A Bible Church on Moores Lane
Fellowship Bible Church sits at the corner of Moores Lane and Hampton Road in Texarkana, Texas, near the intersection of I-30 and Summerhill Road. The address is 1601 Moores Lane, and it has been the steady gathering place of a non-denominational Bible church since 1984, when Dr. Richard J. Hornok arrived as the first and only senior pastor of the congregation.
The church describes itself plainly: a group of believers in Texarkana who seek to know and follow Jesus Christ. Its mission, written under the heading "Developing Fully-Devoted Followers of Christ," is rooted in four primary passages - Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:42, Ephesians 4:11, and 2 Timothy 2:2 - that shape everything from Sunday worship to small groups to global missions support.
Fellowship holds tightly to the inerrancy of Scripture and uses the Bible as the source for its beliefs, doctrine, and understanding of worship, marriage, family, and community. That conviction shapes the way the church teaches, sings, disciples, and governs itself.
Sunday at Fellowship
Sunday at Fellowship begins at 9:30 AM, when the church runs its full hour of Community Groups along with age-graded ministries for children and students. Adults attend equipping classes during this hour, while preschoolers meet in Sprouts (age 0 through kindergarten), children in 1st through 6th grade meet in Kids' Klub, and middle and high school students gather for Grafted Student Ministries.
At 10:45 AM the whole congregation comes together for the Sunday Worship Service. The service runs about 70 minutes and is contemporary in feel. A small worship team leads congregational singing that ranges from joyful celebration to intimate moments of worship. A main message sits at the center of the gathering, with worship songs on either side. Drama, video, and special music appear from time to time as well. Visitors are not asked to stand up or introduce themselves; greeters and the lobby are set up so newcomers can grab coffee before or after the service and meet people at their own pace.
In the evening at 6:00 PM, Grafted Student Ministries meets again for students in 7th through 12th grade.
What to Wear, Where to Park, and Other Practical Details
The dress code at Fellowship is whatever is most comfortable. Jeans, business casual, and suits and ties all show up on a Sunday morning, and the church is clear that no one worries about clothes. Newcomers do not need to bring anything, though a Bible and a notebook are welcome. Children can be registered at the Information Desk on a first visit, where someone will help direct families to the right classroom. Parents are welcome to stay a few minutes to meet teachers and ask questions.
Services are livestreamed through BoxCast, and a full archive of recorded messages is available through the church's Sermon Browser. The archive runs back to 2009 and includes more than seven hundred sermons organized by preacher, book of the Bible, and series.
What the Church Believes
Fellowship Bible Church subscribes to what it calls the classic, orthodox message of the Christian faith and lays out its convictions in a Doctrinal Statement that members formally assent to. The church pins a series of labels on itself to describe where it stands:
- Inerrantist: the Bible is God's Word without error.
- Trinitarian: God is one in three - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Dispensationalist: there is a distinction between Israel and the Church, and God has a future for Israel.
- Pre-Millennialist: Christ will return and establish His kingdom at the beginning of the Millennium.
- Pre-Tribulationist: Christ will rapture His Church before the Tribulation begins.
- Non-Charismatic: gifts such as tongues are not practiced in services.
- Elder-Led: the church is governed by a body of spiritually qualified men rather than a single leader.
Beyond the doctrinal labels, Fellowship identifies seven distinctives that guide daily ministry: biblical expository teaching, contemporary and Christ-centered worship, family-like fellowship, intentional discipleship, freedom in form, elder leadership, and an equipping-focused approach to ministry.
The Heart of the Teaching
Expository teaching is the cornerstone of the church's ministry. The staff is committed to teaching the Bible passage by passage and verse by verse, so that every message, lesson, and class is grounded in the text of Scripture. The aim, in the words of the church, is to help people become "so saturated with the Word of God that they treasure Christ alone as the One who saves and satisfies the heart."
Senior Pastor Richard Hornok carries most of the preaching. His sermon archive includes verse-by-verse series through Luke (titled "Luke: He was One of Us"), 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, Job, Joshua, Leviticus ("Be Ye Holy"), Zechariah, Zephaniah, Galatians, Matthew, 1 Timothy ("Church Done Right"), Revelation ("Jesus. Revealed!"), Isaiah ("Back to the Future"), and many others. Assistant Pastor Andy Tuttlebee and occasional guest preachers round out the pulpit rotation.
Children's Ministry
Fellowship's children's ministry is built around the conviction that parents have the primary responsibility for the spiritual nurture of their children, and that the church exists to partner with them. Every program is designed to help kids know who God is and see Him as the hero of every Bible story.
During the 9:30 AM hour, three programs run by age group:
- Sprouts serves infants through kindergarten.
