By Laura Laspee
Anyone who meets Minister Kerry Knight quickly learns that he has a passion for preaching. He is the Pulpit Minister of the Emerald Beach Church of Christ located at 301 Alf Coleman Road, Panama City Beach, FL 32407. The Church is conveniently located across from Shipwreck Island Water Park.
Preacher Knight and his wife Deborah made their way to Panama City Beach via Auburn, Alabama in October 2021 and are happy to call the beach their home. Kerry and his wife have been married for 52 years (in fact they honeymooned here at the beach) and have two children and five grandchildren. Throughout the years they have traveled to the Holy Land, Egypt, and other Christian sites in Europe. They both have served on missions and Minister Knight has preached in Jordan, Israel, the British Isles and Europe. Minister Knight’s teaching and preaching seeks to challenge his congregation to go “deep into the Bible”.
His wife’s father was instrumental in leading him to preach when he became disenchanted with his psychology coursework at Auburn University; instead, his passion for studying led him to a BA and MA degree in other fields, as well as work toward a Phd in biblical studies.
The Emerald Beach Church of Christ is not a denomination but rather an Independent Church whose teachings follow the New Testament. Minister Knight explained, “We as a body seek to return to the Church that Christ built in the First Century.” The Church of Christ believes that it is possible to follow the biblical pattern and their purpose is to teach what the Bible teaches in all matters of faith and practice. As their website explains “We trust that you will find that we are a friendly and caring group of individuals – imperfect people who believe in the perfect plan of Christ for His Church. We seek to uphold the principles of the New Testament in our worship, organization, plan of salvation, and everyday living in Christ.” You will not find any musical instruments accompanying singers in this Church. They sing several songs and hymns together, led by song leaders and sung acapella. This singing follows the pattern of the first-century Church, which at Emerald Beach Church of Christ they believe is as the New Testament intended it.
Minister Knight’s main goal is to preach the truth of the Bible. Church services are open to everyone. One of the biggest challenges for him is to be able to navigate what people need especially because we live in a tourist town and he wants to give local people what we “need to hear.” As Knight puts it, he “truly wants to encourage everyone and make everyone who enters the Church feel welcome and cared about”.
Minister Knight’s passion is preaching in front of people sharing the truth of the Bible. Beginning in August of this year he will present a series of sermons on the theme of “Becoming an Overcomer.” (Lessons on how to overcome tragedy, discouragement, stress, fear, loss, temptation, and much more).
Services are held for worship on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. with Bible Class on Sunday at 9 a.m. and Bible Study on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Sermons are lived-streamed on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and again on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and can be found on their website at emeraldbeachchurch.org. If you have any questions, you can call the Church at (850) 235-7992 or email them at emeraldbeachchurch@gmail.com. You can also visit them on Facebook. They have a great online calendar of events for easy access to their activities, as well as links to recordings of their acapella songs.
If you are looking for a Church that will lead you to Christ, then the Emerald Beach Church of Christ may be just what you are looking for in today’s hectic and confusing world.
