OUR HISTORY

1996 – 1997 

Prayer Faith & Encouragement Ministry Int’l (PFEM) is a young dynamic ministry founded by Chief Apostle Christine Chiddick (then Pastor Chiddick) in March 1996, in the village of Hatton, St. John’s, Antigua. It was birthed out of an evangelistic prayer group called Christians United in Christ (CUC), a ministry also founded by Pastor Chiddick. CUC was an interdenominational group comprised of born-again believers from various churches who regularly met, seeking more of God. CUC’s ministry focus was prayer, bible study and outreach.

One year after CUC was formed, following the instructions of the Lord, Pastor Chiddick led a team in one week of crusade services in the village of Point, Antigua. A little over 30 souls were won to the Lord, but many decided to fellowship at already established churches in that village. As Pastor Chiddick was hearing the call of God to go full-time in pastoral ministry, she launched Prayer Faith & Encouragement Tabernacle with five souls, meeting for services in her and her husband (Elder Chiddick’s) home’s garage, on Sunday, March 17, 1996.

For the next six months, the small congregation fervently served God and the village. The congregation was fast outgrowing the garage and so, as 1996 came near the end, PFEM moved to a rental facility on Union Road, in the same village. It was in this facility which the congregation affectionately called “The Kitchen” that PFEM received her first musicians and its first worship team. More souls were added to the church. During this season in “The Kitchen”, there was an awesome presence of God with the Ministry. It was a time of praise and rejoicing for the young ministry. Various ministers of the gospel visited and commended the house on being blessed by the atmosphere of praise and worship that permeated the sanctuary.

The ministry’s focus at this time was HELPS. Food and clothes distribution, tutoring and house visitations were common occurrences in the ministry at this time. Many families in the village with low-income struggles were blessed by the hands of PFEM. As 1997 came to a close, the focus of the ministry shifted to OUTREACH. In February 1998, PFEM purchased a missionary tent and moved to another site in the same village. With that tent, PFEM launched a 3-week crusade in Old Road Village in the south of the island. Again, souls were won and a work was begun. Outreach services were not just limited to the tent, but in other villages PFEM hosted street meetings, preaching the gospel of Jesus.  

1998 – 2001

By 1999, PFEM also saw the beginnings of an intense season of TRAINING, as they came under the covering of Rose of Sharon Ministries, Inc founded by Apostle Dr. Elizabeth Hairston of Miami, FL. The ministry saw the implementation of Ministers’ Retreats/Workshops and a couple of our ministers going to Miami, FL for training. The young ministry was growing, maturing, and being edified – moving to a higher level.

PFEM was back to its original location, this time using the upstairs of the Pastor and Elder Chiddick’s house. There was a marked increase of souls added to the church at this time. The power of God was evident to heal and deliver in Monday Night Deliverance Services. Fine Arts ministry was implemented and blossomed, with dramatic productions such as the often requested, “FREEDOM: Body, Soul, Spirit”.  During this season, national OUTREACH ministry became more focused. Since its inception, PFEM had outreach meetings in at least two targeted villages per year. Then, in August 2001, PFEM added another initiative to its outreach. PFEM rented a house in Freetown village in the east of the island and opened a Missions House Outreach. This mission made available to the villagers a place of prayer, Bible study, counseling, and Christian literature. Two single parents from the ministry were assigned to this Mission to live in the house/village and to be available to the people. The Freetown Mission showed a measure of success for the six months that it was in operation.

National OUTREACH now began to extend to regional outreach. The ministry began traveling out to neighboring islands of Tortola, Anguilla, and St. Maarten.

2002 – 2004

Then in February 2002, the ministry moved to a facility in the heart of the capital, St. John’s. There the Lord took the ministry to another level. The ministry expanded to include offices. A wave of revival hit the ministry and, again souls were added.

