THE CHURCH

A Message From Our Pastor

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

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The Hebrew spelling for ‘Benaja’ is Benaiah which means ‘Jah has built’. In other words, Benaja means ‘built by God’. What an amazing name for a local congregation. It truly fits. I am in awe of God’s bountiful blessings towards Benaja Mt Zion Holiness Church of God. When the Lord favored me with the privilege of pastoring this place built by Him I became increasingly aware of how he has orchestrated a gathering of highly anointed, talented and gifted individuals to represent His Kingdom. 

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You are invited to see this assembly for yourself. Come, worship with us and experience His glory. Hopefully this web site will give you an idea of the ministries that God has assembled here and encourage you to become a part of this growing congregation. 

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We are continually “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2)

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Our History
Approximately 94 years ago in the home of our forefathers, the seed for a new church was planted. From 1923 to 2017 harvest from those seeds have produced many fruitful crops. It all began in the early 1920’s when a few baptized believers from Wesley Chapel Methodist Church conducted prayer meetings in various homes in the Haw River Community. From one of these meetings, the vision of a new dedicated and consecrated Holiness Church in the community was born. The land for this church was purchased from the Humphry Family in Reidsville. They decided on the name Benaja because of the familiar land marks in the vicinity (such as Benaja Road). Seeds were planted and Benaja True Holiness Church, as it was called, began its journey, officially being established in 1929. For a number of years, Benaja was in the United Works with Bishop McAlwain as the Overseeing Bishop along with Bishop W.H. Morton as the Pastor.

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While our first church was being built, services were held in various homes and log cabins. Bishop M.H. Morton was the first Pastor and one of the founders. He remained Pastor until his demise. Alfred Maynard, Jerry Maynard (known as Uncle Big Jey), James Henry Maynard, Jerry Maynard Sr. and Major Maynard Sr. were also the church founders. Lester Cobb and Edward Harden served as Deacons until their demise.

Benaja was in the Pentecostal Works approximately five years with the Bishop L.W. Moyer as our Senior Bishop. He was a dedicated and God fearing man until his demise. Vice Bishop J.T. Agnew was his successor. Obeying our shepherd, we were instructed to come out of the Pentecostal Works and become an independent Church of God.

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In the midst of being blessed both financially and spiritually, God elevated Pastor John Graves to the office of Bishop and gave him the revelation of a new church plan. After many months of praying, deliberation, meditation and guidance from the Holy Spirit the new structure was completed. The church’s name was changed from Benaja True Holiness Church to Benaja Mt. Zion Holiness Church of God. We are a blessed people. Praise God! Bishop Graves retired from his pastoral duties, and Elder Felecia Kellam was voted in as his successor in 1999. Bishop Graves remained in the office of Bishop until his demise in 2002.

We have expanded the ministry to include a Nursery, Children’s Church and Youth Church all in session every Sunday (except 4th and 5th) during the morning worship service. We have in operation an after school program (Angelic Minds), a private Christian school (The Benaja Christian Academy) and a health and healing ministry. The Lord has inspired us to go outside of the box and provide ministry to many in many locations. The Benaja Outreach Ministry meets on Tuesday mornings reaching out to 10 locations. Modern technology provides unique opportunities in projecting scripture, songs, announcements and special presentations. All designed to bring God glory.

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Pastor Kellam was consecrated “Bishop” in 2008 which has given Benaja opportunity to offer fellowship and oversight of churches in High Point, Greensboro, Caswell County, Washington, DC and Miami, FL. We have enlarged our facilities to house the extended ministries and we have purchased additional acreage to make room for this blessed campus that started out with just a few baptized believers conducting prayer meetings in various homes in the Haw River Community. To God be the Glory!!!

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Bishop Kellam appointed Elder Melvin T. McLean Jr., as our Pastor in February 2023 and was installed on June 24, 2023.

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Our Vision
The vision of Benaja Mt Zion Holiness Church of God is to declare the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people and conform believers to the image of Jesus Christ. We will provide New Testament discipleship to all who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

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We will provide and maintain a place of worship and prayer in accordance with the direction of the Holy Spirit including preaching and teaching to the saved and unsaved. Develop and train ministers for the furtherance of the Gospel locally as well as in foreign lands. We will provide seminars, establish Church literature and use other forms of mass media for the purpose of educating and equipping the saints. Establish various services such as a Christian school, Bible Training School of Theology, and various other services.

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We will print, publish and sell books, magazines, and any other literature to spread the Gospel. We will produce and distribute audio and video (tapes, CDs and DVDs), produce radio and television programs and make use of any other form of communication available to spread the Gospel.

