The TRUTH about Christ Gospel Churches – In St Vincent and the USA

Fri, May 18. 2012

The Christ Gospel denomination is a fundamentalist, Pentecostal Christian group. Like most Christian denominations, it espouses a set of doctrines known as the Apostles’ Creed (that Jesus was the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, who died and was resurrected, and who is the Savior of the world).{{more}} Like most Pentecostal groups, the church believes in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Thus, Christ Gospel services are exuberant celebrations. People sing, shout, dance, clap, run, praise, and worship God with all their beings. Yet the services at times are quiet enough to hear a pin drop as members study the Bible attentively.

Christ Gospel churches embrace the use of all kinds of music and instruments as part of our worship. At our Jeffersonville church, you will hear drums, guitars, saxophones, violins, and trumpets as well as traditional church instruments accompanying traditional Christian hymns, country gospel music, black gospel music, even classical oratorios.

The church emphasizes the importance of people being united in the love of Christ, regardless of nationality, race, gender, or creed. In fact, Christ Gospel churches were racially integrated (both in America and in South Africa) long before the rest of society—merely because this was the right way for Christians to be.

Neither its leaders nor Christ Gospel’s Affiliated Churches believe that they are the only Christians going to heaven. In fact, they maintain that Christians everywhere should rejoice whenever the name of Christ is upheld. Christ Gospel churches focus their ministry on helping Christians discover a closer walk with God. Because they strive for perfect union with Christ, most church members renounce some worldly activities that distract one’s mind from God. Debauchery, drunkenness, gambling, sex outside of marriage are not condoned.

Most Christ Gospel members attend church, Bible study, or prayer groups several times a week. In all other respects, they participate fully in all aspects of society. They believe in living full, wholesome lives, enjoying good, clean fun, marrying, rearing families, buying homes, going to school, attending college, developing careers, striving for excellence, and being responsible, moral citizens in all their actions.

Christians under Attack by False Reporting

On April 5 & 13, The News newspaper published articles that alleged that a “satanic cult” with a lady pastor is now operating on the island. We have reason to believe that Christ Gospel Churches were the target of this attack because the article referred to both the local church and international organization as being founded by women. After publication of the articles, people began phoning Rev. Bart-Peters worried for her safety; she received threatening text messages and has been the subject of public harassment. The characterization in the newspaper was patently inaccurate and is hurtful to good Christian people who are only trying their best to follow Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible.

This kind of adversity is not new. The early Christians were slandered as cannibals. And that lie scared folks into persecuting them. Neighbors heard Christians speak of drinking the blood and eating the body of their slain leader, so they assumed the worst. Of course, today, no one would perpetuate such ridiculous accusations. Yet this is the same kind of twisted logic that is driving The News’ articles about us.

By falsely alleging that a good church and a good pastor are “satanic,” The articles in the News have unleashed fear and incited mistrust, hate, and even vandalism. That is the real threat that is invading St. Vincent: a virus of lies and fear that has assassinated a good woman’s character and put lives and property at risk.

If you fear and demonize your neighbors, then it’s easy to dehumanize and persecute them. This is the kind of irrational paranoia that led to the Salem Witch trials in the USA in the late 1600’s, which killed dozens of innocent women, the Holocaust in WWII, which killed over six million Jews, and the more recent genocide in Rwanda where hundreds of thousands of “Christians” were killing each other

Some True Facts About Christ Gospel Worship Services:

We worship the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We believe in the Holy Trinity: God the Father (Jehovah), Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, whom Jesus sent after he ascended into Heaven. And we believe that ALL three of these aspects of God are ONE. We encourage all our members to read the Bible for themselves and let God show them how to apply it appropriately in their lives.

We Believe in the Full Equality of Women in the Church. We affirm the right of all people to develop to their highest leadership potential, regardless of their gender, race, nationality, or social standing.

The local pastor was quoted as saying, “she is neither male nor female.” No rational person would twist these words to mean that she underwent surgical alternation or was denying her obvious gender. The pastor merely quoted the Bible, which speaks metaphorically:

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:27-28.

When the pastor is standing before you to minister, the fact that she is female is irrelevant. She is ministering as a servant of God, and the Holy Spirit is flowing through her. The Pastor was merely affirming that in God’s eyes, our gender, our race, our nationality, or our social standing is irrelevant when we come together as a Christian community. At www.christgospel.org, you may order the book, The Case for Women Preachers. Not every church accepts women ministers, but today most major Christian denominations do, and they understand that in the early church women were leaders, preachers, apostles, and bishops.

The leaders wear white. It is customary in many churches in the USA and in the Caribbean for deacons and other church leaders to wear a uniform. Christ Gospel Churches want the attire of their leaders during worship services to be free from the distraction of fashion, finery, or social standing. The female leaders wear modest white clothing so the worshippers will focus on God, not on themselves.

We encourage evangelism—as do all Christian Churches. It’s called soul-winning for Christ.

We encourage timeliness. If you’ve ever gone to a concert, a movie, or a play and were distracted by late-comers climbing over you to get to their seats, you can appreciate how disruptive it is when folks dribble in a bit at a time throughout the program. Punctuality is a key value that helps people succeed at work and in school. We commend Pastor Bart-Peters for teaching her members to respect others’ people’s time and keep their agreements.

NO Vomiting and Frothing at the Mouth is ever a part of any Christ Gospel worship service.

Demonstrative Worship in the Holy Spirit. Like the Assemblies of God, the Churches of God, the Churches of God in Christ, and the United Pentecostal Churches, to name a few, Christ Gospel Churches believe in freedom of expression in the Holy Spirit as they worship. We believe in praying while kneeling or lying down as a symbol of humbly approaching God. You may go to www.christgospel.org and download a free brochure that explains the firm Biblical basis for this and other various demonstrations in the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes, we chant the name of God. Christians all over the world often chant or sing repetitively the name of Jesus: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Son of God, Immanuel. God the Father is described in the Old Testament in a number of ways, as well: Jehovah, Adonai, Jehovah-Jirah Almighty God, Everlasting Father.

We are a loving community of real people, trying to be more like Jesus. Folks have always used the excuse of not going to church because Christians did not live up to Jesus’ ideals. Just as siblings who love each other sometimes squabble, so do Christians in every church around the world. But we get over it. We pray together, forgive each other, and learn to practice kindness and show the love of Jesus. We try our best to practice the Lord’s Prayer: Our Heavenly Father forgives our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Please don’t lie about us or other Christian groups you don’t understand. We don’t mind other folks disagreeing with us. We don’t mind your asserting that we make mistakes, that you don’t like our exuberant worship, that we come to church too often, or that our services are too long. We don’t claim to be the only group of Christians in God’s fold. We ask only that you not spread falsehoods. Respect others with whom you disagree or find fault. We ALL are brothers and sisters in Christ.

When you worship with us, you will feel our love for our Savior Jesus Christ, and you will feel God’s presence in a powerful way. We are a humble people. We are a diverse people of all races, nationalities, and socio-economic levels. We are a people who are hungry for God, a people who yearn to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ.

Questions? Contact us at info@christgospel.org or visit our web page for more information: www.christgospel.org.

PAID ADVERTORIAL

Rev. Sandra Bart-Peters,
Pastor Immanuel Christ Gospel Church.

Rev. Bart-Peters holds a Master’s of Science in Counseling (UWI); post graduate diplomas in science education, theology, leadership, mediation (UWI); a Bachelor’s in biology and chemistry (UG). She is a retired, well-respected educator who has served St. Vincent, St. Lucia, and Barbados for over 18 years and improved the lives of many students and their families.