There’s a little white church in Fort Wayne, Indiana that has a storied past and an exciting future. Pastors Patrick and Judy Haskins have been leading Light of Life Faith Center for 14 years, seven of which have been in their current location on Hanna Street. Located in the Northeastern corner of Indiana, Fort Wayne is said to be the second largest city in Indiana. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Fort Wayne is just under 266,000, making it the 83rd largest city in the United States. Ask Pastors Patrick and Judy how they feel about their city, and they are quick to sing its praises. They feel called to this area, Judy as a native and Patrick as a transplant from East L.A.
Light of Life Faith Center
Pastor Patrick’s childhood and young adult years in East L.A. were far from idyllic; he describes them as rough and full of hard times. He was involved in gangs and even a drug addict. In the 1970’s, he took a job in New York working as a furniture maker. He was given a Bible by a Pentecostal preacher, and when his mother told him it was the best book ever written, he dove right in. He was still working on reading through the Bible when he heard a fellow coworker misquote a common verse. The misinformed said: “Do to others before they do to you.” Even though Pastor Patrick was not a Christian at that time, the misquote angered him greatly. He found himself telling his coworker that if he was going to quote the Bible, he needed to get it right! Pastor Patrick was searching for answers, and he felt pretty sure they could be found in this Bible that had suddenly become very important to him. In 1979, Pastor Patrick accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and he has never looked back.
Pastor Judy’s salvation story is much different than her husband’s; she became a follower of Christ at the young age of six. She felt the pull to evangelism and street ministry immediately, as she wanted everyone to hear about Jesus. She mentioned that the “old school” four spiritual law tracts were like her personal treasure, passing them out as a lifeline for each soul she encountered. Pastor Judy was, and is, alight with the fire of Jesus Christ! Street ministry has remained a large part of her personal calling, saying: “The people we are reaching, they are the ones no one else wants.”
Pastors Patrick and Judy Haskins
Pastor Patrick spent a good portion of his Christian life engaging in street ministry as well. He started an “outside church” in 1990, where he pastored for 12 years. The church, under the leadership of a different pastor now, is still going strong! The biggest hurdle the pastors have faced in their evangelistic endeavors has been trying to get people from the street into a brick-and-mortar church. Pastor Judy remarked: “The truth is, the churches don’t want these people inside.” But Light of Life Faith Center surely does!
As the pastors looked at the location in which their church currently resides, they were aware that they were moving into a rough neighborhood; three women had been murdered in the alley directly behind the church. When the move eventually took place, there were a lot of members who didn’t come with them. The members remarked: “We’ve got to think of the children!” The Pastors understood, but they were going to go forward with the move anyway. This new location was exactly where they needed to be.
Surprisingly, they soon discovered that this church had been pastored by Jack Hayford many years ago. The late Jack Hayford was a pastor and President of the Church of the Foursquare Gospel, whose ministry impacted many in the IPHC. This little white church already had a rich history of being filled with great men and women of God, and it looked like that legacy would continue.
When Pastors Patrick and Judy went by the church initially to check it out and see if it would meet their needs, Pastor Judy was struck with a vision. They were inside the church, and she could see and hear an abundance of water. But the water was flowing up! The water flowed up, out of the roof, over the church, into the surrounding homes, covering people in the streets, and throughout the city. Pastor Judy wasn’t the only one to have a vision about this little white church. This church on Hanna Street was Jack Hayford’s first pastorate, and his wife had a very similar vision, except instead of water, she saw fire! The fire reached up to the roof, flowed over top of the roof, onto the surrounding homes and people. So very similar to Pastor Judy’s experience!
Pastors Patrick and Judy remain true to their calling and are very active in their community. Some of their biggest events are tent revivals and what they call “Worship in the Park.” Worship in the Park especially sounds like lots of fun, with the church giving away hotdogs, popcorn, Bibles, and even offering a free concert. Other ways they are sowing into the community are with GED classes and Tutoring, as well as their “Encouragement Corner,” where they set up a ten-by-ten tent outside their church where anyone can drop by for a free Bible or to have someone pray with them. Pastor Judy very clearly heard the Lord say to her: “I’m gonna do a ‘wow’!” And according to the Haskins, He has absolutely been doing that wow! Sending needed sums of money, providing meals for the neighborhood, teams of people to set up and tear down tents for the revivals. The blessings are numerous!
Light of Life Faith Center has a big mission with two pastors who will continue putting in the work. Bishop Butch Deer, of the Ephesians 4 Conference, said of the pastors: “Those two are the most loving people you will ever meet. They minister to, they are called to, the ‘down and outers.’” Pastor Judy definitely feels the call to the “down and outers”. She said: “Some people question who can be saved. We just stick to the Bible – ‘Whosoever’! Whosoever wants to come – come on!” All are welcome at the little white church on the corner in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
