OUR STORY

In 1994, under the guidance and direction of the Lord Jesus Christ, Pastor Maurice Carter and his family relocated from Richmond to Farmville, Virginia, where The Crystal Cathedral was founded. At that time, Pastor Carter had served as the Executive Pastor of Refuge Temple in Warfield, Virginia for five years under the leadership of Dr. Thurman L. Hargrove.
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Armed with a mission and a vision; "To present God to His people and to lead God's people into His presence," Pastor Carter began an Outreach Ministry in the community, which consisted of prayer and bible studies in his and neighboring homes. These meetings grew to include weekly bible studies at the Oak Grove Church in Shepherds, Virginia. 
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The ministry continued to grow, and in 1995, Pastor Carter's efforts to spread the gospel further expanded to the campus of Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. Many college students were baptized in the Holy Spirit and joined the Crystal family.
 
Subsequently, in the Spring of 1996, the ministry relocated to the SCOPE Community Center in Farmville, where Pastor Carter taught and preached the Gospel for two and a half years. Hundreds were delivered and set free from physical and spiritual bondage.
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The ministry grew so rapidly that by the summer of 1998, the SCOPE was no longer able to accommodate the ever-increasing congregation. The Crystal relocated to a larger building in Shepherds, Virginia. In less than five years, the 5,000-square-foot facility had practically become "standing room only." Preparations to secure a larger building began once more.
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In 2003, the Lord blessed mightily, and with only a year and a half of planning, the Crystal Cathedral moved to its present Worship Center in Dillwyn, Virginia. The 60,000-square-foot, ten-acre campus spans two entire city blocks. Nestled in the heart of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Crystal Cathedral serves members from ten different Counties in Central Virginia from Charlottesville to Richmond. 
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Also in 2003, Pastor Carter established a second Crystal Cathedral in Hopewell, Virginia. In 2006, the Crystal City Ministry in Charlottesville, Virginia, was established.
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The current campus includes a Community Resource Center for Buckingham and surrounding counties, a 5,000-square-foot community food pantry, the W. L. Bonner Chapel, which seats 100 people, and the T. L. Hargrove Executive Suite. The Church is a founding member of the Charlottesville Children Development Center and plans to develop a daycare center for children two to five years of age, a Pre-K to sixth grade Christian Academy, and a Women's Pavilion, all to be housed within the Crystal's Complex.
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As we look toward the 21st Century and beyond, we thank God for every member and friend for their continued commitment to the vision of this ministry. Our foundation continues to be: "To present ONE GOD, ONE REDEMPTIVE SAVIOR and ONE KEEPER of the Word, The man JESUS CHRIST, to the whole world."