Connect Here on Calvary Road
First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock sits on ten acres along Calvary Road, just off Interstate 40 in the Park Hill area of North Little Rock, Arkansas. The church's motto - "Connect Here" - captures what the congregation has aimed at for nearly nine decades: a place where people connect with God, with one another, and with the wider community. Services are held on Sunday morning and evening, with a midweek service on Tuesday night, and a busy calendar of choirs, youth nights, recovery classes, and prayer gatherings woven around them. The sanctuary, dedicated in 2004 after years of patient fund-raising, is filled each week by a multigenerational congregation that calls itself Pentecostal in the original New Testament sense.
The Acts 2:38 Message
The church describes its identity by what happened in the second chapter of Acts, fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, when 120 followers - including Mary, the mother of Jesus - were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues. FPC teaches that this same conversion is meant for every believer today, and it is summarized in three steps drawn from Acts 2:38.
First is repentance, turning away from sin and asking Jesus for forgiveness. Second is water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, performed by immersion. Third is the infilling of the Holy Ghost, evidenced by speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance. The congregation holds to the Oneness of God described in Deuteronomy 6:4 and confessed by Paul in Ephesians 4:5-6, and treats the Bible as the divinely inspired, infallible authority for belief and life. Healing is taught as part of the present-day work of Christ, and the pastoral team regularly anoints the sick with oil and lays hands on those who come forward for prayer in every service, with prayer cloths available as well.
Beyond these defining doctrines, FPC teaches that believers are called to live holy lives as temples of the Holy Spirit, that the gifts of the Spirit remain for the church today, and that Jesus Christ will return to catch away His church. Heaven is held out as a literal home for the obedient, and hell as a literal place of eternal separation from God.
Eight Decades in North Little Rock
The congregation's roots run back to the late 1930s, when a small group of Pentecostal families met in an old storefront at 501 East Washington Street during the lean years of the Great Depression. After meeting in another storefront and holding a tent revival where many were saved, the group purchased an old two-story house at Second and Buckeye. Bishop A.O. Holmes and his wife Agnes began pastoring in May 1946, preaching repentance, baptism by immersion in Jesus' name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Bishop Holmes baptized many new believers in Lake #7 in Lakewood, and in 1949 the congregation built a rock-front church at Second and Buckeye, later adding a concrete block building in the mid-1950s to house Buckeye Christian School. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the church sponsored a children's home and a nursing home and reached the city by radio on station KGHI.
A fire destroyed the Second and Buckeye building in 1970, and the congregation moved to a facility at Number One, 52nd Place in Park Hill, where they continued to grow. As that sanctuary filled, leaders began looking for land on which to build, and Sister Agnes Holmes described a vision she had received of an unusually large footing. The opportunity came in 1988 with the purchase of ten acres on Interstate 40. Morning prayer began at the church in 1989, and on November 22, 1992, First Pentecostal Church moved into its current home at 1401 Calvary Road. Throughout the 1990s the church experienced what longtime members describe as tremendous growth.
By the late 1990s, plans had been drawn to add a fellowship hall and classrooms, but the leadership chose instead to enlarge the sanctuary itself and convert the existing building into classroom space. Ground was broken on February 14, 1999, a contract was signed with Matson Construction Company on April 23, 2000, and the new sanctuary was completed in time for an Easter Sunday service in 2004. Members walked through the floor plan traced out on the ground and prayed over every room; Sister Agnes Holmes recognized the footing as the one she had seen in her vision a decade earlier. The mortgage was retired in April 2008, and the building was dedicated during the 60th Arkansas International Campmeeting.
Three Generations of Holmes Pastors
The pulpit at FPC has been in the same family for more than half a century. Bishop Joel Holmes stepped into the pastorate in 1969 at the age of nineteen when his father, Bishop A.O. Holmes, suffered a debilitating stroke. He married Janet Burr of Port Arthur, Texas, and together they led the church from 1971 to 2014. Bishop Joel Holmes began preaching at sixteen, traveled evangelizing through the United States and Canada, and is now widely recognized as the visionary who guided the congregation through three sanctuary building campaigns. The hallmark of his fifty years of ministry is prayer - he preaches on prayer and lives it.
His son, Pastor Nathan Holmes, now serves as pastor of the church and as president of Truth College at the Rock in North Little Rock. Pastor Nathan is married to Mandie, and they have three children: Benson, Beatrice, and Camilla. He answered the ministry call at sixteen, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Harding University, and in May 2016 graduated with a Master of Theological Studies from Regent University. He is working toward a Ph.D. in Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
Completing the third generation at the altar is Reverend Benson Holmes, who serves alongside his father and grandfather as associate pastor. Benson preaches in churches and conferences across the nation while completing his undergraduate degree at Wilson University. He and his wife Natalie are a regular presence among the young adults of the congregation.
