Our Story

In 1878 a young Methodist preacher and Bible Class leader in Bury called John Taylor was sick. He was a brass founder by trade and had contracted an industrial disease that had poisoned his body.

However, following prayer he was wonderfully healed and restored to perfect health.

As a result he started to hold meetings in his own home. As the numbers who attended grew, he changed his premises and began to hold meetings in a larger house on Walmersley Road called Russell Villas and soon moved again to new premises on Brookshaw Street.

In December 1927 an event was held at the Drill Hall in Bury. Thousands of people from across the town and the region came to these meetings through the week and some amazing miracles of healing took place. It's estimated that around 2,000 people became Christians that week.

As a result Brookshaw Street was too small and 2 churches were established in the town. Beulah Pentecostal Mission settled in an old laundry building on Brook Street and the other, Emmanuel Hall, on Bell Lane.

In 1967 the congregation of Beulah Pentecostal Church took over the church here on Parkhills Road as Parkhills Methodist Church had closed 12 months previously. In 1971, the church based at Emmanuel Hall merged with the Beulah congregation at the Parkhills Pentecostal Church, which then became known as Bethesda Pentecostal Church.

Bruce and Christine Millar came to lead the church in September 1979 and pastored the church for 30 years until September 2009 when, Paul Schofield took over the leadership as Bruce stepped down from his role.

Paul has been at Bethesda Church since September 2006 and has served the church as the manager of its "Christians Against Poverty" ministry as well as being the youth and children's pastor.

Paul continues to be heavily involved with the communities in Bury and is committed to seeing the love of God being shown in practical ways to the town of Bury and beyond.