Greater Faith Community Church Founder – Reverend Mary Roland
Reverend Mary Roland, an
ordained minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, formally of Chicago, Illinois,
purchased a home on Kibbie Road in South Haven, Michigan, in the year 1945.
Seeing the need for a church in the community, she began to hold prayer
meetings in different homes. These meetings soon brought forth the decision to
organize into a church.
Services were held in the home of Rev. Roland on Kibbie road,
north of Baseline road. The church continued to grow and the prayer meetings
were well attended. Rev. Roland soon bought a larger place on Kibbie road (CR
687), north of Phoenix road. There at her home, they continued to hold regular
meetings.
In May, 1953, a building project was started at 03219 CR 687, as
planned. Rev. Roland drew the plans for the church; she also did some of the
carpentry work and whatever else she could do to help. In November, 1954, they
moved into the church building, which had been partitioned off so that service
could be held there while the main part was still under construction. In
October, 1955, the church building was completed enough to hold services in the
main auditorium. On October 30, 1955, Rev. Roland and the congregation marched
through the front door of the church to begin the morning service.
On November 6, 1955, the Order of Prince Hall, Masons of Covert,
Michigan, laid the cornerstone in the building. May 1, 1956, the church was
fully completed with a beautiful cross in the ceiling to light the auditorium.
In 1978, Rev. Mary Roland, the Founder and Pastor of Kibbie Community Church
for more than (30) thirty years, retired as pastor; and on May 13, 1989, God
called His faithful servant home.
In 2005, as we grew in Spirit and in Faith; and through the
ministry began by Rev. Mary Roland, Greater Faith Community Church was birthed.
Rev. Mary Roland, the Founder and Pastor of Kibbie Community Church, was a
significant inspiration for Greater Faith Community Church.
