Victory Fellowship held its first official service on September 13, 1983, as an independent fellowship of Charismatic believers. The meetings were in a small metal building in the countryside one mile west of Emporia under the visionary leadership of Dr. James and Judith Kegin. It was an independent Charismatic church.
The vision of the founders was to lead people to salvation through Jesus Christ, to build them up spiritually, to train them to do the work of the ministry, and to release them into whatever ministry the Lord would call them to. Pastor Kegin always said, “If you send out your best people, God will send you the best people.”
An integral part of the ministry was taking church members on ministry trips to other countries, introducing them to needs and areas of service, and believing that God would call some of them to go back there to serve Jesus Christ. Since that time, over forty team mission trips have been taken to the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The majority of them were led by Pastor Michael Angell, who served faithfully as associate pastor for 16 years.
What the Kegins believed has now taken place. To date, at least nine senior pastors have gone out from this church. Four missionary couples have been sent to the field. Three individuals went to foreign lands on a long-term basis. A number of credentialed ministers got their start here; some are still here while others have their own ministries. An innumerable crowd has participated on short-term trips.
In 1985, a new building was added to the original structure. This provided a larger sanctuary, a Christian school, and room for youth. The Christian school later became Emporia Christian School and moved out independently into the heart of the community.
In 1994, Victory Fellowship joined the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Foursquare represents Jesus Christ as the Savior, the Healer, the Baptizer into the Holy Spirit, and the Soon-Coming King. Victory Fellowship has become part of a family of over 66,000 churches in over 145 nations.
In 2004, Michael and Janice Stubbs were appointed the new senior pastors of Victory Fellowship upon retirement of the Kegins. In 2020, Corey Livingston shifted from serving for 20 years as the youth pastor to focusing on the maintenance of the building, grounds, and tech. Pastor Brandon's ministry expanded from focusing on children to including youth as well.
The current mission of Victory Fellowship is to restore people to their purpose in life through Christ Jesus. As of 2021, the salaried pastoral staff consists of Pastor Mike Stubbs, Rev. Corey Livingston, Rev. Adam Welty, and Rev. Brandon Little. Elizabeth Young serves as our full-time administrative secretary, with Alice Bliss assisting her. Many other nonpaid volunteers make the ministry of Victory Fellowship possible. We are grateful to each of them for changing lives one at a time. The congregation of Victory Fellowship consists of people from all walks of life in Emporia and the surrounding area.
Our services are a mixture of contemporary and traditional worship with a strong emphasis on biblical teaching and personal prayer in a joyous family atmosphere. Children have their own special ministry on Sunday mornings and during the week. Youth and adult groups also meet during the week. You can download the Victory Fellowship Emporia app for your iPhone, Android, or Windows device for free to listen to teaching, follow calendar events, give online, read or listen to the Bible daily, check the bulletin, and receive notifications.
This page was last updated: September 9, 2022
Our History
