Our FoundersRev. Charles Glass and Mary Jo Glass
The Vision Continues
When twenty-eight year old Pentecostal evangelist Charles E. Glass arrived in Sherman in 1958, he came with an unshakeable faith that God had called him to build a church in that community. Founded initially on his faith in God’s call, that vision has not only become a reality, but it continues to unfold for the future. Throughout his fifty-eight yearlong ministry in Sherman, “Papa Charles” - as he was lovingly called by members of Faith Church and friends in the community - remained adamant that we have not yet seen all that God wants to do. Without exception, and throughout his ministry, Rev. Glass fervently preached the absolute truth of God’s Word and Faith Church’s current Ministerial Staff continue to do the same, led by Senior Pastor Ryan Cernero and Associate Pastors Dr. Aaron Cernero and Eli Brown. Rev. Glass’s legacy began in a white-framed building on the corner of Jones and Maxey which at the time housed a small congregation. Soon, the congregation’s growth required a larger facility, and in 1963, only five years after Rev. Glass and his wife Mary Jo had come to Sherman to pastor, the First Pentecostal Church moved into a new, much larger facility at 601 N. Harrison. During the late 1990s, in a series of messages that were to be pivotal in the history of the church, Rev. Glass began preaching “Now faith is …” based on Hebrews 11:1. Consequently, in 2001, Sherman’s First Pentecostal Church changed its name to “Faith Church of Sherman, Texas.” God greatly blessed the congregation through Rev. Glass’s ministry, and in November of 2006, Faith Church moved into its current facility at Heritage Parkway (formerly Highway 1417) and Taylor. Because of the leadership of Rev. Glass and his wife, Faith Church remains a thriving congregation that has learned not only to believe God, but to “speak faith, not fate,” as instructed in Proverbs 18:21( “Death and life are in the power of the tongue….”). As a result, Faith Church has seen many receive healing, deliverance, salvation, and victory. The message of Rev. Glass, which continues through the Faith Church Ministerial Staff, was the same as that of the Apostles’ found in Acts 2, 8, 10 and 19: God’s fundamental truths are baptism in Jesus’ name and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. Thus, the continuing message of Faith Church is that the power of indomitable faith in God and in His Word moves vision to reality. Time and time again, Faith Church has experienced the power and success of anointed leadership, direction, and ministry, beginning in 1958 and continuing through the present. The congregation stands firmly and resolutely behind the truth of God’s Word which teaches us that in God “all things are possible” and that the vision for the church today rests not in what has been accomplished; rather, the vision is an expectant and timeless one that looks toward the future where, as in a song the congregation often sings, “the best is yet to come!" Mary Jo Glass
Mary Jo Spears Glass, or MJ as she was known to her church family and friends, had an unquenchable love for God and of His Word. MJ’s life mission was to help lead others who are in search of joy, peace, and salvation to God. Therefore, it is not surprising that one of her favorite gospel songs was “I love to tell the story.”
MJ spent her early childhood in Mississippi, where her father, a Pentecostal preacher, pastored a church. At an early age, MJ showed a natural talent for music and for being able to connect with an audience. By the age of 11, she was playing the piano and singing solos in her father’s church. Several years later, she helped her older brother evangelize throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. In 1952, MJ married Charles Earl Glass. They relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota, where Bro. Glass attended Apostolic Bible Institute, Inc. Bro. Glass and MJ evangelized throughout the country for several years before he was called of God to become the pastor of the First Pentecostal Church located in Sherman, Texas. Perhaps it was no coincidence that MJ played the piano and sang at that very church years earlier! She would later become one of the members of the original Galileans, a gospel musical group that grew out of the First Pentecostal Church. Through determination, dedication, and a strong faith in God, Bro. Glass and MJ saw the First Pentecostal Church, now Faith Church, grow from a small congregation of mostly women into the outstanding congregation of men, women, and children who comprise Faith Church today. MJ’s love for souls and her dedication to God’s work played a pivotal role in the growth of Faith Church. This includes Project Reach, an outreach ministry created by and through MJ’s vision, which encourages the Faith Church congregation to focus outward on the needs of others and to help meet those needs through love, joy, compassion, and faith. Her motto was that there are no strangers who attend Faith Church, only friends who have yet to be met. MJ, through her teachings and actions, fostered a warm and friendly congregation who makes every member, visitor, and guest feel welcome – and her legacy continues at Faith Church today. |
Ministerial StaffSENIOR PASTOR
Ryan Cernero ASSOCIATE PASTORS Aaron Cernero Eli Brown MINISTER OF PRAYER Caleb Dupuis KIDS CHURCH MINISTERS Ronnie & Brina Dutton MOMENTUM YOUTH MINISTERS Bo & Andrea Bond OUR FOUNDERS Rev. Charles and Mary Jo Glass |