 We will support other ministries that are also sharing the Gospel. We will provide opportunities to help in the development of individual’s everyday lives. We will provide assistance in the areas of substance abuse, marital problems, parenting development, youth programs, tutoring, mentoring, and any other service to improve the lives of not only the members of this church but of the members of the community and any others that we can reach.

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We will carry out other charitable work such as feeding the poor, provide a prison ministry, minister to the sick and shut in, provide financial assistance as well as financial training.

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We will be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as he guides us into different areas of ministry as we fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”

Our Purpose
The purpose of this congregation is to give visible form to that faith and fellowship to which God has called God’s people. We acknowledge ourselves to be a local manifestation of the universal church in and through which Jesus Christ continues to minister to the world by His Holy Spirit. We seek to fulfill this calling through corporate services of worship, programs of Christian Education and nurture, proclamation of the gospel by word and deed, and ministry to human need in the name of Christ. Toward this end, the equality of all people, male and female, is recognized, respected, and incorporated in the overall purpose and administration of this congregation.

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Our Covenant
We, having been called out of the world by the blessed spirit of God. and having become acquainted with the articles of faith and polity of Benaja Mt. Zion Holiness Church of God, Inc., and believing it to be of God, and having given our name and thereby become members of the same, do solemnly, but cheerfully and with joy and gladness enter into this covenant: We will watch over one another with brotherly love and kindness, not that we may have whereof to accuse our brother, but that we may with meekness correct each other’s faults. We will abstain from frivolous conversations, such as foolish talking and jesting, and from backbiting and tattling or taking up a reproach against anyone, especially our brother. We will heed the injunction of the apostle (Eph. 4:1-3), who exhorts us to walk worthy of the vocation where with we are called, with all lowliness and meekness with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unit of the spirit in the bond of peace. We will bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

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We will also heed the exhortation recorded in I Thess. 5:12-14; “AND WE BESEECH YOU BRETHREN, TO KNOW THEM WHICH LABOR AMONG YOU, AND ARE OVER YOU IN THE LORD, AND ADMONISH YOU AND TO ESTEEM THEM VERY HIGHLY IN LOVE FOR THEIR WORKS SAKE. AND BE AT PEACE AMONG YOURSELVES. NOW WE EXHORT YOU, BRETHREN, WARN THEM THAT ARE UNRULY–DISORDERLY–. COMFORT THE FEEBLE-MINDED, SUPPORT THE WEAK, BE PATIENT TOWARD ALL MEN: SEE THAT NONE RENDER EVIL FOR EVIL UNTO ANY MAN: BUT EVER FOLLOW THAT WHICH IS GOOD, BOTH AMONG YOURSELVES AND TO ALL MEN.”

 

And we will recompense to no man evil for evil, but provide things honest in the sight of all men, and if it be possible. as much as lieth in us, we will live peaceable with all men. (Rom. 12:17). And we will be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven us (Eph. 4:32)-As opportunity affords we will engage in works of merit, such as visiting the sick, and imprisoned, and the distressed, and all who may need and will accept our ministrations. We will have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:I I), but keep ourselves by the grace of God (I Peter I:5). Unspotted from the world (James I:27). All this will we do, God being our helper.

 

(Response: We accept the obligation of this covenant in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.)

 

The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God – The Father Almighty; maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; which was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell (i.e. the place of the departed righteous); the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

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Declaration

At Benaja Mt. Zion Holiness Church of God, Inc. we believe the Word. In the name of Jesus, we hereby declare that there is not one feeble person among us. We are healed! We are delivered! We have been set free! Amen.

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Articles of Faith
5.01 of the Scriptures:
We believe the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction; that has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error, for its matter; that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us, and therefore, is and shall remain to the end of the world the true center of Christian unity, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.

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5.02 of the True God:
We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an intelligent, spiritual and personal Being, the Creator, preserver and ruler of the universe, infinite in holiness and all other perfections to which we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. He is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence or being.

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5.03 of the Fall of Man:
We believe man was created by the special act of God as recorded in Genesis. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). He was created in a state of holiness under the law of his maker, but through the temptation of Satan, he transgressed the command of God and fell from his original holiness and righteousness. Man’s posterity thereby inherited a corrupt nature, came into bondage to sin, and is under condemnation.

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5.04 of the Way of Salvation:
We believe the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatorial office of the Son of God, who by the Holy Spirit was born of the Virgin Mary and took upon Him our nature, yet without sin; honored the divine law by His personal obedience and made atonement for our sins by His death. Being risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection. He is every way qualified to be a compassionate and sufficient Savior.

