Today we’d like to introduce you to Bertha Terry, D.Th.
Hi Bertha, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was first called into ministry in 1984, I was serving in my church as a Sunday school teacher, the church secretary and the president of the choir. I was married with my two sons and working at a company making tennis balls at that time. I remember teaching the youth in Sunday school and realizing that more and more of the youth were coming back for Godly counsel and help with life issues. I was very content speaking with them, giving them scriptures and praying with them over their situation. But one day, in prayer, I heard the Lord say, “I have more for you to do.” Little did I know that one word from the Lord led to me being licensed to preach and then pastoring my church the very next year. It’s been 38 years since that day, and I would have never imagined the journey I would take to be where I am right now.
In 1985, my husband and I opened the doors to our first ministry. We had church in a garage that was previously a 14-wheeler truck stop. We turned the part where they worked on the trucks into the sanctuary, and with the lobby, we created a vestibule. We then turned the truck stop office into my office. It was a very humble beginning but with our obedience and diligence, our small church began to grow. It was at that time that I had to make a decision about my full-time job making tennis balls. I felt the Lord calling me into full-time ministry and I knew I couldn’t lead the church the way God intended for me to lead and also work full time. So my husband and I came up with a plan. He maintained his job and I worked for six more months saving money to be sure that our household would not be in lack when I left my job.
In 1989, a few years after I was in ministry full-time, we left our garage front church to build the structure we have now. We purchased 9.5 acres of land in Simpsonville and with the diligence of our church members, we were able to pay it off within five years. It is still amazing to me that because of a faith walk, we have been on debt free land for over 30 years. Our church continued to grow to over 250 members through the years and I quickly learned that God was calling me to minister to families. I watched as each family that joined invited other families to come to church and then they would join and invite another family. Our church grew by word of mouth and the impact of God’s word on the lives of those who attended our services.
Throughout my time in ministry, I have used many outlets to spread the word of God to those that need it most. From 1994 to 2009, I was in TV ministry where our services were shown on WGGS TV-16 in Greenville, SC, the Atlanta Interfaith Broadcast in Atlanta, GA as well as WJJG Broadcast in Chicago, IL. I launched an annual Integrity Conference in 1999 that I held in many different locations across the United States. In 2006, I began a non-profit organization, BT Ministries, Inc. where I then launched a conference for singles and married couples.
Since that time, I have received the Award for Excellence in Leadership from The Church and Community Human Relations of the Upstate (2009). I was consecrated as an apostle in the Lord’s Church and studied to receive my Doctorate in Theology in 2010. I have authored many books and publications that include: Integrity of the Rib (1st book), Married to Faith (2nd book), The Apostle’s Anthologies (monthly magazine), Speak the Word (mini book series), Turn Around Attacks (preaching series), Can I Take Your Order Please? (publication for college students), Shielding Your Covering (3rd book based on doctoral dissertation), Marriage Matters: Survival Success (4th book) and Invisible Warfare Against the Family (my 5th book that will be released in November 2022).
As the Founder and Senior Pastor of God’s Chosen Assembly Church, Inc. and the Presiding Prelate of the Integrity of God’s Word Fellowship Ministries, Inc., my prayer for the people of God is that they would walk in integrity, live to love one another as the Word of God commands, and never, ever be ashamed to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t know many leaders in ministry or any field of business that would say that there were no struggles or challenges along the way. I have had a few significant ones. I would say the biggest bump in the road was my husband’s car accident in 1997. He was driving home from working third shift and a deer ran out and hit his car. His car spun out and hit a drain pipe in the middle of the road which caused the car to flip. His seatbelt snapped and he was ejected through the windshield. Upon impact, his spinal cord was severed at his C5 and he lost all control of his body and limbs. It was by far one of the scariest moments of my life and a significant challenge early on in my ministry.
