In 1925, a young minister and his wife, Bishop Ernest Frederick and Ollie Morris, arrived in Tacoma from Memphis, Tennessee and started the 3rd African-American church in the Tacoma area. For nearly 15 years, this church carried the name African Full Gospel Church. In 1940, Bishop Morris renamed it to God’s Pentecostal Church to reflect the diversity of its parishioners: whites, blacks, Native Americans and Filipino Americans worshiped together as one body.

Located at 2501 Tacoma Avenue South, in a building which originally housed the first workshop and store for Goodwill Industries, it was a one-story wooden building with a basement. The church was lined on both sides with beautiful stained glass windows, with long wooden brown benches that seated the Sunday morning petitioners as they entered the church. The church in those days was heated by a wood burning stove. Before long, the Sunday services were packed to standing room only, with worshipers standing in doorways and next to windows to hear Bishop Morris preach.

Renovation

Besides the growth of the congregation, the building was also in need of repair. In 1946, a renovation was completed, costing $4,000, a hefty sum for the time, and carried out by both the women and the men of the church. The stairs were moved to the left front of the church, and a balcony was built in the back of the church with a long stairwell leading to the brown folding seats that lined the entire balcony. A nursery was built under the balcony, and next to the nursery a coat closet was added. A baptismal pool was added in the front right hand side of the church, allowing baptisms to take place within the church – prior to this, they had been held outdoors, with records showing baptisms taking place at Wapato Park and on Lake Washington in Seattle.

One of the most memorable artifacts of the church is the Holy Land mural painted by Bishop Morris. The mural covers the entire front wall, about 10 feet long and 10 feet high, and still exists today. Over the doorway of the baptismal pool, a plaque hangs with the words “Come let us reason together.”

Throughout its history, the church has been active with several services throughout the week as well as Sunday services and Sunday school classes. Christmas and Easter programs every year would bring large audiences to enjoy plays and speeches geared towards both children and adults.

As previously mentioned, the church, although predominantly black, welcomed a diverse range of parishioners throughout its history. In its earliest years, Friday night services were called “white night,” apparently suggesting that services were segregated. However, Bishop Morris eliminated that title early on, welcoming church members of all colors to worship together.

Music Department

Music has always played a crucial role in the church services. In the early years, church members playing a variety of instruments – including piano, drums, banjo, guitar, ukulele, tambourine and harmonica – would line the front wall under the Holy Land mural to play, like a small orchestra.

Over the years, a vibrant singing tradition developed in the church, with the most talented singers performing as soloists as well as directing adult and youth choirs.

Missionary Department

Always active outside the walls of the church, members of the missionary department held prayer meetings in homes, and provided community service in a variety of settings. This work included supplying food and clothing to those in need, chopping wood for the elderly, and visiting hospitals and mental institutions to sing for the patients there.

The Church in the 21st Century

God’s Pentecostal Church has undergone a second renovation, with a focus on the interior of the church. New paint, new seating, new musical instruments, and a renovated pulpit welcome parishioners today.

Membership of the church continues to grow, and several ministries are active supporting church members and the community at large, including a youth/family outreach ministry, jail ministry, food bank ministry, and a unique men’s ministry.

Thank you to Bishop Harold Simms Jr. for inviting us to help share the church’s history with the larger Tacoma community! The church will be celebrating their 100th anniversary July 23-27, 2025.