Photo by Darrin Phegley Ernie Lingerfelt, pastor of Warehouse of Worship (WOW), stands in their newly purchased church building on Short 7th Street Wednesday afternoon, December 8, 2010. (Gleaner photo by Darrin Phegley • 831-8375 or dphegley@thegleaner) The youth took note of Ernie Deacon Lingerfelts decorated biker jacket, jeans, boots and shoulder-length hair. What gang are you in? he asked. Im in Jesuss gang, Ernie replied, explaining that hes a preacher in a motorcycle ministry here and that he and his congregation were, last month, in the process of relocating from a Mill Street industrial building to the aged white church with the faded burgundy doors at 652 Short Seventh Street. Ernie told the adolescent about the overwhelming amount of work to be done to prepare the Warehouse of Worship for services and the congregations multi-faceted ministry that includes meals for the needy as well as various other community outreach projects. Next thing Ernie knew, the young man was back with four or five friends. They had come to help us, he said. Lord knows there was and still is plenty of work to be done. Prior to the biker ministrys purchase of the church and an adjacent building in early November, Ernie said, the church roof was badly leaking; ceiling tiles were falling and cobwebs filled the corners. It was in really bad shape, he said last Wednesday as he sat on one of the attractive, upholstered and padded pews in the auditorium that sports new paint and shiny ceiling fans and light fixtures. The altar features a large wooden cross lying on its side and draped with a rich purple cloth. Ernie remarked that during the first service at the Warehouse of Worship last Sunday, he didnt stand behind the pulpit. Thats not his style. Instead, he takes to the aisles, up and down, making sure that no one misses his message. It doesnt do any good to take refuge on the rear pews, because Ernie covers that territory too. The 98 members of the ministry that moved here from Owensboro 35 months ago are drawn to the judge not spirit that strives to reach people who, as Ernie has put it, are people most people cross the street to get away from. As their sister Crusaders Set Free ministry in Owensboro states on the Crusaders website, The bad say we are too good for them and the good say we are too bad for them. When The Gleaner wrote about the local ministry in 2008, our website drew scores of responses from both supporters and those more skeptical. At that time, Ernie, without displaying any anger, defended the ministry that he stresses is not a cult. No, we are not your typical structured church, he wrote, but we are on fire for God. He is reaching out to the public for assistance with the Warehouse of Worship goals that include the construction of an annex at the rear of the church. That building will support a major component of the ministry: Free Sunday morning and Thursday evening meals for the congregation and unquestioned walk-ins as well as a place for neighborhood young people to have wholesome recreation and space for an Educated Recovery program for substance abusers. Currently there is a dilapidated house on that site, but it has been condemned and will be razed to make way for a new building. Until that building with a kitchen becomes a reality, the meals program will have to be suspended. Ernie said members hadnt known of the building condemnation, and had intended to rehabilitate the structure. He said the congregation has tools and plenty of willing helpers -- Weve had 50 or 60 turn out for every work day -- but members dont have the expertise to construct the annex. He hopes that those in the general public with the necessary skills will offer to help. He also hopes anyone who can afford to do so will contribute to the Warehouse of Worship building fund that has been established at Ohio Valley Bank. Ernie, who owns Lingerfelt Floor Coverings and is a husband, father and grandfather, said the ministry has been much like the miracle of the fishes and loaves in the Bible. Somehow, he said, needs are met and the church manages to provide food baskets of basics such as peanut butter, canned vegetables and pasta, and even lend aid in emergencies like the historic ice storm that froze this region in 2008. Those in the congregation who can do so contribute to the financial needs, but Ernie said he would never expect anyone who is barely managing to get by to tithe 10 percent of their income. You think were going to ask a 70-year-old woman living on $600 a month to tithe $60, he asked. No. He said neither he nor anyone else in the ministry receives pay. We are all volunteer. Ernie said a local pastor commented to him, You cant do what you do -- such as feeding about 275 people at Thanksgiving. I said, With all due respect, were doing it. He said members already have prepared nearly 200 food baskets for Christmas distribution, and will also provide toys and hats and gloves for some children whose parents are struggling. One day, he believes, Warehouse of Worship will have dinner on the table Monday through Friday evenings to augment the Salvation Armys lunchtime soup kitchen. On Wednesday, his brother Rocky, a Vietnam veteran, had just died but Ernie chose not to cancel our scheduled interview. This is too important, he said. Anyone who would like to be of assistance to the church or learn more about it is asked to contact Ernie at 577-7488 or 826-8371. He said he has told the congregation, People expect us to fail, but lets not let them be right.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 17:36:19 +0000
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