After 23 years, Oakwood church changing its name

OAKWOOD - After 23 years, McEver Road Baptist Church of Oakwood has a new name -Maranatha Baptist Church.

Why a name change?

Church officials say much thought was given to the name change: who the church serves, "where we are in this day and age," and that Maranatha "just seemed to best reflect our message."

Maranatha comes from an Aramaic word meaning "our Lord comes" or "is coming" (I Corinthians 16:22).

The church is located on McEver Road and is also home to Maranatha Christian Academy, a private school which the church has operated for a number of years.