By 2002 PFEM was doing OUTREACH ventures regionally. Pastor Chiddick and her team traveled to the islands of Tortola, St. Maarten/St.Martin, Anguilla and Saba. On their travels, God opened doors for radio ministry at two radio stations in Anguilla and another radio program was begun at a radio station in Antigua. Doors opened for not only regional outreach but international outreach as well.   Pastor Chiddick, accompanied by another sister, traversed the high waters and did ministry work in Suriname, South America.

TRAINING continued during these years in the form of Ministers’ Training, Family Hour, Student of the Word (S.O.W.) Bible Class and Discipleship Class. Additionally, training in Dance was introduced as an extension of the Fine Arts Ministry.

In March 2003, the ministry obtained another plot of land (this time in Cooks) and began plans for construction of the church sanctuary. As a result of this new development, the congregation returned to their building in Hatton. Again, a wave of revival swept through the ministry and souls were added to the church. There was a particular anointing present for the youths and, within a seventh-month period at this location, the ministry hosted two youth revivals. Much energy and focus were then placed on the construction and completion of the church sanctuary. 

Through the grace of God, the families of the ministry invested into making the construction of the building a debt-free endeavor. In addition to sowing finances, the men sowed labor and the women and children also shared in the physical labor and preparing of food. It was a united, family effort. The spirit of unity was at work through the believers and performed the miracle. Scriptures of faith were sealed in the foundation of the building. The same faith that was one of the three pillars of PFEM gave the small group of congregants the strength and encouragement to believe that the vision would surely come; they just needed to wait for it. Finally, the congregation moved into the sanctuary in September 2004 and a different phase of the ministry began: the establishment and development of various arms of the ministry followed. 

2005 – 2013

In the next phase of PFEM’s growth (2005 – 2013), the focus moved from journeying from place to place to maximizing the resource of a building and using it to house as many ministries as possible. The seven years that followed saw the realization and development of several ministries within the mandate of the ministry as given to Pastor Chiddick over 10 years prior.

PFEM saw the establishment of

  • SCHOOL – Visionaries for Christ Academy (VFCA) – headed by Pastors Alex & Thad Wharton.
  • FINE ARTS – Dancing into The Anointing, an annual Dance Production headed by Deacon Dermian & Sister Cameka John.
  • FINE ARTS – an annual Poetic & Variety Concert headed by Br. Anthony Samuel.
  • MEDIA – Reaching the Nations, a weekly-aired TV broadcast
  • EVANGELISM – Hosting several In-House Revival Services
  • EVANGELISM – Prophets Hot Out of the Wilderness, a team of transgenerational ministers for regional and international outreach
  • YOUTH MINISTRIES – Children’s Church, Y.I.M.E.N., Young Musicians
2013 – 2023
 

As PFEM (Cooks, Antigua) neared its 16th year of ministry (2012), it began battling an attack that would lead to its decline in Antigua. In the meantime, acting upon a word from the Lord, the Whartons migrated to the USA. This move can be likened to that of Joseph in the Genesis account; they were sent ahead to preserve the life of the ministry (Genesis 45:5). PFEM’s story will now continue on the soil of the USA and beyond through SCPFEM Int’l.

March 2015: Apostle Chiddick along with Pastor Thad Wharton led a week of revival services in Moncks Corner, SC, USA as a precursor to the launching of another branch. One month later, PFEM – South Carolina was launched on Resurrection Sunday, April 5, 2015. At the end of May 2015, the Whartons relocated from Orlando, Florida to Moncks Corner, South Carolina to serve as the pastors of that work.  That ministry faced challenges that resulted in the closing of its doors in summer 2016. For the next 3 years, Pastors Alex & Thad Wharton and their children hosted weekly bible studies and prayer meetings in their home, while attending a local church in Moncks Corner, SC. In Antigua, PFEM continued to experience attacks and spiritual warfare at levels not experienced before. Apostle Conroy (formerly Elder Chiddick) had been battling an illness for two years and eventually transitioned to glory on September 4, 2018. His passing affected the ministry and Chief Apostle Chiddick profoundly. Needing time to grieve and heal, Apostle visited the church in South Carolina where, months later she counselled the Whartons to relaunch public ministry.

