A Warrior for Christ
by: Anne Granado
Christian Warriors Church sprung from a movement, an idea that began five years ago when eight men came together to facilitate change in the Texarkana community. These men felt called to help others and lead by example. In the years that followed, they completed service projects across the city, avoiding the spotlight and publicity. The “warrior” moniker came from their recognition of the fight that Christians must face against the spiritual forces steering people away from the Christian faith. What weapon did these men wield? Only love. To them, the only way to bring people closer to God was to show them His love. Their website said, “To win this war we need to show people what Christianity is all about. We need to show them that we truly care about all people. Jesus said, ‘Now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should always love each other’ (John 13:34). Love is the most powerful weapon God instilled in us. It is time we start using it!”
The movement grew from a small fellowship to a ministry with over 200 people who served. Then, this past January, God allowed the Christian Warrior’s ministry to expand when he called Micah Harp, owner of Micah’s Jewelers on Richmond Road, to plant and pastor Christian Warriors Church.
Micah is a native of Atlanta, Texas. He accepted Jesus at only seven-years-old as a small boy sitting by a pond at Royal Ambassadors camp. “I wanted to do this to secure salvation, but I didn’t fully commit myself until I was 30 years old,” Micah says. “My life changed when we started the Christian Warriors ministry. I was 30 years old, and I felt God calling me to start a movement. I told Him ‘no’ for the longest time, but when I finally gave in and submitted to His plan, that’s when Christian Warriors truly began.”
One day, Micah went for a run before work. After finishing, he had a moment where he felt God speaking to him and filling him with peace and joy about this calling. “In that moment, I told God that I wanted the Holy Spirit, and I needed every spiritual gift that God could give me if I had any hope of living up to the visions I was having of this movement,” Micah says. “After this, everything changed. I saw things differently. I heard things differently. The Bible took on new meaning. Truly giving yourself to God changes your walk and changes your life.”
Once Christian Warriors was born, Micah found he was spending a lot of time away from his family. He and his wife, Amanda, have been married fifteen years, and they are the parents to three girls: Annabelle (13), Sadie (10), and Caroline (6). “Starting the ministry was both tough and amazing. The tough times were my fault. When we first started, I didn’t do a great job of timing, and I was neglecting my family for the sake of the ministry. One day, a mentor of mine, a local pastor, set me down and asked me how my job and ministry were. I told him that they were both great, but then he asked me about my ‘greatest ministry’ – my family,” Micah says. “I feel like God was waiting for me to figure this out before He grew the ministry. I rearranged my priorities and put my family first.”
From the ministry’s beginning, Micah and Amanda’s kids have been a part of serving the community. Micah said that the girls have loved getting involved. “My kids have grown up knowing the importance of every serving opportunity. They have been with us to feed the homeless, give out Bibles, raise money, and so much more,” Micah says. “I often wonder where I would be today if I had started serving at their age instead of at thirty. But, none of this could be possible without the amazing support of my wife. There were so many times when she stayed with the kids so that I could be out in the community helping others. Our youngest daughter, Caroline, was only one when Christian Warriors began, and my wife was often the reason why I was able to be a part of this ministry.”
Last May, Micah left an early morning Bible study at Central Baptist Church on the Arkansas side of Texarkana. They were doing a study on the book of Nehemiah at the time. “What I love about Nehemiah was his patience,” Micah says. “He knew he was supposed to go help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but instead of leaving immediately, the Bible said he prayed for days asking for guidance. Biblical scholars say Nehemiah prayed every day for four to six months before leaving on his journey. You see I have always been the type that when I hear God ask me to do something, I take off, but Nehemiah taught me that even though my heart is in the right place trying to help as quick as possible, I need to pray and ask God to prepare me and show me the right timing for His plan.”
When Micah left the Bible study that morning, he heard God ask him to pastor a church. Inspired by his study, Micah asked God for guidance to prepare him and show him the right time. “I told Him this for two reasons. First, I was being obedient to His calling. Second, I didn’t think I was ready, so I figured it would be two or three years or longer,” Micah says. “Well, I was wrong! Two months later He told me it was time!”
Last July on their anniversary trip, Micah approached Amanda about God’s call to start a church. Naturally, she was hesitant. Logically, it was not a great time for their family: Micah’s Jewelers was opening a third store, the girls were getting older and in many more activities, the family was already very busy. However, in the next 48 hours, God worked to give Amanda confirmation about His plan. “She made a complete 180 in the next few days of our trip,” Micah says. “God gave us both so much confirmation. We had a person come up to us at the pool at our hotel that asked if I was a pastor. I grinned from ear to ear and said, ‘Not yet.’ The man said that he felt led to come and talk to me about his work planting and starting churches. Then, that night, Amanda felt sick, and after I prayed over her, she felt an immense calm and peacefulness. She woke up feeling perfect. She said that she felt like God was showing her that all of this was real. He had a plan for this church and for our family.”
Once Amanda felt God’s call about the church, it was time to talk to the Christian Warriors’ Ministry board. When Micah told them that God was leading him to start a church, they were very excited; but then, Micah told them that he felt led to ask them to use the name Christian Warriors for church. “I really did not think they would approve of this or let me take this name over. I explained it to the board president, and he said he would bring it up at the next meeting,” Micah says. “When they came back with their decision, they voted to not only let us use the name, but to also give us the 501(c)(3), the Facebook page, everything we needed to start the church! I wasn’t able to talk to the board before the vote so there was no persuasiveness on my part. They all felt like this was how it was supposed to be. They believed, as I do, that this was God’s plan the whole time.”
