Charlotte Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church sits at 1801 Double Oaks Road on Charlotte's east side, where it has become known as a praying church where lives are transformed through Jesus Christ. The congregation describes itself with a single warm invitation: it is the place for you. Visitors are greeted by ushers, seated in the sanctuary, and welcomed into a rhythm shaped by the seventh-day Sabbath, midweek prayer, and an unusually wide circle of ministries that reaches from preschoolers on Beatties Ford Road to neighbors picking up groceries at the Tuesday food pantry.
The Berean name points to a long history in Charlotte, anchored by a centennial celebration noted on the church's own calendar and carried forward by generations of pastors, elders, and members. The current pastor is Kevin Rogers. Around him serve a head elder, head deacon, head deaconess, treasurer, and church clerk, along with ministry leaders who keep the church's many programs running week to week.
Saturdays on Double Oaks
Worship at Berean centers on the seventh day. Sabbath School begins at 9:15 AM. Children head straight to their classrooms on the lower level of the church, while teens gather in the balcony. Adults open together in the sanctuary with a short program of singing, inspirational thoughts, mission stories, and special features, then divide into their separate classes for the lesson of the week. The current lesson is drawn from the regular Seventh-day Adventist quarterly.
The worship service follows at 11:00 AM. Music is led by a team of praise groups and choirs, with preaching from the pastor and guest speakers. The Berean Junior Academy participates at special times of year, and the Pathfinders take over the service for Adventurer Day and Youth Day. Ushers, one of the church's most visible ministries, keep seating orderly and greet every newcomer with the hope that each person will experience renewal and celebration.
For those who cannot attend in person, a virtual Sabbath service is offered through the church's Zoom room, opening at 9:50 AM. The link and passcode are posted on the Virtual Ministry page. A separate Zoom room is reserved for families with children.
Wednesday Nights Around Prayer and Teaching
Midweek, the church gathers for prayer. Prayer Time begins at 6:30 PM, followed by Teaching Time at 7:00 PM. These Wednesday nights have been a steady rhythm at Berean for years. Members and friends join in person at the Double Oaks Road campus or by phone, and the prayer ministry is reinforced by a nightly Zoom prayer meeting at 7:00 PM each day.
Victorious Living on Sunday Afternoons
On Sundays at 1:30 PM, the church broadcasts Victorious Living on Spectrum Cable Channel 21, carrying the church's teaching beyond its own walls and into homes across the Charlotte area.
Berean Junior Academy on Beatties Ford Road
Across town at 3748 Beatties Ford Road, Berean Junior Academy and Preschool carry the church's commitment to Christian education into the weekday lives of children and families. The school is led by Principal Sharon Johnson and Preschool Director Sheila Faison, and can be reached at 704-391-7800.
The Education Ministry frames its work around Deuteronomy 6:7 and the broader Adventist understanding of true education as the harmonious development of the physical, mental, and spiritual powers of the student. Each child is treated as unique and of inestimable value, and the program aims to help students accept Christ as their Savior, allow the Holy Spirit to transform their lives, and fulfill the gospel commission.
Beyond academics, the school runs an after-school program Monday through Thursday from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM and on Fridays from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The school also hires for an after-school aide and a classroom assistant in the K through 2nd grade room; a background check is required. Families can support the academy by linking shopping cards from Harris Teeter, Publix, and Amazon to the school.
The Education Ministry at the church itself is guided by Education Secretary Lynn Pinder, who answers questions about Christian education and connects families with the school.
F.L.O.W.E.R.S.: The Women's Ministry
The Women's Ministry at Berean takes its identity from an acronym that captures its calling: the F.L.O.W.E.R.S., or Fortified, Lay, Organization of Women, Enhancing, Religious Services. The group's focus is service, its colors are pink and burgundy, its aim is "Including All, Overlooking None," and its motto is "Lifting As We Climb."
Members study what it means to be a spiritual mother, what characteristics mark a spiritual mother, what the spiritual mother-daughter relationship looks like, and how women of any age can become spiritual mothers to one another. The ministry is connected to the wider South Atlantic Conference Women's Ministries and holds its own special days, including an annual Women's Ministry Day.
Pathfinder Club: The Cougars
Children and teens looking for adventure find a home in the Pathfinder Club, whose Cougars chapter is led by Phyllis Hayden. Pathfindering is built around outdoor activities such as backpacking, biking, canoeeing, caving, and camping, paired with regular club meetings and service projects. The aim is to develop Christ-like citizens who love Jesus and have fun doing it.
Families joining Pathfinders fill out a Pathfinder Application and a Medical Consent form, and TLT (Teen Leadership Training) participants also complete the TLT and Recommendation forms. Forms can be downloaded directly from the church's Pathfinder page and returned to the leader.
Music for Every Age
Music Ministry at Berean is intentionally multi-generational. Music coordinator Wanda Harris recruits choir directors, choristers, and praise team members and oversees the Choralaires children's choir for ages 5 to 12 and the Inspirational Youth and Adult Choir, or IYAC, for ages 13 and up. Harris can be reached by call or text at 704-712-6678. Those interested in joining a praise team can email music.berean@gmail.com.