Supporting the pastoral team are Executive Pastor Zach Ward, Discipleship Minister Rickey Randle, and Pastoral Assistants Austin Keith and Liz Davis, who also direct the Creative Team.
Music That Opens Every Service
Music is woven into the fabric of worship at FPC. The Psalmist's words - "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise" - are taken seriously here. Music Director Kurt Kanhai, supported by Assistant to the Music Director Erica Marxer, leads a band and singers who diligently prepare each week to create an atmosphere of worship. The church values musical diversity: listeners will hear choirs, quartets, ensembles, and solos singing Traditional Gospel, Southern Gospel, and Contemporary Christian Music across the same service. Kanhai also oversees a recording studio associated with the church, and services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those unable to attend in person.
Kids Alive, Connect Students, and the Ambassadors
Children have a place of their own from their earliest months. The Noah's Ark nursery welcomes infants and children from six months to three years old, is professionally staffed, and opens each service. Parents check children in using a kiosk by the nursery and are asked to share any food allergies with the staff. During the 10:30 AM Sunday service, Kids Alive Church gathers children age three through sixth grade in age-appropriate rooms - K3 in Building 2, Level 1; K4 and K5 in Building 1, Level 2; and grades one through six in the Chapel. Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM, Kids Alive Choirs gather K4 through second grade, third through fifth grade, and sixth through eighth grade separately to learn music and worship together.
Middle and high school students have their own dynamic ministry called Connect Students. The Connect Junior High group serves students in sixth through eighth grade and meets throughout the week, equipping young people to develop a deeper relationship with God and to live with integrity. Connect Students High School, for ninth through twelfth graders, gathers with events and dynamic services every Friday night. For young adults who have finished high school and are unmarried, Connect College meets twice a month.
The FPC Ambassadors is a high-profile leadership and training program aimed at shaping the church's youth into leaders both inside the church and in their workplaces. Its purpose is to involve young people in the work of the church, help them find their place in it, and build godly confidence in themselves.
Kingdom Builders, Grief Workshops, and Lifelong Care
For adults looking for hands-on fellowship, the Kingdom Builders meet each Friday at 10:30 AM for brunch and a devotional. The group sends cards to shut-ins, helps prepare meals, stamps tracts, and fills visitor gift bags - whatever needs doing, they do it "heartily, as to the Lord." Those interested can reach Sister Judie Weaver through the church office.
The 180° Life Enrichment Program is a court-approved substance abuse recovery ministry administered by Kathi Howard and a medical team that includes Lyndi Mullinax, a Doctor of Nursing Practice and nurse practitioner. Classes meet weekly, and the program is open to those referred through the courts and to others seeking help.
On the first Saturday of each month, the church hosts a Grief Workshop from 9 AM to 3 PM, walking participants through the losses of life in a supportive setting. Aflame Jail and Prison Ministry sends men and women of the church into jails and prisons in Central Arkansas to preach the Gospel and encourage those who are incarcerated. Families of the incarcerated may reach the church, and volunteers will do their best to connect with their loved ones.
Member Care is coordinated by Cheryl McCarthy and Alta Mullinax, with Trisha Winder overseeing the Care Center Español to serve the church's Spanish-speaking members. A daily Prayer Portal allows members and friends to submit prayer requests, share answered prayers, and stay connected to one another in intercession.
Calvary Academy: Training Modern Day Daniels and Esthers
Tucked into the church's ministry is Calvary Academy, a Bible-centered school serving students from age two through twelfth grade. The school's mission is to provide an academically superior education founded upon the Bible, training students to live with purpose and integrity like Daniel and Esther. Curriculum comes from Abeka, the Pensacola Christian Academy program.
The academy operates on two campuses. The Lower School, serving K2 through fifth grade, meets on the main church campus under Principal Candy Holmes. The Upper School, serving sixth through twelfth grade, meets at the North Hills Campus under Co-Principal Brandon Keith, with Seth T. Pomeroy serving as Head of Academy. Enrollment is limited to members of FPC; information is available at calvary.academy or by calling the school office at 501-753-0001.
What to Expect on a First Visit
Visitors are warmly welcomed. Sunday services are held at 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM, with a Tuesday night service at 7:00 PM. The office is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and the staff can be reached at 501-758-3090 or info@fpcnlr.com throughout those hours. Those who cannot attend in person can watch services online through the church's YouTube channel. Tithes and offerings may be given online through the church's giving platform or by texting 501-436-4017. A bookstore is staffed on campus, and a small calendar of guest hotels on the MACNLR page helps those traveling from out of town find nearby lodging. Children will be checked into the nursery and Kids Alive Church on Sunday morning by a friendly, professionally staffed team, and students from sixth grade up have their own dedicated ministries waiting for them. Parking is available on the church grounds, and the sanctuary is filled each week with families, students, working adults, and seniors joined in the same Pentecostal worship the church has preached since the late 1930s.