A Spiritual Hospital in Springfield
The Alive Gathering Ministries occupies a 25,000-square-foot building at 6820 A Commercial Drive in Springfield, Virginia. Pastored by Richard and Faith Davis, the Pentecostal congregation describes itself as a safe harbor, a spiritual hospital, a Holy Spirit medical center, an oasis for hurting people, and a place for restoring ministries. Gifts of the Spirit are evident in every service, prayer for the sick and needy is offered throughout, and charismatic praise and worship open each gathering.
Born From a Beach Walk in 1988
The church began in August 1988 with no money, no people, and no building. The founding traces to a vacation in the Bahamas that year, when Pastor Davis, walking alone on the beach, heard the Spirit of God speak to him: "Go back home and start a church. It's to be a spiritual hospital for hurting people; a safe harbor for those wounded along the path of life." God promised that if he obeyed, the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Pastor Davis took God at His Word. The first Sunday brought 21 people. For seven and a half years the congregation met in a Fairfax County school cafeteria. In 1995, the Commercial Drive space was leased and remodeled into a sanctuary, auditorium, classrooms, fellowship hall, kitchen, and offices. Thousands have been part of the body since, including many singles, families, and children.
Pastor Davis and Faith: A Ministry Journey
Pastor Richard Davis grew up in Northern Maine, raised by his grandparents, and learned the faith in a charismatic Pentecostal church. God blessed him with the talents to sing and play several musical instruments, opening doors for future ministry. He attended Faith School of Theology in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, graduating with high honors, then became music director at the Teen Challenge rehabilitation center in Philadelphia for troubled and addicted youth. There he directed musical groups that traveled across America and to several countries for youth crusades, raising funds along the way. He recorded several gospel albums during those years.
At Teen Challenge, he met Faith Gilbertson from Minnesota. She had attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, served on staff at the TC girls' home, and oversaw the publications department, while lending her singing voice to the music ministry. They were married in 1969 and have one son. In later years, Faith sang the National Anthem at a swearing-in ceremony for a new director at a U.S. Department of Treasury agency in Washington, D.C., with the honor guard in attendance.
Before founding The Alive Gathering Ministries, Pastor Davis served as youth pastor and youth music director at Christian Center in Springfield, then moved on to serve as music director and associate/youth pastor at Reality Gospel Church in Alexandria for 12 years. In the early 1970s the family settled in Northern Virginia.
Sunday Worship and Wednesday Bible Explosion
Worship is held twice on Sunday, at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Each service begins with charismatic praise and worship, followed by anointed preaching of God's Word designed to inspire and transform lives. As the service concludes, Pastor Davis conducts a prayer line where the Holy Spirit ministers to those in spiritual and physical need. Prayer for the sick and needy is woven through every meeting.
Midweek, Bible Explosion meets at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays for focused Bible study in the same Spirit-filled tradition that defines the rest of the church's week.
Kingdom Kids on Friday Nights
Every other Friday evening at 7:00 p.m., the Kingdom Kids ministry gathers children and youth for an evening that runs until about 8:30 p.m. Mrs. Beth Hinkle prepares and serves dinner. After pledges to the American flag, the Christian flag, and the Bible, the children worship, give an offering, hear teaching, and pray. Young people are divided into two age groups, ages 4 through 12 and ages 13 through 18, so each lesson is receivable, applicable, and easy to understand. Recent lessons have explored Jesus as the ultimate Super Hero and the value of godly role models who point us to the perfect One.
The leadership team includes George and Beth Hinkle, Reverend Jen Schwitz, and Christine Young. On special occasions, the children sing, dance, or perform readings and dramas for Sunday morning services, with practice built into the Friday gatherings.
Summer Vacation Bible School
Each summer, Vacation Bible School runs Monday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with Friday night closing the week. Each night includes dinner, worship, an offering, two lessons, and a craft, with children rotating through three teaching groups. Friday brings a church picnic featuring games, a double-lane waterslide, and a special night of fun and excitement for the kids. The week typically draws around 35 children, including first-time visitors.
An Outreach That Reaches Out
The congregation is called to a dynamic outreach program: serving the homeless, reaching out to wounded soldiers and their families, clothing the less fortunate, participating in programs that ensure children without gifts are remembered at Christmas, sharing the love of the Lord with prisoners, and remaining in prayer for those spiritually and physically broken. Mission projects have stretched at home and abroad, each one carried out in the same Spirit-filled approach that defines the rest of the church.
A Family of Healing in Springfield
Members describe The Alive Gathering Ministries in words like lighthouse, home, emergency room, and long-term care facility full of God's love. One member counts the day he met his wife at the church (after she quietly sat beside him during his first visit) as a turning point, and names the church family as one of the two greatest reasons he loves his church. Another credits the prayer ministry with walking her through health challenges. Many tell of healing, deliverance, and family members saved through the ministry, and several point to the Holy Spirit's presence as what anchors every service.
A regular men's breakfast brings the men together for food and fellowship, growing in faith and learning how to walk in God's footsteps. Newcomers consistently report being greeted by every member present at their first visit, often a first for them. Pastor Davis and Faith are known for knowing their congregation by name, and the body works together to do what needs to be done.
The Alive Gathering Ministries sits at 6820 A Commercial Drive, Springfield, Virginia 22151. The phone number is (703) 914-5457, and the email address is tagmdavis@verizon.net.