Troy McCrory, the new pastor at Fountain of Life Family Worship Center, and his wife, Zanita, are dedicated to children.
As foster parents, they've had 63 children live in their home. They've adopted five of the children.
McCrory and his wife have been in ministry since 2005.
When he refers to the job, he always says "we."
The McCrorys currently make up a family of eight.
"We have six children," Troy McCrory said. "We have done a lot of fostering and adoption through the years. We've had the full gamut. We picked them up when they were 3 days old to full teenagers."
They've also hosted exchange students, who have stayed with them for a semester.
"It allows our kids to visit with some from other countries — Vietnam, Brazil, Germany. It helps our kids be a little bit more eclectic and a little more grounded," McCrory said.
The couple has served on missions in Africa and established churches in the Republic of Uganda, Republic of Kenya and Rwanda.
"We are helping establish a birthing center in Uganda. We try to help them become a little more self-sufficient," he said.
They support feeding programs and construction of houses for people in Africa.
The two, who have been married for 28 years, were pastoring in Cole Camp. They were also serving on the board for the Southern Missouri District of the Church of God when they noticed the church in Jefferson City had an opening.
"We'd been praying about where to go for some time," Troy McCrory said. "We felt like this was a good fit. So we came and visited with the congregation and ministered with them several times. Everything seemed to click."
The fit also gelled with the members of the church, who voted to invite McCrory to be their pastor.
And here they are, he said.
"We are partners. She's as much part of the pastoral staff as I am," he said. "Without her, I couldn't do any of it."
Just after arriving in Jefferson City, things began to change for the couple.
In the shadow of the expanding COVID-19 pandemic, McCrory is learning the intricacies of social distancing and offering streaming services
"Things changed with churches this week. We had to go online," McCrory said. "We did online services yesterday (March 22). On Sundays and Wednesdays, we're just doing livestreaming."
The virus has affected the couple's transition to the new church.
"I pray. Nobody knows what this is going to do," McCrory said.
What people do know is how they can react.
The church is trying to follow guidelines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set out.
Members are staying in touch by phone. A goal for the church is to be a place where people can connect and grow. A worry is that people will fall out of the habit of gathering for services.
"We are still in the honeymoon period. We had new people coming in every week (before authorities began restricting gatherings)," McCrory said. "We've had 10 baptized since we've been here."
Once things return to normal, the family wants to be a part of the community, he continued. McCrory wants the church to be an institution that helps fill needs in Jefferson City — feeding and clothing the hungry, building ramps so homes are wheelchair accessible or even mowing yards for some neighbors who are too frail to do so.
"We want to be a filling station for people to be loved and encouraged," McCrory said. "So many things are going on in society. Our prayer is to be a church that can be a light and encourage people."
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Everything 'clicked' to bring new pastor to Jefferson City church - Jefferson City News Tribune
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