Our Foundation and Our Future...
Pastor Wally remembers. . .
"Back in 1960, we opened the doors of the Full Gospel Chapel for the first time. We started out with congregation of 27 people (which included the children) and a building that could hold 75.
Since then, Full Gospel Chapel has had its name changed first to Happy Church and again to Orchard Road Christian Center. The church has moved five times and the congregation has grown to some 3,000 people. "
From the beginning, God's anointing on the Hickeys' ministry has been apparent. In the early years, Pastor Wally preached and led worship, while Pastor Marilyn taught Sunday school and home Bible studies. Known for its uplifting praise and worship and anointed teaching, Full Gospel Chapel became known in the community as "Happy Church." In time, this became the official name.
Soon, the Hickeys began hosting citywide conferences that headlined many well-respected Christian evangelists, teachers, and pastors. Over the years, ORCC has hosted the ministries of Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, Myles Munroe, John Maxwell, Jeanne Mayo, Paula White and the late Kenneth Hagen just to name a few. They expanded their outreach by launching Life for Laymen, a five-minute weekday radio program. Soon they had a 15-minute radio broadcast and weekly TV show.
In addition to their love for the Denver community, the Hickeys have shared a world vision for the lost and a steadfast commitment to support missionaries. Early on, they hosted tour groups to the Holy Land, traveled internationally and sowed a love of missions in the lives of their son Michael and daughter Sarah.
ORCC is the host church for cityprayer, a monthly city-wide inter-denominational prayer meeting whose goal is to positively affect and change Denver and its communities.
Today, ORCC offers home cell groups; children’s, Catalyst (teen), and Young Professional (young adult) ministries; Christian Study Groups; a singles outreach; and a wide variety of activities and opportunities. These have allowed the church to remain on the frontlines of service to the community for 46 years.
As the church continued to grow, God gave the Hickeys an opportunity to purchase the 260,000 square-foot Beau Monde Shopping Centre along the I-25 corridor. It promised to have more than enough room for expansion and today, its location and ample space play an important part in helping ORCC and its vision to "reach the lost, make disciples, and cover the earth with the Word."
Today the campus houses both Orchard Road Christian Center and the international headquarters of Marilyn Hickey Ministries. The facility also includes the Family Worship Center, World to the World College, and the MHM Prayer Center.
Founding Pastors, Wally and Marilyn expanded their vision for leadership, on April 25, 2004 with the installation of their son-in-law, Reece Bowling, and daughter Sarah as ORCC's Senior Pastors. On that special day, ORCC firmly planted its foundation and positioned itself for a future of service for decades to come.
