Deliverance Evangelistic Church stands on West Lehigh Avenue in Philadelphia's Allegheny West neighborhood, in a sanctuary that seats 5,100 and in a congregation that traces its beginning to a prayer meeting of ten believers in 1961. For more than six decades the church has been known for Bible teaching built around three purposes, to evangelize, edify and equip, for a settled emphasis on the Holy Spirit and deliverance, and for a long reach into the surrounding community through street evangelism, prison and hospital ministry, education and neighborhood development. Senior Pastor Glen Spaulding leads the church, and its members gather for worship on Sunday mornings and through a full week of prayer, study, service and outreach.
Ten Believers, One Prayer Meeting, More Than Sixty Years
Deliverance Evangelistic Church was organized in 1961 with ten members who gathered in a prayer meeting under the leadership of the late Rev. Benjamin Salters and Mrs. Essie Salters. The fellowship quickly outgrew their residence and moved into a building at the corner of 25th and Jefferson Streets in Philadelphia, where the late Rev. Benjamin Smith, Sr. was used in these meetings to expound the word and minister to the needs of the people. As attendance grew, the members felt the need to establish a church, and they secured a larger facility at 22nd Street and Columbia Avenue.
The emphasis of those early members was street evangelism, and multitudes accepted Christ as their personal Savior. Growth required another move in 1963, this time to a vacant theater seating 900 in the Tioga section of the city. On May 13, 1973, the first worship service was held in the former location at 4732 North Broad Street, a large reconstructed theater that accommodated 3,000 and included several closed-circuit television rooms allowing an overflowing crowd to participate in the service. Through prayer and fasting for souls, membership continued to multiply.
Over the decades the church built more than 60 departments for education, leadership training and personal development. On Sunday, August 30, 1992, the Deliverance Evangelistic family dedicated a new edifice and educational facility at 2001 W. Lehigh Avenue, with members, friends and associates dedicating the building to the work of the Lord. The vision continues under Senior Pastor Glen Spaulding.
Pastor Spaulding describes the origin this way: the ministry was born when God impressed upon the founder, Rev. Benjamin Smith, and a group of ten faithful believers to pray, fast and conduct weekly Bible study. "For more than 40 years, thousands of souls have received salvation, deliverance and healing by the power of the Holy Spirit," he says. His prayer is that the presence of God will keep challenging those who worship to be a model of His character and a messenger of His love.
A 5,100-Seat Sanctuary Where the Ballpark Stood
The church's building stands where the old ballpark stood in the neighborhood now called Allegheny West, once known as North Penn or Swampoodle. The park was built in 1909 and was home to the Philadelphia Athletics, the Phillies in 1927 and again from 1948 to 1970, the Philadelphia Stars of the Negro National League and local high school teams. It was abandoned in 1970, destroyed by fire in 1971 and razed in 1976, and a marker at 21st Street and Lehigh Avenue still remembers it. The ballpark had united the surrounding blocks socially, culturally and spiritually, and Deliverance Evangelistic Church stands as one of the revivalist forces that helped the neighborhood hold together.
In 1980, Rev. Benjamin Smith purchased the property and the vacant lot across the street. A year later he built a shopping center there and named it Hope Plaza. In 1990 he broke ground for the new church, and two years later its doors opened. The complex pairs the 5,100-seat sanctuary with an educational facility, and the church's ministries reach into nearly every part of it, from Cinema 7 and the cry room to the chapel and the hospital and nursing home care teams.
Sunday Morning: Class at 9:15, Worship at 10:45
The Sunday rhythm has three clear stops. Sunday School begins at 9:15 AM, the Sunday Morning Worship Service at 10:45 AM, and Children's Church at 11:00 AM in the chapel. Greeters welcome people at the doors and ushers bring them into the sanctuary with praise, and the church also maintains a cry room and a comfort ministry for families who need them. Services are open to all who wish to experience a new life through Jesus Christ, and worshippers who cannot be in the room can join the service live.
Prayer, Study and Outreach Through the Week
Tuesday is a full day. The church holds a Tuesday Morning Outreach at 10:00 AM and a Tuesday Morning Service at 11:00 AM, followed by New Members Class at 6:00 PM and Intercessory Prayer at 7:00 PM. Wednesday carries the heaviest load: a noon Prayer Service, prayer in the chapel at 6:00 PM, the Discipleship Program at 6:00 PM, the Drug Task Force meeting at 6:00 PM, Literature Evangelism at 6:30 PM and Night Bible Study for children, youth and adults at 6:00 PM. A Spirit Baptism Class meets at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays each month.
Thursday's Intercessory Prayer gathering is at 7:00 PM, and the Friday Evening Evangelistic Service begins at 7:30 PM. The Men's Fellowship also meets on Saturdays by Zoom for discussion of the topics that shape men's lives, and the music department rehearses on Saturdays as well. The church's prayer life also runs around the clock through a Prayer Vigil, an all-night prayer gathering and a 24-hour prayer chain.
Sunday School: Rooms for Three-Year-Olds Through Golden Adults
Sunday School, under Superintendent Rev. William Wallace Jr., opens at 9:15 AM in classrooms spread across the second and third floors. Preschoolers ages 3 and 4 gather in C-220, and kindergarten and early elementary children ages 5 and 6 in C-208. Elementary classes for ages 7 and 8 meet in D-217, Junior 1 for age 9 in D-204, and Juniors 2 and 3 for ages 10 and 11 in D-202. Middle schoolers ages 12 and 13 meet in D-203, senior high classes for ages 14 and 15 in D-210, and the class for ages 16 and 17 in D-211. Young adults ages 18 to 24 meet in the DEBI Student Lounge.
Three adult classes serve ages 25 to 49 in rooms D-216, C-216 and D-218, Golden Adults ages 50 and above meet in the chapel, and a DEAM class for special needs meets in the Community Room. The Sunday School's doctrinal focus draws on Ephesians 4:11-16 and calls for spiritual, physical, mental, emotional and social growth, so that students continue to grow in faith and prepare for pulpit or other church ministry service.
The DEBI Bible Institute
The Deliverance Evangelistic Bible Institute grew out of a vision for education that reaches both the church and the neighborhood. Founded by Pastor Benjamin Smith, Sr., D.D., and led today by Senior Pastor Glen Spaulding, Rev. Celeste F. Palmer as Dean of Administration and Rev. Zorro Harris as Dean of Christian Education, DEBI is a non-degree granting school of adult education, primarily for laypeople. Its purpose is formal training in biblical studies, ministry skills and leadership so that people can do the work of the ministry.
Class offerings cover most of the week. Monday courses include Book of John and Book of Matthew from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, Book of John again from noon to 1:30 PM, and Book of Revelation from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. Tuesday offers New Testament Survey from noon to 1:30 PM, Wednesday has English from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, Thursday has Book of Acts from 10:00 to 11:30 AM and Eschatology from 7:30 to 9:00 PM, and Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 10:30 AM offer Spiritual Maturity, Church History and Biblical Leadership. Courses marked ETA are part of the track for students working toward a high school diploma and college.
DEBI's mission adds a second purpose to the church's teaching: promoting education within the body of Christ and the community, helping people improve their relationship with God and the quality of their lives, and reviving the dream of a high school diploma and college education. Alongside the institute, the church has teamed with Harcum College to offer two-year accredited degrees to local residents in North Philadelphia, and works with Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary and Graduate School.
Evangelize, Edify, Equip
Deliverance Evangelistic Church describes itself as a Biblical ministry designed to encourage life transformation through a threefold purpose: to evangelize, edify and equip the whole person to serve the community and reach the world for Jesus Christ. The church states that it strives to be holy in its living, reverent in its worship, compassionate in its love for souls and excellent in its service.
What the Church Teaches
The church holds that the Bible is the inspired and only infallible written Word of God and that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It affirms the blessed Hope of the rapture, teaches that the only means of being cleansed from sin is repentance and faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, and holds that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for personal salvation. The redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides healing for the human body in answer to believing prayer, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is given, according to Acts 2:4, to believers who ask for Him, and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit enables the Christian to live a holy and separated life.
The Bible Institute's fuller doctrinal outline adds the church's understanding of the person and work of Christ, the authority of the Bible, the defeat of Satan by Christ, the gifts of the Holy Spirit given for the edification of the church, the Lord's Supper, water baptism by immersion as an act of obedience, and the belief that a believer can fall from grace. It also describes the return of Christ in two phases and the bodily resurrection of the righteous.
Choirs, Mass Choir and the Funeral Choir
The Music Ministry, led by Minister of Music James Short, is described as a tool for perfecting the saints, for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ, and the church insists that music is for Christ's sake and not for its own sake. Rehearsals map out the week. Voices of Deliverance, for singers ages 35 and above, rehearses Thursdays at 7:00 PM. Men of Praise rehearses on the second Saturday of each month at 4:00 PM. Youth and Young Adult Mass rehearses Saturdays at 2:00 PM for singers ages 13 to 34, and the Youth Choir, ages 5 to 12, meets at noon on Saturdays. Voices of Inspiration, the funeral choir, assembles an hour before the service it serves.
Men's, Women's and Senior Fellowships
The Men's Fellowship, with Deacon John Henderson as assistant director, says its aim is to form disciples of Jesus Christ inside and outside the church through service, fellowship and spiritual growth, sponsoring programs that help men become Godly influences at home, at work, in the church and in the community. A member, Rev. Leon Bostick, describes the Saturday Zoom sessions as a place to hear and give feedback from a biblical perspective and to be encouraged among men who are honest about being works in progress. The fellowship also gathers for a men's prayer breakfast.
The Women's Ministry, known as Vessels of Honor and presided over by First Lady Rhonda Spaulding, takes a holistic approach to developing women who are spiritually mature and effective Christians. Its vision is that every woman reaches her maximum potential in God and navigates life's challenges successfully, with a focus on meeting the diverse needs of women in the church and the broader community.
Senior Ministries, directed by Rev. John Robinson, addresses the spiritual and physical needs of the body of Christ and invites members into roles as greeters, ushers, intercessors and volunteers. Its ministries include Aids for Friends, all night prayer, the cry room, greeters, intercessory prayer, marriage enrichment, the nursing department, prayer vigil, pulpit ministry, the single parent network, ushers and volunteer security. A singles fellowship and a ministry for single parents sit alongside those groups, and the church also lists a Young At Heart ministry.
Beyond the Sanctuary: Streets, Prisons, Hospitals and Homes
Outreach has been part of the church's life since its early years on 22nd Street and Columbia Avenue, when the members' efforts were directed toward street evangelism. The church names street evangelism, weekend evangelism, literature evangelism, telephone evangelism, a Soul Patrol of men of God, a drug task force, a comfort ministry, a home care ministry, hospital and nursing home ministry, prayer for the shut-in, a referral office, a scholarship program, transportation and follow up ministry among its ministries.
The church's outreach reaches those in the community, in prisons, in hospitals, in nursing homes and on the streets. Visitations to the needy, the imprisoned, the sick and the shut-in have been a leading thrust of the ministry, and the church describes its concern for the inner-city family and individual, and its work toward positive spiritual change and economic community development, as the reason for these ministries.
A Health Challenges and Home Care Ministry under Dr. Pauline Hodges and a hospital and nursing home department sit alongside a tutoring program, a scholarship program and a Bible Institute that encourages students to finish a high school diploma. The comfort ministry, cry room, referral office and transportation ministry provide the practical support that helps people arrive, stay and return.
Missions to Haiti, India, Nigeria and the Gulf Coast
The Missions Ministry, directed by Rev. Lawrence Richardson, Sr., works to train and support missionaries at home and abroad. The countries named include India, Trinidad, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Nigeria and Ghana in West Africa. A missionary team also traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in response to Hurricane Katrina. The ministry reports establishing and supporting ministries in each of these locations and constructing food centers, housing and churches, with a commitment to the call to go into all the world and preach the gospel.
Mission work is not separate from local outreach. The conviction that sends teams to Haiti and India is visible in the prison, street, hospital and nursing home ministries at home, in the drug task force and in the neighborhood development work of the Deliverance Community Development Corporation.
Hope Plaza and the Community Development Corporation
Hope Plaza, the shopping center Rev. Benjamin Smith built across from the church in 1981, remains part of the church's community footprint under Martha Addison. The broader community development work runs through the Deliverance Community Development Corporation, an affiliate of the church initially established in 2002 under the name Deliverance Center of Hope by church leaders. Its need grew out of the church's work in social services, cultural enrichment, family life services and outreach to the surrounding community.
Director Dot Newton has served populations from youth to seniors and designs programs that meet community needs. The corporation works with community partners, city officials and city departments and programs such as Philly Rising to address violence, unemployment, ex-offenders and other difficulties in the community through jobs fairs, gun buy-back programs, youth development and expungement clinics. Its guiding phrase is healing the community one family at a time.
Becoming a Member and Finding a Place to Serve
The New Members Ministry, directed by Elizabeth Lawrence, begins with a membership information card. The right hand of fellowship follows Holy Communion on the second Sunday of each month, and orientation classes meet on Tuesday evenings in Room C-216 across six consecutive sessions: Bible Old and New Testament, the Triune God, the Church as the Body of Christ, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Hope for the Believer, and Predestination. Sister Ozie Lawrence, Brother Calvin Myers and Brother Renaldo Fulton serve as instructors.
Serving is a major part of membership life, and the church names more than three dozen ministries for people who want to serve, including Aids for Friends, the Deacon Board, hospitality, intercessory prayer, literature evangelism, marriage enrichment, pastoral counseling, prayer chains, prison ministry, security, the single parents network, singles fellowship, transportation, ushers, vacation Bible school and youth Bible school.
Around the country and abroad, a fellowship of churches shares the connection, with Pastor Glen Spaulding as president. Member churches include Ebenezer Full Gospel Church in Philadelphia, Deliverance Tabernacle in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, World Transformation Church in Kiev, Ukraine, and Gospel of Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Quantico, Virginia.
Sermons, Streaming and Giving
The church's sermon archive holds messages in audio and video going back to 2016, with recordings by Pastor Glen Spaulding and ministers including Rev. Dr. Michael J.R. King, Rev. Joseph Simpson, Rev. Kevin Keys, Evangelist Kim Webb, Pastor Therlowe Paulin, Minister Tyrone Sturdivant and Bishop Wallace Smith. Series include The Book of Matthew, The Acts of the Holy Spirit, The Book of Romans, The Book of Jude, The Conquering Life and The TransForming Work of the Holy Spirit. Services can be watched live, and recorded messages are collected for listening and watching.
Giving can be made through a secure online portal by electronic funds transfer or credit card, with a 2 percent addition to cover credit card processing fees, or by text. First-time text givers receive a registration link, choose a fund and amount, and can save payment information for later gifts. Members can give online.
Deliverance Evangelistic Church remains a large, working congregation at 2001 West Lehigh Avenue: a 5,100-seat sanctuary, an educational facility, a Sunday School that runs from preschool to Golden Adults, a Bible Institute with classes Monday through Thursday and on Saturday, fellowship groups for every stage of life, and a stream of ministries that carries its message into the streets, the prisons, the hospitals and the neighborhood around Allegheny West.