Dr. Forcey’s longtime friend, Mary Ernest, related that she heard him describe the events of a day in the early 1930’s, when he was driving through Northwest D.C. on his way home to Ohio after a trip. His car stalled directly in front of a house. In spite of his attempts, he could not restart the engine. He walked to the front door of the house and was greeted by the owner, who kindly invited him in to use her phone. As they talked, Dr. Forcey mentioned that he was a pastor. With great excitement, she said, “God has brought you. I have prayed that God would send a pastor to us!”

Dr. Forcey went back home to the flourishing church where he was serving (in Ohio). He had been ready to settle down there with their five children. But God had other plans. He felt the call of God to come back to Washington, D.C. and serve as a pastor. Dr. Forcey’s prayer as he arrived in Washington, D.C. in April 1933, was “Lord, send me souls!” And thus, his ministry to the DC area began!

Forcey Memorial Church – 1962

Forcey Bible Church – 2011

In the 1940s, under mission-minded Pastor DeLoss Scott, the church began supporting its first missionary. Rosella Entz was a missions candidate with SIM (Sudan Interior Mission) when the church was in prayer for someone who needed support to go overseas in missions. By the end of the 1940s with Forcey’s support, Rosella was headed to Dahomey, W. Africa (present day Benin) where she served for over 2 decades. As part of a team, she helped translate several books of the Bible into the Baatonum language for the Bariba people.