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5.05 of Justification:
We believe justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of righteousness of all sinners who believe in Christ. This blessing is bestowed, not in consideration if any works or righteousness which we have done, but through the redemption that is in and through Jesus Christ. It brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every other needed blessing.

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5.06 of the Freeness of Salvation:
We believe the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the gospel. It is the duty of all to accept them by penitent and obedient faith. Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner except his own voluntary refusal to accept Jesus Christ as Teacher, Savior, and Lord.

 

5.07 of Grace in Regeneration:
We believe the regeneration or the new birth is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit, whereby we become partakers of the divine nature and a holy disposition is given, leading to the love and practice of righteousness. It is a work of God’s free grace conditioned upon faith in Christ and made manifest by the fruit, which we bring forth to the glory of God.

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5.08 of Repentance by Faith:
We believe the repentance and faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God. Whereby, being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy, at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on Him alone as the only and all-sufficient Savior.

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5.09 of God’s Purpose of Grace:
We believe election is the gracious purpose of God according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners. It is perfectly consistent with the free agency of man and in no way interferes with the salvation of an individual. It is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

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5.10 of Sanctification:
We believe sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness; that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Healer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means, especially the word of God, self-examination, self-denial watchfulness, and prayer.

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5.11 of the Perserverance of Saints:
We believe only true believers endure to the end; that their preserving attachment to Christ is the grand mark, which distinguishes them from superficial professors; that a special providence watches over their welfare; and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

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5.12 of the Harmony of the Law and the Gospel:
We believe the Law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of His moral government; that it is holy, just, and good; and the inability which the scriptures ascribe to fallen men to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their love of sin; to deliver them from which, and to restore them through a mediator to unfeigned obedience to the holy law, is one great end of the gospel, and of the means of grace connected with the establishment of the visible church.

 

5.13 of a Gospel Church:
We believe a visible Church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its holy scriptural officers are Bishops, Elders and Deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are defined in the Epistles of Timothy and Titus.

 

5.14 of the Christian Sabbath:
We believe the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day, of Christian Sabbath, and is to be kept sacred to Worship Service on that day for the people of God.

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5.15 of Civil Government:
We believe civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of the King of the earth.

 

5.16 of the Righteousness and the Wicked:
We believe there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. Those only who are justified through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit are truly righteousness in His sight. Those who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked and are under condemnation. This distinction between the righteousness and the wicked holds, and after death will be made manifest at the judgment when final and everlasting awards are made to all men.

 

5.17 of Christian Education:
We believe Christianity is the religion of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ are hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All sound learning is therefore a part of our Christian heritage. The new birth opens all human faculties and creates a thirst for knowledge. An adequate system of schools is necessary to a complete spiritual program for Christ’s people. The cause of education in the kingdom of Christ is coordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support of the churches.

 

5.18 of Social Service:
We believe every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ relevant in his or her own life and in human society; to oppose in the Spirit of Christ, every form of greed, and selfishness; to provide for the orphaned; the aged, the helpless, and the sick; to seek to bring industry, government and society as a whole under sway of the principles of righteousness, truth and brotherly love; to promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all men and women of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth. All means and methods used in social service for the amelioration of society and the establishment or righteousness among men must finally depend on the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ.

 

5.19 of Stewardship:
We believe God is the source of all blessings temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. We have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in our possessions. We are, therefore, under obligation to serve Him with our time, talents, and material possessions. We should recognize that all of these are entrusted to us to use for the glory of God and helping others. Christians should cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately and liberally contribute of their means to advancing the Redeemer’s cause on earth.

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5.20 of Evangelism and Missions:
We believe it is the duty of every Christian man and woman, and the duty of every Church of Christ, to seek to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by other methods sanctioned by the gospel of Christ.

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5.21 of the Resurrection:
We believe the Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus rose from the dead. His grave was emptied of its contents. He appeared to the disciples after His resurrection in many convincing manifestations. He now exists in His glorified body at God’s right hand. There will be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. The bodies of the righteous will conform to the glorious spiritual body of Jesus.

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5.22 of the Return of the Lord:
We believe the New Testament teaches in many places the visible and personal return of Jesus to this earth. “This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven (Acts 1:11) shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” The time of His coming is not revealed. “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36) . It is the duty of all believers to live in readiness for His coming and by diligence in good works to make manifest to all the reality and power of their hope in Christ.

 

5.23 of the World to Come:
We believe the end of the world is approaching; that at the last day Christ will descend from heaven and raise the dead from the grave to final retribution; that a solemn separation will then take place; that the wicked will be judged to endless punishment, and the righteousness to endless joy; and that this judgment will fix forever the final state of men in heaven or hell, on principles of righteousness.
 

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