OUR PASTORS & STAFF
Pastor James & Pastor Tara Galbraith
Lead Pastor / Care & Connect Pastor
pastorjamesbcc23@gmail.com / pastortarabcc@gmail.com
Pastor Jeremy Burnett
Executive Pastor & School Superintendent
pastorjeremyb@gmail.com
Pastor James, an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, joined the team as the Lead Pastor in December 2023. Before coming to Bethel, he has previously served as a Lead, Associate, and Youth pastor for 21 years in Maine and Pennsylvania. He holds a Masters's Degree in Theological Studies from Liberty University and a Bachelor's Degree from Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Pastor James has a passion for preaching the Word and leading all generations in finding their unique purpose as disciples of Jesus. He desires to see the Cleveland area transformed by the Lord.
​
Pastor Tara, an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, joined the team as the Care & Connect Pastor in December 2023. Before coming to Bethel, she served the church in various capacities, including music, outreach, and children’s ministry. Pastor Tara is passionate about helping people grow closer to the Lord and ministering to the hurting.
​
Pastor James and Pastor Tara were married in 1997, and together, they have 2 children: Josh, who is married to Arianna, and Emma, who is pursuing a degree in Children’s Ministry at Evangel University. They also have one grandson, Cody. During their free time, they enjoy spending time outdoors cycling, skiing, hiking, and camping.
Pastor Jeremy, an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, joined the staff in the summer of 2012 as our Kids Pastor and a teacher in our school. He served as Lead Associate Pastor and Principal of of school, Bethel Christian Academy. Beginning in June 2023, Pastor Jeremy transitioned to the roles of Executive Pastor & Superintendent. Natalie taught at Bethel Christian Academy for 11 years, and is currently serving the school as Principal. She is also a runner and has done multiple half marathons and other races. Jeremy was ordained in 2015, and both he and Natalie have Master's Degrees in education. They were married in 2003 and have 3 children: Benjamin, Hadley, and Jackson. Their children are all actively involved in the church. Jeremy loves to play and watch sports and is a big Cleveland Browns fan!
Shiana Oquendo
Administrative Assistant / Worship Director
info@mybcfamily.com
Shiana joined our staff in March of 2020 serving as our administrative assistant and worship leader. She is a former worship leader at Transformation Christian Center where she preached and led worship for 14 years. Shiana was raised in church and is married with three lovely children. She also took college courses in the education field. Shiana was a teacher’s assistant for 9 year's teaching children from the age of kindergarten through third grade level.
Pastor Edgar Santos
NextGen Pastor
pastoredgarkids@gmail.com
Pastor Edgar, an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, joined the Bethel Christian staff in 2019. He currently serves as our NextGen Pastor, which includes children's pastor and youth pastor. He oversees all ministries from nursery through high school. Edgar also serves as the Cleveland Area Kids Rep for the Ohio Ministry Network. He and his wife, Amy, have been married since 2001 and have two children: Josh and Lysi. Edgar is passionate about ministering to families and teaching children how to love and serve the Lord. During his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and working around the house.
Fred joined our staff in September 2019. He and his family have been attending Bethel Christian since 2010. They started and still lead the Pinagpala Christian Fellowship, a Filipino ministry. Fred and Nori were married in 1989, and have three children: Louie, Faith, and Franz. Fred has a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration with a Major in Accounting from Cleveland State University. His hobbies are photography and woodworking, and he is passionate about leading Bible Studies and conducting crusades, including crusades in the Philippines in 2006, 2017, & 2023.
OUR BELIEFS
CHURCH MOTTO: Our motto is “A Loving Family of Families” because we believe that whether you attend by yourself, or come with a large family, at Bethel Christian we are all part of one big family. When we give our lives to Christ we are indwelt by the presence of the Holy Spirit and adopted into the family of God. At Bethel Christian we want everyone to understand and know that we are one in Christ. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:14,15).
CHURCH MISSION: Our mission as a church can be summed up in these three words: “Love, Live and Lead.” The greatest commandments of God are to “Love” Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and “Love” our neighbors as ourselves. Then we need to “Live” our life according to the Bible and the leading of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. And finally, we need to “Lead” others into a closer walk with Christ. That means evangelizing the world and making disciples.
CHURCH BELIEFS: Bethel Christian is a full gospel church affiliated with the Assemblies of God, a fellowship of churches in over 200 nations representing nearly 50 million believers worldwide. We began in 1940 and continue to serve and minister to the greater Cleveland community with the love of Christ. Although every church in our fellowship is distinctive in style and philosophy, we hold to 16 Fundamental Beliefs which are the core of our doctrine.
For more information, please visit the following links:
Statement of the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God
Explanation of the 4 Core Doctrines of the Assemblies of God
OUR VALUES
We value GOD and HIS WORD through personal relationship not religion, biblical faithfulness, and relevant, Spirit filled teaching and preaching of the Scriptures.
We value MARRIAGE and FAMILY as God has designed; for “We are a Loving Family of Families”. We believe in the marriage of one man and one woman, the importance of family and the body of Christ.
We value UNITY and DIVERSITY for every male and female, marital and social status, age, ethnicity or disability as we build meaningful relationships with others.
We value LOVE and COMPASSION as we strive to put the Lord first and others above ourselves, with attentiveness to the needs of our church family and those in our community.
We value PRAISE and PRAYER through Spirit empowered, contemporary yet generational worship, and prayer and fasting for miracles, signs and wonders.
We value GENEROSITY and STEWARDSHIP as we cheerfully, selflessly and sacrificially give of our Time, Talents and Treasures with integrity, honoring the Lord with our resources.
We value SHARING JESUS in the power of the Holy Spirit through evangelism and missions as we make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey the Lord in all things.
OUR CHURCH HISTORY
Bethel Christian has a rich history! We were established in 1940 in a small house and we were known as the First Pentecostal Church of Cleveland. In 1946, the name was changed to Parma Assembly of God, and in 1960 we moved to our current location and had another name to Bethel Temple. In 2016, the congregation voted to change our name to Bethel Christian. God has shown his blessing and favor in our church throughout the years. We have had many leaders raised up and launched out into ministry, including some that have served on state and even national levels of the Assemblies of God. We have had many great years, revivals, and powerful services. We are blessed, and are looking forward to what God has in store for us in the future! Through all the change of names and over 80 years of amazing history, our heart and mission remains the same. We are a Loving Family of Families that loves, lives, and leads. Our goal is to be a light to this world, and reach people for the Kingdom of Heaven. Below you will find pictures of our church history as well as our 75th Celebration in 2015. You can also click here to look back at any of our 75th Celebration Services.