Emmanuel Temple Church had humble beginnings in a small storefront building at 3951 N. Mississippi Avenue where the distinguished Bishop E.F. Morris of Seattle, Washington installed Elder A.A. Wells as Pastor on Sunday, April 11, 1965 at 3:00 p.m.  Mississippi Street Full Gospel Pentecostal Church was formed.  The First Family consisted of Elder Adolph A. Wells, Sister Mattie R. Wells and their three (3) children, Clifton, Debora, and Carol.  Deacon Clarence and Mother Gladys Shephard and their daughter, Sister Sharon Shephard were accepted as charter members that day.

 Three months later, the Perry Palmer Family joined; shortly thereafter, the Wilbur Richardson Family, Faye Shephard, and Helen McCord joined.  The Lord immediately began to save souls and added faithful members to the church, in person of: Jeannette Simmons, Sharon Russell, Vernon Brazzle, Bill Shephard, Maime Cook, Monyne Asberry, Elizabeth Jackson, Annie Thornton, The Jackson Sisters – Virginia, Karen and Winona, Grace Shephard, Curtis Doakes, to name a few.  In March 1966, Kenneth Shephard was the first person to be filled with the Holy Ghost!

 The younger son, Joel Wells was born into the First Family in 1968.  Many spiritual sons and daughters were also born into this great ministry.   As the membership began to increase, in 1968 Elder Perry Palmer, Chairman of Trustees and Mother Elizabeth Jackson, Building Fund Chair, searched for a larger edifice, and located a burned down church structure and envisioned a new sanctuary.  After notification and approval, a new edifice was designed, the foundation laid and out of literal ashes a new sanctuary at 1032 N. Sumner Street was remodeled and constructed.  In March 1969 the 1032, Building was purchased for $12,500, on October 19, 1969 the members moved in, and this became the new sanctuary.  The name was changed to Emmanuel Temple Church, meaning “God with us.”  The spirit of this ministry’s total dependence upon ‘Christ is reflective in the church’s northeast corner inscription, i.e., Ephesians 2:20, “And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself, being the Chief Cornerstone.”

 On August 29, 1971, the Honorable Bishop Ulysses S. King, President of the Federated Pentecostal Church, Oakland, CA, consummated Elder A. A. Wells to the Bishopric henceforth becoming known as Bishop A. A. Wells.

 We are celebrating 40 years of tedious labor and deliberate, unconditional sacrifice that Bishop A.A. and Evangelist Mattie Wells contributed to ministry.  The joys, the triumphs, and notwithstanding, many challenges are hereby acknowledged.  They loved God’s people unequivocally and poured into the lives of countless numbers of them.  Street ministry was a significant part of initial community based outreach.  People from all lifestyles were saved and spiritually developed, and taught the basic rudiments of salvation and sanctification. They instilled statutes and precepts in the hearts of men and women relative to enablement, so one could stand in the midst of trials and tribulations.  The Lord gave Bishop basic fundamental, foundational principles for salvation, e.g., Come, Learn, and Walk, the Nine (9) Contrasting Virtues, etc.

 Much of the attention then was focused on door-to-door outreach, street ministry, and prison ministry.  The threefold mission of the church was established, which was to seek and save the lost; to perfect the saints; and to receive a crown.  The mission of the church was categorized into six (6) specific Divisions of Ministry.  They are:  1) Evangelism & Witnessing; 2) Prayer, Consecration & Christian Education; 3) Oversight & Support to the Saints; 4) Good Works &

 Auxiliary Outreach; 5) Administration & Promotion; 6) Worship & Praise.  Five (5) steps of faith were identified: Come, Learn, Walk, Work, and Teach.  These precepts and statutes enabled the saints to stand firm in the face of adversity.

 In the early 1980’s the Lord spoke again – this time to build a state-of-the-art facility in the inner city and  to do so began purchasing the surrounding properties – adjacent to the church; then to tare down the same houses.  The Renaissance Market was purchased to provide additional parking to accommodate the new, larger capacity church.  It also provided business employment opportunities for local youth, men, and women in the grocery and retail industry. After five (5) years of negotiations, the Market was finally sold to Portland Community College.

