A Century on Orchard Street
Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church, known to its members and neighbors simply as BHC, has stood at 782 Orchard Street in the Dixwell neighborhood of New Haven since 1965. The congregation's story, however, goes back much further: to a converted storefront on Poplar Street in the summer of 1923, when Elder Walter Andrews and his wife Rosa B. Andrews began preaching the Apostolic message that would grow into one of the most enduring Pentecostal congregations in Connecticut.
Today the church gathers three times a week for Sunday worship, Monday prayer, and Wednesday Bible study, and continues to extend the same ministry of word and service that has defined it for more than a century. The church's own description of its work is simple: BHC is a body of believers connecting the church and community to the gospel of Christ.
From Poplar Street to Orchard Street
The Andrews were former Methodist ministers who had been converted to the Apostolic Faith. Rosa Andrews received the baptism in Jesus' name first; she later baptized her husband Walter in their bathtub. Together they named the work Beulah Heights Mission, and along with the Star of Bethlehem Mission of Ansonia and the Rescue Mission of Bridgeport, helped form the Connecticut District Council of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (P.A.W.).
Membership was small - about twelve people in the late 1920s - and the storefront on Poplar Street gave way to moves through Broad Street, Goffe Street, and Webster Street before Elder Andrews went to be with the Lord in 1933. His wife Rosa served as pastor briefly. In 1936 Elder Lambert R. Tolbert, newly arrived from West Virginia, led the congregation to 12-14 Admiral Street, where the first major renovation was undertaken.
When Elder Tolbert's tenure ended, Elder George H. Brooks came from Ansonia in 1950. Under his leadership the current building at 782 Orchard Street was constructed and dedicated in 1965. He was elevated to the office of Bishop and served as pastor and diocesan of the Connecticut District Council until 1986.
The Brooks Family Stewardship
Bishop George Brooks' son, Bishop Theodore L. Brooks, Sr., took the mantle in 1988 as the church's fifth pastor. In 1989 an administration and educational wing - fourteen classrooms, a library, and four offices - was added to the Orchard Street structure. In 2018 Bishop Theodore Brooks was elevated to Presiding Prelate of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, and the day-to-day pastoral charge passed to his sons. When Pastor Darrell Brooks was called to begin a work in Waterbury, Connecticut, Pastor Harold Brooks became Senior Pastor in 2022. He has spoken of his vision to lead the church into its next century of service.
Both Bishop Theodore L. Brooks, Sr. and Lady Rachel Brooks, Pastor Harold's wife, remain visible in the life of the church. The Brooks family stewardship now spans four generations at BHC and is one of the defining threads of the congregation's story.
Apostolic Faith and Practice
Beulah Heights sits firmly within the Apostolic Pentecostal tradition. Its creed, discipline, and rule of order are drawn from the Word of God as taught and revealed by the Holy Ghost, and its core beliefs are set out plainly in its statement of faith.
Members hold that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. They believe in one eternal, omnipotent God whose present dispensational name is the Lord Jesus Christ, for in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. They affirm the virgin birth of Jesus, who was both Mary's son and Mary's Lord, and they confess his death, burial, and bodily resurrection.
Salvation, in the church's teaching, requires a new or second birth - being born of water and of the Spirit. The water birth comes through baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ; the Spirit birth comes through the baptism of the Holy Ghost, with the scriptural sign of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. The church also practices two ordinances instituted by Jesus: Holy Communion (the Lord's Supper) and the Washing of Feet, as recorded in John 13.
The Rhythm of the Week
The week at BHC follows a steady cadence of corporate worship, prayer, and Bible study.
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:00 AM and runs through 11:30 AM at the Orchard Street sanctuary. Visitors are welcomed at every stage of life; the service is described as a time to be empowered by the praise and worship and inspired by the word.
Monday evenings at 7:00 PM are set aside for prayer. The church frames prayer as the medium through which we communicate and commune with God and invites the community to join in intentionally seeking God's movement.
Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM gather members around the Bible for study. The goal, the church says, is to help participants read, study, and grow into the powerful, inspired leader God intends them to be.
All three gatherings take place at 782 Orchard Street. Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and an extensive sermon archive is available online, with messages going back several years.
Building Beyond the Walls
BHC has long understood its ministry as extending beyond the sanctuary. The most visible expression of that work is Beulah Land Development Corporation (BLDC), founded in 1994. BLDC's mission has been to transform severely blighted and crime-ridden blocks of the Dixwell neighborhood into stable, revitalized communities. Over nearly two decades the organization has developed close to fifty units of affordable housing for low-income families and senior citizens.
