Our History...
Smyrna Assembly of God held its first meeting at the home of W.G. and Betty Graham on North Matthews Street on January 7, 1953.
A small group led by Reverend Arnold Ford agreed to purchase an abandoned church on Hawthorne Street owned by the Mount Zion Baptist Church for $550.00. After a few weeks of meeting in homes, the church was refurbished enough for the small congregation to begin conducting services in it. Construction soon began on an addition for Sunday school facilities.
Under the pastorate of Reverend James L. Spinks, Sunday school rooms were completed. The church continued to grow and there was a need for additional room to accommodate this growth.
In 1963, Reverend T.C. Harty led the congregation into purchasing the old Smyrna Presbyterian Church. With some major improvements to the roof, Smyrna Assembly of God moved to its new location.
In 1967, under the leadership of Reverend Harris Fennell, other major improvements were completed. In 1971, two large assembly areas were added between existing buildings. Because there was no land available on which to expand further, the congregation voted in 1978 to relocate and build new facilities on King Springs Road.
In 1982, the congregation sold the Church Street facilities to First Baptist Church of Smyrna and in January 1983, they moved to 4100 King Springs Road. Sunday worship services were held next door at the Griffin Middle School and Wednesday evening service was held in the mobile chapel. The first worship service was held on July 1, 1984. A resolution to begin preliminary planning for a new sanctuary was presented at the Annual Business Meeting in February 1993 and the membership voted in favor of this proposal. Groundbreaking services were held on Sunday, July 4, 1997.
In January 1998, Reverend Jon Fennell was elected to serve as the Pastor. Reverend Fennell led the first service in the new sanctuary on Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 1998.
Reverend Shell Osbon was elected to serve as the Pastor in August, 2003. Under his leadership, the church has continued to experience numeric and financial growth necessitating the need for the pastoral and administrative staff to be expanded. The Church has now become the spiritual home to people from over 35 nations and countries of the world, which clearly represents the City of Smyrna as a whole. Major renovations and updates have been made throughout the entire facility. Examples include creating a new conference room, additional offices, a new Student Chapel, a Chapel Café, a new preschool classroom along with new flooring and fresh paint throughout the facility.
Over the years, partnerships have been formed with many community organizations which have allowed the church to support the efforts of others through volunteering and financial donations. We’ve been honored to host major events for schools, fire and police, home-school networks, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, just to name a few.
On Sunday, August 21, 2011, the church voted to change its name to “Life Church Smyrna Assembly of God” with plans to primarily use “Life Church Smyrna” for identifiable purposes.
In January 2017, God brought a refreshing revival to our church which lasted for 7 months. During those powerful services, we were witness to many physical healings and spiritual miracles resulting in people committing their lives to Christ along with families being restored. This special outpouring was and continues to be a fulfillment of prophecies which God had spoken over our church throughout the years.
Significant technological advancements have also been made to expand the reach of our ministry through the church’s website, social media platforms and live stream broadcasts. These became especially important with the March 2020 onset of the COVID Pandemic which allowed people to stay connected to our church during this difficult season and beyond.
While we certainly have a rich and exciting history behind us, we are even more excited about the destiny which lies before us!
PASTORS OF LIFE CHURCH SMYRNA ASSEMBLY OF GOD
Arnold Ford : 01/1953 - 01/1957
James L. Spinks : 02/1957 - 08/1960
T.C. Harty : 08/1960 - 11/1966
Harris Fennell : 12/1966 - 12/1997
Jon Fennell : 01/1998 - 06/2003
Shell Osbon : 08/2003 - Present
A small group led by Reverend Arnold Ford agreed to purchase an abandoned church on Hawthorne Street owned by the Mount Zion Baptist Church for $550.00. After a few weeks of meeting in homes, the church was refurbished enough for the small congregation to begin conducting services in it. Construction soon began on an addition for Sunday school facilities.
Under the pastorate of Reverend James L. Spinks, Sunday school rooms were completed. The church continued to grow and there was a need for additional room to accommodate this growth.
In 1963, Reverend T.C. Harty led the congregation into purchasing the old Smyrna Presbyterian Church. With some major improvements to the roof, Smyrna Assembly of God moved to its new location.
In 1967, under the leadership of Reverend Harris Fennell, other major improvements were completed. In 1971, two large assembly areas were added between existing buildings. Because there was no land available on which to expand further, the congregation voted in 1978 to relocate and build new facilities on King Springs Road.
In 1982, the congregation sold the Church Street facilities to First Baptist Church of Smyrna and in January 1983, they moved to 4100 King Springs Road. Sunday worship services were held next door at the Griffin Middle School and Wednesday evening service was held in the mobile chapel. The first worship service was held on July 1, 1984. A resolution to begin preliminary planning for a new sanctuary was presented at the Annual Business Meeting in February 1993 and the membership voted in favor of this proposal. Groundbreaking services were held on Sunday, July 4, 1997.
In January 1998, Reverend Jon Fennell was elected to serve as the Pastor. Reverend Fennell led the first service in the new sanctuary on Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 1998.
Reverend Shell Osbon was elected to serve as the Pastor in August, 2003. Under his leadership, the church has continued to experience numeric and financial growth necessitating the need for the pastoral and administrative staff to be expanded. The Church has now become the spiritual home to people from over 35 nations and countries of the world, which clearly represents the City of Smyrna as a whole. Major renovations and updates have been made throughout the entire facility. Examples include creating a new conference room, additional offices, a new Student Chapel, a Chapel Café, a new preschool classroom along with new flooring and fresh paint throughout the facility.
Over the years, partnerships have been formed with many community organizations which have allowed the church to support the efforts of others through volunteering and financial donations. We’ve been honored to host major events for schools, fire and police, home-school networks, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, just to name a few.
On Sunday, August 21, 2011, the church voted to change its name to “Life Church Smyrna Assembly of God” with plans to primarily use “Life Church Smyrna” for identifiable purposes.
In January 2017, God brought a refreshing revival to our church which lasted for 7 months. During those powerful services, we were witness to many physical healings and spiritual miracles resulting in people committing their lives to Christ along with families being restored. This special outpouring was and continues to be a fulfillment of prophecies which God had spoken over our church throughout the years.
Significant technological advancements have also been made to expand the reach of our ministry through the church’s website, social media platforms and live stream broadcasts. These became especially important with the March 2020 onset of the COVID Pandemic which allowed people to stay connected to our church during this difficult season and beyond.
While we certainly have a rich and exciting history behind us, we are even more excited about the destiny which lies before us!
PASTORS OF LIFE CHURCH SMYRNA ASSEMBLY OF GOD
Arnold Ford : 01/1953 - 01/1957
James L. Spinks : 02/1957 - 08/1960
T.C. Harty : 08/1960 - 11/1966
Harris Fennell : 12/1966 - 12/1997
Jon Fennell : 01/1998 - 06/2003
Shell Osbon : 08/2003 - Present
What You Can Expect...
When you walk in the door of Life Church Smyrna Assembly of God, the warm greeting you receive from our Hospitality Team will make you feel welcome and appreciated. If you have children, we’ll walk with you to their area and introduce you to our Children’s Ministry Team. These loving folks are highly trained and you will immediately recognize and appreciate the care that your children receive from them. Once the kids are comfortable, we’ll show you to the auditorium and help you find a seat. You are our honored guest, and we are here to serve you. Our adult worship celebration is energetic, loving, and warm. You won’t be singled out and we won’t ask you for money. Instead, you will quickly come to understand that there are great friends here eager to make you feel welcome and get to know you better.