At that time, I had just begun to travel across the country preaching the word of God and after his accident, I remained at home to be sure he had everything he needed and was well taken care of. He had no activity in his limbs, he sat in a wheelchair that he had to blow in to get it to move. At that time, he couldn’t even feed himself. I had to quickly learn how to transition from being a full-time pastor to being a full-time caregiver. It was another faith walk. I was no longer able to perform many pastoral duties such as visiting the sick in the hospitals because I couldn’t leave him at home. This experience is what really deepened my relationship with the Lord. We were fully dependent on God’s guidance and praying for His healing power over my husband’s life and limbs.
Not only did my husband regain feeling in his limbs, but he also regained movement in his arms and his hands. He began a phone ministry where he called all our members who were sick and shut-in to check on them, pray for them and encourage them. He also took over the media ministry at the church. He would edit the VCR tapes and eventually, the DVDs. He maintained his joy and humorous nature, he taught Sunday school, Bible Study and even some Sunday services from his wheelchair holding his own microphone. In the 19 years that he was diagnosed with quadriplegia, he did not experience many health challenges until shortly before his passing in 2016.
That major obstacle in our lives became one of our greatest testimonies. My husband was the jack of all trades before his accident. He loved to build things with wood and built many of the structures in our home and church. After his accident, he built people. He poured into the men of our church, our family and our youth. God blessed our union, our marriage, our children and our church through his faithfulness. In the midst of a time others would have given up, he held steady and held me steady.
As the first female pastor in Greenville, SC to build a church from the ground up (as was noted at the time), I faced many hidden challenges. We struggled to build community and fellowship with other churches. I remember sending invitations to many churches in Greenville for special services or our church and community picnics. Those invitations went unanswered and at each event that we held, no other church ever showed up. I felt ostracized by the church community and did not know why. I was a female pastor with a charismatic anointing, and at that time, it was not as widely accepted as it is today. It was difficult pastoring a church with no fellowship with other churches. But this caused our church to be strengthened in unity as a family and within our individual families. We learned to rely on God and to support each other. God turned what could have made us bitter and allowed it to make us stronger. We now have a fellowship of churches that God sent our way to grow in the word of the Lord as we grow.
When I look back over my life and work in the ministry, I can see God’s hand in the toughest of times and the blessing that came on the other side. It hasn’t been easy. It wasn’t always pleasant. I lost many things along the way but I gained so much more in the Lord. I’m grateful for my complete journey, the triumphs and the trials. I am standing where I am today because it all worked together for my good. (Romans 8:28)
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the founder and senior pastor of God’s Chosen Assembly Church, Inc. in Simpsonville, SC and also the Presiding Prelate of Integrity of God’s Word Fellowship Ministries, Inc. I specialize in establishing people, as well as churches in the present truth. I believe the word of God is meant to cleanse us and perfect holiness in us in the fear of God. (1 Corinthians 7:1). I stand on the principles of integrity in life and in God’s word. I am most in awe of the people that God has sent into my ministry and how their lives have been positively impacted and changed. The evidence of their walk with God is seen in their ability to spread the love of God, the word of God and the integrity on which we stand to those in the community who need it most. And this is one of the greatest joys of pastoring, spreading the heart of God abroad and watching lives positively change.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is of riding in the truck with my dad. He was a truck driver by trade and would often leave for work on Sundays and not come back from driving until the following Friday. I used to love it when he parked the cab of his truck in our yard. We used his cab like it was our very own treehouse. At times when my dad would find me playing in his cab, he would come out to sit in the truck with me to sit and talk with me. It felt so special like our one-on-one time. He would also explain the different functions of the truck to me and then show me maps of places he had recently traveled. He always brought back something from the different places he went to my siblings and me. At that time, he was traveling from South Carolina to as far north as New York and Canada. The most exciting adventure I can remember riding with my dad in the truck is when he would drive his cab to church on Sundays and let me ride with him. Those were the most special, uninterrupted times with my dad and some of my favorite memories from my childhood.
Pricing:
- $17.50 Invisible Warfare Against the Family Book
Contact Info:
- Website: www.godschosenassembly.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/godschosenassembly
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GodsChosenAssemblyChurch
Image Credits
Jeremiah Drummond
Krissy King
