36 • DECEMBER 2020
A Vision ofGraceDR. KEVIN JONES, PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH RICHLANDIn the Bible, the first partof Proverbs 29:18 KJV says,“Where there is no vision,the people perish.”This familiar verse of Scripture encapsulates acritical principle of effective leadership and has guidedleaders of all types of organizations for millennia. Wecelebrate visionary leadership because it is exceedinglyrare and exceptional, and typically, visionary leadersare lionized after the tenure of their leadership expires.The Rev. Allen Stephens proved to be a visionaryleader among Rankin County Baptists and, in particular,his leadership in Richland continues to shape thecontours of the ministry of First Baptist Church Richlandto the residents of Richland.Allen Stephens served as the pastor of FirstBaptist Church Richland from 1988 to 1994. During hispastorate, Bro. Allen had a burden for the people ofRichland. He believed that many citizens of Richlandwere underserved by the church, and he believed thatFBC Richland should be striving to meet the physicalneeds of the residents of Richland as a means ofsharing the gospel with her neighbors in Richland.Bro. Allen faithfully served the Lord during his tenureas pastor until he was called to be the associationaldirector of missions for the Rankin County BaptistAssociation. Though his ministry responsibilities hadchanged, the burden he felt for Richland remained.Just as vision is necessary for effective leadership,the timing of leadership initiatives cannot beoverstated. Approximately two years ago, the visionthat lay dormant in Bro. Stephen’s heart reignited andspurred him to see and seize an opportunity to reachRichland with the gospel. The Rankin County BaptistAssociation sponsored a mission, the Grace BaptistChurch in Richland, and in spite of the faithful serviceand hard work of this mission and its members, themission was on the verge of becoming insolvent andthus unable to effectively minister to the part ofRichland in which it was located. Bro. Allen reachedout to Dr. Kevin Jones, the current pastor of First BaptistChurch Richland, with an idea whose time had arrived.Rev. Stephens suggested that the property of theGrace Mission be given to First Baptist Church Richlandbecause FBC Richland had the resources to support theministries that could meet the needs of the people livingnear the Grace Mission. The intersection of God’s visionand timing proved powerfully effective. FBC Richland’smembership agreed to assume responsibility for theuse and care of the Grace Mission campus, and theRankin County Baptist Association agreed to deed thecampus to FBC Richland. This property came to beknown as the Grace Campus of FBC Richland.Upon the completion of the transfer of ownership,improvements were planned and initiated by the church.The two buildings on the property required significantupgrades, updates, and improvements to enhance theirviability for future ministries. In addition to renovatingthe existing buildings, FBC Richland saw a need toincrease the ministry capacity of the campus bybuilding an additional building in which to do ministry.It was decided to name this new building The StephensCenter in honor of the memory and ongoing legacy ofBro. Allen Stephen’s vision and passion for reachingRichland with the love of Jesus Christ.Today, the Grace Campus consists of three buildingsthat are used to minister to Richland. One building, theGrace Harvest Building, houses a food pantry whichprovides free, non-perishable food items to those inneed. Another building, the Grace Center, houses HandsUp ministry. Hands Up ministry offers GED training,English as a Second Language program, and variouslife skills instruction for those seeking to improve theirlives through adult education. The Stephens Centerwill house afterschool ministries, small group Biblestudies, VBS, and other group ministries.None of the current or future ministries whichoccur on the Grace Campus of FBC Richland would bepossible without God’s vision and love for Richland.These ministries are built upon the leadership, hardwork and sacrifice of people like Rev. Stephens.For additional information about the ministries of theGrace Campus call 601-939-1715 Monday-Friday or visitthe church’s website at www.fbcrichland.org.Hometown RANKIN • 37