Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Church Anniversary Set

Life Line Chapel, located off Highway 371 South just outside the Prescott city limits, will celebrate its first anniversary of ministry in Prescott in November.

The pastor of the church is Rev. David W. Burgess.

The church came into existance after the Red River Association in Arkadelphia acquired an empty building that had housed another church.

"That church had disbanded and the property had reverted back to the association, with the understanding that the building would always be a Baptist church," Rev. Burgess said.

"Second Baptist of Arkadelphia commissioned me to open the church and to begin a brand new mission work."

His specific instruction was that the work be an innovative style of worship, something different, a new way of doing things, to break some of the old traditions and introduce a willingness to reach out to the community in a loving, compassionate, caring way, ignoring dress and other status requrements.

"This mission work was different from most (Baptist) mission works in that, usually, a church sends out a team of people to begin a new mission and they stay till the church is on its feet and can support itself with ample teachers and funds."

He had four people to help him and they committed for three months. After that he had only two helping, and after February of this year, when the church had its commissioning service, he had only one to stay.

On November 3, 1996, Rev. Burgess opened the door to 12 people, two of which were he and his wife, Shirley, and his four helpers from Second Baptist in Arkadelphia. Today the church has 37 members.

Rev. Burgess was born in Little Rock. He graduated from Glen Rose High School where he played football and basketball. He attended University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and has been an evangelist for the better part of his career, but has served as associate pastor at several churches in Arkansas before being called to Life Line.

He is presently pursuing a degree in seminary. He is serving on the Red River Association's committee for new church starts. He is also on the commmittee for race relations.