Our Story
In 1993, the
North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church
purchased 16 acres for a new church in the Argo area, and Tommy
Gray was appointed to start the new church in 1996. Tommy
completed his Doctorate of Ministry degree at Asbury Theological
Seminary in Kentucky, and was pastor of First Methodist Church
in Crossville, AL, before this new assignment. He had studied
the contemporary church extensively and how it worships,
preparing him for God’s calling to plant a new church.
A small core group of families met for months in the small
parsonage, studying, praying and brainstorming to prepare for
the formation of a new purpose-driven church. The name,
ClearBranch, is the name of the creek that runs through the
church property. After worshipping in the parsonage for about
six months, ClearBranch began meeting at Clay-Chalkville Middle
School on Palm Sunday, 1997, with 200 in attendance. In October
of 1997, ClearBranch chartered with over 300 people. The
original charter hangs in the Worship Center foyer.
After growing to attendance of 500, the church moved into what
is now the Family Life Center in the summer of 1999, and
attendance quickly jumped to 800 and in a short time, three
services were needed to accommodate everyone. Following a
successful building campaign, construction of the Worship Center
was completed in 2002, at a cost of 4.5 million dollars. The
sanctuary seats 1,500.
Adequate, good facilities are important to a church, but the
church is people, and even beyond people, a healthy, growing
church is a family. We hope you experience ClearBranch as
a family that welcomes you and prays that, most importantly, you
have great opportunities to worship God, begin a relationship
with Christ and grow in your relationship with Him, and offer
your service using your gifts and talents.
ClearBranch is still a young church with lots of young
people, young families, and folks with young, fresh ideas who
have a lot of energy. There are programs, ministries and events
for everyone. You may know how fast our area is growing, and it
is poised for even greater growth in the very near future.
ClearBranch is a partner of the community and desires to be
your partner in your spiritual journey. So it is our prayer that
you will give ClearBranch a try. Please come see us and
call or e-mail us anytime!
