A Brief History of Faith Outreach Center Church of Middletown, PA
In November 1972, after reading the book, Raptured, by Ernest Langly, Jack and Lura Sipe sought the Lord, Jesus Christ for His salvation at the altar of a Methodist Church. Life immediately changed. They both wanted all God had to offer and completely dedicated their lives to His service. They were involved in Sunday School, attended Wednesday night prayer meetings and visited the sick and infirmed. In the spring of 1978, that same Methodist church held a Lay Witness Weekend that profoundly impacted their lives. As a result, Jack attended Lay Speakers School and began preaching whenever the Lord opened a door. They also began seeking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as taught in Act 2. Feeling God’s call to ministry, Jack began the long road of formal education and ultimately seminary.
The Lord had different plans however when He sent a man named Paul, a member of Lakewood Church, pastored by John Osteen to work beside Jack in the instrument shop of Three Mile Island. Jack and Lura’s hunger for the Word drew out of Paul the answers that they long sought. In 1983, Paul began teaching a Bible study in the basement of the Sipe home. People were coming from all over to hear the Word. Many were getting born again, healed of physical ailments and being filled with the Holy Spirit, with Pentecostal evidence! They soon outgrew the basement and felt God’s call to plant a full-gospel church in Middletown.
They rented a small building on South Union Street in Middletown as God continued to bless His children. Jack enrolled in the three year correspondence course from Rhema Bible Training Center as his formal Bible training. To celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in 1984, Jack and Lura treated themselves to a trip to Houston, Texas just to attend Lakewood Church for a few services. Again, God had other plans.
When they were picked up at the airport they were told they had a meeting with Pastor Osteen in his office! Within minutes of their introduction to brother Osteen, he told Jack that he could see he had the call of God on his life and that he would help him in any way he could. True to his word, Pastor Osteen sent them home with a copy of all twenty seven books he had written and stacks of tapes of his sermon series. He also arranged to have Jack ordained by sending up one of his elders, Mike Williams to ordain Jack on July 17, 1985. Pastor Jack and Lura attended Pastors Conventions at Lakewood Church yearly as their friendship with the Osteens continue until Johns passing in to glory in January 1999.
Having a heart for evangelism and missions, Jack and Lura have gone on multitudes of mission trips including Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Fiji, New Zealand and India. Over the history of the church they have supported and continue to support works in Bolivia, Germany and the Philippines.
