About
Our Mission: Mark 16:15
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Maranatha means “The Lord Cometh!”
- Reaching our world with the love of Jesus!
- Teaching the church to live as Christ lived!
- Sending out the disciples of Christ to reach this world!
Maranatha is a group of believers who desire to live our lives for the Glory of God! We believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the model for how we should live. The Bible is the inspired word of God and a letter from Him to us to give us direction, correction, and instruction for our lives.
While we are blessed to have wonderful facilities here at Maranatha, we believe that the church is not a building but rather each of us who are followers of Jesus make up the Church.
In our services we strive for a balance of powerful praise and also the preaching of the Word of God!
Being an Evangelical Church, we strongly believe in the Great Commission. (Matt 28:18-20)
From our beginning, we have been affiliated with the General Council of the Assemblies Of God, headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. Accordingly, we hold to a statement of faith (”Fundamentals of Faith”) summarized in the beliefs section.
History
Maranatha Assembly of God was founded on January 8, 1978 in Decatur, Illinois through the effort, leadership, and guidance of Pastor Doug Lowery and his wife, Rosemary. Upon returning to the area where they had been raised, Pastor Doug, Rosemary, Becky (5), Bobby (3), and Debby (on the way), started Maranatha in the Victorian Room of the Hotel Orlando. There were 38 people present that first Sunday morning. God began to bless and by Mother’s Day of that year they had outgrown the Victorian Room. As Maranatha has continued to grow, it has gone through 3 location changes to where it is today.
Maranatha Assembly has grown to be included in the top 100 churches in the Assemblies of God in: Sunday School attendance, Morning Worship attendance, and World Missions giving. We are presently in the top 5 in the Illinois District in those categories as well. To God be the glory!
We thank God for the Lowery’s and the vision they have faithfully followed. Pastor Doug has been a dynamic, dedicated, and determined leader. We honor him and his wife for their devotion to the Lord.
God’s hand of blessing has been upon our church and we have seen growth in attendance, visitors, and decisions made for Christ. We, the Church Board, Staff, and Members of Maranatha, thank God for the ministry of Pastors Doug and Rosemary Lowery.
In June of 1978, a high point in attendance was reached with 151 people being present. Maranatha was on its way! The growth was steady and continuous through the next year as the Ballroom in the Hotel Orlando housed this new church.
In December 1979, the church faced another move. The Hotel Orlando was deemed unsafe to public gatherings by the City Fire Marshall. They were forced to move to another location. A year prior to this time, Maranatha had signed a contract to buy the Riverside Baptist Church at 945 South Jasper Street. However, the move-in date was not until March 17, 1980. So for a three and one half month period, Parsons Grade School auditorium served as a temporary meeting place.
Finally, March 17, 1980 came and Maranatha moved into a “permanent” location, the former Riverside Baptist Church facility. Nearly 400 worshippers were on hand for this first service. As the Lord continued to bless Maranatha, the church purchased 23 1/2 acres of land in the year of 1982 on Imboden Drive. In the spring of 1984, Maranatha moved into the multiple purpose building. The facility was used as a gym and sanctuary. As the church continued to grow, multiple services and staff were added.
In the fall of 1990, ground was broken for a new sanctuary. During camp meeting of July, 1994, the congregation moved into the new facility. The formal dedication service was held on Sunday, October 30, 1994. God has blessed this congregation in a marvelous way. We praise God for His faithfulness and look forward with expectancy to what lies ahead in the days to come for Maranatha Assembly of God!