First Church Sterling Heights sits on Dequindre Road in Sterling Heights, Michigan, where a multi-cultural, multi-generational community gathers around spirit-filled worship, Bible-centered teaching, and a long-running commitment to its city. The church's greeting - we want you to know there is a place for you at First Church - sets the tone for a congregation that is a safe place for people of all walks of life to experience life-change through authentic, biblical community with God and others.
Three Sunday Mornings on Dequindre Road
First Church meets three times on Sunday morning at 39400 Dequindre Road - at 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, and 12:30 PM - giving families room to pick the gathering that fits their week. The 10:30 AM service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those joining from home, and the full archive of recent messages is available there as well. A typical service runs about ninety minutes and follows a steady rhythm: the band leads the church in music with lyrics projected on screen so anyone can sing along or simply engage in their own way, and then the pastor preaches an encouraging and relevant message that is compelling, authentic, and firmly rooted in the Word of God. Worship is intentionally designed to lift high the name of Jesus.
What a First Visit Looks Like
First-time guests are treated as VIPs at First Church. A friendly face is at the front door to greet visitors and direct them where to go, taking the guesswork out of walking into a new place. There is no dress code - the answer to what should I wear? is simply whatever you're comfortable in, and the room will include everything from t-shirts to Sunday best. Parking is available on site. A Plan A Visit form lets newcomers connect ahead of time, and a contact form stands ready for any follow-up questions.
FC Kids and FCY: The Next Generation
Children from birth through fifth grade are welcomed into FC Kids during every Sunday service. Each week, the ministry's goal is to help every child find and follow God, and the children's area is secure with teachers who have background checks so parents can settle into the service. Older students have their own gathering in FCY, the church's youth ministry, which meets at 7 PM on Friday nights (skipping the fourth Friday of each month) and runs alongside the Kids and adult services on Sunday. The church's Next Gen Pastor oversees both the children's and students' ministries, reflecting the priority First Church places on raising up the next generation.
Midweek Rhythms: Prayer, Groups, and Growth Track
The week at First Church keeps moving past Sunday morning. Church Prayer gathers the congregation on Monday evenings at 7 PM, Arise Prayer meets every Thursday at 7 PM, and Life Groups run throughout the week in homes across the area. On the third and fourth Sundays of each month, Growth Track serves as the on-ramp for anyone looking to find their place and serve in their God-given abilities. Together these midweek touchpoints give the congregation a steady rhythm of prayer, study, and community beyond the Sunday gathering.
The Team: Pastors Who Lead First Church
Senior Pastors Daniel and Kalee Bernard lead the church and preach most Sundays, with a steady stream of messages archived online that stretch back several years. Next Steps Pastors Jon and Telesha Gibbs focus on helping people connect and grow, and their fingerprints show up in series like Seek First the Kingdom, First Bind the Strong Man, and First Make Room. Next Gen Pastors Kento and Bianca Mori oversee the children's and students' ministries, with Bianca bringing her own voice to the preaching rotation. Worship Pastors Draylin and Kelsey Young lead the music side of every gathering. Guest preachers such as Dr. David Bernard - a well-known Apostolic voice whose teaching reaches well beyond this church - stop in from time to time and add to the breadth of messages the congregation hears.
What First Church Believes
First Church's statement of faith centers on making disciples of Jesus Christ and the Bible as the inspired, infallible Word of God. The church teaches that there is one God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and holds to the great commission, sharing the Gospel with love, mercy, and compassion. Two practices shape the congregation's identity in particular. First, the church practices water baptism by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, reading it as a believer's identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:11-14; Acts 2:38). Second, First Church teaches the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking in other tongues (Acts 2:4), and believes in the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit through tongues, interpretation, prophecy, words of knowledge and wisdom, discerning of spirits, faith, miracles, healing, helps, and government. Together these commitments place First Church firmly in the Pentecostal tradition.
Building a Bigger Vessel: The Let's Imagine Campaign
In 2022, First Church launched Let's Imagine, a building campaign aimed at meeting the needs of a growing congregation and sharing the Gospel more fully with Sterling Heights and the surrounding communities. The vision was cast by Pastor Harold Hoffman - not simply for a new building but for a vessel, a place where families could find faith and the church could grow into everything God had called it to be. Renderings show plans for expanded children's, youth, and worship spaces designed to serve the congregation for the next season of ministry. The campaign invites partners to share their testimony, to pray and fast (joining Monday evening prayer in person or at home), and to give financially through a one-time or recurring donation. The refrain that runs through the campaign is simple: the purpose has never been a full building; it has always been full people.
Reaching Sterling Heights and Beyond
First Church's mission stretches outward as well. The congregation supports missionaries who have been sent from the building to share the Gospel around the world, and the teaching on Sunday morning carries that same outward posture - inviting neighbors from Sterling Heights and the surrounding communities to find a place to belong. Giving can be done in person during a service, online through the church's giving page, or by texting GIVE to (888) 857-9633. Messages are released as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, and other platforms, so the church's teaching travels beyond the Dequindre Road campus to listeners near and far.