Licensed minister and music director of New Life Apostolic Tabernacle David Illig is proud of his historic church.
According to church documents, New Life has been in the same building at 603 Victor St. since 1928. By 2017, the building was showing its age inside and out, and church attendance was low, with about 10 to 12 per service, he said.
In 2022, the church’s situation is a lot different.
The outside of the building has been refurbished. New carpet has been put in. There are new musical instruments and a sound system that includes wireless microphones. The church’s online presence has increased as well.
The best change has been in attendance. Average attendance is now at 45 to 50 churchgoers per service.
Illig credits the leadership of Pastor Raymond Owens and his family as the force behind all the positive changes.
Raymond Owens preached to the New Life congregation for the first time in 2017. The church board voted him in as pastor on July 9 and Owens moved to Poplar Bluff and assumed the role of lead pastor. His wife, Heather, accompanied him and became the church secretary. His son, Chad, and daughter-in-law, Susie, came as well, and took on the roles of assistant pastor/video ministry director and Sunday school/sign language director, respectively.
Pastor Owens and Chad Owens brought “in depth preaching,” said Illig. The church services became a mixture of traditional and modern praise and worship, he added.
“Under their leadership and God’s guidance, we turned the church around 100%,” said Illig.
To celebrate the improvements, New Life is having a Five Year Owens Family Anniversary Service that will take place on the nights of July 8-10.
The church services on Friday, July 8, will feature guest speakers Jeff Wells of First Pentecostal Church of Dexter and Tony Becker of Abundant Life Church of Jonesboro, Arkansas. Saturday night’s service will feature a slide show of testimonials of conversion, healing and near death experiences. There will also be lots of music.
“Our church is very lively,” said Illig. “There will be singing and lots of dancing and moving around. It will be a singspiration.”
The worship service on Sunday the 10th will be followed by a dinner given in honor of the Owens family.
“We’re proud of the changes they helped us make,” said Illig. “We have everything the big churches offer in a small church setting.”