Church History

 

Apostolic Church of God was incorporated and the first service was held in October of 1981, in a small, one-room building.

Service was held on Tuesdays, Fridays, Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings. The Lord anointed each service, and on one particular

Sunday night God began to overshadow our young people with the Holy Spirit and fire. Our Pastor, a man of faith, immediately began

to implement the things God was putting into his spirit. The Pastor instructed the congregation that not a month would go by without

fasting and fervent praying before the Lord. Under the auspices of our leader, we held all night prayer services, glorifying and praising

God all night. Lost souls began to wonder in and God began to send families into the church.
 
           

Just as God had promised, the ministry began to expand, and the need for more space became necessary. Our leader began to

pray and ask God for guidance in which path to take. By faith, our pastor, deacons, and trustees began the task of finding a new facility.

A building fund drive was developed and implemented and by the faith, sacrifice and hard work of the people of God, our building

drive fund grew from a beginning balance of $200 in the account to $21,000 within sixteen months. On a bright Sunday morning in

May of 1983, Apostolic Church of God relocated to our present facility at 10917 Miles Avenue where the first service was held. The Rest

is History!
 
In 2006, our pastor, in prayer acknowledged the direction of the Lord to change the name of the church to Benevolent Love Ministries

Incorporated. This change reflected the mighty work that God was performing in our ministry and in the community. The name

Benevolent Love Ministries emphasizes the purpose and calling of what we do: Benevolent - existing to give love. Benevolent Love

Ministries has striven and continues to be a resource in the community and the city of Cleveland these 35 years. God continues to

bless the ministry from its infancy to the present. There is an old saying that “history has a way of repeating itself”. We know this to be

true. Our God has brought us full circle since that bright sunny Sunday morning in May of 1983.
 
To this day, we are more determined than ever before to seek the face of God; to "stand in holy place" declaring the goodness of God;

to remain in a state of kingdom-mindedness and; to practice "pure religion, un-defiled (visiting, widows and orphans) and keeping our

lives un-spotted from the world."
 
 

Articles of Faith
 
We firmly believe that there is “One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism”; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and

in all.  (Ephesians 4:5-6)
 
We embrace the scriptures concerning the baptism (full immersion in water) in the name of the Lord Jesus.
 
We firmly believe in the infilling of the Holy Spirit with an initial evidence of speaking with tongues as the Spirit of God gives

utterance. (Acts 2:38)
 
We further believe that as children of God we must live holy according to the Holy Scriptures, abstaining from all forms of tobacco,

intoxicating drinks, and the use of any habit forming substance for the sole purpose of recreation and pleasure.
 
We embrace the scripture that we, as the children of God, “…must put a difference between holy and unholy, clean and unclean”

(Leviticus 10:10) and to exhibit a Godly life in the world using modesty in our behavior and in our attire.
 
For the scriptures have declared, “Ye are the salt of the earth; the light of the world; a city that is set on a hill