How It All Started ...
Christ established His Church during His Personal Ministry upon earth and promised that “… the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
With the above thought in mind, a group of Christian believers met in a Sunday School capacity for seven months and came to see the great need for a true New Testament Church in the Greater Detroit Metropolitan Area. As a result, Bethel Missionary Baptist Church was organized on May 18, 1941, with five members. These five were: Elmer and Florence Brady, Wayne and Juanita Branson and Edith Gossett.
The Church was organized in a store building at 217 LaBelle Street Highland Park, Michigan, under the leadership of an Interstate Missionary of the American Baptist Association (A.B.A.), Brother Walter Griffin, and Brother A.B. Thomas, Pastor of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, an A.B.A. Church in Flint, MI, which extended an arm to Bethel in the organizational services.
The Church called Elder Frank Ridgeway of Piggott, Arkansas, as her first pastor.
Under Brother Ridgeway’s leadership, the Church moved to another storefront location in Ferndale, MI, after which lots were purchased at her previous location at 1149 Hilton Rd, Ferndale, MI. The people had a mind to work, and after much prayer and “sweat”, a “basement” Church was completed and dedicated to the Lord in 1947. An upper level was erected and dedicated in 1953. A new addition was made to the building in 1965-1966, which was air-conditioned and supplied much needed additional Sunday School space and a fellowship hall.
Brother Ridgeway served the Church as Pastor for almost thirty-five years and retired on February 1, 1976. After his retirement, he remained a faithful member until he was call home to be with the Lord in 1994.
Bro. James L. Hardin served as her Pastor from February 1976 until June, 1978.
Bro. John T. Hagood served as her Pastor from January 1979 until March 1981.
Bro. Tom C. Hansen served as her Pastor for 28 years from May 1981 until he, too, was called home to be with the Lord on January, 24, 2009.
Under Bro. Hansen’s leadership, the Church voted to sell the property in Ferndale and relocate to Sterling Heights, MI, her current location. The last service at the Ferndale location was held on Mother’s Day, 2003. She met in McComb Christian School for four years during the construction of the current facilities.
On Mother’s Day, May 2007, she held her first services in the current location.
Bro. Chris Bocklage was called and began to serve as Pastor on August 2, 2009.
**
From her beginning as a church, Bethel has enjoyed fellowship with the Churches composing the American Baptist Association. We use the literature published by this Association in all phases of our work. We also fellowship in the Landmark Missionary Baptist Association of the State of Michigan, and the Eastern Baptist Association, which is composed of the American Baptist Associational Churches in the eastern and northern areas of the nation.
In 1984 Bethel established a Memorial Trust Fund. Contributions received in memory of deceased members, friends and loved ones are placed into an irrevocable trust fund. These funds are invested and the earnings are drawn and given to interstate and foreign missions each May in memory of the persons so honored. A special Memorial Sunday service is held the last Sunday of each May in which the congregation remembers persons memorialized by these offerings.
In March 2004, Bethel voted to extended an arm to Missionary, Jerry Jorolan for Mission outreach to the Filipino population in the Metro Detroit Area. The Mission work became known as the Asian American Missionary Baptist Church. The Lord has continued to bless the work of the Mission and her Missionary, Bro. Jerry Jorolan. In February 2008, the Lord opened the door for her to purchase an existing “church” building located at 25100 Lorraine Ave., Warren, Michigan. Since her inception, she has become a Multi-Cultural, Multi-National congregation. With that in mind, the congregation along with the support of Bethel was led of the Lord to change the name to International Missionary Baptist Church, officially on November 8, 2009.
Web: http://www.asianmissionarybaptistchurch.net/
At Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, we offer Sunday School classes for all ages; Sunday Morning and Evening Worship Services; Wednesday night Prayer and Bible Study; a nursery is provided; Junior Worship for children ages three years through fourth grade; B.B.Y.F. (Bethel Baptist Youth Fellowship – a youth fellowship for our young people); and an active Ladies Auxiliary. You are invited to attend and participate in any of these Church Services.
We at Bethel are truly thankful for the Church, for our Pastors who have served so well, and most of all, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who saved our souls and made all of this possible so that we might serve Him. “…come thou with us, and we will do thee good:…” (Neh. 10:29). May you truly be able to find at Bethel “the end of your search for a Scriptural and Friendly Church!”
