What have you learned from ministering to low-income whites?
I have learned that their struggles and sins are no different than any other ethnic group. Low-income whites want to have a better life for themselves and their children. Some of my closest friends within the community do not look like me, but the time spent with them and listening to their lives has secured a level of respect that allows me opportunities to speak the Word of life to them. I desire for the poor–regardless of their ethnicity–to see, hear, and experience the power of the Gospel across every aspect of their lives.

“Why doesn’t someone plant a church in a mobile home park?” One noted theologian (https://twitter.com/drantbradley) has often made this challenge to evangelical leaders and denominations that tend to focus their attention on the inner-city and “reaching” blacks.

But we found a church planter who started a church in a low-income white community–a mobile home park–in Conway, Arkansas. And the church planter is black. His name is Phil Fletcher and we had a chance to ask him a few questions about his church plant, The Church at Oakwood, and the non-profit he started.

Brother, Fletcher. Tell us about yourself. Your conversion, family, education and ministry experience.  

I grew up in a two-parent household in Louisville, Kentucky and moved to California when I was ten. I grew up in the Episcopal tradition and attended a Catholic school during the week. That period of my life was simply going to church because you were supposed to. At the same I was exposed to this other tradition–Catholicism–and there were both many differences and similarities to Episcopalianism.

Once I graduated from high school, I attended the University of California Riverside and pursued a degree in African-American Studies. My college career was marked by zero desire for Christ, the Scriptures, or his Church. During my senior year, I started attending a Church of God in Christ Church because I was trying to date this woman, Nicolle, who would later become my wife. During that time, I was exposed to the gospel and was converted in 1997 on Easter Sunday.

I can remember like it was five minutes ago, sitting in the third row, seventh seat, my eyes were opened! From that point forward I poured my energy into the Scriptures, became a youth pastor and was ordained. I enlisted in the military in 2000 and two years later became a combat officer. During my time in the military, I completed my Masters of Arts in Theology and Apologetics and volunteered a lot of time assisting chaplains and preaching from time to time.

When I redeployed from Iraq in 2006, I pursued an opportunity to become a military chaplain, which brought my family to Conway, Arkansas the next year. It was here in Arkansas that God brought together all my experiences to accomplish our current work in low-income areas with the gospel.

Why did you decide to plant a church, The Church at Oakwood, in a mobile home park?  

My plan in the beginning was not to plant a church. I discerned a call to go into this trailer park and simply preach the gospel. Over time, people from within the community and in the surrounding city started to hear about the “trailer park pastor.” As things were beginning to pick up, I discerned the need for some accountability and met two men who are now my close friends–Kevin Hale (a PCA pastor here in town) and Cary Cox (pastoring a Reformed Charismatic congregation).

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The source for this document was originally published on raanetwork.org – however, the original URL is no longer available.]