ABOUT US
The Biblical Experience of Salvation
The Bible states that everyone has sinned and come short of the glory that God wants us to enjoy (Romans 3:23). By experience and observation, we all know that our human nature is flawed by sin, that we are born with a tendency to be selfish, untruthful, and rebellious. And all of us have at one time or another yielded to our sinful nature. To deny that we have sinned is merely self-deception (1 John 1:8). The good news is that Jesus, who is God manifested in flesh, came to our world and gave His life on the cross to save us from our sins (Luke 19:10). When He died He paid the full penalty for the sins of everyone in the world and opened the way for us to be forgiven of our sins (John 1:29). As the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Jesus did not have a sinful nature as we do. Therefore, He could and did die for our sins.. As God manifested in flesh (John 1:1, 14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Matthew 1:23), Jesus has the power to forgive us of our sins. No one can cleanse himself from his past sins, nor can he by his own efforts destroy his innate sinful nature. But Jesus can both cleanse him of his sins and give him a new birth of righteousness. (See 1 John 1:9; John 3:3-5).
MISSION STATEMENT
Greater Bethlehem Temple Church’s mission is to “Build on a Righteous Foundation,” glorifying God in worship and activities by proclaiming and exemplifying the life and truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to its members and to the community.
VISION STATEMENT
Beyond its Apostolic focus, the vision of Greater Bethlehem Temple Church is a full implementation of the principles of Matthew 25:35-36. “For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in, naked and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”
CHURCH MOTTO
"Building on a Righteous Foundation"
Bishop Phillip Coleman, Sr.
Greater Bethlehem Temple Church was founded in 1954 by Elder Phillip Coleman, a young minister whose life had been completely changed a year earlier in Detroit, Michigan. He had visited Clinton Street Bethlehem Temple Church and heard a sermon on the Apostolic doctrine of salvation preached by Bishop Samuel Nathan Hancock, the pastor. Though it was his first time hearing such a message, Phillip embraced it fully and knew it had to be shared with the people back home in Mississippi. A year later, himself now a minister, he began sharing the same message of hope from the home of his mother, Maggie Coleman, which would grow to become one of the most influential ministries in Mississippi.
WRITE A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR PERSONAL HISTORY, LENGTH OF MARRAIGE, CHILDREN, LENTH OF TIME PASTORING AND WHAT THEY MEAN TO US AS A CHURCH.
God has blessed us with a wonderful Pastor and First Lady to lead our congregation and be the examples we all should follow. They are loving, kind, and available when you need them. (Re-write)
Pastor Robert Fortson, Sr. & First Lady Chiquita Fortson
