ABOUT US
The Apostolic Faith Church is a worldwide Christian organization, with headquarters in Portland, Oregon. As a Trinitarian and fundamental church, our doctrinal beliefs are the basic Bible truths, including the definite experiences of salvation, sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Since its founding in 1906, our organization has grown and established branch churches across the United States and around the world. All of our congregations enjoy a warm and traditional environment, where we endeavor to preach the Word of God in its fullness and integrity. We currently have more than fifty locations in the United States, and our international outreach extends to most continents, including more than six hundred congregations in Nigeria alone. A primary means of evangelism in the Apostolic Faith Church is the printing and distribution of Christian literature. We publish a quarterly magazine entitled The Apostolic Faith which is designed to encourage spiritual growth in believers. We also print numerous pamphlets and small booklets meant to lead people to the Lord, and most of them are available in our Library. A unique feature of this ministry is that most of our publications are printed and mailed throughout the world free of charge. In over ninety years of literature ministry, God has provided financially for this outreach through tithes and offerings, though collections are never taken in our services.
The Wharton Branch of the Apostolic Faith Church originated in Teaneck, New Jersey in 2006. Members of the Organization who had been worshiping on Sundays at the Brooklyn and Hempstead churches in New York desired to come together for mid-week prayer meetings. The first prayer meeting of this group was held at the residence of Brother Emmanuel Anim-Mperey on June 14, 2006. In 2009 the group unanimously agreed to open discussions with Eugene Segres, Eastern and Southern District Superintendent and then Pastor of the Brooklyn Church, and Joseph Lamidi, then Pastor of the Hempstead Church, to grant permission to hold full services in Teaneck on Sundays. Further discussions followed for several months involving our Organization’s headquarters in Portland, Oregon and permission was finally granted in mid-2010.
The group held its first Sunday worship on August 20, 2010 at the residence of Brother Emmanuel under the leadership of James Timbilla, current Pastor of the Wharton Church. In November 2010 the group moved to 319 Queen Anne Road in Teaneck for services. Due to restraints in obtaining a variance from the Town of Teaneck to continue worshiping at this location, the group returned to Brother Emmanuel’s house for services. Then in August of that year, a space was rented at 1217 Teaneck Road where services were held for a few years. In August 2015, Robert Downey, Director of North America Work and his wife, Cheryl, visited the group for the first time and participated in the Special Meetings.
Due to failure to reach a new lease agreement beyond August 2015, a search began for an alternate place of worship, and in April 2016 a church building was located in Wharton, New Jersey, thirty-five miles away from Teaneck. The Headquarters in Portland granted permission to purchase the building and oversaw the process for its acquisition on behalf of the group. Keys to the church in Wharton were received on August 5, 2016 and the first official service was held there on Sunday, August 21, 2016. Membership has increased since the church moved to Wharton and members of the congregation commute from the tri-state area. Evangelistic work is actively ongoing within the neighborhood of the township of Wharton and surrounding towns. Darrel Lee, the Superintendent General of our organization, dedicated the church on April 23, 2017.