A Lineage of Pastors on Heath Street

Lincoln Park Holiness Church has stood at 13 Heath Street in southeast Raleigh since 1913. The pulpit has been a Ratcliff pulpit for three generations: the late Bishop Eli Ratcliff Sr., his son the late Bishop Eli Ratcliff Jr., and now Bishop Jr.'s son, Overseer William "Billy" Eli Ratcliff, who has led the church since 2015. The church belongs to the Truevine Assembly of Pentecostal Churches, Incorporated, and the pastor of Lincoln Park currently serves as Presiding Elder of that fellowship.

Overseer William Eli Ratcliff and the First Family

The pastor is a Raleigh native, born January 25, 1952, the oldest of three children. He graduated from J.W. Ligon High School in 1970, attended North Carolina Central University, worked six years at Progress Energy, and spent more than thirty-three years with the United States Postal Service before devoting himself full-time to ministry. He preached his initial sermon, "A Claim of Victory," in June 1993, trained at Shaw University Divinity School where he graduated Summa Cum Laude in Ministerial Studies, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Saint Augustine's University in 1999. Before coming to Lincoln Park he pastored Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church for fourteen years. His four-word charge to the congregation is "Maintain and Multiply Until the Day We Die."

The First Lady is Chandullal Arrington Ratcliff, raised in Apex, a North Carolina A&T State University graduate and retired after seventeen years with the NCDOR. The Emeritus First Lady is Margaret Ellen Ratcliff, called "Mot" by the congregation. Mot graduated from Saint Monica's Catholic School and Washington High School, organized The Little Jubilees Singing Group at Lincoln Park, ran Mot's Tots Day Care for several years, and was named Woman of the Year in 2009 by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority's Omicron Zeta Chapter.

Worship on Sundays and Thursdays

Sunday mornings begin with Sunday School at 9:30, followed by Morning Worship at 11:00. Sunday afternoon services are held as announced. Midweek, Bible Study meets on Thursdays at 7:30 PM, the same start time used for all other nightly services at the church. The church describes its own worship in four phrases: God-Powered Preaching, Sound Doctrine Teaching, Compassionate Reaching, and Hallelujah Praise.

Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and audio sermons are posted online as well. Giving is available online through Givelify, with checks and money orders payable to "Truevine" and mailed to P.O. Box 14467, Raleigh, NC 27620. The church welcomes virtual memberships for those who cannot attend in person.

Four Choirs for Four Sundays

Music is woven into the life of the church through four choirs that take turns leading the first through fourth Sundays. The Senior Choir, led by President Sis. Joanne Thomas, rehearses the Saturday before the first Sunday and sings every first Sunday. The Junior Choir, made up of singers ages two through eighteen under Evangelist Selena Hunter, sings every second Sunday. The Male Chorus, with Trustee Hampton Bunch as president, sings every third Sunday. The Eli Ratcliff Singers, an elite mixed-voice choir that has been together for more than forty years under Bro. Leon Foster, sings every fourth Sunday. Minister of Music Bro. LarTey Cade leads the department, with Director Bro. Mark Archibald, pianists, drummers, a guitarist and horn.

The church also runs a Music and Media Ministry that streams worship on the web and broadcasts on NFI Gospel Radio (NFIradio.com), with Bro. Jonathan Denning as videographer and Bro. D'Andre Johnson on media production.

Sunday School for Every Age

Sunday School begins at 9:30 every Sunday under Superintendent Trustee Levi Jones and Assistant Superintendent Deacon Joseph Bellamy Jr. Classes include a Women's Adult Class led by First Lady Chandullal Ratcliff and Sis. Deborah Hunter, a Men's Class with Elder Demetrius Hunter and Minister Antwone Evans, a Primary and Juniors Class with Sis. Sarah Yarborough, and a Teenagers Class under Evangelist Selena Hunter. New Members Orientation is offered three times a year, in March, May and August.

Youth, Children and the Truvine Learning Center

The Youth Department is led by President Sis. Deborah Hunter and Vice President Sis. Tina Taylor. The Junior Church keeps young people involved through the Fannie Washington Memorial Scholarship Fund, intended eventually to sponsor full scholarships. Drama and dance are part of the program: a Mime and Dance team is led by Dr. Minister Gena Byrd, and a Drama team is led by Sis. Pamela Haynes and Minister Veronica Johnson. On the property, the Truvine Learning Center is being readied to house a new Children's Church School.

Outreach and the Stamp Out Hunger Drive

The mission statement is short: "Our MISSION is to lead people to Christ." The vision is to reach out "for the upward mobility of our community." Outreach happens through the TRG Food Distribution Ministry, which partners each May with the U.S. Postal Service and the Food Bank of North Carolina on the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Volunteers hand out more than three hundred bags of non-perishable food to neighbors. In 2023, Pastor Ratcliff and Evangelist Selena Hunter were joined at the distribution center by Greg Nolanhagan and volunteers from the Dreamville Music Festival, who came from across the country to help.

Recovery, Reentry and Computer Skills

The church opens its doors on Saturdays from 5:30 to 6:30 PM for Narcotics Anonymous's "We Do Recover Group," an open-door recovery meeting coordinated by Bro. Marshelle Simmons. The Prison Ministry, led by Eldress Belinda McKoy and Sis. Rebecca McDuffie, sponsors ladies from the North Carolina Correctional Center as community volunteers, offering spiritual guidance and connecting them to resources before and after release. A Computer and Typing Class meets Tuesday nights and Saturdays to help neighbors build digital literacy; sign-up forms are emailed to info.typingclass@aol.com.

The Boards and the Covenant

A Deacon Board and a Trustee Board assist the pastor with the spiritual direction and the business and financial stewardship of the church. The Newcomers Committee welcomes and trains new members. The Missionary Department cares for members who are sick, shut-in or struggling. The Usherboard, the Flower Committee, the Benevolence Committee, the Homecoming Committee, the Men's Day Committee and the Pastor's Aid Committee each take responsibility for a piece of the church's life, and a Church Transportation team helps members without rides get to services.

The Church Covenant pledges members to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of Truevine and Lincoln Park Holiness Church in knowledge, holiness and comfort, to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress, and to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry.

What the Church Believes

Lincoln Park Holiness Church holds the Bible as "a perfect measure of heavenly instruction" with God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth for its matter. It confesses one living and true God, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit without division of nature, essence, or being. Salvation is by grace through the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary, honored the divine law, made atonement by his death, was raised and is now enthroned in heaven. The church's stated primary objective is "the conversion of sinners and the sanctification of believers," and the pastor's working motto is "Winning Souls."

A Year Shaped by Annual Celebrations

The church calendar gathers the congregation around recurring anniversaries and days. January brings the Sunday School Convention Revival and 100 Men, Women and Youth for Christ. February is the Senior Choir Anniversary. March is the Youth Convention Revival and Family and Friends Day. April brings the Ushers' Anniversary. May is the FW Scholarship Revival and Male Chorus Anniversary. June is Women's Day, Men's Day and Community Outreach Day. July is the Junior Choir Anniversary. August is Founder's Day and Annual Revival. September is Holy Convocation. October is Pastor's Anniversary and Fall Festival. November brings the Ushers' Revival and Homecoming on the third Sunday. December closes the year with the Women's Convention Revival, Christmas Program and Watch Night Service.

Visiting Lincoln Park

The church stands at 13 Heath Street in southeast Raleigh. The administrative office can be reached at 984-200-4427 or by email at lincolnparkholinesschurch.admn@gmail.com. The church maintains a calendar of events, a gallery of services, and audio recordings of recent sermons, and livestreams Sunday services on YouTube.