Our History
Word at Work Ministries Church now (Word At Work House of Refuge) in Columbus, Ohio, were founded by Pastor Emeritus Michael E. Peebles (M.Th.) and his wife, Pastor Shirley A. Peebles in 2000. Having served God through pastoring for over 23 years they reached people through training, activating, and flowing in the manifestations of the Spirit. Blind eyes are opened, shackles are removed, and souls are saved for those who are bound to religion and man's traditions.
Word at Work Ministries emphasizes walking in the love of God more than knowledge, and in developing character over developing gifts. This serves to fulfill their mandate of people becoming mighty in scripture and mature in the gift of the Holy Spirit.
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Pastor Michael possesses a God-given teaching anointing and effortlessly im-parts to others a love for studying God's word. He and Pastor Shirley have sponsored developmental training events to equip church leaders. Popular teachings include Preaching and Teaching In Excellence (P.A.T.I.E.), Training Excellent Anointed Ministers (T.E.A.M.) and Figures of Speech.
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Pastor Michael is known for his instructions in the use of Strong's Concordance to extract the "meat" of the Word. This former Ohio School of Biblical Theology instructor has preached throughout the United States. Missionary trips include Africa, Jamaica, England, and the Dominican Republic. Other ministry activity includes a position as interim Pastor of Ohio Avenue United Methodist Church and a team member of the RAAH Church Ministry.
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Pastors Michael and Shirley have graciously served the Body of Christ and are honored to be the parents of Angela, Tracey, David, and Katrina. They are additionally blessed with seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The Peebles reside in Westerville, Ohio, where they are continuing their service to the kingdom. The next phase of their journey after passing the mantle of Senior Pastor to Pastor David Peppers is a global word-focused equip-ping ministry called Roots in the Word, to be launched in August 2023 (live and online).