Small Fayetteville ministry with big heart and big impact believes in ‘talk that heals’

Teresa McAllister suffered from an illness as a little girl growing up in tiny Richlands, northwest of Jacksonville.

She could not shake it, and the doctors could not figure it out.

Her grandfather was a minister: “He encouraged me to seek the Lord and to pray for the healing that I would need, and have faith in that,” she says.

Through her healing, she says, she experienced a relationship with God.

“I received Jesus at 9 years old,” she says.

Dr. Teresa McAllister is senior pastor at Rapha Ministries Family Center Inc., located in the WIDU radio building at 2520 Murchison Road. She and her husband, Alfonza McAllister, incorporated the church in 2018, and Teresa McAllister started a weekly Bible study in January of the following year.

“Rapha” in Hebrew means “to heal,” and McAllister says it refers to one of God’s names in the Bible.

“I experienced that,” she says.

But healing for McAllister has never been just about the body. She is inspired to help people hurting in other ways.

“I started the journey of reading much about healing, and also in the situation of coming up from a little girl as a young Black lady,” she said. “We weren’t really encouraged about our value and that we matter. I would see that in a lot of young people growing up.”

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Rapha Ministries' motto is, “You matter,” inspired by a Bible verse in Ephesians 1:6, she says.

This week, the congregation is celebrating McAllister’s fifth pastoral anniversary. It started with a special service on Wednesday night, but as is typical for McAllister, for a Saturday event she has turned the focus outward to others, as well. Rapha will serve free brunch starting at 11 a.m. at Cliffdale Recreation Center at 6404 Raeford Road.

“We just want everybody to feel celebrated,” she says.

Small church, big impact

Rapha holds a Sunday service at 8:45 a.m. in the WIDU radio building. Weekly Bible studies are held Wednesdays, starting with prayer at 6:30 p.m.

In keeping with its name, the ministry is a family affair. McAllister’s husband, the Rev. Alfonza McAllister, is co-pastor, and her daughter, the Rev. Stephanie White, is youth pastor. White’s husband, James, who is a teacher and basketball coach at Northwood Temple Academy, is a deacon at Rapha and also helps with the youth.

“He’s very involved, especially with the boys,” Stephanie White says.

Rapha is not a large congregation. A typical Sunday morning service draws 25 people. But in a short time it has made an impact, especially through its Partnership 360 Community Development Corporation that operates a food pantry serving meals twice a month; hosts a family summit over the summer; and holds a tutoring program for youth.

White, who is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a veteran, says the mission of Partnership 360, in cooperation with Rapha, is to offer a holistic approach to helping individuals and families. The pantry, she says, for example, offers nutritious food — both hot meals and bagged groceries — to help families deal with food insecurity.

“We don't believe people are just healed on Sunday mornings,” she said. “People are healed as they experience health in every area of their lives. With our family summit, we bring in people to talk about issues where they need healing, such as finances, relationships, mental health, caregivers, caretakers, schooling for your children — all these different things that impact families.”

On Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the pantry celebrated its first anniversary, in an event that included local politicians, the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Upsilon Chapter, and its youth group Cultured Pearls; city police and fire officials; and several local pastors. The event was host to a health fair that included vendors Oak Street Health; North Carolina Hyperbarics; and LifeSaving Connections, a CPR training business operated by Christina McAllister, who is Teresa and Alfonza's other daughter.

‘Talk that heals’

Teresa and Alfonza McAllister keep front and center Rapha's slogan, “Talk that heals.”

“Many people in churches get hurt by what people say,” Alfonza McAllister says. “The key to this ministry, we provide healing talk. Whatever we say to one another should be meaningful and purposeful and helps them.”

A decade ago, the couple took that message to the airwaves with a WIDU radio show that airs on Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. The show's title is "What Does the Bible Say About It?" White operates the control boards and also joins in the conversation.

During a recent show, they talked about the importance of setting boundaries.

“Oftentimes we allow people to invade our territory, our spaces and our hearts and we get hurt with it — a lot of time dealing with toxic people,” Alfonza McAllister says. “We teach you how to set a boundary and not feel guilty about it.”

‘Everybody is special’

Alfonza grew up in Jacksonville, not far from Teresa in Richlands. His military career first brought them to Fayetteville, and the couple decided to settle here in 1992 after he retired after 22 years.

He formerly served as pastor for Smith Chapel Freewill Baptist Church where Teresa, then-first lady of the church, held a popular Bible study in what proved to be the seeds of Rapha ministries. While there, he was presented with the Order of the Longleaf Pine for his service to the state.

But Alfonza McAllister knew he and his wife were a partnership. So it was only a matter of time before he found himself working along with Stephanie behind the scenes to secure the well-deserved honor for Teresa.

White says with a laugh it is very difficult for her father to keep a secret because he is so open and transparent in his dealings with people. Teresa says with a smile she knew something was afoot but did not guess at what.

N.C. Rep. Frances Jackson presented her with the award during the pantry anniversary, when McAllister's head was solely on serving the needy, including many homeless.

“I was left speechless. There were no words because I love to serve. When you love to serve you’re not really looking for a whole lot of applause, although you do need encouragement.

“It just brought me to tears almost. It just floored me."

There seems no doubt she will simply use that encouragement to further encourage others.

She said God does not believe in "big I's" and "little U's."

“God adopts us, brings us into his family and he lets us know you do matter,” she says. “And that you are significant.

“Everybody’s special. That’s what I teach here. Everybody is needed, and it takes every part to supply a whole. That’s how God made us on the planet.”

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Rapha Ministries Family Center serves families, led by healing message