April 2019: Following the instructions of their leader, Pastors Alex & Thad Wharton, along with their children, relaunched the South Carolina branch. The SCPFEM Int’l held its next public service on Sunday, April 7, 2019 (4 years after its founding) at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Summerville, South Carolina. SCPFEM Int’l worshipped at this hotel for the next 4 months.

While the ministry in South Carolina grew and expanded, the ministry in Antigua came to a halt. The doors of Cooks PFEM (Antigua) were closed, and the building facility was rented out to another local church assembly. On the other hand, SCPFEM led by the Holy Spirit, discontinued services in the hotel and returned to the pastors’ home in Moncks Corner, SC to invest in media ministry.

Media ministry became the focus of the newly relaunched SC branch. June 30, 2019, saw the first blog post of their women’s spiritual warfare website, ezerwatchers.com. Three months later, in September 2019, they launched their YouTube Channel, PFEM Int’l Reaching the Nations. When the pandemic hit the world, SCPFEM Int’l introduced services via ZOOM, with their first service on the 1st anniversary of their re-launching (April 5, 2020). SCPFEM Int’l pursued those 3 arms of media ministry (blog, YouTube, and zoom) for the year of 2020. Then, once more, they were led by the Holy Spirit to expand the reach of the media ministry. SCPFEM Int’l then began live streaming their services on Facebook live. The first live stream was aired on December 31st, 2020 – New Year’s Eve Service 2020.

2021: The new year, 2021, opened with a blast. SCPFEM Int’l saw the move of God in its weekly Bible Studies; “A Celebration of Love” Virtual Conference hosted in February 2021; its virtual 25th Anniversary service in April 2021; its virtual ARROWS Youth Conference 2021 in June 2021; and its first ordination service in the USA also in June 2021. In September 2021, the  Whartons sold their home in Moncks Corner and, in December 2021, purchased a new home in Summerville, SC, where once again they dedicated a room in their home as the ministry’s media studio.

 2022: SCPFEM Int’l, having been birthed out of PFEM, continues to run with the vision of the ministry given to Chief Apostle Christine Chiddick. Through the SCPFEM Int’l, the vision is being realized. As promised, the Lord had extended the ministry beyond the shores of Antigua. Family continued to be at the core of the ministry. Transgenerational ministry was still actively at work. Chief Apostle Chiddick and the Whartons – three generations working together, simultaneously, with each individual supplying his/her part, “according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (The Holy Bible, King James Version, 1984/n.d., Ephesians 4:16).

Although PFEM did not own or meet in a set building space as a local assembly, SCPFEM Int’l continued its ministry of HELPS, supporting and providing encouragement to other ministries with the giftings and anointings that the Lord has entrusted to them. Not only did the Lord God use Chief Apostle Christine Chiddick and Pastors Thad and Alex Wharton to minister in various congregations but Grace and John, ministers-in-training, were also invited to minister in song, music, and the word at youth ministries and other church functions. ZOOM Bible Study, EZER Watchers Blog, PFEM Int’l Reaching the Nations, and Pit Stop Services @PFE Facebook live were platforms through which SCPFEM Int’l continued to provide godly models of families in ministry, through teaching and example of the leadership.

2023: SCPFEM Int’l purchased a building to launch PFEM Int’l Life Center. The building opened for in-person services on August 13, 2023 and resumed live streaming services both on facebook and on their YouTube Channel: Reaching the Nations, on November 5, 2023. The ministry has since been laboring with the expectation that the Lord God will continue to unfold the vision of the ministry as he adds souls to the church.

SCPFEM Int’l continues to make new connections and experience what God said to Moses, “Wherefore criest thou unto Me? …. Go Forward.” (Exodus 14:15). As PFEM Int’l looks back over the past 27 years of the Holy Spirit’s work through them, they remain encouraged and determined to GO Forward!