OUR STORY

How it all started...

For more than a century, the First Pentecostal Holiness Church has been organized in Kinston, North Carolina.  The founding pastor of the Kinston Church, Rev. A.H. Butler, preached in Kinston and other parts of Lenoir County shortly after the turn of the century.  On February 24, 1907, he organized the Kinston congregation and served as pastor for 14 years from 1907 until 1921.  At that time he moved in May to Falcon, North Carolina in Cumberland County.  During his ministry, the first church edifice was constructed on East North Street and was sold later in 1922.

A special note:  the first annual North Carolina Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church was held in Falcon in 1909 and the second annual conference was held here in Kinston in 1910.

The late Rev. J.B. Williams of Greenville, North Carolina, father of our late Bishop J. Floyd Williams, was serving as pastor when the congregation built and moved into it’s second church home on Tiffany Street (known today as Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.).  The land for this new sanctuary was donated by the late C.C. Tyndall. In late 1957 and early 1958 under the pastoral leadership of Rev. S.J. Williams initiation of the building program that would construct the parsonage, a new educational building and third Sanctuary began. Construction was completed and the congregation moved into their new facilities on September 13, 1959 built on Phillips Road in Northwest Kinston.  The first sanctuary on this site is now used by children and teen ministries.

Expanding the vision...

The building that was vacated on Tiffany Street was later purchased by the North Carolina Conference for the purpose of establishing a second church in Kinston, that church today is known as the Briery Run Pentecostal Holiness Church.

In 1959, it was noted by the late Rev. A.H. Butler that in his early ministry in Eastern North Carolina, he set as an objective the building of a church in Kinston, and although its membership had not been large in comparison with older churches of the community, its growth and contribution to the religious life of this area have been one of the “key” churches in the North Carolina Conference.

Of the 20 pastors who have served the First Pentecostal Holiness Church only two are living.  In the following order, pastors who have served this church are:  Rev. A.H. Butler, Rev. M.S. Paramore, Rev. J.B. Williams, Rev. N.J. Medford, Rev. W. J. Noble, Rev. E.S. Beasley, Rev. J. G. Crocker, Rev. M.H. Alexander, Rev. I. D. Dickens, Rev. W. Harvey Morris, Rev. W.E. Thompson, Rev. L.E. Peyton, Rev. E.W. Downing, Rev. J.W. Berry, Rev. S.J. Williams, Rev. J.L. Russell Jr., Rev. W.E. Thompson (2nd Term), Rev. W.J. Forehand, Rev. Bobby T. Williams, Rev. Roland Harrell and present pastor Rev Brian Rogers.

Where we are headed...

Under the capable leadership of Rev. W.J. Forehand, the church made a great deal of progress including the completion of more Sunday School rooms and a second sanctuary built on the Phillips Road Property, the sanctuary was completed and moved into on February 24, 1974.  The New Sanctuary was dedicated on May 19, 1974 with Presiding Bishop of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church Rev. J. Floyd Williams delivering the dedicatory sermon with a record Sunday School attendance of 325 on Easter Sunday. While Pastor Forehand served as pastor, additional land was purchased and a parking lot was paved and completed to accommodate additional parking for worship services.

As church growth continued it became necessary to build a third sanctuary so in 1985 the church family dedicated what is now our current facility.  Pastor W.J. Forehand led in the building of this beautiful edifice along with Bro. Coley Hunnings.  In 1993 after being a capable and faithful shepherd to this church for 21 years Pastor Forehand resigned the church, to follow his heart and God’s call into full time evangelistic work that is keeping him busy until the Lord called him to HIS HEAVENLY home on August 20, 2019.
In 1994 Rev. Robert T. Williams became the Senior Pastor of Kinston First and the church continued to grow.  Under his leadership the church purchased 40 acres of land on Airport Road for future relocation.  Pastor Bobby for health reasons resigned the church in February of 2007.  Rev. Williams passed away on October 2, 2024.

In February 2007 Rev. Roland L. Harrell became pastor and served the church until July 2011.  In November of 2011 Rev. Brian Rogers became our Lead Pastor.  We as a congregation are excited for what God has in store for the future. We believe that God will continue to guide His Church as we face the uncertain future with a sure and certain hope that revival will continue until Jesus comes!