Praise teams support both the Sabbath worship service and special events, and the choirs perform on their own throughout the year. Music at Berean is treated as service, and the choirs are open invitations to anyone willing to lend their voice.
The Community Service Center and Food Pantry
The Community Service Center at Berean runs the Charlotte Berean Food Pantry and a wider outreach that is part of Adventist Community Services, the relief and development arm of the church. Hours of operation are 9:00 to 10:30 AM every Tuesday.
The center provides immediate help for neighbors facing hard times. Food Stamp information is available through Families First, and the center shares information about the LEAP Low Income Energy Assistance Program and the Age-Friendly Mecklenburg Initiative. The Community Service Ministry also links people to tutoring and mentoring, health screening and assistance, the Youth Volunteer Corps, inner city missions, and disaster response, the kinds of social services Adventist Community Services is known for across the country.
Disability Ministries
Disability Ministries at Berean is led by Disability Coordinator Sandra Cole. The ministry exists to make sure that every member of the body of Christ is welcomed and able to participate fully in the life of the church. Special afternoon programs for the disability ministry are scheduled at various points during the year and are documented alongside other church services on the sermons page.
Personal Ministry, Evangelism, and Stewardship
Personal Ministry and Evangelism coordinate the church's outreach and lay witness work. The Stewardship Ministry teaches members how to organize life around God's purpose. The Stewardship page collects weekly stewardship words and offers a downloadable study on getting out of debt, walking through steps like the importance method, the high interest rate method, the low balance method, and debt consolidation, along with advice on negotiating with creditors and finding credit counseling. The page quotes one writer: stewardship is the act of organizing your life so that God can spend you.
Family Life, Single Adult, and Health Ministries
Family Life Ministry organizes events and resources for couples and parents. The Single Adult Ministry focuses on the life and calling of unmarried adults in the church. Health Ministry promotes the Adventist health message through events and a 2018 Community Health Explosion that drew guest speakers from across the region. Berean also maintains a COVID-19 information page with FEMA resources for those who want to stay informed.
Ushers and the Smaller, Steady Ministries
Ushers are responsible for maintaining orderly seating in and exiting from the church, helping make every worshipper's experience a renewing and celebratory one. Home and School supports the school community. The Virtual Ministry page keeps online members connected with Zoom links, scripture placemats for adults and youth, and the day's bulletin.
Seasonal Rhythms: 10 Days of Prayer, Daniel Fast, and Pentecost
Beyond the weekly schedule, Berean observes several seasonal rhythms. The 10 Days of Prayer is an extended time of focused prayer each year. The Daniel Fast 40 Days runs as a parallel time of consecration. Pentecost Readings mark the approach of the Day of Pentecost with study and reflection. Special prophecy series, including the Revelation Prophecy Bible Conference and the Revelation Revealed series, have shaped the church's teaching, as have series like Sons of Abraham and special days for women, youth, and health ministry.
What Seventh-day Adventists Believe, as Berean Teaches It
Berean teaches the historic Seventh-day Adventist faith, summed up in the church's own catechetical outline. God most clearly reveals His character in three great events: the creation of man and woman with the freedom of choice, the cross of Jesus Christ as the substitute who pays the penalty for hateful choices, and the empty tomb confirming the resurrection.
The Bible is described as God's voice speaking personally today, a road map whose direct instructions include the Ten Commandments and whose stories, parables, promises, and warnings describe the same character of God across thousands of years. Jesus is named as Creator, Sustainer, Savior, Friend, God's Son, and God Himself, the unchanging center in a universe of change, one of the three persons of the Trinity committed to our growth and salvation.
The seventh day, Saturday, is set aside as an extra-special day of focused fellowship with God, anchored by the fourth commandment. The Lord's Supper includes three symbols: foot washing, which symbolizes commitment to love others as Jesus loved; bread; and wine or grape juice. Baptism is by full immersion, symbolizing dying to self and coming alive in Jesus, the model He Himself demonstrated. The hope of the resurrection is central, with death held as the peaceful pause before the resurrection and the homecoming to heaven that Christ has promised.
Leadership and How to Connect
The Berean staff and elected leaders include Pastor Kevin Rogers, Head Elder Betsy Davis, Head Deacon Willie Moore, Head Deaconess Tameka Whitiker, Treasurer Arthurine Johnson, and Church Clerk and Secretary Lynn Pinder. Ministry coordinators include Sandra Cole for Disability Ministries, Phyllis Hayden for the Pathfinder Club, Wanda Harris for Music Ministry, and Nakeisha for Children's Ministry.
For more information, the church can be reached at 704-377-6313 or berean@charlottebereansda.org. Giving is available online through Adventist Giving, and worship is shared on the church's cbsdacTV YouTube channel. Berean is supported by the South Atlantic Conference and the wider North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.