About Me
BETHEL APOSTOLIC TEMPLE
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CHURCH HISTORY
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It began as a word and vision from God, “Build me a churchâ€, are the words
that Minister Margaret S. Couts heard in her ears. She went to her pastor, Elder William Fykes and told him what God had said. His response was, “we can not do thatâ€. Pastor Couts, as we know her now, burned within from the message she
receive from the Lord. Oh how, she wanted to improve on the small church and
just to do what she knows God had said. But, how many know everyone can not
share your vision.
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There was a parallel of this church and the beginning of God's church. Moses
went before Pharaoh to ask if they could go out a three day journey to worship and Pharaoh said no. Pastor Couts, like Moses, went before the authority and asked
may we have programs, may we buy robes, and may we build a new church. Always remembering who is in authority. Just like Pharaoh at the right time, let the people
go, God also pushed us out to begin a new church.
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On the second Sunday in October which was Missionary Day the service was beautiful, Pastor Couts was the President of the Missionary. The speaker that
morning was Minister Gladys Murphy, after she finished preaching Elder Flykes
stood up. It was at this point with out any explanation, he announce that the Missionary Department was disband until further notice. When Pastor Couts asked
Elder Flykes, if she had done something wrong? His response was I heard about
the service on Wednesday night and the only thing that happen was we shouted
the house down.
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There were five women who loved the Lord and who all had a desire to serve
God freely. Sister Rowena Patterson the ambassador and teacher, Minister May
Alice Durrett, Minister Gladys Murphy, Minister Odessa Driver and Minister Margaret
S. Couts agreed to pray and wait until God blessed us with a Pastor.
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The church began on the third Sunday in October 1969, on the corner of 17th
Avenue and Richard Street in the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Sister Patterson
had made the arrangement where we could use the church on Sunday and two
nights out of the week one for Choir Rehearsal and the other for Missionary Service.
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These women where told to sit down, (pushed out) for worshiping God and in
seven days, Bethel was born. On that 3rd Sunday in October, God meet us there
with his anointing and the people gave their Feast Offering. We may not have
realized it then, but the middle of October is the New Year on the Jewish Calendar
and according to the scripture that is when God’s people would give their best to
God for a blessing over the new year. That Sunday the offering was over $600.00. Everyone agreed that the money would be put in one treasury, to be used to build
a church. Now, $600 may not sound like much, but in 1969 that was a lot of money. The rent on that building was only $35.00 a month and it was only raised one time
to $45 dollars due to utilities.
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We continued until the Lord blessed us with this land that was purchased from
the City of Springfield and in time we built the first Sanctuary. There were many
things that occurred over those years to try to stop this church. The Banks in the beginning did not want to loan money to five women leaders. They wanted us to
have a certain amount of money in saving first. In a very short time.r{}
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