Our History
Our Beginnings
Faith Community Church was founded on October 24, 1993 in Greensboro, NC. The founders included 12 members of a bible study group who were led to start a new worshiping community after a series of meetings in 1992 at the Poor People’s Office. Members of the newly formed church gathered in the home of the founding pastor, Rev. Nelson Johnson, to partake in the first communion service for Faith Community Church.
Shortly after, the first formal worship service was held in the basement of Hayes-Taylor YMCA. For the next two years, Hayes-Taylor served as the place of worship of Faith Community Church until a building was acquired to host church services.
A New Place of Worship
In 1994, a building was purchased (417 Arlington Street) to serve as the official church home of Faith Community Church. There were little to no resources to support repairs, so members of the church chipped in with their resources to renovate the building. Others in the community also supported Faith Community Church by providing supplies, including pews and pulpit furniture that were gifted by East White Oak Baptist Church.
As the church grew, the demographic of the members in attendance expanded. People from various racial groups and denominational backgrounds including Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Holiness, and other traditions chose Faith Community Church as their place of worship.
Over the next 25 years, Rev. Nelson Johnson served the church as the visionary and leader nurturing a core belief that we are called to be God’s agents, engaging injustice wherever it exists. In addition to growing the core ministries of the church, Rev. Dr. Nelson Johnson also served as the Founding Co-Executive Director, along with his wife Joyce Hobson Johnson, of The Beloved Community Center of Greensboro, a community-based, grassroots organization rooted in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of proactive struggles for racial and economic justice, democracy, and beloved community.
A New Chapter
A New Beginning
On October 14, 2018, Faith Community Church welcomed Reverend Wesley Morris as its second pastor. In Pastor Morris’ short time, he has been dedicated to reestablishing ministries, revitalizing our sanctuary, and pastoring through the COVID-19 pandemic–one of the most difficult chapters in world history. Pastor Wesley’s love for teaching has taken FCC beyond the walls as we now have welcomed a virtual ministry. We have certainly come this far by faith.
