In this series of posts we interviewed members of KingsWay that have been attending since the church was planted in 1989.
In 1988, Bruce and Mercy Robertson felt a strong call to be a part of the church plant team. They came to 
Richmond for the first time during the fall of 1088 to meet some of the other church planting team members. Though the first few years of the church plant were difficult ones, they knew God has called them there which gave them great faith that there was grace for those times. Some memorable moments for the Robertsons include Emily braking her arm during one of the many potluck lunches, the services that were held at Gene and Liz’s house when they were first meeting and the kids running around the movie theaters after church.
Bruce and Mercy came to the church plant with three children. Daniel was 7, Emily was 5 and Philip was 3. Daniel was the same age as Heather Whitman, whose family was also a part of the church planting team. In October 2006, Daniel and Heather were married and now have a child of their own. To read Daniel and Heather’s story, click here.
In this series of posts we interviewed members of KingsWay that have been attending since the church was planted in 1989.
Written by Steve and Donna Whitman.
Our family, along with about 40 people from a small church in Keyser, WV, attended Celebration ’88 where we met Gene Emerson. Our experience at Celebration 
convinced us that we absolutely must be part of a People of Destiny church. (to become SGM). We’ve had the privilege of watching our children grow up in the church. We got to see our daughter enter into a relationship with and marry a young man who also grew up in the church, and now we delight in their cute little red-haired son, who is our grandson – unbelievable! [to read Daniel and Heather’s story, click here.] Before joining KingsWay, we felt like we were wandering. 
I remember that first Celebration. Looking at the folks in the SG churches was like peering through the window of a candy shop! We had only gotten a taste, but wanted more! Now, after 20 years, we are grateful for the foundation of truth we have received and for the deep relationships we have benefited from. The memory most dear to my heart, is when I was expecting Stephanie, after having suffered several miscarriages. My pregnancy was very risky, and I had to be on bed rest the majority of it. The church rallied. We NEVER had a need. My floors were mopped, meals were brought, and friends sat by my side, praying this child. When Stephanie was born, I remember folks saying, she (Stephanie) belongs to all of us!!! So many played a part in her safe arrival. That is the church.
Written by Marsha Dixon.
Bob and I came to Richmond with Gene and Liz from Franklin, W.Va. We were serving the church there with the Emersons when Gene felt led to come to Richmond and plant a church here. We came along! We have stayed at KWCC because be believe in the vision of Sovereign Grace Ministries. God is building His church…”the pillar and buttress of truth” and we wanted to give our lives to something that would count and last for eternity.
Over time the size has changed! We started out with 30 and now we are 700! Songs have changed in that they are more doctrinally sound and full of content! We used to sing wonderful worship choruses but the rich words of our songs now thrill the soul!! There is a focus on “grace” being extended to one another that has become more pronounced in the past years. There has always been a focus on sound, Biblical teaching, worship, childrens’ ministry, and fellowship. These things have not changed over the years.
I think the biggest change in our family over the years has been to see them “step up to the plate” in their love and service in the church. It’s their church now. They are using their gifts and talents to serve in various areas of church life. “One generation will tell another generation“….and we are seeing that happen in our family! What a joy!
One of my favorite memories was a Sunday morning meeting in Midlothian High School. The worship was particularly sweet that morning. There was a sense that you didn’t want it to end! And it didn’t! Gene stood up and said he wasn’t going to preach that morning because the Spirit was directing us to continue to worship in His presence! It was such a joy to see the Spirit interrupt our plans and “linger” in His presence. It kind of felt like a big care group going on and on…..so sweet and intimate was our time with the Lord that day.
I remember my husband, Bob, telling me one month before we were married that he felt the Lord was directing us to help Gene and Liz build churches. Well….I like “comfortable” and I don’t like “risk.” I like “being at home” and I don’t like “new adventures!” So, to think that we were going to leave all that I “liked”, everything that made life “comfortable” for me was not what I wanted to hear as a new bride! But ,as I look back at the two churches we have been privileged to serve and start, I’m glad I followed the lead of my “visionary” husband. Church was primary….all else was secondary. His passion became my passion. What a joy to see this church growing and thriving! It was worth it all…to lay aside the comfortable for the eternal.
In this series of posts we interviewed members of KingsWay that have been attending since the church was planted in 1989.
Daniel and Heather Robertson both grew up in KingsWay. Their families were a part of the original church plant. This is how Daniel 
describes one of their early interactions: “In 1989, at age 7, with the smell of heavily buttered popcorn wafting through the dimly lit, sticky floored movie theater, our fathers tuned their guitars, and discussed song transitions for that morning’s worship service. I sat in a squeaky, poorly padded movie theater seat next to a young girl who shared her pop-tart with me, well the pop-tart crust, that is. That young girl, Heather Whitman, whom I married on October 14, 2006 in the KingsWay auditorium, is now not only my wonderful wife, but the mother to our beautiful son.”
There have been so many changes in KingsWay over the past 20 years; this was Daniel’s view on what the 
biggest change in KingsWay has been over these 20 years. “A. well.. there were home 
groups, then cell groups, then small groups, then care groups, then community groups… Considering we started meeting in our living rooms and then a movie theater, then a school, then another school, I would have to say that our largest change has been the building.” Daniel said that the biggest change in his family was the fact that he now has over 500 brothers and sister!
