But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:13 (KJV)
Church History
Endure To The End Ministries Church History
The ways of God are unsearchable…they are above finding out! The love of God surpasses our understanding, and He knows the thoughts He has for each of His children, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to bring us to an expected end. Born through adversity, God birthed Endure To The End Ministries in 2000 while Pastor and Co-Pastor Rountree resided at 1860 I Street, Unit B, Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. God had impressed deep in Pastor Rountree’s heart that His word is the truth, that we, the saints of God, must endure hardness as a good soldiers, that the race is not always unto the swift nor the battle to the strong, but he must endure to the end and let no one steal his crown! Thus, with renewed vigor to run this race with patience and endurance, Endure To The End Ministries was born!
Pastor and Mother Rountree served in North Dakota under the leadership of Bishop Michael R. Cole from June 1994 until the Lord called them to relocate to the United Kingdom in May 2003. After a two-year tour of duty, they served in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at Grace Covenant Church of God In Christ under the watchful eye of Pastor James Johnson. In May 2008, the Lord sent them to Bellevue, Nebraska, where they served as lay ministers in the Capehart Chapel before settling at Christ Cathedral Church of God in Christ, laboring in the vineyard with Pastor Kevin Johnson. However, throughout all of their travels, Pastor and Mother Rountree watched over Endure To The End Ministries, knowing God would call them to go forth at His appointed time.
In October 2011, the Lord spoke to Pastor Rountree and told him it was time to enter into the vineyard that had been given unto him. After much prayer and fasting and staying before the Lord, Pastor, and Co-pastor Rountree held their first Bible Study as Pastors of Endure To The End Ministries on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. For those that don’t remember, that was Leap Day of the Leap Year, and yes, stepping out was a leap of Faith! The Spirit of the Lord moved mightily in both the Bible study and Sunday services, healing the Saints of their wounds and renewing a right spirit within them. The freedom enjoyed in the liberty of the Spirit caused the Saints to seek the Lord with all their hearts, and they reaped the blessing of a solid personal relationship with the Lord. God’s hand upon the ministry was evident.
You see, Endure To The End Ministries is an oasis in the desert, a haven if you will, and some come for a refreshing season before moving on, and others find their place of ministry and a home here in the Lord. This has been a place of healing and deliverance, and the Lord has been in the midst of all things. The Saints have testified of answered prayers and academic success in the classroom as the Lord has brought all things back to their remembrance, even how God has opened doors that were previously closed and closed doors that were previously open! Oh, what a great God we serve!
The families of Endure To The End Ministries are faithful to the call of God upon their lives. We will run this race with patience and endurance, looking unto Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith, for “he who endures to the end, the same shall be saved.”
Endure To The End Ministries COGIC celebrated our First Church Anniversary on Friday night, 1 March 2013, at 1900. The church was in a 40-day fast leading up to the celebration, and Pastor and Co-Pastor had just completed a 46-day fast seeking God’s presence and blessing on the Saints of God and the celebration. Bishop Michael R. Cole, the Prelate for the North Dakota Jurisdiction COGIC and my spiritual father in the Gospel was our guest speaker. He traveled with Evangelist Sohan from New Jersey via Trinidad, and a young African, Brother Ahtu, from Cameroon, now living in Grand Forks. What a great celebration. We took the piano downstairs to the church so Bishop could be free to minister as the Spirit directed him. There was much warfare leading up to the service, but that’s to be expected when God pours out His Spirit upon His people. The Saints looked beautiful, and Mother Rountree and I were proud of them.
The Word of The Lord out of Zechariah 4:10 declares, “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth!” Yes, the eyes of the Lord watched over Endure To The End Ministries, and with great joy, the Saints of God celebrated their first church anniversary on March 1, 2013, at their home church. The second year saw change and growth come to the ministry. The Lord continued to use the ministry as an oasis in the desert, a resting place for the weary, and a place of healing for the wounded and broken. The Lord God pressed upon us that we are truly members of one body, fitly joined together, with each of us having a purpose in edifying the body. Pastor and Co-Pastor Rountree realized, though, that no man goes to war without first counting the costs and that everything they sought to build for the Lord would encounter opposition. However, the Lord God is faithful to those who seek His face. Not only did the ministry grow physically, but God blessed us tremendously with His Spirit! He utilized every gift in the body—teaching, preaching, prayer, worship, healing, prophesying—to bring us to a new level in Him! Every testimony praises Him for what He has done in our lives. Yes, we have had challenges. Yes, there have been dry places, but the Lord has been our strong tower and our oasis in the desert places. Bless His holy name!
Pastor and Co-Pastor Rountree continue to nourish and foster the vision the Lord has given them for this ministry. God has given them strong Warriors to labor with them in the vineyard. Today, the church stands at the bank of the Jordan, poised to cross over into the promised land. Yes, for these first two years, we have worshiped in our house church—and the Lord has blessed us mightily!! But the time has come for us to expand our territory and move out into a building at 1502 J. F. Kennedy Drive, Bellevue, that we will call home. We will have greater opportunities for outreach…greater opportunities to share the Gospel message, and greater opportunities to impact our community. Yes, we do give God the Glory for all He has done! We do not despise the day of small things, and as we enter into our third year of being, this is our declared time of abundance…we are living in the overflow!