'Best yet to come,' San Angelo church celebrates 20 years with party, ministry

Alana Edgin
San Angelo Standard-Times
Freedom Fellowship Church will host a 20th year celebration on April 11, 2021, which will include a picnic and bounce houses.

SAN ANGELO — A San Angelo church will celebrate 20 years since an Easter service kickstarted its path to becoming a downtown ministry.

At 10 a.m. Sunday, April 11, 2021, the Freedom Fellowship Church, 342 S. Chadbourne St., will celebrate its 20th anniversary. There will be a picnic meal, bounce houses and train rides. Former church members will also be present to tell their stories.

The celebration's theme is "look what the Lord has done, the best is yet to come." Looking back on 20 years, lead pastor Harold Watkins took some time to talk about how it all began and where they hope to grow. 

'Even from the beginning, we knew we were supposed to help people'

Harold Watkins and his wife knew they belonged in ministry, particularly in ministry that makes a difference. They hosted their own gathering at their home with friends on Sunday nights, and their next step was a "coming to Jesus" moment.

The couple went to pick up clothes from a tailor on Twohig Avenue, who told them "a prostitute" had slept behind the building, and the owner had to run her off. The couple drove around the alley, where they saw the threadbare couch the woman had slept on.

"We saw where she had slept, and we just began to weep," Watkins said.

This became a moment when they knew they wanted to help people in need downtown, which at that time didn't have the best reputation, he said.

Freedom Fellowship Church will celebrate their 20th anniversary on Sunday, April 11. Pastor Harold Watkins discussed how the church came to be and where he hopes it will go.

On April 15, 2001, Watkins and his wife went to the local shelters for those in need and invited them to their Easter celebration at the City Auditorium.

"We weren't looking to get people out of their church, but to reach people that didn't go to church anywhere," Watkins said. "We (asked them) to come as they were and offered to feed them and share the gospel. From the beginning, we knew we were supposed to help people."

From that point, Watkins and his group knew they had something started. They set up in different downtown buildings over the years, upgrading to a bigger space each time. As they grew, so did their hopes to help those in need. 

In 2007, a woman approached Watkins and talked about her struggles. Freedom Fellowship paid her electric bill, the first time the church had paid someone's bill. That woman, who will also be at the anniversary, later told them about their future building — the former Verizon building at 342 S. Chadbourne St.

Freedom Fellowship Church now has a school with about 100 students and a food pantry that gives out food every Friday. Even COVID-19 didn't trip up the church, as they were already set up to stream services.

Freedom Fellowship Church, 342 S. Chadbourne St., also runs Potter's Hand Christian School.

"This has been first and foremost about giving glory to God, but it's also about a team of people," Watkins said. "We have an incredible team, and we couldn't do it without all their help. We're very blessed."

With the anniversary's theme of "look what the Lord has done, the best is yet to come," Watkins also discussed improving the church's ability to help people.

"One of our goals is to expand the food pantry to an off-site building that can hold more," Watkins said. "The dream we have is not only to give food, but to expand into clothing and refinishing furniture."

He also wants to employ people in need who may have trouble finding jobs.

To contact the church, call 325-227-4121, visit freedomfellowship.us, or follow them on Facebook.

Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Crime and Courts in West Texas. Send her a news tip at aedgin@gannett.com