History of North River Church of Christ

In the closing months of 2000, three families met to discuss the possibility of planting a new congregation in the North River region of Manatee County.  Mark and Carra Byers had been members of the Midway Church of Christ in Sarasota, Florida, for several years but had recently relocated to Parrish.  Bill and Tonya Thomas were members of the Bell Shoals Church of Christ in Brandon, Florida.  They too had recently moved to Parrish.  While both the Byers and Thomas families were happy to be a part of sound congregations of the Lord’s church, a long trek south for the Byers’ and north for the Thomas’, had prompted the serious consideration of beginning a new congregation where it was obviously needed.

The third family involved in planting the North River Church of Christ was Demar and Dixie Elam.   Demar, a gospel preacher for over 50 years (as of 2010), and a missionary for the last 32, was an immediate asset to this new congregation.  Demar was very excited about planting a church on native soil.  With the experience and determination of Demar and Dixie and the dedication of the Byers’ and Thomas’, the North River congregation quickly became an evangelistically-minded group of Christians.

   
After much discussion and planning, the North River Church of Christ assembled to worship on the first Lord’s Day of 2001 in a former bank building in Ellenton.  On that historic first Sunday there were more than fifty in attendance.  Though many were visitors and well-wishers, a strong core of men and women already existed at North River.          

Through the generous contributions of local members, Christians in other places, and sister congregations in 2001 the North River Church of Christ was able to purchase six acres of former cow pasture in the neighboring village of Parrish, approximately seven miles north of their current meeting place on the same major thoroughfare.         

At the close of 2001, the bank building in Ellenton was bought by Manatee River Community Bank (now known as First America Bank).  The saints at North River faced the challenge of finding an affordable place to meet until their new facility could be built.  God provided the solution in the form of a rent-free community room at the Parrish Family Health Care Center.  This location served the church well for nearly two years as they waited to move to the new property. In January 2004, the Christians at North River began meeting in their very own meeting house; almost three years to the date of their first meeting at the former bank building.           

Since its inception, North River has had two preachers:  Ryan O’Rourke, a graduate of the Florida School of Preaching, and Howard Johnson, also a  a graduate of the Florida School of Preaching as well as Southern Christian University.  Recently, North River has hired a new preacher, the third to join our family, Howard Daniel Denham from Newport News, Virginia.  

North River has also achieved another important milestone in its history; the installation of elders.  On December 18, 2011, Bob Oler, Larry Stephens and Mark Byers were officially installed as elders of the congregation.  

      
The sky is the limit and heaven is its goal for the North River church. The fields are white unto harvest and waiting for the Lord’s people to enter and teach the gospel in the Parrish/Ellenton and south Hillsborough County areas.  We, the brethren of the church at North River, are ready to work and we thank God every day for His richest blessings on us.