A guest post by Howard Kessa of Floulex Web, who built this website.
This is the new home online for The Inspire Church: Divine Inspiration Full Gospel Baptist Church, a Full Gospel Baptist church in Raleigh, North Carolina. I had the privilege of building it, and before you click around, I would like to tell you a little about the church I got to know while putting these pages together.
A church that started in a home
This church began in April 2012 inside the home of its pastor, Reverend Dr. Lori Michelle, in Garner, North Carolina. From her home it grew to 1500-A Garner Road in Raleigh. Its first name was Divine Inspiration Victorious Assembly. Later the pastor was instructed to change the name to Divine Inspiration Worship and Outreach Center, and to make Divine Inspiration Victorious Assembly the parent association for a nonprofit that would help single parents and families struggling to feed their families and clothe their children.
That is why the words Worship and Outreach Center sit on the church’s crest, under the dove, the crown, the open Bible and the sword. Outreach is not a side project here. It is part of the name. The calling, in the pastor’s own words, is to “become a network of blessings to the Raleigh community.” You can read the whole story on the About page.
Meet Dr. Lori
Dr. Lori is originally from Smithfield, North Carolina. From the time she was 11 years old she grew up under the ministry of L. Foday Farrar at Wake Baptist Grove, and she stayed with that ministry as it expanded to Solid Rock Ministry International. In 1998 she preached her initial sermon, “Stay in the Race”, and she remained under his tutelage until 2008.
She was later ordained under the ministry of Apostle Dr. Etta Brown of True Gospel Pentecostal Ministries. Dr. Brown inspired her to preach the gospel as God had ordained and called her, and “to never be put in a box”.
What kind of church this is
The church is denominational and charismatic, and its name tells you it is Full Gospel Baptist. Here is its statement of faith, in the church’s own words: “We believe if it can be done, God can do it.” I have not tried to explain that or add to it. It says what it says.
Your first Sunday in Raleigh
If you are thinking about visiting, these are the things I would want to know before my first Sunday:
- Worship is on Sunday from 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM, every Sunday except the fifth Sunday of the month.
- The church meets inside a chapel at 2720 South Wilmington Street in Raleigh.
- The parking lot is open, with parking at the front, the side and the back of the building.
- There is no separate children’s church yet. Children stay in the chapel with everyone, or they can go to the playroom to color and learn Bible verses.
- People wear a mix of everything, so come as you are.
The Visit page has all of this in one place, with a map of the chapel.
Something happens almost every day
What struck me most was how full this church’s week is. Bible study meets on Zoom on Wednesday nights from 7:45 to 8:25 PM. Youth Night is Tuesday from 6 to 8 PM. Singles Ministry meets on Thursday from 7 to 8 PM, and Couples Ministry meets on Friday from 7 to 8 PM. And every Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM is outreach. Sunday worship plus five ministry days means something is happening six days of the week. Each one is listed on the Ministries page.
Why the site looks the way it does
The colors come straight from the church’s crest: the royal purple of its circle, the magenta of its lettering and the gold of its crown. Everything else is arranged so that someone looking at a phone can find the service time, the address and the phone number in a few seconds. If you have a question the site does not answer, call the church at 919-931-0430, or use the Contact page.
It has been a joy to build this for Dr. Lori and her church, and I hope it helps a few more people in Raleigh find their way to the chapel on South Wilmington Street. If your church needs a website of its own, you can learn more about my work at Floulex Web.