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Setback didn't stop God's work
Pulpit Jan28
Pastor Arthur and Lorene Hennigan
By Edith Anderson
Special to the Courier

There was a time doctors said he would never walk again, but  that was just a prognosis, not his beliefs.
Pastor Arthur Hennigan of Hinesville not only walks, but preaches and teaches the word of God. “While I was in the military, I was frostbitten. When I was later diagnosed with diabetes, I had no circulation. Eventually, my leg was amputated.”
Hennigan didn’t let amputation stop him. Today, he walks without the use of a cane.
“I was at a revival and the minister told me I could walk without the cane. By faith, I put the cane down and have been walking without it ever since,” he said
Hennigan is the pastor and founder of Free Gospel Church of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ #3 in Hinesville. He has been a pastor for nine years and has been in the ministry since 1987.
The Baltimore, Md., native came to this area with his military wife, Lorene Hennigan, a native of Sandersville and a military retiree.
“I am inspired when I see individuals grow in Christ and do what God is calling them to do,” the pastor said. “My desire is to see families knitted together. The strong family is very important. We minister to the whole family.”
Free Gospel members are involved in the community. The church has evangelistic and outreach ministries. Hennigan said members pass out tracts, and witness to others.
“We teach the great commission,” Hennigan said. “Members of Free Gospel are part of a fifth Sunday fellowship with other churches in the community...
“We have a chain of prayer warriors praying around the clock. We are praying that the spirit of divorce will be broken. There are a lot of hurting people who need the word. We are there to help families in trouble and provide marriage counseling.”
He said the late Bishop George E. Thomas was a great mentor to him.
“He was a man full of AGAPE love. He had a special love for people. He made people feel comfortable. “Bishop Thomas told us that no matter where you have been and no matter who you are, God can use you,” Hennigan said.
The pastor’s advice to ministers is to “hang in there.”
“If God called you to do a work, no matter what things look like, no matter what people say, no matter what you feel, hang in there because God will do what He says. My late Bishop taught us four things; be faithful and focused, be available, be teachable, and be testable.”
 In addition to being a full-time pastor, Hennigan attends Armstrong Atlantic State University and is pursuing a degree in history. He also serves as treasurer of the Fifth Sunday Fellowship and District Elder of Free Gospel Churches in Mississippi and the southeast region.
Hennigan and his wife have been married for 18 years. They have one daughter. Lorene Hennigan serves as a minister at Free Gospel. She is the praise team leader, teaches and preaches, and is over the women’s ministry.
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