Smith of Freedom Baptist Church charged the new ministry, Pastor Shirley Hughes of Inspirational Deliverance Center (COGIC) prayed over it, and gospel artist Kevin Vasser led the people in praise.

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IMPACT was intentionally different: dressed down, interactive and culturally relevant, designed for people who could not or would not come to church on Sunday. Our heart was the young adults of Orr and the West Side community. As we said then, we were willing to reinvent traditional worship to reach a new generation with a "now" Word and a "today's" God.

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From the start, our foundation was simple: Jesus Christ is our Master. The Bible is our Creed. The Cross is our Message. The Holy Spirit is our Power. Winning souls is our Task.

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First Fruits

The first year taught us that ministry is measured in lives, not crowds. After the opening celebration, Saturday attendance settled to between 16 and 36 faithful worshipers. We learned to be faithful in small things, and God multiplied the fruit.

On June 17, 2007, we held our first baptism service, when Tyjuan, Damecas and Johnathan were baptized at Freedom Baptist Church. That September we gave more than 30 backpacks filled with school supplies and pocket Bibles to Orr students, and Pastor Gibson anointed each child with oil. Days later we partnered with Youth Guidance to host the ORR Health and Empowerment Feast, where more than 30 sponsors served over 200 participants.

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The Thanksgiving drive, coordinated by Tenisha Jackson-Matthews with the Orr Alumni, fed the residents of the Senior Suites of West Humboldt Park — a prayer answered, according to their property manager. At Christmas, gifts donated through our Christmas Joy Celebration went to teen parents and their children at the Hull House childcare center. Our first year closed with 14 services and a congregation learning that worship and service belong together.

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Growing in Grace (2008)

We opened 2008 with a charge — "A New Beginning: We Got Work to Do" — and 40 days of seeking holiness and maturity in Christ. It became a year of spiritual roots going deeper.

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On April 5, 2008 we celebrated our first anniversary and shared our first Communion together as a church family. Pastor Smith returned to preach "It's Working." On May 1, the IRS recognized WOLCM as a 501(c)(3) ministry, and that summer Pastor Gibson wrote our Ministry Charter, naming our vision, mission and passion: share God's love with all, empower believers, and assist those in need.

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We also learned that the church must speak into the life of its community. The "Free to Flow" song contest invited young people to write about living a saved life. WOLCM co-hosted a community town hall about the future of Orr. After a student was shot at a nearby school, Pastor Gibson spoke to Crane students about healing and letting go of hate. Seven young adults joined our first summer intern program, and our back-to-school giveaway reached its goal of 100 book bags.

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The Wilderness Season (2009)

Our second year was a test of faith. Some months only a handful of worshipers gathered, and constraints we did not choose pressed on the ministry. Pastor Gibson walked through his own wilderness that year, including a serious illness and hospitalization, and he testified that God sustained him through every trial.

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In that season we learned what our second anniversary letter called the lesson of the storm: "Therefore we do not lose heart… For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:16–17). We learned to trust in the Lord with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5–6), and that the testing of our faith produces perseverance (James 1:2–4).

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God did not waste the wilderness. Pastor Gibson prayed for a fresh approach to ministry and to "re-church" WOLCM. Out of those prayers came the seven-week LIFE (Living In Financial Enjoyment) series, our second anniversary service, "Go Forward," broadcast on cable television, and on May 26, 2009, Mobile IMPACT — our first online Bible study. Without knowing it, we had taken our first step toward the online ministry we have today.

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From Saturday to Sunday (2010)

The ministry that started as a once-a-month Saturday service had always prayed for weekly worship. In 2010 that prayer was answered. On August 1, 2010 we held our first Sunday morning worship service with the Orr Alumni, preaching "A Brighter Day Ahead" from Psalm 30, where weeping may last for a night but joy comes in the morning.

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On October 3, 2010 WOLCM celebrated its first wedding. One week later we launched Vision 2020, a ten-year vision for the ministry's future. On October 24, 2010, WOLCM began regular Sunday worship — a family gathering where believers could grow together week by week rather than month by month.

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Crossing Over to the Other Side (2011)

Early in 2011, God provided a full year of worship at Orr High School rent free. That year we baptized five new believers and held Saturday IMPACT Farmers Markets for the neighborhood.

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Then in the summer of 2011 our rental contract at Orr ended, and WOLCM had no place to worship. Our last service at Orr was titled "Cross Over to the Other Side to Be a Blessing" (Mark 4:35–41) — the story of Jesus calming the storm. For several weeks the church kept worshiping online, with messages titled "A Fulfilled Promise," "His Best" and "God Has Promised a Place for Us." Pastor Gibson prayed specifically for a new worship location, and God granted it.

