OUR HISTORY - Pentecost International Worship Center (PIWC) Maryland

The Church of Pentecost International

The Church of Pentecost is worldwide, non profit-making Pentecostal Church with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana. The Church of Pentecost is currently active in 86 countries in Africa, North America, Asia Europe, and the Middle East with over 16,455 Assemblies (Local Congregations) with a total membership of more than two million worldwide. The driving force behind the church’s growth is the Lordship of Jesus Christ as the Head and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Currently (2012), the church has seventy (70) basic schools, one (1) hospital (Pentecost Hospital in Accra, Ghana), seven (7) clinics, two (2) secondary schools, one (1) technical institution & two (2) vocational schools and a university (Pentecost University College).

The Church of Pentecost’s beginning is linked to the ministry of Pastor James McKeon (1900-1989), an Irish missionary sent by the Apostolic Church, Bradford, United Kingdom to the then Gold Coast (Ghana) in 1937 to help a group of believers of the Apostolic Faith in a town called Asamankese in Ghana, West Africa.

Due to doctrinal differences based on divine healing, the group split in 1939 into the Christ Apostolic Church and the Christ Apostolic Church, Gold Coast. The latter saw great expansion under Pastor James McKeon. In 1953, a constitutional crisis led to the founding of the Gold Coast Apostolic Church led by Pastor James McKeon.

On attainment of independence in 1957, the Gold Coast became Ghana and the Gold Coast Apostolic Church was renamed the Ghana Apostolic Church. New conflicts resulted in a further change of name to the Church of Pentecost on August 1, 1962. The Church of Pentecost is currently the fastest growing church in Ghana.

Pentecost International Worship Center (PIWC), MD

The Church of Pentecost (COP) International introduced the Pentecost International Worship Center (PIWC) Ministry as a solution to respond to the perception that the church is a homogenous church (mainly for Ghanaians); and also to respond to the needs of the growing number of youth in the church. Also, as the COP expanded and became an international church, with presence and branches across Africa, Asia, Europe, The Americas, and Australia, it was confronted with the challenge of reaching out to and offering effective fellowship to the broad spectrum of people from a culturally diverse background.

The introduction of the PIWC ministry seeks to create a truly international and culturally diverse church whiles at the same time maintaining the strong tenets of the COP, which is in line with the overall vision of the COP to “bring all people everywhere to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the gospel; planting of churches; and the equipping of believers for every God- glorifying service”.