Each year the church hosts the Back to School Fair on Orchard Street, a major event that distributes backpacks filled with school supplies to children and teens from preschool through high school. Adults and parents are connected with a network of health and human services resources from across the city. In recent years BHC and BLDC have served more than 1,500 children and 3,000 families through the effort.
A second arm of community work, the Beulah Heights Social Integration Program (BHSIP), provides outreach to individuals recovering from substance abuse, dependence, and incarceration. Through programs like Morning Manna and Winter Café, the ministry addresses both the physical and spiritual needs of people in crisis, working to connect them with employment, housing, and mental health resources.
For the children of the wider community, the church has run a Summer Enrichment Program since 2012, designed to improve and sustain literacy and academic outcomes for youth in kindergarten through fifth grade. The Anna E. Bowers scholarship, meanwhile, provides financial support to college-bound and current college students who are active members of the Christian Education Department.
Ministries for Every Stage of Life
BHC organizes its members into six standing ministries, each with its own leadership and rhythm.
The Men's Ministry is built around the pillars of mentoring, fellowship, and strengthening, with a culture shaped by the proverb Iron sharpens iron. Trustee George Thorne Jr. leads the ministry as president; Brother Richard Spears serves as secretary, Brother Ron Rainey as sergeant at arms, and Brother Ron Johnson as chaplain.
The Women's Ministry is led by Evangelist Catherine Billups as president, with Sister Camille Rainey as assistant, Sister Blanche Reeves Tucker as treasurer, and a team of coordinators handling communications, events, prayer, and correspondence. The ministry offers training classes and updates its activities to meet the needs of a diverse population without compromising the Word of God.
Young Beulah Youth and YB Young Adults together form the church's Youth Ministry, led by Kelly Brown. The student ministry focuses on helping young people feel known, loved, celebrated, and empowered, while the young-adult ministry seeks to help post-college adults find community and calling. The ministry maintains an active social media presence.
Three additional ministries - Senior, Singles, and Married - are listed among the church's offerings. The church describes its ministry work as designed for everyone, all ages, and at all stages of life.
The Pulpit and the Preachers
The pulpit at BHC is shared among several preachers. Pastor Harold Brooks, who has served as Senior Pastor since 2022, is the primary preacher and delivers sermons most Sundays. His wife, Lady Rachel Brooks, serves as First Lady. Bishop Theodore L. Brooks, Sr., now Presiding Prelate of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, remains a presence in the pulpit and continues to preach on occasion. Other regular preachers include Elder Charles Blango, Elder Christoph' McFadden, Elder Andrew Irving, and Evangelist Catherine Billups, who also leads the Women's Ministry.
The Sanctuary and Its Reach
The 782 Orchard Street building, constructed in 1965 and expanded in 1989, remains the center of BHC's life. A 2013 upgrade added a larger sound booth, cameras for filming and taping services, and television screens in the sanctuary, enabling the live-streamed ministry that now reaches viewers near and far. An earlier expansion added 240 seats to the sanctuary, along with new men's and women's lounges, a bookstore, and offices for deacons, trustees, and the pastor.
The church's reach extends well beyond Connecticut. In the late 1990s, Bishop Theodore L. Brooks and a delegation of members began missionary work in Brazil, where more than 1,000 people received baptism in Jesus' name on a 1999 visit. Ten churches were formed, united under the P.A.W. as the Brazilian Fellowship of Apostolic Churches, and Bishop Brooks was ordained Diocesan of the new council in 2001. He also founded T.L. Brooks Ministries, which made his preaching available on CD and DVD, and A Sound of Pentecost Publishing, through which he has published several books.
BHC is commonly referred to as the Mother Church of the Connecticut District Council, and many other ministries and leaders have gone forth from the Orchard Street sanctuary over the past century.
What to Expect as a Visitor
The church extends a simple invitation: BHC is a body of believers connecting the church and community to the gospel of Christ. Sunday worship begins at 10:00 AM and runs through 11:30 AM. Children's ministries are provided alongside the regular service, giving kids an age-appropriate environment of their own. The atmosphere is described as warm, with practical teaching from God's Word and a community of friendly people pursuing God together. Visitors may participate fully or sit back and observe; either is welcome.
Those who cannot attend in person can join the livestream on the church's YouTube channel. Giving is available online through Givelify. For questions, prayer requests, or facility use, the church can be reached at 203-787-3393.