As you are aware by now we are celebrating 20 years of God’s faithfulness towards us as a church next weekend, March 21 and 22. Here are a few details to aid in your preparations for the weekend:
1. Pictures - please bring a picture of your family (recent, or for the brave, what you looked like the year you first came to KingsWay) to put up on our timeline. The timeline will be in the foyer this Sunday, but you can also still add a picture as late as next Saturday evening.
2. We’ll begin at 5:30 on Saturday the 21st in the auditorium with a church-wide dinner. Please bring a side dish and dessert to share. Following our meal together we’ll enjoy a video journey that will take us from KingsWay’s earliest days up until the present. We’ll be reminded of God’s kindness and faithfulness, and if the pictures circulating on facebook are any indication, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to laugh at ourselves along the way!
3. Sunday morning, the 22nd, we continue our celebration during the morning meeting capped off with a message by CJ Mahaney. It’s a time you won’t want to miss and also a wonderful opportunity to invite friends.
See you there!
NEXT is a conference this May 23-26 in Baltimore with a passion for transferring the gospel to the next generation. Like New Attitude before it, NEXT’s primary goal is to connect attendees with Jesus Christ Himself, as well as His work on their behalf.
Where NEXT diverges a bit from New Attitude’s game plan is in who is being encouraged to attend. NEXT is not limited to a particular age group or marital status but open to all who desire to know Jesus better and share Him with others, whether you are 18, 35, or 60.
Get lots more info about NEXT, including conference rates and registration, at thisisnext.org.
KingsWay has a limited block of rooms near the convention center that will be available only till the end of this month. The cost is $440 per room for the 3 nights of the conference (for up to 4 people depending on the room chosen). The Baltimore Marriott also has a $24/day parking fee that the NEXT staff is trying to get waived/reduced but no guarantees on that! If you are interested in purchasing a room (by yourself or with a couple friends), contact Riette at the church office before March 29th for more information.
In this series of posts we interviewed members of KingsWay that have been attending since the church was planted in 1989.
Kathryn Dixon is one of the youngest “original members” of KingsWay. She was attending KingsWay with her parents as an infant. “When I was 16 years old, God began to show me how blessed I had been to have had the privilege of being a part of KingsWay for so long. I realized that one of the main reasons why my faith was strong was because of the godly teaching I had for so many years… Kingsway made every effort to make sure my heart was always being spiritually nourished with scripture and biblical teaching.”
When Kathryn was 17 she officially became a member of KingsWay. According to Kathryn this was one of the most exciting days of her life. She was no longer committed because her parents were; she knew that God had called her to become a member as she continued to use her gifts to serve at KingsWay. “God has used KingsWay to affect my life and shape my values in so many ways.”
A fun memory Kathryn shared was from her teen years at KingsWay. “I always enjoyed going to frontline. When I first started attending frontline, we met at Walkins Elementary School… Frontline started at 7PM, but everyone who was serving had to get there around 4:30 PM. I can remember everyone helping unload all the sound and music equipment from the “big yellow truck” (usually Adam Hiler would drive it). Then we would set everything up, do sound check, practice our worship songs, and then eat pizza before frontline began. Afterward, we would have to clean up everything and load the “big yellow truck” back up again. Essentially, during those years, frontline nights for me lasted from about 4:30 to 11:00 PM. at night! I can remember finding it kind of strange once the new building opened not having to set up anything before frontline or take down any music stuff afterward. However, I think everyone quickly warmed up to this new concept!”
Friday night the pastors delivered on their promise to fix dinner for their wives following their defeat in the gingerbread house competition.
We gathered at the Emerson home and the guys set about their tasks while the ladies enjoyed some fellowship together.
Our assignments were as follows:
- Gene provided hot and cold drinks and grilled the chicken.
- Doug marinaded the chicken and prepared the sea salt rubbed baked potatoes (some roughly the size of footballs)
- Steve prepared the rolls
- Matthew made oven broiled asparagus
- Ken…I’m not sure what Ken did, but he tried to give the appearance of looking busy
- Aaron made a chocolate cheesecake
- Sadly,
the Brewers were unable to join us in order to tend to sick children, but James did bring by a fruit tray that served as our appetizer…
Though we aren’t available for large events - due to the risk of being sued by a large number of people - we would be willing to consider smaller venues for the right price (and a signed waiver.)
On second thought, your best bet would be to just let us know if you want any recipes…
The pastors took Steve out to Buffalo Wild Wings for his last official day in the office last Friday. We each enjoyed spending time with and honoring our friend. Here are a few of the less significant highlights:
- While most of the guys satisfied their thirst with the usual waters, cokes, and diets, our Senior Pastor ventured onto the wild side with the pinkest drink available, “wild” lemonade.
- By Steve’s request, Matthew was required to eat a couple of wings before pulling the multi-multi-grain bread sandwich he brought out of his pocket. (He did try saying that he liked the parmesan garlic wings, but none of us believed him.)
- Aaron was declared winner of the “cleanest bones” award. He left the marrow intact but not much else. (Picture withheld in the name of taste, and the benefit of those preferring to keep their appetites.)
OK, so it’s officially Valentine’s Season (the retail market makes that very clear).
I’d love to hear from some of the ladies on how your guy has done it right. Tell me about a time when your man got high marks in the romance department (it doesn’t need to be from Valentines and it doesn’t need to be from this year) and I’ll try to post a few stories that might particularly honor some of the guys (and give the rest of us some helpful ideas!)
Simply submit a comment to this post and I’ll try to publish as many of them as I can between now and the 14th.