 Although Emmanuel Temple was actively involved managing various social programs, higher education remained a priority.  The Lord had already given Bishop Wells the Seven (7) Pillars of Empowerment – Academic/Education being one of them.   In 1994, the Portland Extension of the Seattle-based A. L. Hardy Academy of Theology was formulated and has continued to grow.  A significant number of ET members and non-members alike have graduated with an Associate, Bachelor, and/or Master’s degree in Theology, Divinity, or Pastoral Care.   

 In 1991, extensive preparation occurred and began to build the new state-of-the-art facility.  The new location site is directly across the street at 1033 N. Sumner Street!!  Preparation included obtaining street vacation, zone variance, building permits, as well as partitioning neighbors.  Numerous financial audits were conducted for bank and bond loans.  Other prerequisites occurred prior to obtaining a negotiated contract with the Construction Contractor.  Craftsmen for Christ were the initial contractors (1991 – 2003) and they did an outstanding job!  However, December 2003, SD Deacon Contractors were selected to conclude the project.  Needless to say, SD Deacon performed under budget and met timeframes within a five (5) month period – when most other contractors had projected one year to complete the project!  This speaks volumes to their skills and expertise!

 Time and paper would fail us to express the various testimonials and tests of faith that occurred, and the various pledge programs that were initiated from the inception.  However, today Emmanuel Temple boasts of being a multi-faceted ministry located in the heart of the inner city, incorporating community involvement with individuals challenged by drug addiction, gang influence, and/or criminal behavior.  We are committed to ministering to the disenfranchised and underserved in the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area, and surrounding cities, as well as in Salem, Oregon home of the Oregon State Penitentiary.  Emmanuel Temple has significant advocacy involvement with various legal and health care initiatives, coupled with ecumenical efforts with the Albina Ministerial Alliance and George Fox College.

 In September 2001, Bishop A.A. Wells appointed Senior Pastor C.T. and Lady DeAngeloa Wells to lead Emmanuel Temple Church to greater dimensions of ministry, originally formulated over 40 years ago by Founders, Bishop A. A. Wells, and Evangelist Mattie R. Wells. Their diversified leadership provides a new, fresh, invigorated perspective of the 21^st century church.  Together they share all aspects of the ministry, blending their professional decorum and demeanor with all spiritual influences of Christendom.  Their current vision embodies, “Transforming membership into leadership, and bringing the lost into discipleship.” 

 Senior Pastor C. T. Wells is an accomplished gentleman who possesses a wealth of education, knowledge, and experience from both secular and religious educational influences.  This is demonstrated each Sunday morning as he interprets and articulates the unadulterated gospel.

In similarity, Lady DeAngeloa Wells stands as a supportive, graceful, intelligent, insightful, and spiritual young woman.  She is a loving wife, mother, and professional woman.

 Pastor C. T. Wells and Lady DeAngeloa Wells are privileged to have been nurtured and mentored by Bishop and Evangelist Wells all their lives.  This speaks volumes to their potential and abilities to lead God’s people in love and unity.  They too are passionate, and embrace the fundamental, foundational teachings of Emmanuel Temple Church.  Their current vision embodies, “Transforming membership into leadership and bringing the lost into discipleship.” 

 Pastor C. T. Wells is a dynamic, powerful, captivating speaker!  Each week he feeds his spiritual flock with manna from on high.  Some highlights of his weekly teachings include:

• A Spiritual Shift – Spiritual shifting in the church is necessary.  It adds freshness and revitalization.
• You Must Envision the Joy to Endure the Pain.  If you do not see clearly the joy, you will not endure the pain it takes to get there.
• If We Do Not Pray, God Will Not Act.  When we pray we enforce what God has in His mind to do.
• Living by the Spirit – The spirit of God will guide us as long as we are yielded to Him.
• Pursing Peace.  Worry and anxiety is the reaction in the absence of peace.
• Confidence in God – Yesterday’s victories give confidence to face today’s challenges.

 Finally, Pastor Wells and Lady DeAngeloa maintain a blend of corporate and professional structure to their style of leadership.  With the Lord’s help, they will lead this ministry with great care, love, and Godspeed.  They are the proud parents of two beautifully talented young ladies, Chastity and Ashlei and the Grandparents of 5 amazing grandchildren.