The Storied History
of Open Heart
Bishop Troy V. Carter's journey of faith began with his calling to teach, preach and evangelize. After spending 11 years fulfilling this mission, he received a calling from God to start a ministry in his hometown of Oxon Hill, MD. With the blessing and support of his former pastor, Bishop Walter Thompson, Jr., Bishop Carter began the process of preparing for his new and exciting ministry.
In 2001, Bishop Carter, along with his wife, family and 10 former members of Bethany Way of the Cross Church, founded Open Heart Way of the Cross Church. The church's motto, "A mission of love," quickly became its guiding principle, and the members' hearts were filled with the love of Jesus. The church's inaugural service was held on Sunday, September 2, 2001, at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Temple Hills, MD. The sermon, "Loving from a pure heart," preached by Bishop Carter, touched many souls and encouraged them with its message.
Despite the challenges of conducting services in a chapel with no air conditioning during hot summers and no heat during cold winters, the Open Heart Church family weathered the storms and kept praising the Lord Jesus Christ. Souls were baptized in the name of Jesus and filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost, and demons were cast out by the power of the Lord.
In 2005, the Lord led Pastor Carter to start the "Heartbeat of Truth" radio broadcast on 1340 WYCB AM. This was a leap of faith for the church, but a necessary investment for the sake of outreach to the community. The Lord blessed the radio broadcast, and Pastor Carter was honored in 2005 and 2009 at the WYCB Annual Pastors Prayer Breakfast. He was also selected to appear on the 2009 WYCB Pastor's Calendar for excellence in radio ministry.
As the church continued to grow, the Lord laid it upon Pastor Carter's heart to find a permanent place of worship. After a year of searching, he was led to the 6803 Marlboro Pike property in District Heights, MD. On May 12, 2009, the church settled on the property in its seventh year of existence. The Lord blessed the church to purchase and renovate the building, which can now accommodate 140 souls for the purpose of praising and worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The ministry continued to grow, and the Lord led Pastor Carter to seek another location, this time to build. In May 2014, the church purchased a new property located at 5701 Walker Mill Road, Capitol Heights, MD. In less than a year and a half, the Lord blessed the ministry to build a state-of-the-art sanctuary seating 240 congregants. To God be the glory for the things He has done! The Open Heart Church family continues to live out their mission statement of "Reaching this generation with the gospel of Jesus Christ."