Orlando – If you to go a worship service at the Hope Church of Orlando, it’s pretty clear Archbishop Allen T.D. Wiggins is where he belongs, doing what he’s meant to do.
But it wasn’t always that way.
“To be quite honest, I did not want to preach, I did not want to pastor,” said Wiggins. “Our ministry was founded in 1983, by my parents. My dad, of course, desired for me to preach and really was praying that I would follow in his footsteps. But I did not want to go that way.”
But, as they say, God works in mysterious ways.
“I ended up graduating from Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy. And I got a job at Eckerd Drugs, I was pharmacy manager there for some time. And I remember my dad saying to me, ‘Son, come over, and work with me for a couple of weeks, take vacation, and come work with me for a couple of weeks.’ I looked at it as an opportunity to make a few extra bucks. And I came and worked at the church for two weeks, and never went back to pharmacy. ‘Cause I knew I was supposed to be here.”
The church started out with just eight or nine people, Wiggins said. But it’s grown substantially over the years, and the property now spans about 50 acres in the Washington Shores community.
“Our whole mantra is about being a live, work, learn, play and worship community,” said Wiggins. “And we do that by addressing their housing needs, their educational needs, their health and wellness, their economic and of course, their faith.”
The Hope Church’s efforts go far beyond prayer and inspirational messages. The transformation came about 20 years ago, all sparked by a phone call.
“The call was from a family that was living in the apartments right across the street from our church. And the call was for a minister to come over and pray with the family, because they had just lost their baby girl. And so my wife and I, we went across the street to pray for this family,” said Wiggins. “And when we walked into their apartment, we could not believe that people were living in such dire conditions right across the street from our church, and we were doing everything that churches do. We were doing evangelism and discipleship and food giveaways, and, you know, embracing people. But when we walked into this home, we saw the place in disarray. We saw just concrete walls, ceiling fans circulating hot air, because they did not have functioning air conditioning. Their appliances looked terrible, critters on the wall. And I’m sitting there profusely sweating, and I’m supposed to be there to bring good news and hope to this family.”
Wiggins said once he had his thoughts together, he prayed with the family, spent some time, and as they left, it hit him.
“I had an epiphany, God literally jacked me up,” said Wiggins. “’What is your church doing to change the lives of people that live right in front of its doors?’ I was like, speechless. Because I thought we were doing what churches were supposed was supposed to do.”
It took a few days, but the answer finally revealed itself. Wiggins said at the time, they were looking to move the church out of the neighborhood, to find 50 acres somewhere else to build a sanctuary and family life center. So a realtor came by to speak with Wiggins and his father, but it wasn’t about land, it was about a little divine intervention.
“He said, ‘No, I’m not here to show you 50 acres, I’m here to tell you about an apartment complex right across the street from you that’s for sale. And I believe God sent me by here to challenge your faith, to purchase those apartments and make a real difference,’” said Wiggins. “And lo and behold, we purchased that 80-unit complex, and immediately started painting and started carrying all of the TLC, even the people of our ministry joined in, and we were able to touch the lives of 80 families, just like that. And out of that, we started to realize that ministry was much larger than a preached word on Sunday.”
Much, much larger.
“In this day and time, people are struggling with a plethora of challenges, everything from depression, homelessness, just really trying to understand how they’re going to make ends meet, in terms of their income,” said Wiggins. “We try our best to look for ways to bring solutions.”
Some of those solutions include offering affordable housing options, and they partner with a k-8 school Legends Academy right on the church campus. They have several not-for-profit outreach efforts like Hope Cares, helping to feed the community and Frontline Outreach Incorporated, a safe haven for children that promotes leadership and growth activities.
They even have a Walmart Neighborhood Market.
“When we had a need to resolve what was called a food desert, we were so fortunate to be able to pitch the property that’s the heart of Washington Shores for a Walmart to actually come and be here on the campus,” said Wiggins.
And very soon, Frontline Innovation Studios will officially join the list, the next generation in ministry for children.
“We’re super excited about that, because that gives us an opportunity to reach the young generation where they are. Most of the programs, most of the efforts, they don’t work because they don’t touch and don’t connect. I think that we as a society, we have to be open to hearing new methodologies, new ways, and work at connecting where the children are,” said Wiggins. “So it is through Frontline Innovation Studios that we have tapped into the future, and are offering coding and robotics and gaming and broadcast and all of that kind of stuff.”
Just the latest project in a long list of projects to help make Washington Shores the ecosystem he’s dreamt of, and help all who live there along the way.
“I’m aware of all of us having our part. And it was not something I signed up for. It was not something I literally volunteered for. But it really was a calling,” said Wiggins. “And I take comfort in knowing that I’m doing what I’m supposed to.”