A Bible Verse That Became a Church
True Holiness Saints Center takes its identity from a single line of Scripture. The church was built on Ephesians 4:24, which speaks of putting on "the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." The name is more than branding; it is a working definition of who the congregation believes they are. Holiness, the church teaches, means people, places, and things set aside for the exclusive use of God, just as the ground around Moses' burning bush was no different in soil from the desert around it, only in purpose.
The color purple runs through the church's visual identity for a reason. Purple has been associated with royalty since ancient times, and True Holiness uses it to symbolize that its members worship and serve a risen King.
From Five Members to a County Ministry
On July 4, 1993, a young Conway pastor named Everette Cornell Maltbia called together a small group of believers to start a church that would offer a stronger appeal and greater encouragement for all Christians. Five people stood as charter members. Henry Veasley Jr., who wanted to see the pastor's ministry continue, offered the chapel of his funeral home as a temporary meeting place.
Growth came quickly. The fellowship moved first into a storefront seating about forty, then across from Conway City Hall, and eventually to its current home at 198 Highway 286 East. What began with five charter members has grown into one of the leading congregations in Faulkner County, anchored in a sanctuary and a Family Life Center that doubles as the church's gym.
Sunday Mornings on Highway 286 East
Sunday is the heart of the week at True Holiness. At 9:00 a.m., L.I.F.E. Groups meet via video for Bible study and connection, with information available by emailing the church. The main worship service follows at 11:00 a.m., when the community gathers for an In Person Worship Experience. Recent messages are also available for replay online, and the Wednesday teaching is broadcast on Facebook for those who cannot attend in person.
Wednesday Word and Thursday Chapel
Midweek rhythms carry the congregation through the rest of the week. Wednesday evenings bring "Wednesday Word" at 7:00 p.m., a Bible teaching broadcast on Facebook that doubles as a community touchpoint. On Thursday evenings at 8:00 p.m., the Inter-Denomination Christian Council meets in Ferguson Chapel on the University of Central Arkansas campus, drawing students from UCA, Hendrix College, and Central Baptist College together for fellowship, teaching, and friendship. Choir workshops and other musical gatherings are also held in the Family Life Center.
Twenty-Plus Ministries for Every Stage
True Holiness operates more than twenty ministries, each designed to meet people at a particular stage of life. The Youth Department reaches children of all ages and helps them dig into Scripture, build Godly character, and work through the questions they encounter. For teens and college students, Student Services Pastor Dyjuana Moore oversees ministry that focuses on faith, identity, and purpose.
Marriage Ministry meets quarterly in homes and centers on a curriculum aimed at making marriages affair-proof, building romance, and deepening intimacy year after year. The Women's Ministry, led by Natasha Maltbia, gathers under the banner "Women of Noble Character" to develop strong character, wisdom, skills, and compassion. The Brotherhood, the men's ministry, centers on accountability and personal development in a man's walk with God and his calling to minister to others.
For unmarried adults between the ages of 21 and 45, "The Blueprint" singles ministry addresses spiritual life, relationships, mental wellbeing, finances, and careers. The choir, led by the Director of Worship Arts Tommy Mason Jr., serves as a musical backbone for worship and community events such as the recent free Choir Workshop series that culminated in a concert in the sanctuary.
What True Holiness Believes
The church's Statement of Faith rests on a few clear pillars. Members hold the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible Word of God, and they believe in one God eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They affirm the blessed hope of the rapture of the church at Christ's return, hold that repentance and faith in the blood of Jesus Christ is the only means of being cleansed from sin, and encourage every believer to be baptized in water.
The statement also affirms that the redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides healing for the human body in answer to believing prayer, and that the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit enables the Christian to live a holy and separated life in this present world. Three ordinances are central to the church's life: the Lord's Supper, feet washing, and water baptism.
A Pastor Deeply Tied to Conway
Senior Pastor E.C. Maltbia is a Conway native who has faithfully served for more than three decades. He began his licensed ministry in 1989 after being ordained by the Church of God in Christ while studying Business Administration at the University of Central Arkansas. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Natasha Maltbia, and they have two children, Kennedy and Connor.
Pastor Maltbia's leadership reaches well beyond the church walls. He has served on the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees, the United Way of Faulkner County, the Salvation Army of Faulkner County, the Faulkner County Leadership Institute, the Conway Regional Health System Community Advisory Board, the Community Foundation of Faulkner County, UCA's Inaugural Parent and Family Council, the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, the Conway Community Race Relations Initiative, and the City of Conway's Civil Service Commission. He has also served as Chaplain of the Arkansas House of Representatives for the 87th General Assembly, and currently serves as Chaplain for the Conway Police Department and Veasley Funeral Home and Cremations.
Among his many recognitions are the Ten Outstanding Young Arkansan Award, the President's Award from UCA, an Honorary Assistant Attorney General of the State of Arkansas, citations from the Governor and state legislature, the key to the city of Conway, and the 2024 Friend of the District award from the Conway Public Schools Foundation, along with induction into the CPSF Hall of Fame.