After 60-plus years, a Belleville church will close after Sunday’s service
Calvary Assembly of God in Belleville announced this week its last services will take place Sunday, June 28. The announcement came in a letter from Senior Pastor R.J. Potter.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control,” wrote Potter, “the board and I have seen it necessary to make an extremely difficult decision. We have come to realize that it is time to close our beloved church.”
Potter told the News-Democrat that the congregation has been in decline over the last 25 years, when they had around 30 members.
By the time his predecessor, Senior Pastor Carl Bowlin, retired in October, it was down to 12 members, consisting of Potter and his wife, and the church’s deacons and their wives, he said.
Once the church closes, the property and its inventory will revert to the church’s district council. If any other churches in the area can use the existing resources, they will be distributed, Potter said.
The property’s fate has not yet been determined. Potter said the Assemblies of God may try to plant a new church, or the site could be used by another church organization.
As for Potter’s next steps, he said that he and his wife have been in ministry since their 20s. At 51, he plans to step back from ministry for about six months and decide where to go from there.“All we can do is keep serving Jesus Christ and do what he commands us to do,” Potter said.
About Calvary Assembly of God
For more than 60 years, Calvary Assembly of God held services at 611 McClintock Ave.
Its first services were held at the location on June 20, 1965, according to a BND archive story. Dedication services were held in early July 1965.
The church, formerly known as Westside Assembly of God Church, previously was located at 3009 S. Belt W. Westside was organized Aug. 14, 1955.
Before relocating to the McClintock Avenue site, the building was occupied by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
