1. We believe that God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchanging in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.

2. We believe there is one God, Jehovah, the only true and living God.

3. We believe in the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and, God the Holy Spirit.

4. We believe that the Bible is the unadulterated Word of God, unblemished, untainted and authorized by God.

5. We believe in the salvation of mankind and that the only way we are saved, according to the Word of God, is by grace through faith alone. It is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:15)

6. We believe in repentance, justification, sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire. (Romans 5:1, John 17:17, 18:19, Matthew 3:11)

7. We believe in the blessed hope, which is the rapture of the Church of God, through Christ Jesus, which shall be fulfilled at His return.

8. We believe in the gifts of the Spirit and that these gifts are in operation in the militant church. (I Corinthians 12:8-11)

9. We believe in water baptism by immersion and that the baptism is a sign to the world that we have entered into a covenant relationship with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. (Matthew 28:19)

10. We believe in the affirmation of Apostles, consecration of Bishops and the ordination of Elders. We believe in the Ecclesiastical Offices of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11)

11. We believe that worship, fellowship, friendship, leadership, and discipleship should be done to the glory of the Almighty God.

12. We believe in marriage, family, and the sanctity of the family, as recorded in the Holy Scriptures. (Genesis 2:18-25, I Corinthians 3:21)

13. We believe that Jesus shed His blood for the remission of sin. (Romans 3:25)

14. We believe in divine healing as in the atonement. (Isaiah 53:4-5, I Peter 2:24, James 5:14-15)

15. We believe that the tenth is the Lord's and each member is required to pay their tithes (tenths) and offerings. (Malachi 3:8, I Corinthians 9:5-15)

16. We believe we should live according to the teachings of the Word of God as recorded in the Bible. We believe that we should conduct ourselves as becoming Holy people of God and refrain from participating in anything that would dishonor God or bring reproach upon the Church of God, and that we should dress ourselves in modest apparel according to the Word of God. (I Timothy 2:9)

17. We, moreover, under the unction and anointing of the Holy Ghost, do henceforth engage in the Sacraments and Ordinances enacted by Christ and practice, which are; 1) Baptism (Matthew 28:19-20) and 2) Communion (I Corinthians 11:23-24).

Anchor 1

Meet The Pastor

We Are A Healthy Church

Presiding Prelate

Apostle Allen H. Simmons is our presiding prelate and chief Apostle. Apostle Simmons is married to the lovely Honorable Janice Y. Simmons, who assists him inexhaustibly in ministry and serves as Co-Pastor of New Bethel SOP. Judge Simmons’ persona, and charm is an inspiration to the youth as well as to the seasoned, both and home and abroad. She wears an awesome anointing that is much to be desired! They have been married since 1972 and have four adult children who love the Lord and are each gifted and uniquely anointed in the service of Ministry and a host of grandchildren.

For more information about The Sounds of Praise visit www.soppfm.org or click on the tab "The Metropolitan Diocese" to learn more about the Newark District of the Sounds of Praise.

Apostle Allen H Simmons, DD | Presiding Prelate

Sounds of Praise Pentecostal Fellowship Ministries

Judge Janice Y. Simmons | Elect Lady

Sounds of Praise Pentecostal Fellowship Ministries

Vision Statement

We exist as an entity of change, power, and love to transform the world spiritually, physically, emotionally, and economically. We seek to minister to the whole man in excellence through the unlimited resources of the Kingdom of God and the various gifts and administrations.

We exist as an agency of transformation, providing holistic ministry. We will accomplish this through two basic modules: Horizontal Ministry and Vertical Ministry.

Vertical Ministry is first upwards. We reach upward to seek the will and counsel of God. Our desire is to please Him and to do His will. We also reach upward in synch with our covering, the Sounds of Praise. We are committed to a vision larger than ourselves without neglecting the local vision and call to our community. Secondly, we reach downward to share the glorious Gospel with those who are lost. We are most passionate about winning lost souls for Christ. Matthew 6:33, Matthew 28:19, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:38

Horizontal Ministry is inward and lateral reach. We minister to those who are connected to us in our local assembly. And secondly we reach inward to the interconnected and corporate body of Christ. We extend ourselves and our gifts to perfect our faith; do the work of the ministry; edify the body of Christ, building up those of like precious faith; and restore those who have fallen. Ephesians 4:11-16, Galatians 6:1-2, Galatians 6:10

We believe that holistic ministry encompasses the spirit, soul, and body. Because we are kingdom citizens, we recognize that our call is not only to the church but also to the marketplace. We have a mandate to bring HIM glory in the earth in whatever capacity we are privileged to serve, be it spiritually or socially.

