As African-Americans celebrate Black History Month in February, a Vincentian-born, Brooklyn-based veteran pastor says she remains “positive and strong,” despite myriad challenges.
“From the year of 1990, when I answered the call of God to start the ministry of Faith Deliverance Pentecostal Church of God (FAITHPCOG), my mindset or feelings remain the same positive and strong,” the Rev. Dr. Neithe Soleyn, FAITHPCOG’s founder and senior pastor at the Flatlands Avenue church in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life on Saturday. “The zeal for God’s vision is as clear, bright, and stands fast in my spirit and life from since I began to now. I honor the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
“In the very beginning, my desire has been to win many souls to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to see many people heal from their hurts by preaching, teaching God’s Word in crusades, open-air meetings, and personal soul-winning,” added Pastor Soleyn, who is also the founder of N. Soleyn Outreach Bible Seminary. “The very first crusade that was held in 1991, we saw the crippled walk, one woman totally blind received her sight the Sunday morning.
“Other times, mentally disturbed, deaf and more were healed; demons cast out of people,” continued Dr. Soleyn, a former administrator and professor at New York Theological Seminary. “Prior to the pandemic, two elderly members were healed from deafness. People are recipients of God’s divine healing. as they come believing in Jesus’ name.”
In addition to the main FAITHPCOG, at 5601 Flatlands Ave., Brooklyn, she said ministries were also birthed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and in St. Albans, Queens.
“I have undergone several hard trials until this day, but, through it all, I never felt discouraged in giving up the pastoral ministry,” said Rev. Soleyn, the author of “Hit Hard, Score High, Triumphant Over Hard Trials: How To Be Happy, Rich and Healthy.” “When I hear people say all pastors go through discouragement, I can’t lie on myself. I don’t give in to the attacks of the enemy.
“I deal with my situation with trusting God’s Word, but not giving up in the midst of adversity,” she added. “The praise and the glory are to our God. However, I will be willing to pass the baton to the next soldier that God will choose, if the Lord tarries, and I am alive.”
From the very commencement of her ministry, Pastor Soleyn, a former public school teacher in New York, said winning souls and teaching brethren how to win souls have been FAITHPCOG’s continued mission.
She said many souls were saved and many joined the church in the early years on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.
As the church grew, she said a large number of youths joined, fed the homeless and served the community with dry and cooked food.
But, in about 2011, Dr. Soleyn – who earned a Master’s in Divinity from New York Theological Seminary and a Doctorate in Theology from International Theological Seminary in California — said there was a declined in adult membership.
“We could not get funds to continue a building,” she said. “These were my words from God’s written Word: ‘The victory is not won by many.’ I refused to give in and trusted God to give us a sanctuary.
“After we moved to a small place for worship, the number of youths decreased, but we continued the vision for the souls of men and youth,” she added.
During the pandemic, Rev. Soleyn said FAITHPCOG’s membership fell by about half. But she said she never relented in “the fight for seeking people’s lives to be changed for a better life here and eternally through Christ Jesus.”
She said FAITHPCOG’s fellowship continued on Zoom and was restored in person in July 2020.
Pastor Soleyn said she felt the call of God to distribute gifts to children at Christmas and called it “1000 Children Restoration Christmas Gifts.”
Since 2021, Pastor Soleyn said the Lord has restored new and active members, who are carrying out the church’s vision.
She said she founded a Bible Seminary, certified by New York State in 2020, in which she said she’s “seeing fruits” from learning.
She said the church’s youth group, with its choir. has returned, “although not large in number, but very grateful and excited about the parents sending and bringing their children.”
“We are making a strong appeal for the family, single, married and non-married to come and bring your family to be blessed by God and have God’s protection,” Pastor Soleyn said. “The world is very dangerous; do not wait.”
She said she has ministered in over two dozen churches in the US, including Preparation Church of God Holliness; Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church of God; Grace Deliverance Church of God; Mt. Olive Church of God; World Harvest Church of God; New Rochelle Church of God; Full Gospel Tabernacle; Worship Center Church of God; Faith Tabernacle Church of God and Mount Olive Pentecostal Church of God.
Pastor Soleyn said she is celebrating this year her 51st year in ministry and 40 years of pastoral duties.
She said she has served for almost 34 years as pastor in FAITHDPCOG, including six-plus years as pastor of New Testament Church of God in the US and in her native St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and “pioneered” several churches for New Testament Church of God in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
She said the N. Soleyn Outreach Bible Seminary is accepting applications for the spring semester, starting in March, and that training will be for certificates and diplomas in discipleship, missionary, ministry and deaconess.
Dr. Soleyn said her vision for FAITHDPCOG is seeing “the souls of men saved and to heal their hurts in bringing to God through Christ and in the church.”
She said among her goals and objectives are to expand the preaching ministry of the Gospel of Christ on television and radio by August 2024; to train at least 300 disciples for Jesus Christ in N. Soleyn Outreach Bible Seminary; to have at least 100 youths in ministry by end-2024, “with men and ladies missionary groups winning men and all people to Christ”; to build small units that will house members who find difficulty with housing; and “to pray and seek out educational help for immigrants who have been in the USA to receive permanent status.”
“Everything was and is by God’s love, mercy and grace,” Pastor Soleyn said. “I could not do anything without God.”
For more information, call Pastor Soleyn at (347) 440-2101; or church secretary at (347) 267-1516.
