Fellowship began in December of 1983 when a group of about 30 believers united together in prayer to plant a new church with a fresh vision for reaching others for Christ. After meeting a few weeks in the home of Clifton and Kay Frink, a store front was rented on 56th St. in Temple Terrace for $100.00 a month. In April, the church was officially organized with 111 charter members voting Scotty Drake as Pastor.
A year later, property with an existing building was purchased on 109th Ave. in Tampa. The growing church required further pastoral assistance and in 1986, Cliff Frink was called as Associate Pastor. The growth of the church enabled the construction of a new auditorium in 1988.
In October of 1995, the church called Cliff Frink as the next senior pastor. Pastor Cliff was inspired by Isaiah 54:2 to “Enlarge the place of our tent” and in 1998, he led the church to sell the property on 109th and purchase the current property we call home today in Thonotosassa. For 2 years while construction took place, the church met in Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace.
In June of 2002, the first worship service was held in the building that currently houses the Student Ministry. Just 2 years later in August of 2004, the church began to occupy the current worship auditorium.
The faith of our church was tested mightily in 2006 when Pastor Cliff was diagnosed with cancer and went home to be with the Lord in October of that year. In spite of the painful circumstances from this great loss, the church moved by a desire to “choose faith” and called Mike Grover as our third Senior Pastor in May 2007.
Over these years the church has become a welcomed part of the eastern Hillsborough County community and has been blessed of the Lord to experience spiritual and numerical growth. The added needs of the ministry led to the addition of classroom space and the construction of the multi-purpose Connection Center with a grand opening on Easter Sunday 2019.
We look forward to the continued opportunities we have to serve the needs of this community and beyond through the good news of Jesus Christ.