- Buds (Kids' Klub) serves 1st through 6th grade. The Kids' Klub program uses the Children Desiring God curriculum, which presents a God-centered worldview across the Bible and points every story back to God's greatness. The hour includes worship and drama, separate teaching times for 1st-3rd and 4th-6th grades, and small group time. Special emphases include the Children of Courage magazine from Voice of the Martyrs, exposure to missionary stories and guests, and "Heroes of the Faith" interviews.
- On Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM (September through May), AWANA serves children from age three through 6th grade. The name comes from 2 Timothy 2:15 - "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - and the program is designed to help kids become committed and competent followers of Jesus who know the Word of God and seek to apply it to daily life.
Children's Ministry Director Claudia Belanger oversees the team. She grew up in the church herself and now supervises some of the same volunteers who taught her as a child.
Grafted Student Ministries
Students in 7th through 12th grade are part of Grafted Student Ministries, led by Andy Tuttlebee. The name comes from the group's stated aim: to G.R.A.F.T. students into the body of Christ.
- Giving of ourselves in service to God and others
- Reaching students with the saving message of the gospel
- Awakening a passion for worshipping God
- Fostering an atmosphere of fellowship and encouragement
- Transforming hearts, minds, and lives through the study of God's Word
Students meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30, again on Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM, and on Wednesday evenings during the school year for an additional hour of student ministry.
Equipping the Saints
The word "equip" sits at the center of Fellowship's ministry philosophy. The church draws three pictures of what it means to equip believers: repairing a torn net (mending the broken places in a person's life), setting a bone (using the Word of God to bring healing), and outfitting a ship (loading up believers with everything they need for the journey of ministry). Sunday morning classes, Wednesday night equipping classes, and ongoing small groups all flow out of this conviction. The senior pastor and other leaders see themselves first as equippers who help others do the work of ministry.
Men's and Women's Ministry
Men's Ministry at Fellowship meets weekly for a time in the Word, fellowship, accountability, and encouragement. The aim is to be "iron sharpening iron," and the group looks for opportunities to develop lasting friendships both inside and outside the church. Throughout the year there are cookouts, ball game gatherings, and retreats.
Missions and Ministry Partners
Fellowship financially supports and prays for a slate of missionary partners around the world:
- The Fergusons, serving in Honduras with World Gospel Outreach.
- Kelvin Gunnells, an AWANA area missionary.
- Kay Scheffelin, serving in Austin with CRU.
- Doug and Amy Williams, serving in Italy with Crossworld.
- Paul and Ala Mitzkivich, serving in Germany.
- Ranell Bryant, Executive Director of 1st Choice Pregnancy Center.
The church also encourages its own children to consider vocational ministry, hoping that exposure to missionaries and the work of the gospel will shape future callings.
Leadership and Staff
Dr. Richard J. Hornok has been the senior pastor of Fellowship Bible Church since June of 1984. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute (1979), Washington Bible College (1980), and Dallas Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Theology in 1984 and a Doctor of Ministry in 1993. He grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where his father was a church-planting missionary, and comes from a family of pastors - four brothers and a brother-in-law all graduated from Dallas Seminary. He and his wife, Vicki, have been married since 1982, have seven children and twelve grandchildren.
Andy Tuttlebee serves as Assistant Pastor with primary responsibility for students. He was born in England, grew up in Ireland as a missionary kid, came to the United States in 1995, and earned a degree in Youth Ministries from John Brown University. Before joining Fellowship in July 2007, he worked for eight and a half years as a youth director in Austin. He and his wife, Eliza, have three children: James, Sophia, and Delia.
Claudia Belanger directs Children's Ministry. She taught school for several years and previously served on staff at Brookhill, a Christian camp in Hot Springs. Glenda Johnson serves as Administrative Assistant. Two elders, Josh Morriss and David Reavis, share in the spiritual oversight of the church alongside the pastoral staff.
Becoming a Member
Fellowship offers a membership class several times a year for anyone interested in formally joining the church. The class is designed to help newcomers get connected to the life of the body. Membership is open to those who have trusted Christ as Savior, are in basic agreement with the church's beliefs and practices, and are willing to commit themselves to the community. A few ministry positions are reserved for members.
Weddings, the Building, and Giving
The church building is available for weddings and receptions for those inside the church family, with scheduling handled through the church office. A Facility Use Policy outlines the details and costs. Giving is offered online through the church's giving platform, and the church notes that gifts can also be sent by texting an amount to 84321.
After more than four decades on Moores Lane, Fellowship Bible Church continues to gather around the same conviction that has shaped it from the beginning: that the Bible is without error, that Christ is to be followed, and that the people of God are to be equipped to do the work of ministry until they all reach the unity of the faith.