I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18)
In October 1980, this assembly started with five families in one of the facilities of Cardone Industries. Initially, it was called International Assembly and in 1991 the name was changed to Philadelphia Full Gospel Assembly. Under the inspiration of Holy Spirit and guidance of late Pastor M. K. Chacko and late Michael Cardone, our Senior Pastor M.C. Abraham was led to begin this ministry to cater to the spiritual needs of hungry souls. God blessed our humble beginning and zeal for ministry, and added many souls to the church. Currently we have about 90 families and 14 ministers of the Gospel who are helping the work in various ways. We are all striving together in the unity of the spirit for the up building of His Kingdom.
Over the years, the place for worship has changed several times, from manufacturing plants, hotel rooms, converted facilities to the present location. After many years of prayer and searching, we acquired a property of our own in 1994 at 315 East Hunting Park where we worshipped till September 2011. Because of God’s abundant grace, ardent prayers and support of our members, we purchased the present location of 9707 Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19115 and moved into the beautiful sanctuary in October 2011. Over the years we’ve had the opportunity to conduct several conventions and special gospel meetings. As a result many were drawn to Christ and took water baptism. In 2005 PFGA celebrated the silver jubilee, a milestone in the history, a mark of His faithfulness. “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, only God, makes things grow” (1 Cori. 3: 7). Glory to His name!
God has blessed this church with several evangelists and missionaries who have gone to different parts of the world sharing the good news. We’ve had the privilege to support various organizations in different parts of the world that are doing great things for the Lord. We welcome visiting ministers to our worship services. Besides Sunday worship service, we have Sunday school for all age groups, midweek prayer meetings; fasting prayers followed by fellowship lunch, chain prayers, late night meetings, sisters’ meeting, and youth meetings (EDGE) etc. The holy sacrament of Lord’s Table is conducted every week. Since music is an integral part of worship, we have two worship teams – one for English and one for Malayalam. There is also an annual church picnic which is a time for fellowship, food, fun and games.
From our humble beginnings to its present state, God honored our sincerity and faith. From the bottom of hearts we thank God for all His blessings. We trust fully in His goodness and strive to keep on pressing forward towards the mark of that high calling. It is our earnest prayer and humble wish that God will extend the boundaries of this church and it will continue till the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.