Who are we, and what do we believe?
About us
Bethel Victoria Complex houses a 250 seat sanctuary, an administrative area, gymnasium, and a number of classrooms which enables it to provide ministries and activities to every age group.
We are Pentecostal in beliefs, but encourage and welcome people of all faiths and walks of life to come and take part in our various ministries and Sunday morning services. We recognize that not everybody thinks the same, especially in regards to scripture and faith, but our goal is that everyone would feel welcomed to come and share in our community space, and with our church congregation.
Our aim is to love everyone, and serve the needs around us however we can!
Our Beliefs
The Bible is the holy, and only, inspired Word of God. It is without error, and essential in determining truth (2 Timothy 3:15-17, 2 Peter 2:2).
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26 - “us,” John 10:30, 1 Peter 1:2).
We believe in Jesus Christ, the second member of the triune God. His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His coming, physical return to this earth in power and glory.
That sin entered into the world through man, and mankind as a whole has, in affect, been corrupted by ‘the fall.’ We all therefore possess in our physical and mortal state, a sinful nature (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23, 5:12).
Sin requires payment, as the scriptures declare that the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
We believe in eternal life and death. Eternal life is found in the presence of God forever, and is bestowed upon those who receive the gift of salvation and have a relationship with God (John 3:16-18). Eternal death is hell (Matthew 25:41,46), whereby man is separated from God forever (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
The only means of forgiveness from sin is through repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19, John 14:6).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is bestowed upon believers who come into relationship with God, in accordance with Jesus’ promises (John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, 16:13) as a ‘helper,’ and empowers the church for christian service (Acts 1:8).
Subsequently, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential for personal salvation (John 3:3-5). This meaning, that through conversion, one puts their faith in Christ and is then transformed, ‘born again,’ as the Spirit comes to live inside of them and they have new spiritual life. The Apostle Paul describes this process with the illustration of the old self being put to death, and being raised in newness of life with Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9-10, Romans 6:4).
We believe that the Holy Spirit also begins a process called sanctification upon coming to live inside of us. This means that upon conversion, and as we continue on our journey with Jesus, we are able to walk more and more in a way that is pleasing in the sight of God. It is a process by which we are conformed into the image of Christ throughout the remainder of our lives and until His return (1 Peter 1:15-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
We observe the Lord’s Supper (Communion) in remembrance of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, and His death, until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:23-32).
We believe in water baptism, not as a literal means to salvation, but as a public confession of faith, and representation of our regenerative state (Matthew 28:19). The word ‘baptism’ found in the New Testament is baptizō, meaning “to submerge, immerse.” It is for these reasons that we practice baptism by immersion on those who have consciously made a decision to follow Christ.
We also believe in a baptism subsequent to conversion, the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), in which men and women come to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit living inside of them. The initial evidence of this baptism is the physical sign of speaking in other tongues (languages) as is consistent with the New Testament (Acts 2:4, 10:46, 19:6).
We believe in our blessed hope, the rapture. That one day, Jesus will return for His church. The saints who have passed away will be raised to life again, and along with those who are alive, will be taken from the earth to be reunited with God forever.
Our History
In February 1924, Pastor Eugene Vaters was given approval by the Victoria Orange Lodge to conduct two weeks of gospel meetings. During that time, three people made a commitment to follow Jesus. Pastor Vaters then decided to extend the meetings at the Lodge for the remainder of the Spring. During two nights of services in late March, around 80 more people would come to dedicate their lives to Christ and experience the glorious gift of salvation!
Later on the decision would be made to discontinue meeting in the Orange Lodge, and the congregation which had budded from those meetings began meeting in a vacant store. As the church continued to grow and people came to know the Lord, it was clear that a church building would be needed to facilitate the expanding group of believers.
During the early Fall of 1924, construction of the first Pentecostal Mission in Victoria began and the building was officially opened in March of 1925. In 1945, a second church building was officially opened as the ministry floruished and numbers rose. The congregation grew and grew, and by 1967 a third church building was officially opened.
By 1999, the church considered renovating their third building, or moving into the former Bethel Pentecostal Academy. The decision was made by the congregation unanimously to move into the school, adding on an additional piece to use as the sanctuary. They then officially moved into their fourth building in March of 2000, where we are currently located today.
Over that period of time, many believers have called our church home, and our prayer is for many more to be counted in this rich history of the gospel in Victoria.