It is our belief that through the preaching and practicing of the Gospel of Christ, lives will be transformed.

Vision Statement: Transforming the world, one life at a time, through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

13 Core Values of Our Church

1. Sound Doctrine

The Word Of God and the principles found therein are non-negotiable. If we truly desire to be disciples, then we must consume ourselves with the study of God’s unadulterated Word and contend for it.

Sound Doctrine promotes both the preservation of the Gospel and the power thereof.

Psalm 119:11-12, Psalm 119:33, Psalm 119:71, Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 4:2, Luke 1:4, Titus 2:1, 1 Timothy 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:1-10, 2 John 1:9

2. Spiritual Disciplines

The sincere disciple never seeks out the truth of God’s Word for the sake of being knowledgeable of it so as to boast, brag and debate. Instead, the disciple seeks truth in order to make it applicable to their own lives and to share with others. Showing others how the revelation of truth has transformed our own lives is what makes our individual testimonies so powerful.

The practice of these disciplines are to the spiritual man as exercise is to the natural man.

It is not just what we ponder that transforms us, it is what we practice.

Psalm 119:11, Matthew 5:15-16, Galatians 5:16-26, Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:10-11, Philippians 3:16-18, Revelation 12:11

3. Spiritual Development

Development is essential for the continuity of discipleship. We have made (and are being made) disciples with the assignment to make disciples. The call begins with us responding to Him. He has called us in order to send us to others.

Maturity matters. We grow as individuals in our walk with Christ and we developed into our own giftings. This helps to perfect the saints, do the work of the ministry, and edify the Body of Christ.

4. Sacred Devotion

The disciple has a balanced private and public devotion. We simplify devotion into two key factors; the motives of the heart and the manufacturing of the Hands.

Psalm 24:3-4 ““Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”

Clean Hands refers to the visible deeds of an individual that shapes his devotion to God in the eyes of others. It is what we display externally that helps to shape the public’s view of us. Our reputation in public devotion is measured by what we manufacture with our hands.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 tells us to abstain from anything that looks evil. James 1:27 says; “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

How it looks to others, matters to God. There are times when motives are pure, but the way we manufacture it makes it questionable, and then we lose our audience because of our mishandling. The former deals with our position towards men (humanity).

While what is meant and what is manifested can be easily misconstrued by men, it is never misconstrued by God. For this cause, we are admonished not only to have clean hands but also a pure heart.

Our motives determine the value of what we manufacture to God. The heart is essential for devotion because it expresses the depth of our love for him. When our pure deeds are a result of our devotion, we have pure hearts.

Motives are essential for pure worship and devotion because they speak to the "who" and the "why". Motives will tell if we did it for Him or for them.

It is obvious from scriptures like Matthew 15:8; “People honor me with their lips; but their hearts are far from me...” and Joel 2:13 which tells us to; “rend our hearts and not our garments...” that people can manifest things that have no reflection on their actual motives. Hypocrisy is what it is called. God measures motives by searching the heart of man in relation to His revealed will and Word. Hebrews 4:12

We are only devoted to what we earnestly view as devout. Devotion is all about commitment and commitment is spawned from a deeply rooted love, care, or concern. Which means that devotion begins with obedience in God’s eyes.

It was Jesus who said in John 14:15; “that we show our love (devotion) to him by our willingness to obey what he has taught".

Why we do matter just as much as what we do! The "what" is the manufacturing but the "why" is the motive.

5. Supernatural Demonstration & Deliverance

We believe the gifts of God, as outlined in Ephesians 4:11-16, are for this present day church. We believe those gift not only edify and build the church, but they bring us to a place of maturity.

We believe that God still heals, delivers, and sets captives free. We believe in deliverance ministry, healing, and spiritual gifts.

6. Sensitive Community

We are called as agents of transformation, not only to this house, but to our community, our city, our country, and the world. One global reach begins with our local reach. We are called to make a difference where we are and to create an authentic environment for those who belong to our family...

We aren’t just a church, we’re a family.

Our Belief Statement