New Horizons Christian Fellowship
Starkville, Mississippi
“...a diverse group of people, each of whom simply have met Jesus and are being changed by Him. As a part of God’s Kingdom family, we come together as His children, to hear from Him, sing to Him and to serve, encourage and learn from our brothers and sisters on mission for Him, seeking, receiving and advancing the Kingdom of God...”
After a couple of years of meeting at the “Bar,” New Horizons expanded and began meeting at the old Burger King, the “Log Cabin” building on Highway 12- the current location of Chick-Fil-A Starkville. During this time we began “Men’s Lunch, Band of Brothers” hosting a gathering of believers across the Body of Christ in Starkville, representing over 20 local churches and their leadership! They still meet each Thursday! We saw incredible moves of God and powerful times of corporate worship, New Horizons expanded to host a College & Young Adults Bible Study that met in Strange Brew across the road, several Kingdom Kids programs, and many other ministries within our Body. New Horizons met in the “Burger King” until January of 2011.
Without a “home,” the New Horizons family was blessed when the First Assembly of God offered their facilities when not in use. New Horizons weekly meeting times were explored on Saturday nights, early Sunday mornings, and finally ended up being Sunday nights. Where a culture of celebration and meals developed.
For a year and a half, New Horizons met at First Assembly of God, leadership
realized that New Horizons needed its own facility and needed to have its own Sunday morning worship time. Meeting at other times in someone else’s building had led to a decline in regular attendance, but also a real strengthening of vision and resolve for a core group of people. These were foundational years in the Lord refining our mission and vision forward.
Through two generous donations from a Starkville family outside of the church, New Horizons was blessed with four acres of prime real estate, debt free. The location off of Lynn Lane, became New Horizon’s “home”. The current building was completed in October of 2012 and we have been advancing the Kingdom of God ever since. The name of the location is “Common Ground”, hosting several ministries and used as a hub for local missions and ministries.
Staying true to our core mission and vision God has called us into, New Horizons has coordinated over 200 individuals a year going on foreign mission trips to Central America and Asia. New Horizons is also the international home of many non-western missionaries serving long term in over 9 Asian countries and other countries. New Horizons has also led in community response to natural disasters both locally and internationally. Having been at our current location for around 13 years, and now entering our 20th year since beginning to meet as a fellowship, we are filled with hope and praying for revival. Our cry is “more Lord”, seeing believers mobilized into ministry in every sphere of their lives.
In the Spring of 2005 a few individuals and families from various church backgrounds began meeting in homes to fellowship and pray for God to move across the Body of Christ in our community and around the world. Some of these were also meeting in a home on Sunday mornings. At the same time, Johnny Buckner, a foreign missionary having returned home with his family on a sabbatical, was finishing an interim term of service in another local fellowship. Sensing that God was doing a new thing, this home group asked Johnny and his wife, Debbie, to lead their group into its next stage of development.
On June 12, 2005, the group met for the first time outside of a home in the old sports bar/restaurant in Starkville’s University Inn. The first meeting was marked with excitement and anticipation as the bar was packed with many who had never met each other, but had much in common through their passionate hunger and thirst for God. Without common routines and traditions, this new fellowship began with a commitment to do only what God put on their hearts through prayer and His Word. Over time, a leadership team began to develop and came to be recognized by the Body- this became our eldership and a core value at NHCF.
The name “New Horizons Christian Fellowship” came after much prayer and discussion on vision and values. From the very beginning, New Horizons determined to be about serving and blessing the Body of Christ in the Starkville and reaching the lost and un-churched around the world.
