Who we are
In February 2000, Lakeshore Christian Fellowship was birthed from a merger of two congregations and came under the umbrella of the denomination – International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, also known as Foursquare. (Read Full History below.)
Upon Pastor Gil’s arrival in July of 2003, he immediately knew that it would be a church that God would continue to use to grow people and impact the community in very positive ways. Pastor Gil, along with his staff, began to meet regularly to pray, plan, and seek God for wisdom and guidance for this new season at Lakeshore. God has been faithful to His word by bringing many people and the church has grown to provide many positive attributes to the cities of Tega Cay and Fort Mill.
As a result, the sanctuary has been remodeled to accommodate this growth, almost every room has been redecorated, and the number of services and ministries continue to increase to accommodate the increasing number of people attending Lakeshore. God has assembled a solid team of pastors, support staff and committed volunteers to care for each person that comes.
Lakeshore Christian Fellowship is truly where Love is confirmed, Hope is renewed, and where Faith comes to Life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lakeshore’s Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When are your services?
A. We have 4 Sunday morning services at three seperate campuses…both 9:00a and 11:00a at the Tega Cay Campus, 10:00a in Catawba and 10:00a in Gastonia. We have other ministry activities ongoing throughout the week. Please check this website’s schedule or call the church for more details at 803-548-2755.
Q. Who is Lakeshore Christian Fellowship?
A. Lakeshore Christian Fellowship is a group of people wanting and desiring to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. We work very hard to peel the “plastic” off of religious norms to show that God is not mad at you and that He wants to have a relationship with you. He wants you to be who He created you to be. Our hope is that Lakeshore will be the place for you where Love is confirmed, Hope is renewed, and Faith comes to life. Lakeshore Christian Fellowship is a member of The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. (www.foursquare.org).
Q. Who is Pastor Gil Dirmann?
A. Pastor Gil came to Lakeshore Christian Fellowship in July 2003 with over 20 years of hands-on ministry experience and expertise, joined by his wife, Debbie, and their three children, Brandon, Brittany, and Breanna. Pastor Gil’s heart is for this diverse church to grow in a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, become grounded in the Word of God, and reach out to those in Tega Cay, Fort Mill, and the surrounding areas.
Q. Is there a children’s program at Lakeshore?
A. Absolutely, yes! LKIDS is our vibrant, exciting children’s program that draws children closer to God every week and leaves them wanting to come back for more. LKids ministers to children from nursery age to grade 5. Each week we provide exciting, high-energy packed services on Sunday mornings at the Tega Cay. Madeline Berry is Lakeshore’s Children’s Director. If you would like to contact her, e-mail her at mberry@nulllakeshorecf.com or call the office at 803-548-2755.
Q. Is there a youth program at Lakeshore?
A. Absolutely, yes! Our student ministries is open to everyone grades 6-12 and is called “Lakeshore Youth Community (LYC)“. The ministry features live worship, strong Biblical teaching and the constant encouragement of positive peer-to-peer relationships to support the youth of Tega Cay, Fort Mill, Catawba, Gastonia, and the surrounding areas. LYC has a variety of meeting times which can be found under the ministries tab.
Q. What if I want to volunteer?
A. Lakeshore has many opportunities for volunteers at different commitment levels. The best way to get involved is to click the link below and fill out the form and we will make sure the right person contacts you immediately so that you can get CONNECTED!
CLICK HERE. We have lots of opportunities available from basic maintenance, mowing someone’s lawn, preparing a meal, helping with different ministries, to praying or answering phones. Everything we do here is “connected to a soul.”
Q. Do I have to be a member of Lakeshore to volunteer with the ministry?
A. Not necessarily. While it is certainly encouraged, being a member is not a prerequisite to volunteer in some of our ministries at Lakeshore Christian Fellowship. As you can understand, there are some volunteer positions that do require membership.
Q. Does Lakeshore have a Preschool?
A. Lakeshore has an effective and successful Preschool for the Tega Cay, Fort Mill and surrounding areas serving children ages two through Pre-K. Lakeshore Christian Preschool combines Biblical and academic principles through the use of learning centers and relationships in order to instruct the children. The classroom design is modeled after the Fort Mill School District’s Kindergarten classes so that our children will be prepared to step in and enjoy school in Fort Mill with little stress or effort. The children have consistently scored very high on entrance tests; but more importantly, they leave the Preschool with a strong Biblical foundation and solid moral principles. Lakeshore Christian Preschool’s Director is Pastor Heather Jefferson. Please call 803-548-2760 for more information or visit the website at www.lakeshorecf.com.
Q. Does Lakeshore Christian Fellowship ever offer financial assistance?
A. Lakeshore sets aside a portion of its budget to help those in need through our Benevolence Fund. All benevolence funds are distributed under the oversight of the Administrative Pastor and staff. Our first priority is to help those people within the Lakeshore Christian Fellowship congregation and then if someone outside the church has a genuine need, we do our best to help. There is a biblical precedent for our responsibility to begin by providing for our immediate family and then moving out from there to the family of believes (church), our local community, and then the world.
Q. Is Lakeshore growing?
A. Yes! LCF draws people from all over the area. We are proud to be a church for the cities of Tega Cay, Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Lake Wylie, and the communities around southern Charlotte, NC. Many realtors say that this area is the fastest growing in the country, and we are seeing the positive growth. Because of this, we have considered building a new facility .We have no firm direction yet and are still processing through ideas and strategies to increase the ministry and its effectiveness.
Full History
Church services were first held in the two-year-old city of Tega Cay, South Carolina, on December 17, 1972. At which time, today’s Lakeshore Christian Fellowship was named The Church of Today at Tega Cay. In 1983, the name was changed to Tega Cay Community Church.
In 1988, the Education Building was built. In March, 1992, construction began on a 600-seat sanctuary. Lakeshore sits on 4.5 acres of property which was graciously given to the church in the late 1970s by the City of Tega Cay. Our two buildings comprise of approximately 30,000 square feet. The first service in the new sanctuary was held on Christmas Eve, 1992.
A new church (Grace Chapel) was meeting at the Knight’s Stadium in Fort Mill and it was determined that the two churches (Tega Cay Community Church and Grace Chapel) held very similar beliefs, and they merged together forming one church. The “new” church officially became Lakeshore Christian Fellowship in December, 1999. In February, 2000, Lakeshore Christian Fellowship was officially under the “umbrella of the denomination – International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, also known as Foursquare.”
Upon Pastor Gil’s arrival in July of 2003, he immediately knew that it would be a church that God would continue to use to grow people and impact the community in very positive ways. Pastor Gil, along with his staff, began to meet regularly to pray, plan, and seek God for wisdom and guidance for this new season at Lakeshore. God has been faithful to His word by bringing many people and the church has grown to provide many positive attributes to the cities of Tega Cay and Fort Mill.
As a result, the sanctuary has been remodeled to accommodate this growth, almost every room has been redecorated, and the number of services and ministries continue to increase to accommodate the increasing number of people attending Lakeshore. God has assembled a solid team of pastors, support staff and committed volunteers to care for each person that comes.
Lakeshore Christian Fellowship is truly where Love is confirmed, Hope is renewed, and where Faith comes to Life.