New Fulton church combines holiness and hospitality

Pastor Larry Salings presides over his congregation at Vision Church, located at 600 Fulton Commons. The church occupies the building formerly used by J.C.'s Restaurant.
Pastor Larry Salings presides over his congregation at Vision Church, located at 600 Fulton Commons. The church occupies the building formerly used by J.C.'s Restaurant.

Larry Salings spent 18 years as an associate pastor. His wife Lynda, when not taking part in services, spent four years running her own bed and breakfast.

Their newest joint venture, Vision Church, looks to combine holiness and hospitality. The Salings have set up shop at 600 Fulton Commons, a space formally occupied by J.C.'s Restaurant, offering a non-denominational Sunday morning sermon.

The layout of the former eatery played right into Lynda and Larry's hope to provide an alternative to the normal Sunday service.

"We're going to be a little bit different, so we thought that would be more conducive to our atmosphere," Lynda Saling said of the building. "We talked to people who wanted something a little bit more casual, a little bit more out there."

The Salings moved to Fulton in October, after spending many years worshipping at the United Faith Christian Church in Warrenton. Larry served on staff, spending 13 years as the church's children's pastor.

When deciding what kind of place of worship they wanted to run, Lynda and Larry asked residents what the wanted and sought out in a church.

"They wanted a church that was "made to order' and that's what we've given them," Lynda Salings said.

Vision Church offers a laid-back dress code, allowing patrons and their families to come as they are. In researching what potential visitors would like to see in a church, Lynda found that people working more than a five-day work week might not be so keen on having to dress themselves or their families up to go to church.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.