Where Jesus Is King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Faith Christian Center World Outreach sits on Benchmark Road in southern Fredericksburg, Virginia, near where Route 2 and Route 17 meet on the edge of Spotsylvania County. The church's tagline - "Where Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!" - greets first-time guests and longtime members alike, and the congregation's nickname, FCCWO, is stitched into jerseys, banners, social media handles, and sermons. FCCWO is a Spirit-filled, apostolic church that grew from a single rented room in 1991 into a regional ministry that today fills a 1,000-seat sanctuary, runs a Pre-K through 12 Christian academy, sponsors a competitive soccer outreach, feeds families through a food pantry, partners with a humanitarian mission in Haiti, and streams its services to viewers around the world. For more than three decades, the congregation has built its identity around the conviction that faith is something to be walked in daily - "Invest In Your Life. Put Gods word in your Eyes, in your Ears, in your Mouth and in your Heart... REPEATEDLY. Watch Your Faith Grow and Your Life Change!" is how Pastor Milton Rock summarizes the call.
Eight People, a Park Room, and a $25 Rent
FCCWO was born from a question. In 1991, Apostle Chastine Rock asked the Lord why there was no place where His people could worship Him in Spirit and in truth. The answer, as Rock tells it, was simply: "There can be." The first gathering drew five adults and three children - eight people in all, the biblical number for new beginnings. Their first meeting place was a single room inside the old Stafford Parks facility, rented for $25 a service. There was no program, no building, and no budget beyond the weekly rent, just a small group of believers and a word from God.
As the group grew, they needed more space and searched for a storefront. Money was tight, and the cost of a new rental seemed out of reach. Then the owner of one storefront, after what Rock describes as a direct word from God, chose to pay most of the rent herself, allowing the young church to use the property for a fraction of the going rate. Prior to meeting with Rock, she had been told that her storefront would one day be a great church. "God showed His faithfulness," Rock writes. From that storefront, the church's ministry began to take shape, with what Rock calls "powerful, cutting edge ministering" that prepared the congregation for what came next.
A Sanctuary That Holds a Thousand, on Ground the Lord Provided
In 1997, FCCWO purchased the Benchmark Road property where it still stands. The ground breaking came in 1998, and the construction that followed became its own string of testimonies. When a water main had to be run from Route 2 to the new property at an almost six-figure cost, the church learned that a townhouse development further down the street would have to install the very same line for its own build - and that FCCWO could simply tap into it. The near-six-figure obligation had been quietly taken care of.
The soil on the building site also failed to meet compaction standards, and the church needed to haul in new dirt. Years earlier, while driving on Interstate 95, Rock says the Lord told him, "I'm going to give you that ground," referring to the parcel that today lies at Cosner's Corner. When Rock first approached the owner, nothing came of it. But as construction began, the same landowner offered unlimited access to fresh soil from that very property. "I didn't say I would give you the land," Rock recalls the Lord telling him. "I said I would give you the ground." God, he concludes, had the answer before Rock even knew the problem existed.
The 1,000-seat sanctuary was completed in April 1999. For its inaugural service, the congregation marched on foot from the storefront to the new building, an event Rock describes as filled with singing, clapping, shouting, and tears of gratitude. The street name, he notes, is no coincidence. A benchmark is a standard by which other things are measured, and the church has taken that definition as a calling. FCCWO has since participated in the "March for Jesus" in Downtown Fredericksburg, where thousands of believers gather for prayer, praise, and worship, but the original march from the storefront to the new sanctuary remains one of the defining moments of the church's life.
Inside the new sanctuary, the work of the Kingdom continued stronger than ever. Rock speaks of marriages restored, bodies healed, the dead raised, and the oppressed set free. Babies that doctors had said to abort were healed, born, and perfectly healthy. Mothers who had suffered repeated miscarriages were healed and gave birth. Cancers have been healed, the lame have walked, eyes have been opened, and bodies have been mended. "I love to see people get up out of a sickness," Rock writes. "The Holy Spirit has manifested Himself strong in our midst confirming the Word and filling us to overflow."
