Mission:

Glad Tidings East Peoria exists to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to people in desperate need of a Savior, and to help them become more like Christ. We serve each other and our community with unconditional love, compassion, and patience.

About Us:

In the year 1943, a group of people went to a church in Bellevue, IL to hear Pastor Walter “Happy” Smith preach in revival. He and his wife Ada were asked to start a church (Glad Tidings Assembly of God) in Peoria. Glad Tidings first met in a store front building on Prospect Road. Pastor Smith was the pastor of the church until 1954. The church later moved to a mattress factory on South Adams Street just below Western Avenue. They would later move from that location to a basement church at the corner of Faraday and Humboldt Street in 1948. In 1954, an evangelist Harold Hamilton was invited to hold a series of revival meetings at Glad Tidings. During those days of revival, Pastor Hamilton’s love for the young congregation became clear. When Pastor Smith moved on to a new pastorate, Pastor Hamilton was asked to lead the congregation. In 1972, his leadership led to the completion of a new facility at our current location in East Peoria. Pastor Gary Watkins was asked to be the church’s first Associate Pastor. The building constructed during his tenure currently houses the Fellowship Hall, Education, Youth, Sunday School, and Children’s Ministries. It was later renamed the Smith-Hamilton Center in honor of these two men when the current worship facility was dedicated in 1991. In 1979, Pastor Watkins was asked become the church’s third pastor and in 1984 Pastor Gene Cope led Glad Tidings as its fourth pastor. In 1991, Pastor Cope led the congregation in expanding the church again into a larger facility. In 1999, Pastor Watkins returned to pastor Glad Tidings after fulfilling God’s call in other pastorates. After Pastor Watkins’ untimely death, Pastor Fred Doughty (2005) was asked to become the sixth pastor and is the current pastor of the church.

Glad Tidings today continues to be a congregation where we discover together what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus. We strive to be a family of faith that embraces the teachings of the Bible wholeheartedly. Living a life that proves to be significant and valuable begins with a thorough understanding of and adherence to Biblical teaching. Glad Tidings began with the mission of communicating this message to people around the world, and remains the mission of our congregation to this day.