LAPLACE — The members of New Wine Christian Fellowship Church are preparing to celebrate an  anniversary, the church’s 20th.

In 1995 the church was created on the last Sunday in July in Pastor Neil Joseph Bernard’s residence.

“Our members are extremely excited celebrating 20 years as a church,” Bernard said. “Many of our members remember starting in the living room of our home and are amazed at all that God has accomplished through NWCF over the past 20 years.”

Since the creation of NWCF, the church has expanded a great deal. The church purchased Plaza LaPlace shopping center in 2007. The church had been leasing the property for more than 10 years but the owner wouldn’t sell.

“Finally, after much prayer, the owner agreed to sell us the 11-acre property for $3.8 million dollars,” Bernard said.

The church had saved $450,000 and only had 10 weeks to raise the remaining $400,000 for the down payment.

“As members of NWCF, we sacrificially gave God our ‘fishes and loaves’ limited resources, and God miraculously enabled us to raise the entire down payment of $850,000 by the purchase date,” Bernard said.

The church expansion enabled outreach programs to its members and the St. John the Baptist Parish community. NWCF has been able to provide an annual summer camp for more than 400 children, before and after care for students during the school year, midnight basketball for the youth of St. John, life-skills training for St. John prison inmates and much more.

“Our motto has been to ‘Reach those no one wanted to reach,’” Bernard said. “We are committed to renewing lives, restoring families and rebuilding communities.”

The shopping center isn’t the only land the church purchased as part of its expansion. NWCF recently bought 12 apartment units on Elm Street to use for transitional housing and assist families in need of housing.

“Over the years many people have shown up at our doorsteps homeless and having nowhere to go,” Bernard said. “The closest shelters were in either New Orleans or Baton Rouge. We are grateful that we are now able to assist those needy residents with our faith-based housing initiative.”

As part of their 20th anniversary celebration, NWCF will host a 7 p.m. Friday night event of praise with Vicki Yohe, Charles Graham and local choirs and singers “to give God praise and worship for all that He has done.”

At 10 a.m. Sunday, organizers are hosting a special church service with Dr. Lafayette Scales of Columbus, Ohio. Immediately afterwards there will be a reception with fellowship, food and games.

The celebrations will be held at New Wine Christian Fellowship Church, 1929 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace.

“On behalf of my family, our church leadership team and all the members of New Wine, we want to express our deepest gratitude to all of the individuals and groups who have supported us and those we have been privileged to work with over the past 20 years,” Bernard said.

— By Raquel Derganz Baker