Baptisms at the River and in the Pool
Countless baptisms have been performed at FCCWO over the years, and the early ones happened outdoors. Before the Benchmark Road property had its own baptismal pool, the church made use of a nearby lake for baptisms, an arrangement Rock says always reminded the congregation of Jesus' own example in the River Jordan. Once the new sanctuary was completed, the church no longer had to brave the natural elements, and the indoor baptismal pool became a regular setting for the ordinance. Some of the most striking baptisms came unexpectedly, including one service in which more than eighty people were baptized, most of whom had not planned to be. Teenagers did not worry about their image, men did not regard their suits, and women did not hold back because of a fresh hairdo. "Some had acknowledged that they had previously gotten baptized but not because of a genuine relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus," Rock writes. "There was a special anointing present that day. That's what I call an extraordinary baptism."
The C.M. Rock Family Ministry Center
Five years after the sanctuary opened, FCCWO broke ground again. In 2002 the church began construction on a gymnasium designed to give the next generation a place to worship, learn, and play. The C.M. Rock Family Ministry Center - named in honor of Apostle Rock's father and dedicated in July 2005 - was completed in March of that year. It houses the church's youth ministry, serves as the home of Faith Christian Academy, and hosts community events and recreational sports.
For Rock, the building was the fulfillment of a long-held desire: "to provide a place to minister to the next generation." Even with prior construction experience, the project demanded new levels of faith and patience. There were delays and frustrations, but, Rock writes, "it was a joy to watch God's vision unfold before our eyes." The C.M. Rock Family Ministry Center added a whole new dimension of ministry that continues today, giving FCCWO room to grow beyond what a single sanctuary building could hold.
Apostles Chastine and Ella Rock
FCCWO is led by its founders, Apostle Chastine "Rock" and Apostle Ella Rock, who together form what the church calls an "impeccable ministry leadership team." Apostle Rock studied theology at Zoe University in Jacksonville, Florida, and received a Doctor of Divinity degree in 2011. For more than thirty years he has traveled the world preaching the good news of the Kingdom, with a ministry marked by salvations, baptisms in the Holy Spirit, healings, restorations, and prophetic ministry. As the visionary of FCCWO, he teaches, preaches, and provides leadership development and prophetic oversight for the church.
Apostle Ella, who also studied theology at Zoe University and received her Doctor of Divinity in 2012, is an accomplished worship leader, preacher, teacher, businesswoman, and national keynote speaker. For more than three decades she has ministered to people through both the Word and song, and under her leadership FCCWO has received multiple awards for Best Houses of Worship in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Their son, Pastor Milton Rock, and his wife, Pastor Kimberly Rock, also serve on the pastoral team, continuing the family's multigenerational ministry at FCCWO.
The Fivefold Ministry and What FCCWO Believes
FCCWO describes itself as a Ministry of Excellence and identifies with the apostolic tradition. Its statement of faith affirms the full inspiration of Scripture - both Old and New Testaments - as profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. The church confesses one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It affirms the deity of Christ, that Jesus is God incarnate and was like us in every way except for being without sin, and that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
Salvation comes only through being "born again" in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sinful humanity and rose again on the third day. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He is the Head of the Church, the One whom FCCWO preaches, praises, worships, and serves. The church embraces the Ephesians 4 fivefold ministry - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers - as literal, functioning offices in the church today.
Two ordinances anchor the church's practice. Water baptism follows the pattern of Jesus' own baptism by John in the Jordan, and a second, distinct experience - the baptism in the Holy Spirit with fire - is taught as available to all believers and to be earnestly sought. FCCWO teaches that this baptism is distinct from and subsequent to the new birth, and that its initial physical evidence is speaking in tongues. The nine gifts of the Spirit are taught as active and intended for every believer. Members are taught to walk by faith, to live by faith, and to speak the Word of faith, trusting that every step taken in faith moves them closer to the desired result. It is through that faith, the church teaches, that the congregation walks in "dominion and destiny." The church also looks for the personal return of Christ at the end of a seven-year tribulation, followed by a thousand-year reign on earth.
Sundays at 10, Wednesdays at 7, and the Livestream
The weekly rhythm of FCCWO centers on three in-person gatherings. Sunday morning worship begins at 10:00 a.m. in the Benchmark Road sanctuary, with nursery care and a separate Children's Church available for younger children. Wednesday evenings are split into two parts: at 6:30 p.m., the Ignite Youth Service gathers students from elementary through high school, and at 7:00 p.m. the adults meet for Bible study, with nursery care provided.
