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Manifested Promises marking 50th anniversary
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Manifested Promises, The Living Word Church, honors the legacy of its founders and reflects the beliefs of its members.
Bishop Jacob Robinson and his wife, Willie V., founded the church in 1965 with the first service on Palm Sunday.
A three-day celebration is planned later this month.
It began as a part of Mount Moriah Fire Baptized Church, now closed, and was known as Mount Moriah House of Prayer.
Pastor Otto L. Rosendary was motivated to revamp the name in 2004.
“I was led by God to change the name,” he said. “It reflects what our beliefs are ... God manifests his presence in his word. And God keeps his promises.”
The church remains at its first and only location, 2052 McGuffey Road. The modest church features a sanctuary and lower level with fellowship space.
Recently, Pastor Rosendary, his wife, Deborah “Debbie,” and Leon Robinson discussed the church and its history.
Debbie and Leon are brother and sister, and it was their parents who founded the church. It continues to be special to them and remains a part of their lives.
Pastor Rosendary has been a member for 37 years and will mark his 25th year as pastor in October. After 35 years of service, he retired from Ohio Edison, where he was a supervisory control electrician in substation.
Sunday attendance is between 25 and 30 people. Though small in number, Pastor Rosendary said the church “doesn’t struggle to pay its bills” because it has financial support from participants.
It also is able to contribute to charitable organizations such as Second Harvest Food Bank, Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley, Heart Reach Ministries and Daily Bread.
Pastor Rosendary said the church follows the belief that “if we give, it will be given to us.” The pastor said the church has continued because of its “giving ways.”
Robinson said he remembers how much his parents “loved the church.”
“It has given me an opportunity to serve God and people,” Robinson said. “Even though the church is small, the experiences here are great.”
“We were there in the beginning. We’ve had ups and downs and had our ministries,” Debbie Rosendary said. “We’ve been blessed ... we know God has manifested the blessing.”
The Rosendarys’ sons, Jason and Marquis, and Robinson’s son, Leon Robinson Jr., are involved in the music ministry and present traditional and contemporary selections.
“Contemporary appeals to youth and traditional to another generation,” Pastor Rosendary said, adding the church blends both into worship.
A recently added screen to project pictures and lyrics of hymns is new technology at the church.
“We used it for the first time on Easter Sunday to show a short film on the risen Christ,” the pastor said.
Debbie Rosendary said the church recently sponsored the seventh annual reunion celebration, a gathering of women from various churches.
“It’s a time of fellowship and nourishing the spirit,” she said, adding “It’s time to let go of problems and be refreshed.”
The pastor said he is hoping to re-establish a church conference that had taken place previously.
The church also has an evangelistic team that works jointly with other churches and NOW Youngstown. A vacation Bible school took place last June, and there are tentative plans for this summer.
Pastor Rosendary said he leads Life Enhancement classes featuring Bible study lessons from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. On Sundays, there is Sunday school for all ages from 9 to 9:45 a.m. followed by worship at 10.
A sign on the sanctuary wall asks the congregation, “Is God Pleased with Your Worship Today?,” and on the way out, “Was God Pleased with Your Worship Today?”
The pastor said those are reminders to focus on worship.
He said he often refers to a Bible passage from Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
And there is even a statue of an eagle in the sanctuary to remind worshipers of the passage.