"And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, how can I, except some man guide me." Acts 8:30-31 KJV
Connecting believers, community, and God to bring about a greater harvest. "Let both grow together until the harvest..." Mathew 13:30 KJV
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Our History
Two Evangelists...A Train Ride...and an appointment with God's will...
In 1921 two evangelists, both with a burden for the city of Bedford, boarded the very same train. Neither of these men knew the other. Neither did they know the others' burden for this city. A chance conversation directed by God introduced these two men to each other and Bro. Lewis and Bro. Albey set off together to win Bedford for Christ. Christ Temple was established in 1921. It is an Apostolic Pentecostal Church affiliated with the UPCI. Since 1921, it has seen seven pastorates and is currently pastored by Christopher R. Perry and Senior Pastor Elliot Perry. Christ Temple one of the oldest established churches in Bedford and has received honors from the city of Bedford. Christ Temple is a church moving forward with numerous ministries designed for the modern family and it's particular needs. It is a church firmly established with an eye towards the future.
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History of the UPCI
The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) has been among the fastest growing denominations in North America since it was formed in 1945 by the merger of the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated, and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. From 617 churches listed in 1946, the UPCI in North America (United States and Canada) today lists 4,142 churches, 8,801 ministers, and reports a Sunday School attendance of 498,903. Moreover, it is also located in 170 other nations with 22,881 licensed ministers, 28,351 churches and meeting places, 571 missionaries, and a foreign constituency of over 3 million, making a total worldwide constituency of more than 4,036,945. The UPCI emerged out of the Pentecostal movement that began in Topeka, Kansas in 1901. It traces its organizational roots to October 1916, when a large group of ministers withdrew from the Assemblies of God over the doctrinal issues of the oneness of God and water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. The basic governmental structure of the UPCI is congregational with local churches being autonomous: the congregation elects its pastor and its leaders, owns its property, decides its budget, establishes its membership, and conducts all necessary business. The central organization embraces a modified presbyterian system in that ministers meet in sectional, district, and general conferences to elect officials and to conduct business of the organization. The UPCI headquarters building, located in Hazelwood, Missouri, houses offices for its general officials, the Pentecostal Publishing House, and a Christian bookstore. Among its endorsed institutions are seven Bible colleges, a children's home, a residency for troubled young men, ministries to those addicted to alcohol and other drugs, an Alcohol and Chemical Treatment Series a chaplaincy for prisoners, and it endorses chaplains to the military.
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Doctrinal views
The doctrinal views of the UPCI reflect most of the beliefs of the Holiness-Pentecostal movement, with the exception of the "second work of grace," the historic doctrine of the Trinity, and the traditional Trinitarian formula in water baptism. It embraces the Pentecostal view that speaking in tongues is the initial sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. The UPCI holds a fundamental view of the Bible: "The Bible is the only God-given authority which man possesses; therefore all doctrine, faith, hope, and all instructions for the church must be based upon and harmonize with the Bible" (Manual of the United Pentecostal Church, 19). The Bible is the Word of God, and therefore inerrant and infallible. The UPCI rejects all extrabiblical revelations and writings, and views church creeds and articles of faith only as the thinking of men. The UPCI holds that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works. Faith in Jesus is the means by which a person is justified. At the same time, a sinner must believe the gospel; he is commanded to repent of his sinful life, to be baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 4:12; 8:12-17; 10:43-48; 19:1-6). Thus the various aspects of faith and obedience work together in God's grace to reconcile us to God.
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Oneness of God
In distinction to the doctrine of the Trinity, the UPCI holds to a oneness view of God. It views the Trinitarian concept of God, that of God eternally existing as three distinctive persons, as inadequate and a departure from the consistent and emphatic biblical revelation of God being one. The UPCI teaches that the one God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament as Jehovah revealed himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus Christ was and is God. In other words, Jesus is the one true God manifested in flesh, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (John 1:1-14; I Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9). While fully God, Jesus was also fully man, possessing a full and true humanity. He was both God and man. Moreover, the Holy Spirit is God with us and in us. Thus God is manifested as Father in creation and as the Father of the Son, in the Son for our redemption, and as the Holy Spirit in our regeneration.
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Importance of the Family Unit
The UPCI stresses and supports the family unit as God's primary institution and teaches that the church is God's redemptive fellowship for all believers.
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