Plummer Bailor, senior pastor
The Refiner’s Foursquare Church
(Largo Foursquare Church)
Largo, Md.
It’s a rare individual who chooses to leave a life of comfort and stability, launching out into uncharted waters for the sake of others. But in March 2009, that’s exactly what Plummer Bailor, his wife, Lorraine, and their three children did. Leaving a secure pastorate in Brentwood, Md., they planted a new church in Largo, a move that would require a dramatic lifestyle change but that would also open up new doors of service to others as it penetrates its surrounding community.
Possessing a servant’s heart has always been a core value for Plummer, going back to his childhood, and it also influenced the direction of his ministry endeavors.
“My parents modeled for me a life of service to other people,” he told Foursquare.org. “What sparked my call to ministry was an understanding that the word ‘ministry’ itself means ‘service.’ I believe my mission is to equip, resource and encourage believers to do works of service according to God’s purpose for their lives. I am passionate about building up and empowering people, and this plays itself out in my passion for church planting.”
It’s a passion that has taken Plummer to places most Americans never think about, or don’t even know about, such as Kagbayray Village in Sierra Leone, a tiny community located seven miles from the nearest town—meaning it is seven miles away from any schools, medical facilities or anything resembling modern life.
The Refiner’s Place, an organization Plummer and Lorraine founded whose commitment is to strengthen and resource local churches worldwide, recently launched the Sierra Leone Schools and Evangelism Project with the goal of spreading the gospel in Sierra Leone by establishing schools and planting new churches. Many other organizations have partnered with them in this endeavor, including Beaverton Foursquare Church in Oregon. The primary beneficiaries of the project, according to the ministry, will be the people of Kagbayray Village, the constituents of Sella Limba Chiefdom, Bombali District, and the Foursquare Gospel Church in Sierra Leone.
It’s a big goal, but Plummer has always believed in a big God.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned this past year is that it is not the size of the promise that matters, but the source of the promise,” he says. “Without a doubt, I believe the biggest gift my family has given me is faith that the Lord will always provide.”
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By: Bill Shepson, a Foursquare credentialed minister and freelance writer in Los Angeles
