Cleveland, MS
It all started as a burden for Pastor and Sister Everette Loper, church planters in Cleveland, Mississippi, but quickly became a reality. Nine years ago, Sister Loper was working on her Bachelor’s degree at Delta State University in Cleveland, and Brother Loper was faithfully serving with the ministry team at the Pentecostals of Grenada. Under our pastor’s leadership, Rev. David Tipton, Brother Loper, sought God’s direction for our ministry.
On December 11, 2011, while driving to Sister Loper’s graduation ceremony, as they were going through the city of Cleveland, Brother Loper stated, “If God ever calls us to do a church plant, I hope it is to a city like this.” Sister Loper’s heart jumped with excitement. Within the last year of her degree, Sister Loper had developed a love and burden for this beautiful little city in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. For the first time, she opened up and shared her heart with Brother Loper.
Nothing more was said by either party for the next nine months. By this time, Sister Loper was again attending Delta State University, working on her Master’s degree and working as a Graduate Assistant (GA) in the Registrar’s office. Within three months of working as a GA, Institutional Research and Planning gave her a full-time position on October 8, 2012. When she applied, Brother Loper stated, “If she gets this job, we are going to start praying to see if this is where God wants us to be.”
Within a few weeks, Brother and Sister Loper attended the annual Section 3, Christmas for Christ (CFC) banquet. During the CFC presentation, the song “Help Me” by Brother Cortt Chavis caused both Brother and Sister Loper to wept as they realized God called them! Brother Loper spoke to Brother Nolan Lewis, our sectional presbyter, that night and let him know our burden and that they wanted to go to Cleveland. After Brother Loper talked to our pastor, Brother Tipton, they decided to meet with the board to be approved.
In January 2013, they decided to move to Cleveland, so Sister Loper would have to drive 2 hours each day to get to work. In the early spring of that year, Brother and Sister Loper met with the board at the Mississippi District UPCI office in Raymond and was approved to be church planters to Cleveland. Within three months after moving to Cleveland, they held their first church service in their small apartment’s living room. There were four members in attendance, Brother Loper, Sister Loper, their daughter, and son. For the next six months, they had one faithful member that attended their services with them.
The next year, they began to see growth after moving out of the apartment into a home with a living room and a den. The den was used as the sanctuary, and the living room becomes the Sunday school room. With 18 to 20 members attending, they needed a larger space. They then moved into a home with a double car garage with a private bathroom, which they converted into a sanctuary. They grew to around 26 to 30 members during this time. However, this was to be a temporary location.
A year into the two-year lease, the landlord informed them he was selling the home. They were devastated. What would they do? Where would they go? But, God had a plan. Stepping out on faith, in January 2017, they rented a building at 3762 Hwy 61 North. The building was unusable when rented, so working day and night from February through June, the pastor and church members remodeled the building. On Pentecost Sunday, June 4, 2017, Cleveland’s Pentecostals had their first official service in their current location. What a time of rejoicing it was for the Pentecostal of Cleveland (POC) church family.
For the last three years, they have continued to fulfill their vision for Cleveland, Mississippi. There are highs and lows with any church, but they are currently around 30 members in attendance at this small church plant. However, they are not stopping here. The burden is still intact, the vision is stronger than ever, and Cleveland’s Pentecostals is a church planted on the sure foundation. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6.