GREAT BEND — The Rev. John W. Jordan recalled being on his knees in his home 20 years ago, praying that people would be guided to the church he began in the living room of that house.

In his church office earlier this month, he looked toward Route 3 where that now-demolished house stood. The City of Refuge Christian Church, built in 1993 on the same property of his former home, is evidence that his prayers on that June day to guide people to the church were answered, though he believes the real meaning of his church doesn't involve a building.

"Church doesn't start in a building," he said. "Church starts when you go out and make a difference in the community."

The Rev. Mr. Jordan has made a difference, but will soon be guided away from the church he founded. He will move back to his native North Carolina later this year.

"It's been 20 memorable and wonderful years," he said. "And we're still here, that's the main thing."

On June 7 the church will host a banquet to celebrate its 20 years.

"It's a milestone for the ministry," the Rev. Mr. Jordan said. "Also, having been here for 24 years, it's time for me to move to another area. I'm getting ready for an exodus."

The Rev. Mr. Jordan arrived in the north country in 1984 when he was assigned to Fort Drum from Hawaii, where he attended the City of Refuge Church. He said that the church helped him to be delivered from drugs and alcohol.

He was discharged from the Army with physical disabilities in 1988 and stayed on to continue a ministry in area prisons and begin the local City of Refuge Church.

He bought the property in Great Bend, which besides the house included 3 acres and a barn, for $50,000. The barn was also torn down, but not before the Rev. Mr. Jordan hired an architect to fulfill his dreams of transforming it into a church. Blueprints were made, but the plan was scratched in favor of a new building.

Two support beams from the barn were saved to make the large cross that hangs in the church.

"What I had in mind was not just church as usual, but where people would go to work in ministry," the Rev. Mr. Jordan said.

That ministry has included feeding the hungry, clothing the poor and creating a volunteer ministry to hold church services for people who cannot travel to a place of worship themselves.

The Rev. Mr. Jordan has been involved in social issues. He helped organize a north country rebuilding fund for black churches burned down in the South and has spoken out locally against racism. He's active in community groups such as Rotary and will graduate in June from the Jefferson Leadership Institute program.

The Rev. Mr. Jordan, a foster parent, is a prison and jail ministry volunteer at several facilities. In 1994, he was recognized as Community Volunteer of the Year by the Watertown Correctional Facility.

Before his military career, the 1964 graduate of Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City taught at the high school and college levels for 13 years. He has served as a substitute teacher in the Carthage Central School District.

FOUNDER FROM HAWAII TO VISIT

The City of Refuge Christian Church was started by the Rev. Wayne E. Anderson in 1980 in Waipahu, Hawaii, where it is still based. The Rev. Mr. Jordan received his ministerial training under the Rev. Mr. Anderson and was ordained in Hawaii in 1989.

The Rev. Mr. Jordan said there are about 10 of the churches around the globe. The church is considered Pentecostal, he said, but is interdenominational.

"We just teach the Bible without going into any of the doctrines," he said. "It sort of opens the way for anybody. People who come realize it's more about living the word and going and seeing a change in their lives."

The Rev. Mr. Anderson plans to attend the Great Bend church's anniversary and homecoming celebration. He picked the Rev. Mr. Jordan's successor and will introduce him at the celebration. The Rev. Mr. Jordan said he has not met his successor.

"I know when the person comes in, he will pick up the mission and hopefully he will have the same vision I have," the Rev. Mr. Jordan said.

The Rev. Mr. Anderson's church, according to his Hawaii-based Web site, www.corcc.org, "has boldly delivered the uncompromising message of God, proclaiming the good news that 'You have a right to be free!'"

He has written books focusing on how "to live a life empowered by the spirit of God and free from demonic oppressions."

The Rev. Mr. Jordan said that the most memorable moments for him have been saving marriages and delivering people from the evils of drug and alcohol abuse.

"When you give your life to Christ, you become a new creation," he said. "When you become delivered, you become a new person and you shouldn't desire the things you used to."

He said the church has about 50 active members. He said the number fluctuates with Fort Drum deployments and transfers. The membership high was 250.

"Sometimes you're in a place for so long, you just need to move," the Rev. Mr. Jordan said, adding that the new pastor will take over around September.

He said he has no firm plans about when he'll move back to North Carolina, "but I'm not going to retire."