Though many of the original Christian Warriors board members are involved with other churches, they have all come to the Christian Warriors church and supported Micah through the process. “My Christian Warriors ministry family has been extremely supportive from the start,” Micah says. “Without them, this church never would have happened. My fellow Christian Warriors have encouraged, guided, and taught me so much over the last five and a half years. I am in debt to them for the rest of my life. They are truly family!”
As the planning for the church grew, Micah’s family and the church family continued to be overwhelmed by God’s provision for their needs. “To be honest, starting the church hasn’t been that hard because when God calls you to do something, He will equip you with what you need. In our case God placed amazing people around myself and my family that could help plant Christian Warriors Church,” Micah says. “Each person He kept placing in front of us had the skills to fill a need. By the way, this has not stopped. He continues to send us great leaders to help fulfill His will for this church.”
The church is organized with a strong leadership team. As the elders and pastors got on board, their wives joined in the vision and volunteered as well. Just reading over the leadership team list shows that the church is built on the love and support of families who united to make the Christian Warriors vision come to life. Micah serves as lead pastor, and his wife, Amanda, is the children’s ministry director. BoJo Morris is the outreach pastor, and his wife, Tiffany, is one of the children’s ministry administrators. “BoJo has a HUGE servant’s heart,” Micah says. “He and I have been in ministry together with CW for four years.”
There are also three elders at the church. Don Spatafora and Kirby Shaddix are elders and their wives, Anne and Julie, are part of the hospitality team. Randy Pipes is also an elder, and his wife, Sharon, is one of the children’s ministry administrators. “The elders are overseers. As outlined in the Bible, they help me shepherd the congregation, and they also teach me, mold me, and keep me humble,” Micah says. “We are all on the same team, but these men are my mentors.”
The leadership team also includes Zierre and Canah Spencer. Zierre is the praise and worship leader, and he and Canah are also the church’s youth pastors. Finally, George Escobar is the head of security, and his wife, Melissa, is one of the children’s ministry administrators.
As the team grew, the mission statement of the church came into focus. It made sense that the church would continue the foundation of love, ministry, leadership, and community service that the Christian Warriors group had formed as their core beliefs. “Our mission is to be obedient in our movement to build a family of disciples who serve the community, accept everyone, and empower the Kingdom of God,” Micah says. “Our main motto is, ‘Love God. Serve others. Teach Truth.’”
The church is nondenominational, and open to everyone. “No matter what walk of life you come from you are welcome at CW Church. We do not care how messed up you are because trust me, we are messed up too!” Micah says. “We want to work with you and increase our walks together.”
The church currently meets at Veritas Academy, 2101 E 50th Street, Texarkana Arkansas. Sunday service starts at 10:00 a.m., and childcare and children’s church is provided for babies to sixth grade. The youth meet on Sunday nights at 6:30 p.m. While the church would, eventually, love to have their own building, they are not going to do anything until God shows them it is time. “For now, we are very grateful for what we have, and we are thankful for where we are,” Micah says. “God will show us the right building when it’s time.”
If you cannot attend services, the church provides a live stream on their Facebook page every Sunday. The videos are posted and are available to watch anytime. Their Facebook page also includes updates on serving opportunities, a strong pillar of the church’s mission. Every month, they do something to serve the Texarkana community. “We are a serving church, so we have many outreach projects going on at once. We understand that as a church, we must get outside of our four walls and serve the community,” Micah says. “We also know that we are just a small part of God’s Church, and we want to unite with other local churches, no matter the denomination, to serve the community together. We feel churches could do so much more for Texarkana and the surrounding areas if we work together. So, if you are attending a church that is looking for another church partner to serve with, PLEASE get in touch with us by email at hello@christianwarriorchurch.com”
Micah says that throughout the process and all the confirmation that this was a part of God’s plan, he still would ask God why He chose him. “I don’t have a seminary degree. I know there are so many people that know the Bible better than me, but God said that He was going to use my weaknesses to His strength. I wouldn’t be able to rely on a degree or accolades, I would have to rely on Him and His word,” Micah says. “He guided me to the book of Acts in the Bible, and most of the book is about how John, Paul, Silas, and Peter were planting churches. Not one time did it say that they knew the Old Testament backwards and forwards, but it kept saying that they were filled with the spirit. The church body in America cannot rely on knowledge alone. We need spirit-filled leaders who are doing what God calls them to do and that is what our Christian Warriors leadership team wants to stand by. We want to do what God tells us to do in our community, our homes, and in the church.”
The church is only two months old, but already, Micah says that he can see God working in so many ways. He says one word sums it all up: movement. “We have seen families restored and marriages restored. We have seen people giving their life to Christ, and people coming to church who haven’t come in years because they lost trust in the church. To watch Him move in the last two months is all we need for the confirmation that this is right,” Micah says. “We are a part of God’s movement. We are a group of misfits that God called together to start a church. This is a real church with real people. We want everyone to know who we really are, so in turn, they can feel comfortable being themselves as well.”