Our Story

Our spiritual odyssey initiated when Dr. Terriel Byrd was moved by the idea of starting a new church. In the holy refuge of Covenant Centre International (CCI), around 30 devoted believers came together on May 15, 2014, acknowledging the divine timing of God's work. Our spiritual mentor and mother church was graciously offered by Dr. Norman Benz, the Pastor of CCI.

On May 22, 2014, the incorporation of Living Word Christian Community (LWCC) took place in the State of Florida. We rejoiced in our first service alongside Pastor Benz and the CCI congregation during their 10:00 am worship. On May 25, 2014, at the culmination of the worship, Pastor Benz blessed Pastor Byrd, his wife Toni, and all LWCC attendees, praying for their service to the Almighty.

Our final service at the Covenant Centre International was held on September 28, 2014, mirroring our beginnings. The church community once more attended the 10:00 am service at CCI, where Pastor Benz and his leadership offered blessings and prayers for the LWCC members.

Transitioning to independence, LWCC held its inaugural service at Westward Elementary School, West Palm Beach, FL on October 5, 2014. Here, we ordained one elder, licensed three ministers, accepted eighteen new members, dedicated three infants, and performed several baptisms.

Our first service under a tent was held on Resurrection Sunday, April 5, 2015, on the tennis court of Banyan Club Apartments in West Palm Beach, FL, where we also carried out more baptisms. The church kept growing both in numbers and spirit, and the Banyan Club House became our temporary worship location.

By February 28, 2016, we settled into a more permanent home in the West Palm Plaza, which offered a 175-seat, 3600 square foot renovated space. The ministry flourished, ordaining six deacons, adding educational consultants, tutors for mid-week sessions, and two more ordained elders. We saw the growth of our Learning Well Children's Ministry and Ladies Who Choose Christ Ministry. Our mid-week gatherings and Worship-N-Word Prayer meetings/Bible Study became a vibrant part of LWCC. We were also on the verge of realizing a new vision - the Living Well Temporary Home for single women.

In February 2021, we moved to the chapel at Tabernaculo International, aiming to expand our outreach to the Hispanic community through this collaboration. All these blessings and progress were made possible through the grace of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as we continue Building on a Strong Foundation (Ephesians 4:11-12).

From May 2022 through April 2023, we continued to expand our community. We welcomed two more infants through dedication, accepted seven new members, and added a deacon and two deaconesses to our leadership. We also brought a music director onboard, and empowered our congregation with financial literacy and life insurance workshops. We hosted several fundraising events, including our Christmas Family Night and our inaugural prayer breakfast. Furthermore, we established a collaboration with SerKallai to offer workshops for both adults and children, teaching essential social-emotional skills. This too is a part of our ongoing spiritual journey, and for all these blessings and more, we give thanks to God.