Faith Chapel Christian Center

Faith Chapel is a non-denominational, Christian, megachurch located in Birmingham, Alabama. The congregation, though largely African American, also consists of a variety of individuals from various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The church has two campuses: their dome campus in which the main services are held, and their older campus in which youth services are held and various administrative offices and resources are located. FCCC is one of the largest churches in Birmingham.

Leadership

Dr. Michael D. Moore is the Senior Pastor. As the Executive Director, Dr. Moore heads up a committee of various FCCC Administrators. This team consists of full-time employees that manage different departments and ministries within FCCC.

History

Beginnings

Faith Chapel started in April, 1981 at Dr. Moore's residence in Wylam, northwest of Fairfield. The church began with four people: Dr. Moore, his wife, his mother, and a friend. The church grew and in six months moved out to Stallworth Funeral home in June 1981. After another year, the church moved to the YWCA in downtown Birmingham.

On February 1, 1982, Faith Chapel sealed the bids for the sale of a 3.4-acre (14,000 m²), 7,645-square-foot (710.2 m²) McDonald Chapel School and were given the right to purchase the property. On July 10, 1983, with less than 30 people, they purchased the land. Between 1990 and 1995, several staff members were hired full-time. The Student Ministry, formerly Lively Stones Teen Church, was also established in 1990. In 1993, the Helps Ministry and the Evangelism Ministry were formed. In the same year, the main sanctuary was renovated, the children’s facility was completed, and the parking lot was paved. The first television broadcast aired in 1994, and in 1996 Faith Chapel paid off $495,000 in about eight months to become debt free.

The Word Dome

On April 29, 1999, FCCC purchased 37.6 acres (152,000 m²) of land for $237,000. This was the beginning of the multi-million-dollar "Word Dome" building project. On December 19, 1999, Faith Chapel broke ground on the new Dome facility. Construction was completed and use of the facility began on December 15, 2002. Of the $15 million cost, over 98% of the funds came from the within the church via its members. Faith Chapel never had to take out a loan to finance construction of the facility and it was completed entirely debt free, that is, without making use of debt financing.

The building is a concrete, monolithic dome. At 72 feet (22 m) tall, and 280 feet (85 m) in diameter it is the largest diameter monolithic dome designed by the Monolithic Dome Institute. Its large size makes possible a floor area of 74,500 square feet (6,920 m²) in two levels. Designed by Lathan Associates Architects, P.C., it was constructed by Gary C. Wyatt General Contractor, LLC., out of Birmingham.

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