History

Pentecostal Temple was started in 1965 on Murchison Road in Fayetteville, North Carolina, by the late Bishop Joseph Howard Sherman, Sr., an evangelist from New Jersey. He was a native of Marion, South Carolina and the founder and pastor of Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ, Charlotte, North Carolina, as well. Then called Murchison Road Pentecostal Holiness Church, Pentecostal Temple moved six years later to a little brick building on the corner of Williams and Blount Streets.

At the request of Bishop Sherman, in 1974, Elder John C. Reid, also a native of New Jersey, came to Fayetteville, North Carolina to pastor Pentecostal Temple.  At that time the rent was too high, so the church moved about a hundred yards up to 455 Williams Street, into a cinder block building, which had been condemned by the city of Fayetteville.  It had been used for other things, such as a laundry facility, the last of which was a pool room.

Immediately, Elder Reid began to build upon the foundation laid by Bishop Sherman. Spiritually, he preached to the lost and desperate in Fayetteville and naturally he used his carpentry skills to turn the church from a small edifice to a building worthy of the name "Pentecostal Temple".  A few years later, with the help of his sons and the brothers of the church, renovations were underway again to improve the house of the Lord.
 

Elder Reid served as pastor, teacher, and counselor for over thirty-seven years.  After the homegoing of Bishop Sherman, Dr. Reid continued to serve faithfully under Bishop Cornelius E. Anderson, Sr. as Superintendent of the Southeastern District and First Administrative Assistant to the Bishop. Passionate about extending the ministry into the Fayetteville community and surrounding areas, he served as a member of the Cumberland County Ministerial Association.  He also influenced the lives of many through his radio broadcast on WIDU-Fayetteville. Elder Reid was loved and became a spiritual father to many in the city as well as across the country.

 

In 2010, Elder Reid’s health began to decline, and the Lord called him home on July 8, 2011. At his request before his passing, Supt. Larry A. Bellamy I, was appointed pastor by Bishop C. Ellis Anderson Sr.  Supt. Larry A. Bellamy is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina and pastor of Rhema Ministries Church Of God In Christ, Fayetteville, NC.  Pastor Bellamy ministered to the needs of the people at Pentecostal Temple, carrying on the work of the Lord.

 

In January of 2024, Elder John A. Reid was appointed pastor of Pentecostal Temple Ministries by Bishop Stenneth E. Powell, Sr., Prelate of North Carolina Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction.  Elder Reid continues to lead the people of Pentecostal Temple Ministries by teaching the Word of God, teaching the importance of a sure foundation in the Lord and sharing Christ in the community.