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On September 4, 2011, WOLCM held its first service at the Inspirational Deliverance Center (IDC) Ministry Center, 646 N. Parkside, through the hospitality of Pastor Shirley Hughes, who had prayed over our very first service. That December, WOLCM and Northwestern Medicine hosted a health and wellness fair for more than 200 West Humboldt Park residents. On Christmas Day 2011, we celebrated our 100th worship service. The move did not end our story; it proved that the church is the people, and wherever God sends us, we go.

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Taking the Word Beyond the Walls (2012–2015)

As a small congregation, we learned that faithfulness matters more than size. Sermon series such as Love Is, Sacrificial Living, Breaking Free and Living Well called us deeper into discipleship, while we kept baptizing new believers and serving our neighbors.

God also opened new doors to carry His Word further than any one building could hold:

• 2012 — We recorded our first WOLCMTV video, released a new website and rebranded the ministry with a new logo, a renewed Vision 2020 and the IMPACT prayer bracelet.

• April 28, 2013 — We streamed our first worship service live at WOLCM.org, so anyone could worship with us from anywhere.

• May 6, 2014 — The WOLCM CARE Food Pantry opened in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, after Pastor Gibson and Mother Gibson completed its certification courses and the ministry purchased a van for food pickups.

• February 2015 — We launched iLive2Listen, an internet radio station carrying the Gospel to listeners wherever they are.

 

Each step answered the same call that birthed Saturday IMPACT: meet people where they are, with a Word for today.

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A Season of Perfecting (2016–Present)

Since 2016, God has been perfecting what He began in us (Philippians 1:6). The walls of a single building no longer define our reach; the Word of Life now travels by phone, radio and screen to people we may never meet face to face.

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Through Blog Talk Radio, WOLCM has reached more than 10,000 listeners. Anyone with a telephone can join the service live by calling 1-866-467-1391 and pressing 5, so the elderly, the homebound and those without internet access are never left out of worship.

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As technology grew, so did our mission field. Our broadcasts became WOLCM Live, streaming worship and teaching across social media platforms. Through WOLCM Live we have witnessed to thousands, and many have given their lives to Jesus Christ.

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The season of perfecting has also deepened our pastor's calling. Pastor Gibson recently completed an introductory unit of chaplaincy at Loyola University, where he provided pastoral care to more than 500 patients and their families. The same compassion that once carried backpacks to Orr students and Thanksgiving meals to seniors now sits at hospital bedsides, bringing the hope of Christ to people in their hardest hours.

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Still Making an IMPACT Today

From a high school auditorium on Pulaski Road to a ministry center on Parkside, and now to screens and speakers around the world, The Word of Life Christian Ministries has never stopped proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The places have changed; the message has not.

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The lessons of our early years still shape who we are. We learned in the first fruits that every soul matters. We learned in the wilderness that God sustains those who trust Him. We learned in our moves that the church is not a building but a people sent on mission. Today, through online worship, teaching and outreach, we continue to empower believers for an enriched and abundant life, now and forever.

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Wherever you are, there is a place for you in this story. Come and be impacted.

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The IMPACT Prayer

Heavenly Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we acknowledge You as our Creator and Sustainer of life. Therefore, we approach Your throne of grace and mercy with a renewed hope and confidence that You will hear and answer our prayer according to Your riches in glory. Lord, come into our hearts, transform our minds, and change our ways. IMPACT our lives with Your Holy Word. IMPACT us with Your Holy Spirit. IMPACT us with Your power and presence. IMPACT us, Father, for an enriched and abundant life now and forever.

 

In Jesus' name, Amen.

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WOLCM First Fruits at a Glance

Feb 28, 2005 – WOLCM incorporated in Illinois

Apr 7, 2007 – First Saturday IMPACT service at Orr High School (142 worshipers)

Jun 17, 2007 – First baptism service

Sep 2007 – First back-to-school giveaway and ORR Health and Empowerment Feast

Apr 5, 2008 – First anniversary and first Community Communion

May 1, 2008 – 501(c)(3) status granted

Apr 4, 2009 – Second anniversary, "Go Forward," aired on cable TV

May 26, 2009 – Mobile IMPACT online Bible study launched

August-29-2009 – First Back to School Prayer Breakfast at Orr High School

Aug 1, 2010 – First Sunday morning worship service

Oct 3, 2010 – First WOLCM wedding

Oct 10, 2010 – Vision 2020 launched

Sep 4, 2011 – First service at IDC Ministry Center, 646 N. Parkside

Dec 25, 2011 – 100th worship service

Sep 2012 – New Ministry Launch Alt-Ctrl-Del

Apr 28, 2013 – First live-streamed service on WOLCM.org

May 6, 2014 – WOLCM CARE Food Pantry opened

Feb 2015 – iLive2Listen internet radio launched