The Lord's Church

Just prior to The Lord’s Church moving to the former boarding house in the Ettrick community in 1996, residents were so against the boarding house, once a single family dwelling, because of its sordid history (drug infested that brought more than 150 visits form the police in the late 1980s) that they formed Ettrick on the Move. At that time, the community action group gained a reputation as an operation responsible for rebuilding the Village of Ettrick.

When the county’s Planning Commission found out that the owner of the single family dwelling had built a family room that had been turned into a boarding house to hold up to 20 people, the owner was allowed to keep the operation with one condition. If the property ever changed hands, the boarding house could not continue.

A short time later, Mr. L. Pace Mimms, Realtor, purchased the property himself and began marketing it as an adult day care center. When that was unsuccessful, Mr. Mimms said he began looking at other options for the building.

That’s when Rev. Howard Moses entered the picture. Rev. Moses was the Co-Pastor of The Lord’s Church Baptist with the late Rev. Donald Johnson. The six-month old congregation had a home on the Boulevard, just north of Colonial Heights, VA. The boarding house will now serve as their new church home. Church officials called it a “new start.”

Though several groups had expressed an interest in the building, Mr. Mimms decided to sell the property to the church. Pastor Moses said the 45-member congregation plans to begin renovations immediately. The boarding house addition to the original home will serve as the sanctuary.

Mr. Mimms said he wanted to do something good for the community that would sit well with the residents. Residents are in fact quite happy with the building’s new residents.

The late John Stackhouse, President of Ettrick on the Move and a former vocal opponent of the boarding house, was there for the official handing over of the keys from Mr. Mimms to Rev. Moses and Rev. Johnson while their Spiritual mentor the late Frederick L. Ray, Pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church, Woodbridge, VA, proudly looked on. Mr. Stackhouse said, “Their purpose seems to suit the community. And we hope this will be a good match.”

Mr. Stackhouse and Mrs. Renny Humphrey (former Chesterfield County Matoaca District Supervisor) were present and spoke at the initial service. Mr. Stackhouse and family helped us with the clothes closet and implementation of the computer program for seniors of Ettrick, VA.