How did we get here? Glad you asked!
MorningStar Church is a Bible-centered, Spirit-filled Christian ministry originally conceived in the heart of founder and pastor Tony Byrd in 1992. Initially the specifics of the dream were "a bit fuzzy," but Pastor Tony committed the outworking of the details to prayer and submission to God's timing and design.
Over the next several years, as Pastor Tony and his wife Heather enjoyed prosperous and fulfilling youth ministry, God slowly added the details of how this new church ministry would look. It would focus on meaningful and expressive worship, building strong relationships, winning and discipling the people of a large urban and multi-ethnic community, and showing the love of Christ in practical, hands-on acts of service. In addition, it would seek to plant other churches in strategic locations throughout the city of focus.
In August of 1998, the realization of the dream picked up speed as the Lord began to speak to Pastor Tony that Tampa, Florida, would possibly be the city. The Lord then in several tangible ways confirmed that direction to both Pastor and Heather in February of 1999. Five months later, the Byrds stepped away from youth ministry and into preparation for the launch of this new church.
On Sunday, May 7, 2000, at Sickles High School in Tampa, MorningStar Church became a reality. And although only a small handful of people were on board in the very beginning (only six were a part of the first Bible study a few months earlier), God has granted our church tremendous favor with the two groups of people for whom we have the most passion, the unchurched and the unsaved.
Today we're both humbled by God's continued blessings and eagerly anticipating what He's going to do in the future. And we'd love for that future to include you.
Where'd we get our name?
As with any name, you'll find rich depth of meaning standing behind our name MorningStar. First, we like the name MorningStar because it is one of the most beautifully descriptive names for Christ you'll find anywhere in Scripture (Rev. 22:16, for example). And truthfully, we like having a name for Christ as part of our identity because it continually reminds us that this church is all about Him and not about us. We don't ever want to lose sight of that.
Second, astronomers will tell you that at one time the planet Venus was dubbed the "morning star" because every day its planetary path would cause it to rise three hours before the sun, thus ushering in each new day. Similarly, that's a role we would like to play in the lives of the people of Tampa and even around the world. So many people are tired of, frustrated with or even indifferent about their "yesterdays", and we would like to help them find the dawn of a new day in their lives. Of course, that can happen through the love, grace and hope of Jesus Christ. The people of MorningStar are living proof.
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