OUR STORY
Christian Fellowship Center was founded in 1957 by Rev. Ken MacDonald and was originally located in Westport, MA. Not too long after it was established, Rev. MacDonald led the church to New Bedford where God would call Rev. William Borrows in 1969. Pastor Borrows came from California with his wife and son and pastored the church for the next 31 years. It was during that time that CFC was moved to 818 Church Street. In April of 2000, Rev. Borrows retired as senior pastor and in May of that year, Rev. Kenn Bongiorno was unanimously elected as the Lead Pastor of Christian Fellowship Center.
Under Pastor Kenn’s leadership and through a God-given vision, the congregation outgrew its facilities, and in August of 2008 construction of a new facility began. It would be completed in September of the following year where two Sunday worship services would be offered. The new address would now be 822 Church Street, New Bedford, MA 02745. In the meantime, South Coast Community Church, which was founded by Pastor Gary Taylor and his wife, Suzy in 2000, had outgrown its humble beginnings as a home church with a couple dozen founding members. After meeting in different spaces over the years, including the Taylor’s home, the Marion Art Center and the Sippican Elementary School, SCCC needed to find a permanent home.
In 2009, Pastor Brian Dube took over as the Lead Pastor of SCCC and the church secured a long-term lease of the 2nd floor auditorium space in the First Congregational Church of Fairhaven. The church would continue to meet there over the next 12 years. Now under the leadership of Pastor Brian and some of the original members, SCCC would continue to grow, and in 2019 it became evident that a larger space was needed yet again.
As these two churches were growing and serving in the Greater New Bedford area, relationships between the pastors and churches would also form and grow. In early 2021, Pastor Kenn from CFC contacted Pastor Brian from SCCC to tell him his time as the lead pastor of Christian Fellowship Center was coming to a close. It was through this conversation and lots of prayer and counsel, that the leadership teams from both churches decided that a merger was a possible solution God may be presenting.
In February of 2021, both churches began to worship together under one roof at 822 Church Street. CFC is an Assemblies of God church and SCCC was associated with the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). After much prayer and discussion, a formal vote was taken with the decision being in overwhelming favor of merging SCCC into Christian Fellowship Center.
Pastor Kenn would step down in May of 2021 with Pastor Brian taking over as Lead Pastor. The new Christian Fellowship Center (CFCNB), now two churches in one, would emerge. We are a church that is committed to loving God, loving others, and reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our story is His story. We continue the mission of winning souls and loving people back to life!
Under Pastor Kenn’s leadership and through a God-given vision, the congregation outgrew its facilities, and in August of 2008 construction of a new facility began. It would be completed in September of the following year where two Sunday worship services would be offered. The new address would now be 822 Church Street, New Bedford, MA 02745. In the meantime, South Coast Community Church, which was founded by Pastor Gary Taylor and his wife, Suzy in 2000, had outgrown its humble beginnings as a home church with a couple dozen founding members. After meeting in different spaces over the years, including the Taylor’s home, the Marion Art Center and the Sippican Elementary School, SCCC needed to find a permanent home.
In 2009, Pastor Brian Dube took over as the Lead Pastor of SCCC and the church secured a long-term lease of the 2nd floor auditorium space in the First Congregational Church of Fairhaven. The church would continue to meet there over the next 12 years. Now under the leadership of Pastor Brian and some of the original members, SCCC would continue to grow, and in 2019 it became evident that a larger space was needed yet again.
As these two churches were growing and serving in the Greater New Bedford area, relationships between the pastors and churches would also form and grow. In early 2021, Pastor Kenn from CFC contacted Pastor Brian from SCCC to tell him his time as the lead pastor of Christian Fellowship Center was coming to a close. It was through this conversation and lots of prayer and counsel, that the leadership teams from both churches decided that a merger was a possible solution God may be presenting.
In February of 2021, both churches began to worship together under one roof at 822 Church Street. CFC is an Assemblies of God church and SCCC was associated with the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). After much prayer and discussion, a formal vote was taken with the decision being in overwhelming favor of merging SCCC into Christian Fellowship Center.
Pastor Kenn would step down in May of 2021 with Pastor Brian taking over as Lead Pastor. The new Christian Fellowship Center (CFCNB), now two churches in one, would emerge. We are a church that is committed to loving God, loving others, and reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our story is His story. We continue the mission of winning souls and loving people back to life!
