“How did Victory Baptist Church start?” Someone might ask while standing here. Victory Baptist Church began as Victory Baptist Church of Garland. That was back on November 4 1973. Howard Neal was its first pastor. The church first gathered at a Garland shopping center.
Let’s talk about its journey. In April 1975 Victory Baptist Church found a new home. It moved to 2817 Main St in Rowlett. Roy Gilleland became the senior pastor on October 19 1975. He served until July 8 1979. The first baptism service at the new building was on November 28 1976. Before that people were baptized in Lake Ray Hubbard.
Victory Baptist Church saw changes over the years. From 1978 to 2012 it had several pastors. In 2012 Dr Terry Smith came out of retirement to help. During his time the church was remodeled. More people joined and the first Pastor’s Conference took place. Members felt God’s blessings during this period.
Now let’s fast forward to 2019. God started working in Matthew and Susan’s hearts. He was calling Matthew to become a pastor. They moved to Texas in 2020. In 2022 Matthew met Pastor Terry. They both felt God was opening the door for Matthew. He would become the new pastor when Pastor Terry retired. In May 2023 Victory Baptist Church voted for Matthew Hon. He became the pastor on June 1 2023.
Matthew Hon brought a lot of experience. He had worked with church budgets. He organized Mission Conferences and Vacation Bible Schools. He had worked with children teenagers and adults. He even started Adult Bible Classes. These classes had about 45 people attending. Matthew had preached in churches in different states. He also preached in other countries for missionaries.
What about the future of Victory Baptist Church? The church has a history of growth. It prays for God’s blessings to continue. The members want to reach more people for God. They want the church to be a home for everyone to serve Him. They ask God to keep it a place where lives change. It should be a place where families grow and people know Him. Victory Baptist Church seeks to be such a place.