Worship at FCCWO is charismatic in tone - extended praise and worship, open prayer, biblical teaching, and an expectation that the Holy Spirit will move in the room. The congregation testifies to healings, restorations, deliverances, and even raisings from the dead during services over the years, and the church points to those testimonies as part of its identity.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed on YouTube on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. The livestream hub is the place to join services online, and past services, including a teaching series called Daily Bread with Apostle Rock, are archived on the church's YouTube and Vimeo channels for on-demand viewing. A live radio and television broadcast also extends the ministry's reach beyond Fredericksburg.
Ignite Youth and Children's Church
Children and teenagers are not an afterthought at FCCWO. The Children's Church runs alongside the Sunday morning service so that younger kids can learn in an age-appropriate environment while parents worship in the main sanctuary, and nursery care is available during both Sunday worship and the Wednesday Bible study. On Wednesday evenings, the Ignite Youth Service pulls elementary, middle, and high school students together at 6:30 p.m. for a service designed specifically for their age group, just before parents head into adult Bible study an hour later. For families with kids of all ages, Wednesday evening can be a full night under one roof, with separate programming for every generation.
Faith Christian Academy, Pre-K through 12th
The C.M. Rock Family Ministry Center is also the home of Faith Christian Academy, a Pre-K through 12th grade Christian school operated by the church. FCA enrolls students for each academic year and integrates biblical teaching into a full academic curriculum, with classes meeting on the same campus as the church. Families interested in enrollment can reach the school office at 540-899-2356 for information about the upcoming school year.
The FCCWO Sportsplex and Futsal Academy
Beyond the sanctuary and the school, FCCWO runs a regional sports ministry known as the FCCWO Sportsplex. The Sportsplex provides quality training and mentoring through youth sports camps and year-round soccer-specific training, leagues, and tournaments. The associated Futsal Academy seeks sponsorship to underwrite scholarships and equipment for young players who could not otherwise afford to participate. All sponsorships are tax-deductible, and donor names and logos appear on team jerseys, banners, online materials, correspondence, and press releases, giving businesses and individuals a visible way to invest in the next generation of athletes. The Sportsplex operates the youth athletics programs known as Spotsy Premier Soccer and The FCA Lions from the FCCWO campus.
Pearls Pantry and the Children of Haiti
Two outreach arms of FCCWO carry the church's presence beyond Fredericksburg. Pearls Pantry, the church's hunger relief ministry, distributes food to families in need across the greater Fredericksburg region and surrounding counties. Community members who want to donate food can call 540-374-1251 to schedule a drop-off time. The pantry is a hands-on way for the congregation to feed its own neighbors.
FCCWO is also a longtime supporter of Love A Child Inc., a humanitarian organization serving families and children in Haiti. The church notes that a portion of every donation it receives goes to support both the Fredericksburg community and severe poverty relief in Haiti, giving the ministry a reach that extends well beyond central Virginia and into the lives of children in one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest nations.
Books, Broadcasts, and a Worldwide Reach
The "World Outreach" in the church's name is more than branding. FCCWO reaches its members and viewers through regular television broadcasts, a steady stream of online content, and the publishing work of its founding apostle. Apostle Chastine Rock is the author of a growing library of books that include "Digging Deeper," "Don't Limit God," "Spiritual Egypt," "Success in Life Through Revelations," "Important Steps to Receiving the Holy Spirit," "Growing in the Shade," and "Life Beyond the Spirit of Betrayal." Each volume blends scripture with practical teaching on faith, healing, the Holy Spirit, and the believer's walk with God, and the books circulate widely among the congregation and beyond. Combined with the church's daily and weekly broadcasts and its online presence, FCCWO's reach extends far beyond the walls of its Benchmark Road sanctuary.
Becoming Part of the Vision
FCCWO describes its members as "Vision Partners," people who share in the work of the Kingdom by giving, serving, and praying. Donations to the church are tax-deductible through its 501(c)(3) status and can be made through Zelle, Cash App, Givelify, PayPal, or in person at the Benchmark Road campus. Those who want to make FCCWO their church home can complete a New Members Form to be added to the church directory, and prayer requests can be submitted directly to the pastoral team through the church's contact page. Members who gather in the sanctuary on a Sunday morning, join a livestream from across the country, donate to Pearls Pantry, sponsor a young athlete at the Sportsplex, or send relief to Haiti through Love A Child are all invited into the same vision Rock wrote down more than thirty years ago: to see God's dream fulfilled in the lives of all men, women, boys, and girls.