About Us
We are a 21st Century congregation - a neat mix of ages and stages of people in love with Jesus Christ who remains “the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8What we believe
Mission & Purpose
Jesus Christ. Son of God. Savior of the world. The same Jesus who still calls sinners out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly and witness boldly. Even as we celebrate our deep roots in the community, we rejoice in the work of the Holy Spirit among us to draw us closer, to empower us to follow where Christ leads, and to send us out with a message of life and hope for the world.
Benson Global Methodist Church is a mix of generations made up of people who have been born and raised right here, as well as “transplants” who’ve settled in the area. We have a vital and growing community that seeks to become disciples of Jesus Christ through the transformational power of the Holy Spirit.
Our commitment to God is evident in Sunday morning worship and through discipleship opportunities with age-appropriate Sunday school classes and Children’s Church; additionally weekly youth and children’s ministries, along with Bible studies, are offered on Wednesdays. Tuesdays at 4:30PM are devoted to our weekly prayer ministry.
Bible
We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God, divinely revealed and containing all things necessary to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The 66 total books of the Old Testament (39) and the New Testament (27) were inspired by the Spirit of God as originally written. The Bible is authoritative for all generations and in all circumstances of life. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3:16
Mankind
We believe Adam and Eve were divinely created in the image of God. We believe that Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden led to the fall of mankind and the sin-nature of humanity. We believe that this “original sin” separates all humanity from God. The
substitutionary sacrifice of God’s only Son, Jesus, upon the cross has opened the way, by faith, for all those who put their faith and trust in Christ to be reconciled to God.
Salvation
We believe that salvation is by the sovereign grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ – not by our good works. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all, who has chosen to reveal himself through the Holy Trinity. God, as one being, exists in three co-equal, eternal and distinctive Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the Author of life and the Creator of all things.
Jesus Christ
We believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ as the ultimate revelation of God to all the world. We believe Jesus is the way the truth and the life. We believe in Jesus’ virgin birth, his sinless life, his substitutionary death on the cross and his bodily resurrection.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the divinity and personality of the Holy Spirit. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convince and convict us of sin and to transform and empower us to live the life God has called us to live.
For greater detail about our historic Christian faith and belief, follow these links for further information:
- Global Methodist Church’s Official Website ( https://globalmethodist.org/
) - Global Methodist Church’s Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline (https://globalmethodist.org/
what-we-believe/ ) - Global Methodist Church’s Catechism (https://globalmethodist.org/
wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ Catechism-V2.pdf )
Worship
Weekly Schedule
Sundays
8:45 AM – Fellowship Breakfast (1st and 3rd Sundays)
9:00 – 9:45 AM – Adult Choir Practice
9:45 – 10:45 AM – Sunday School
11:00 – 12:00 PM – Morning Worship
Mondays
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Ladies’ Sharing Group
Tuesdays
4:30 PM – Prayer Ministry (praying for the needs in our community)
Wednesdays
4:30 PM – 5:45 PM – Children & Youth Group Gatherings
6:15 PM – 7:30 PM – Seasonal Bible Studies
Who We Are
Our Team & Leadership
Billy A. Olsen, Pastor
Billy Olsen is a native of Chapel Hill, NC, and a graduate of Pfeiffer College (1990). He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary (1997) in Wilmore, KY. It was there where he met his wife, Elaine. They were married on July 19, 1997, and moved to North Carolina in June 1998. Billy has been in full time ministry in eastern NC for over 24 years, serving five previous appointments before moving to Benson, NC, in 2019. As a lifelong Methodist, Billy is excited about our church’s new relationship with the Global Methodist Church and continuing to pursue the high-calling of life in Christ. Billy and Elaine have four children, two exceptional daughters-in-law, and one very grand-girl.
History
Our Story
On September 16, 1898, the Benson Methodist Episcopal Church was organized with six charter members: Mrs. Mary F. Ryals, Mrs. Cassandra Johnson, Mrs. Emma N. Jones, Mrs. Lula E. Benson, James W. Benson and Mrs. Fereby Holmes. In December of that same year, the Benson church was placed on the Dunn charge of Rev. D. B. Parker.
Worship services were held in the small frame school building. Sunday School was held in an upstairs room of the Boykin Hotel, which today houses the Benton Printing Company. A few months after the organization of the church, James W. Benson, a druggist who established the Benson Drug Company, donated the corner lot on Church Street on which the present church stands.
The membership and the Sunday school steadily increased over the next 17 years, and the need for more spacious quarters was felt. The magnificent brick building was erected at the cost of $50,000. So loyal and interested were the many members that the building debt was soon liquidated. The last payment on the building was made following a board meeting held late one afternoon when there was a balance due of slightly more than $4,000. Present at the meeting were laymen C. T. Johnson, W.R. Denning, Charles Johnson, and J.E. Wilson who, upon the suggestion of one of the four, wrote out personal checks to wipe out the remaining debt. The current Fellowship Hall was built in 1989-1990 and was consecrated on September 15, 1990.
Today the church continues to thrive with an active youth ministry, music ministry, prayer ministry, small group involvement, and ladies’ circles. On September 25, 2022, the members of the Benson United Methodist Church voted by a ¾ majority to leave the denomination and join the newly formed Global Methodist Church on January 1, 2023. Our church has always been a Methodist church and on September 16, 2023, we will celebrate the 125th anniversary of our church’s life together!