A Place to Connect

By God’s grace, we are endeavoring to plant PBF in the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a Bible teaching, non-denominational, church where people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds gather in Christian community. Below you’ll find more information about our services.

Cultivation
Is what we call our weekly discipleship classes, which start at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday.  You’ll learn the fundamentals of Biblical Christianity and explore what it means to become a member of our fellowship.

Communion and Love Feast
We celebrate the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. In the tradition of the early church, we also enjoy food and fellowship before our worship service.

Sunday Worship
Each Sunday at 10:30 a.m., we gather in the sanctuary for a Spirit-led time of joyous singing and celebration of our risen Christ and powerful preaching of the Word of God.

PBF Kids
Following praise and worship, children ages 4-10 are dismissed to learn about God’s love on their level through Bible lessons, craft projects, music and skits.

PBF Youth
Our teenagers meet every Sunday for interactive “rap” sessions about Christ and their culture.

Men and Women's Fellowship
Each month our men and women gather for engaging discussion and fellowship around biblical principles.

Community Connection
Each month we hold a least one community event/initiative for our neighbors. See our Community page for more information.

See the PBF Calendar for info about the dates and times of our services.

Philadelphia Bible Fellowship

Our church, or PBF as we affectionately call it, is a non-denominational, Bible teaching, Christian church.  We believe that God has called us to spread His message of love, righteousness and assurance to the world. We have dedicated ourselves to being disciples of Jesus Christ and are therefore committed to “Making Disciples…Who Make Disciples.” Additionally, we desire to partner with the residents of Lawncrest, East Oak Lane, and Olney to promote family life, peace, and safety.

We invite you to open your heart and embrace God’s unconditional love gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, who loved us enough to sacrifice His life to pay for humankind's sin. Our risen Lord has transformed us by His power, and it is our prayer that God use us as vessels of transformation in Philadelphia and the world-at-large.

If you desire prayer, counsel or just someone to talk to please feel free to call us at 215.224.PBF4 (7234) or send us your prayer request or praise report through our online Prayer Request system.

Our Partners

We are proud to be part of the Grand Old Gospel Fellowship (GOGF) family. In 2003, Pastor Tony Hart, the president of GOGF and senior pastor of Montco Bible Fellowship commended James G. Murray, Jr. and Thomas A. Troutt, Sr. to pastoral ministry and provided mentoring for the formation of Philadelphia Bible Fellowship. As a plant of Montco Bible Fellowship, we are grateful for the prayers, support, and encouragement provided by our sister church. We are also grateful for the financial support provided by Stewards Ministries. In addition to Montco Bible Fellowship and Stewards Ministries, we enjoy numerous relationships with other assemblies committed to spreading the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.



History of our Church

In response to God’s supernatural call and empowerment to shepherd His church, and after much prayer, counsel, and discourse, Shelton Mercer, James Murray and Thomas Troutt covenanted together to pray and plan for the planting of Philadelphia Bible Fellowship, a new assembly of believers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The team of elders began meeting weekly for prayer and planning sessions in February 2003.

Simultaneously these men engaged the elders of Montco Bible Fellowship, Tony Hart, Sam Butler, and Fred Garnes, with a request for mentoring, commendation and accountability. Montco has provided technical assistance and spiritual guidance with many details. In September, the elders at Montco publicly commended the elders of Philadelphia Bible Fellowship and commissioned the church plant.

In April 2003, the elders began hosting a series of bi-monthly fellowships/Bible studies in their homes. Friends, family, neighbors, and ministry contacts were invited. The primary purpose of the fellowships was to establish a Biblical foundation for the new plant and form a core group to join with the elders and their families. Philadelphia Bible Fellowship was incorporated, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in May 2003.

The core plant team was solidified in June 2003 and consisted of the following saints: Thomas Sr., Wanda, Thomas Jr., and Jennae Troutt, James and Marilyn Murray, Shelton and Felicia Mercer, Marion Campbell, Daniel and Adrienne Carwheel, Wanda Gigetts, Janice James, Cherie Mercer-Thompson, Shelton and Josephine Mercer, Valerie Mercer, Gladys Murray, Jennifer Murray, Shawn Murray, Richard Smith, Darryl Townsend, and Vaughn and Debbie Whitmire. The plant team met often to search the scriptures, pray, and plan.

By mid summer 2003, the Lord revealed the Olney/Oak Lane section of Philadelphia as His target area for us. Through the marvelous providence of the Savior, we connected with Tabor/Community of Joy United Church of Christ. On Sunday, September 21 2003, Philadelphia Bible Fellowship experienced a spirit-filled “opening day” as several hundred of our fellow saints, family, friends, and community members joined us for two special services.

In November 2009, the Lord allowed us to partner with Stewards Foundation to purchase a commercial building at 6312-14 Rising Sun Avenue in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia. We are currently in the process of transforming this property into a church building.

Since our inception, Philadelphia Bible Fellowship has grown into a budding church that has seen numerous lives saved, delivered, and making purposeful contributions to the Kingdom of our God.