Pastor D, Caroline, Sarah & Cosmo.
University City Magazine (article originally appeared in October 2005)
Charlotte, North Carolina
Defining providence
Branch Church pastor testifies to Gods grace
By Susanne Deitze
It seems many of us today no longer have hope for major miracles. We are content to believe that if we behave the way our creator would have us, that, hopefully someday, we will find ourselves on the right side of eternity. So it is inspiring to know there are some people who testify to divine intervention in their lives. The Rev. Derek Turner, the 37-year-old pastor of Branch Family Church, is such a person. Turners story, its tragedy and triumphs, is worthy of its own Oprah episode.
A voice, a message of hope.
A ministers son, he experienced a hearty disenchantment with religion. Yet, he nonetheless accepted a soccer scholarship to Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and earned a degree in journalism and communications. But then he couldn't find a job in his field, which left him without money or hope. One day, two Bible passages came to mind. He recalled, A voice inside of me spoke softly, Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 3:5-6. Turner ransacked the house he was sharing with college roommates for two hours to locate and dust off his Bible. He was flabbergasted to read his fathers inscription in the Bible: Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 3:5-6. Turner didn't remember ever seeing the inscription before that moment. Life, as I was leading it, simply wasn't working for me, said Turner. Lo and behold, these messages were simply Seek first the kingdom of God and Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Shortly thereafter, Turner followed his parents on a mission to Europe and was called to the altar in a church of more than 3,000 Christians in Sweden by a minister who would tell him, You will know more joy than you can possibly imagine.
Loving, not excluding.
First, however, came great sorrow. Turners wife and soul mate, Nikki (who he later discovered was in the same congregation in Sweden) was killed in a car accident in 1993 by a drunk driver. Turner also lost an unborn child. Yet Turner, after what seemed to be a lifetime of scripture flashing through his mind, chose to forgive the driver. After a long period of mourning, soul searching and profound tests to his faith, Tuners family and friends helped restore him to life. He met his second wife, Sarah, a devout believer and second soul mate, who became his partner in life and the ministry. They built a dream house together in Ft. Worth, Texas, only to find that it was resting atop a formidable natural gas reserve. Despite their reservations about leaving behind something dear that they had worked together to build, they accepted a modest payment and used it as seed money to move to Charlotte and start their own church. Branch Family Church has grown from the Turners Highland Creek living room to a congregation of 300-plus since it began on Jan. 5, 2003. The congregation meets at the Mallard Creek Recreation Center. The Church's mission is quite simple, according to Turner: Do What Love Would Do. He explained, Too many good churches still invite reasons to exclude people based on this doctrine or that one. We seek to include as many people as we can to hear the Lords message. We are devoted first and foremost to loving God and loving people. The only exclusions we have are things that don't satisfy those two simple principles.
Mystery money enables Christian school
With no idea how to start and manage a church, or how they would finance it, Derek and Sarah prayed for guidance. Fretting over an upcoming summer in the recreation center with no air conditioning, they were surprised when an anonymous donor gave $60,000 to outfit the facility with two 15-ton air conditioning units. Consequently, the Turners have been able to use their funds to open the Branch Christian Academy off J.W. Clay Boulevard where Metrolina Scholars Academy was housed. At the academy, Pastor Derek is received like a celebrity. Large, sunny classrooms are filled with children learning Spanish or computer skills. The students can break bread together in a cozy alcove of round tables, sit in a generously outfitted recreation room to read, or play air hockey or board games.The school accepts students from kindergarten through sixth grade and hopes to add more grades next year. Turners mother-in-law holds a masters degree in curriculum development and helps chart the children's academic goals. The schools other two instructors also hold masters degrees, and Turner unabashedly says that he has been given the best teachers in Charlotte. He emphasized, however, that the school is about nurturing children and developing their singular, unique talents and personalities, not to assiduously beat round pegs into square holes. We firmly believe that when education is rooted in love, we can help children find the path that God meant for them. Today, the school teaches 40 students and is growing quickly. Turner is ebullient about the facility and the family the couple have found both in and out of the church. Gifts and grace continue to follow Derek and Sarah as they pursue their calling, including a beautiful baby girl, Caroline, who is now 8. We believe that the life of a Christian can be filled in becoming planted in faith, growing in Gods word and branching out to share his love with others, said Turner. We hope to continue to branch out as a family, as a church and as a school to share that message with others. Branch Family Church meets Sundays at 9 a.m & 10:45 a.m. at Mallard Creek Recreation Center. For more information, call
704-717-8264, or visit http://www.branchchurch.org/
2 comments: