Giving God glory for 100 years & counting
Our church has been a vibrant lighthouse of faith for generations, with a rich history spanning over 100 years. From humble beginnings in 1923, when believers gathered for worship on Windsor's riverfront, to becoming a thriving multicultural and multigenerational community, God’s hand has guided every step.
Through decades of growth, revival, and outreach, we have continued to expand our impact. Today, we remain committed to helping people find hope in Jesus and home in His family. Discover more about our journey of faith and the exciting vision for the future!
Bethel Pentecostal Church
1923–1943
1920
In the early 1920’s, a move of the Holy Spirit descended on the Windsor-Detroit area. Numbers of Christians crossed the river weekly to worship with fellow believers. Soon, prayer meetings in private homes began to appear in Windsor.
1923
100 years ago, in August 1923, Brother Marshall and Brother William Courtney rented a former dance hall on Ouellette Ave. to hold the first public Pentecostal meetings on this Canadian side of the Detroit River. Less than 20 attended this initial meeting; however, this series of meetings would provide the fertile ground for the upcoming spiritual harvest.
Fall 1923
In October 1923, Rev. Jim Lebroque was invited to hold evangelistic services, and in the following five months, scores were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. In December 1923, Rev. Clifford Nelson was asked to become pastor of the fledgling church. His pastorate was assisted by worshippers from Detroit area churches.
1924
As the church grew, it moved to a storefront on Glengarry Ave., then to the vacant United Church on Giles Blvd. in May 1924.
1925
The Lord continued to bless the church with growth and in November 1925, Rev. Philpotts became the pastor. Under his direction, the congregation rented the Baptist Church on the corner of Bruce Ave. and London St. in downtown Windsor. God’s blessing descended on the work, many souls were saved and baptized, and many were healed.
1928
Rev. Remington became pastor in 1928 and remained until May 1929 when Rev. James Swanson became pastor. During the next six years, the church experienced healthy growth as the Lord richly blessed His people.
1935
When Rev. Swanson was elected General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada in 1935, Rev. W. Draffin became pastor for a short period before passing away on August 22, 1936.
1936
At this time, Rev. Elmer Morrison, a missionary to China on furlough, was invited to replace him, and the Lord continued to bless with new converts and the church growing to new heights. Under Pastor Morrison’s direction, the congregation purchased the rented property in order to upgrade and enlarge the facilities. Improvements were made, a significant amount of the debt was paid off, and missions giving was expanded as the Holy Spirit worked among His people.
1938
In November 1938, Rev. Morrison returned to the mission field in China and Rev. Frank Jolley replaced him as pastor. For the following five years, more souls were added to the kingdom and the church grew steadily.
1943–1973
Demolition, Reconstruction & Dedication
1943
In April 1943, Rev. William Fitch was invited to become pastor of the growing church. Many young people received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and souls were saved.
1951
Demolition began, sod was turned, and construction began, and in May 1951, the new Bethel Pentecostal Church was opened and dedicated to the Lord. Other properties for parsonages and parking were also purchased, and under Pastor Fitch’s able leadership, the church experienced unprecedented growth and blessing. In spite of slowdown and recessions in the auto-oriented economy of Windsor, the church continued to grow and enlarge. A number of new ministries were begun and missions giving set new records.
1944
The church mortgage was burned in May 1944 at a special Mortgage Burning Service with guest speaker, Rev. J.H. Blair, and many former pastors in attendance. With the church continuing to grow, it was evident that the present building was becoming too small and would not be adequate for the needs of the congregation.
1952
Through the thirty years of Pastor Fitch’s ministry, hundreds were reached for God, many young people entered the Lord’s work, healing revivals were held, and miracles performed. Pastor Fitch himself was struck down with a stroke, but as the congregation and Christians on both sides of the border interceded in prayer, he was miraculously delivered.
1948
In 1948, in consultation with the church board, contractors and city engineers, it was decided to replace the former church.
1967
In 1967, the church’s gross income was $88,000. Sunday School average attendance in 1968 was 512 and rose to over 750 with over 200 attending youth services. Before Pastor Fitch left, the mortgage and properties were paid off, thanks to the church’s loyal members and the blessing of God.
1973
In 1973, the church celebrated its 50th Anniversary.
Jesus Saves!
1973–1977
1973
In 1973, Pastor Fitch stepped aside to accept new challenges in ministry and was succeeded by Rev. Victor Brown who had served with him as Associate Pastor since 1971.
1973–1977
Pastor Brown had the distinction of being the PAOC Western Ontario District’s first youth leader. He was a solid biblical preacher with good administrative skills. He was a great believer in the gifts of the Spirit and divine healing, having been wonderfully healed himself. During Pastor Brown’s years at Bethel, the church continued to grow and many good things happened for the glory of God.
University Gospel Temple
1977–1985
1977
In April 1977, Rev. Jack Counsell, who had previously served as Associate Pastor at Bethel with Rev. Fitch, accepted a call to assume the pulpit at Bethel Pentecostal church.
1984
The “old barn” could no longer accommodate all the ministries throughout the week, and the pastor and board realized the need to build a new church facility that would meet the needs of the growing community of believers, and expansion plans began.
1978
Under his direction, major renovations to the building were made, a number of properties surrounding the church were purchased, the support staff expanded, and the church name was changed to University Gospel Temple. Pastor Counsell was a strong preacher and lover of the Bible, reading it through every year. He initiated a television program on channel 62 in Detroit and a weekly radio broadcast on CKWW in Windsor called “Ask the Pastors.”
1979
The church emerged into one of the leading evangelical voices in southwestern Ontario. Growth continued rapidly with Sunday School attendance peaking at 1200, using twenty vehicles in the bus ministry. Lack of parking and a crowded church facility had forced the church into two Sunday morning services. Sunday School classes were held in every conceivable corner of the building with some being held off campus. Pastoral offices were scattered throughout the church, stifling administrative growth.
Parkwood Gospel Temple
1985–1995
1985
When Pastor Counsell accepted a call to St. Catherine’s in April 1985, Rev. George Carroll was elected as Senior Pastor. Pastor Carroll was a visionary, a man of faith, and a builder.
1985
Under his able leadership, the church continued to grow and new ministries were implemented, including a Spanish congregation, ministry to the deaf community and a Christian school, Temple Christian Academy, which opened in September 1985 in a vacant school on University Ave.
1986
During 1986, Pastor Carroll, the board and congregation purchased property and embarked on a building program which entailed a $5.5 million complex at Central Ave. and the EC Row Expressway to house the church and school.
The New Facility
Plans for the new facility included a 2000 seat sanctuary, a 200 seat chapel (dedicated to the memory of Paster William Fitch), a library (dedicated to the memory of Pastor Jack Counsell), an 11 classroom education facility housing Temple Christian Academy, a full size gymnasium, a restaurant size kitchen, and a four-office counselling centre. The congregation prayerfully and enthusiastically entered into an intensive stewardship program with the theme, “Not Equal Giving, But Equal Sacrifice” and was challenged to give sacrificially for 156 weeks.
1989
On July 30, 1989, the final service and De-Consecration Ceremony was held at University Gospel Temple, and on August 6, 1989, the congregation celebrated the Grand Opening & Dedication of the new Parkwood Gospel Temple. During this time, the church also embarked on a project to build a 62-unit seniors apartment complex on the property, and the Parkwood Manor opened in 1989.
A People of Generosity
1995–2018
1995
In July 1995, Pastor Carroll invited Rev. Mark Hazzard to join the staff as Associate Pastor, and when Pastor Carroll was appointed to a new position at our District Office, Pastor Hazzard was elected Senior Pastor.
1996
With a church debt of $3.5 million and a vision to see that debt paid in full, on Thanksgiving Sunday 1996, Pastor Hazzard launched the church into a ten-year debt retirement program. An important part of the program was the implementation of “90% Sunday.” Each Thanksgiving Sunday for ten years, the congregation was asked to give 90% of that week’s income with a goal of receiving $100,000 to put directly towards the church debt.
2006
Through years of sacrificial giving, and with the power and blessing of God, this vision was accomplished and the church mortgage was burned ahead of schedule on January 1, 2006. The church then embarked on several important building projects, including roof and parking lot repairs, renovations to the chapel and main lobby, including a new café, and the congregation voted to change the church name to Parkwood Gospel Church.
Parkwood Gospel Church
2018–2022
2018
After over 22 years of pastoring Parkwood, Pastor Hazzard resigned in March 2018 to become the PAOC Regional Missions Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. In June 2018, Pastor Daniel Gray, who had served on staff under Pastor Hazzard for ten years, was elected as the new Lead Pastor.
2020
In March 2020, due to the ramifications of COVID-19 and public health mandates, for the first time in the church’s history, in person church services and programs were paused and moved to our online platform. During this time, God continued to bless Parkwood both financially and spiritually with many new people engaging with the church online. When restrictions were lifted and we were able to gather together in person again, we experienced a new world of social distancing and mask-wearing, but in it all, God continued to show His faithfulness to our church, and in the months post-Covid, we began to experience a time of unprecedented growth and blessing with attendance and financial giving rising to new heights.
2020–2022
During 2020-2022, extensive renovations to the church included sanctuary upgrades with new carpet, paint, chairs, lighting/technical equipment, and translation booths; a new pole barn for storage; front lobby and café renovations; education wing renovations and upgrades; washroom renovations; parking lot paving, and more.
Parkwood Outreach Centre
In fall 2022, we were approached about purchasing the Lazarus Outreach Centre at Parent and Wyandotte, six blocks east of our original church site a century earlier—fulfilling Pastor Danny’s vision for a downtown Windsor campus. In September 2023, as we celebrated 100 years of ministry, we also marked the grand opening of Parkwood Outreach Centre at 899 Wyandotte St. E. The Wyandotte East corridor has Windsor’s highest concentration of low-income households, immigrants, and homelessness. Parkwood Outreach Centre exists to share the love of Jesus and serve as a bridge into the community, helping people find hope in Him and home in His family. Since opening, hundreds have been served through Sunday services, Bible studies, prayer groups, outreach programs, social services, and partnerships with local schools and organizations.
100 Years & Counting
In September 2023, Parkwood celebrated our 100th Anniversary with a weekend of celebrations that included a Family Fun & Fireworks event, Centennial Celebration Gala, and Centennial Worship Celebration, followed by a reception for former pastors and special guests. Together as a church family, we honoured God’s faithfulness across generations, reflecting on our past with gratitude, looking ahead with hope and purpose, and recommitting to the mission of Parkwood to help people find hope in Jesus and find home in His family. To God be the Glory!
