Bethel Christian Fellowship Waxhaw, North Carolina

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Passionate
about Jesus.

Raising the next generation for the glory of God, in a church that speaks eight languages and counting.

Our mission

Bethel Christian Fellowship was founded for the sole purpose of “Raising the Next Generation for the Glory of God.” Our mission is threefold: exalt Jesus Christ, edify the believers, and evangelize the lost.

To fulfil that mission we hold Bible studies, care cell, the prayer line, Sunday school, cottage meetings, fellowship services and youth meetings.

Our church was initially started to serve Indian Pentecostal Church of God believers. God had other plans. He started bringing people from various parts of India, and also from other nations. He continues to surprise us by expanding our borders. The church has now grown into a congregation of people from many backgrounds and cultures, currently representing Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Oria, Punjabi, English and Spanish. We cater to the needs of all people of God. All are welcome.

Bethel Christian Fellowship is located in Waxhaw, an up-and-coming suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina — just minutes from Charlotte Airport with easy access to I-77, I-85 and I-485. BCF is a fully organized church under the affiliation of the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, and is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.

Pr. Simon Philip portrait

Pr. Simon Philip, Senior Pastor

Pastor Simon Philip has been the Senior Pastor of Bethel Christian Fellowship since January of 2018. He was born and brought up in a nominal Christian background, and came to the saving grace of Jesus Christ while working at the Ministry of the Interior Police Force in Bahrain. While there, he also served as Associate Minister of the Assemblies of God from 1995 to 2002. He is married to Jessy Simon, and they are blessed with three amazing kids: Ditty, Jemy and Jewel.

Pastor Simon holds a Bachelor of Theology from International Seminary in Bahrain and a Bachelor of Science from St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry, Kerala, India. He was granted a worker’s certificate from the Assemblies of God, Malayalam District in 2002. In 2003, while in Kerala, he was ordained as pastor via Faith Theological Seminary in Ranni, Kerala. In 2010 he was ordained pastor over a multicultural church at Covenant Church of God in Charlottesville, VA. He is currently an ordained minister with the Church of God, Cleveland, TN.

Since moving to the USA, Pastor Simon has pioneered Charlottesville Indian Christian Fellowship (CICF), an international ministry which includes people of diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. By the grace of God, that church continued to grow throughout his tenure.

He is a passionate man of God with a heart for missions and outreach, with the interpersonal skills to lead a diverse group of believers — an avid visionary for the enlargement of His kingdom, and a gifted missionary of the Gospel.

What we believe

These fourteen statements are the declaration of faith we hold in common with the Church of God.

  1. In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.
  2. In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
  3. That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
  4. That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
  5. That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are brought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
  6. In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost.
  7. Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people.
  8. In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.
  9. In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
  10. In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
  11. Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.
  12. In the Lord’s Supper and washing of the saints’ feet.
  13. In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
  14. In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.
Our doctrinal commitments, with Scripture

The following doctrinal commitments represent the core beliefs of the denomination as outlined in Scripture.

  • Repentance.Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19.
  • Justification.Romans 5:1; Titus 3:7.
  • Regeneration.Titus 3:5.
  • New birth.John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9.
  • Sanctification subsequent to justification.Romans 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:12.
  • Holiness.Luke 1:75; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Hebrews 12:14.
  • Water baptism.Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9,10; John 3:22,23; Acts 8:36,38.
  • Baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to cleansing; the enduement of power for service.Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:49,53; Acts 1:4-8.
  • The speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance as the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost.John 15:26; Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:1-7.
  • The Church.Exodus 19:5,6; Psalm 22:22; Matthew 16:13-19; 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; 2:42-47; 7:38; 20:28; Romans 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 12:12-31; 2 Corinthians 6:6-18; Ephesians 2:19-22; 3:9,21; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 2:12; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:6,7; Revelation 21:2,9; 22:17.
  • Spiritual gifts.1 Corinthians 12:1,7,10,28,31; 1 Corinthians 14:1.
  • Signs following believers.Mark 16:17-20; Romans 15:18,19; Hebrews 2:4.
  • Fruit of the Spirit.Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22,23; Ephesians 5:9; Philippians 1:11.
  • Divine healing provided for all in the Atonement.Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:17; James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24.
  • The Lord’s Supper.Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
  • Washing the saints’ feet.John 13:4-17; 1 Timothy 5:9,10.
  • Tithing and giving.Genesis 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Malachi 3:10; Luke 11:42; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Hebrews 7:1-21.
  • Restitution where possible.Matthew 3:8; Luke 19:8,9.
  • Premillennial second coming of Jesus.First, to resurrect the dead saints and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air: 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years: Zechariah 14:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 14,15; Revelation 5:10; 19:11-21; 20:4-6.
  • Resurrection.John 5:28,29; Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:5,6.
  • Eternal life for the righteous.Matthew 25:46; Luke 18:30; John 10:28; Romans 6:22; 1 John 5:11-13.
  • Eternal punishment for the wicked. No liberation nor annihilation.Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 3:29; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9; Revelation 20:10-15; 21:8.
BCF beginnings

What started as a small gathering for Indian Pentecostal Church of God believers in the Charlotte suburbs has grown into a congregation drawn from many parts of India and from other nations — a church of many languages under one roof.

BCF beginnings / archive photo