The Church of God began, when the desire to establish a New Testament Pentecostal community, was first planted in the hearts of two couples by the Holy Spirit in 1973. Brother and Sister B. Somerville and Brother and Sister F. Nembhard came together and decided to begin a Prayer and Bible Study meeting for the common purpose of worshipping God. This they did in the basement of the Somervilles’ home. They informed Rev. Edmond Boettcher, the then District Overseer for the Brampton District Churches, of their intention and under his leadership a mission was established. In 1974 the group of four multiplied as others joined. The mission work was so successful that they were now ready to be recognized by the denomination as a church.
In the second year of its existence, the group was organized as a New Testament Church of God congregation by Rev. Bottecher who then became its first official Pastor. It was named The Church of God because of its location. In a very short time the Church outgrew the Somerville’s basement and was relocated in the Ridgewood Public School in . In the late 1974 Rev. H. Malcolm was appointed as the Pastor and he served the congregation for three years. The Church was growing numerical and in its ministries. Consequently, the congregation moved from Ridgewood Public School to the Darcel Public School which offered a more comfortable setting. As was to be expected the Church experienced a decline following the tenure of Rev. Malcolm as Pastor in 1977.
However, later in 1977 Rev. and Sister Huel Wilson were appointed by the Regional Overseer, Rev. Mark Summers assisted by District Overseer Rev. Bottcher to be the spiritual leaders of the Church of God. Due to the rapid growth of the congregation the Church moved from Darcel Public School to the Community Centre. Although the Centre was larger it was not suitable for worship because of the high public demand for the space. As a result, the Church found it more convenient to move back to Darcel Public School while the leaders searched for a better facility.
Twelve years later, in 1989, the congregation purchased a property at 7050 Bramalea Road. The doors of the newly acquired facility, was opened for worship on November 10th 1990. The Lord continued to favour the congregation as the saints remained faithful and supportive of the work of the Kingdom and once again the congregation outgrew the space owned in this facility. In 1995 the Lord, in a miraculous way, provided eight thousand square feet of property ajoining the Sanctuary. The added space was used for Sunday School, Youth and Children’s Ministries; A Food Bank; and Family Services. The construction to convert the space acquired into a Sanctuary to see 800 people began in 1997 and on December 12th 1998 the new Sanctuary was dedicated to the glory of the Lord for the worship of His people.
In August 2000, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Church of God experienced a change in pastoral leadership. Bishop Dr. Huel Wilson and Sister Wilson who served the Church of God as its Pastors for 23 years were transferred to the Office of Administrative Bishop for the Eastern Canada. Bishop Dr. Canute Blake the former Administrative Bishop for Eastern Canada and Superintendent of the Church of God in Canada and Sister Ethel Blake, assumed the position of Senior Pastor for the Church of God. This was by no means an easy transition, but by the grace and mercies of God the many were being added to the Church as the work of the Kingdom continued.
This continuous growth and the expansion of the old and new ministries created the need for more space. The Lord met that need when the congregation, under the leadership of Bishop Blake, purchased 4200 square feet of property to the west of the Sanctuary. This space allowed for the renovation and expansion of the Sanctuary which was turned around to accommodate 1000 people. Also, much needed space was designated to various ministries; several administration offices; a boardroom, teaching rooms, the sound room, the banquet hall, a commercial kitchen, a book and gift store, etc were added to the facility making it more feasible for the numerical growth and for the ever expanded work of ministry. Also, through the Glorious Praise Ministries that is evolving Bishop Blake now preaches on the Radio twice weekly and souls are being saved, delivered and encouraged from this home base. We are also assisting with many out reach ministries including one in the African country of Uganda Look what the Lord has done!
Our strength as a congregation lies in our obedience to the Word of God, to Prayer & Praise, to Christian Fellowship and service to the broader Community and our world. We are a Christ-centered Church, with a people-caring ministry. In light of our Vision Statement, our Vision Plan for Ministry is ‘Reclaiming what we have lost and Rebuilding what has been broken.’ The Word of God as declared in Isaiah 49:8; Jeremiah 29: 11-13; Psalm 107: 20-22; Nehemiah chapters 1- 9 offer a sure foundation. With the Holy Spirit as our Guide we are committed to raising the standard of excellence through the Word; while seeking to destroy the strongholds of Satan through the power of the Holy Spirit, our Prayer and well developed ministries that cater to the whole person (the body, soul and spirit).
Our Core Values: Grounded in the Word of God include:
- Reaching the Lost
- Influencing community values by being “Salt and Light”
- Living by the authority of the Scriptures
- Committed to Christ-Centered Ministry involvement
- Promoting personal and corporate Prayer and Worship
- Loving and encouraging people
- Committed to Stewardship of our Time; our Talent and our Treasure
- Practical spiritual reproduction (mentoring)
Finally, we take as our admonition that which was given by the Apostle Paul, to the saints in Philippi; for we too are informed that we have not yet attained, nor are we perfect, but we continue to press forward in Christ Jesus, being reminded that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. And so we press toward the mark of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, as we move forward together leaving none behind.