The church began upon the request of Missionary Hopelin and Deacon David Williams and a group of the saints of like faith, who entreated Bishop Leslie Barnes (then Overseer) to come to Evanston to assess the need to start a ministry in the city. In the meantime, services were being held at the homes of the Williams' and Sis Daisy Gordon interchangeably. Having witnessed the need and the unwavering spirit of the saints, Bishop Barnes instructed them to try and locate a place of worship until he could get to Evanston.

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Through the instrumentality of the Bishop, and through the contacts of the saints, a place of worship was secured at 2311 Main Street, Evanston, IL for the commencement of the ministry which was then under the First United Church of Jesus Christ banner, now known as Bethel United Ministries, Inc. (Apostolic).

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On Sunday, December 5, 1993 the doors of the new ministry were opened at 2311 Main Street.

Bishop Barnes and Minister Lavern Barnes attended the first service at the new locale, bringing a gift of an amplifier and a microphone.

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In January 1994 the first official dedication service was held. Bishop Barnes, accompanied by Bishop Dunn, Minister Levern Barnes, Minister Hutchinson, and Elder Hiram Charles came to Evanston to see and aid in the furtherance of the ministry. During the early years of Bethel, saints under the Bishopric of Bishop Barnes, as well as saints from his church in Brooklyn, New York made frequent visits to Evanston to share in the fellowship of the word of God. A few of them by name are Elder and Evangelist Gayle, Evangelist King, Angela Fullerton, and Pastor Mackenzie.

The first message that was preached was titled "Called to Make A Difference" by Elder Hiram Charles from New York. As God would have it, years later Elder Charles was selected by Bishop Barnes to be the overseer and caretaker of the spiritual growth of the new ministry in Evanston, and the topic of the first message became the mantra for the saints, then and now.

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The years went by swiftly. Many trials came our way, but through them all the Lord enabled the brethren to prevail. As a testament to who He is, God showered the saints with the tremendous outpourings of His spirit, and many souls were added to the church. The continual awesome blessings of God confirmed that the marching orders He gave in Evanston were in accordance to His will. As the years went by, the church grew both in numbers and in the power of God. Various ministries were established which included the Sunday School Ministry, Women's Ministry, Brotherhood Ministry, Outreach Ministry, and others.

 

As the ministry grew, it soon became evident that there was a need to obtain a new sanctuary because the facility at 2311 Main Street was getting too small to house the saints for worship. In 1999 the building next door at 2315 Main Street was obtained and redeveloped by Mr. Delroy Mangal, owner of PowerCore Construction and its alliances, who transformed the building of 1999 to the edifice that it now is today. The new sanctuary was officially dedicated on November 16th, 2002, and at that time at the request of Minister Hopelin Williams and a delegation of the saints, Elder Hiram Charles was officially installed as the Pastor of the Bethel United Ministries, Inc.

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In September of 2023 Elder Charles was elevated to the office of Bishop, and Minister Hopelin Williams to the office of Associate Pastor for Bethel United Ministries, Inc.