“Rehoboth, the Lord has made room for you…!” was the word of prophecy given to Elder Joseph Howell and his wife Evangelist Rachel, as they moved their three children Jonathan, Brian, and Shannon from Ohio in August 2000.  The charge was to start a mission church to expand the work of God from their home church into Delaware.  The work started off in a small apartment in Claymont, DE that later transitioned into a multipurpose room with eight members.  The group eagerly begin to spread the good news of the gospel, making disciples along the way.  The church soon began to outgrow the multipurpose room, so Pastor Howell found another space to hold services in Wilmington, DE. 

The Lord proved he was with them with miracles, signs, wonders, and salvation of souls!  On their journey the church opened a food pantry, the Love-In-Deed Food Closet, and gave emergency food and clothing relief to many homeless families throughout the state.  God began to also favor Pastor Howell and Evangelist Howell with good partnerships with churches, nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies that collaborated hosting large community events.  Their annual event became a big support to charter schools and uplifted residents of low-income neighborhoods.  Yet, Pastor Joseph would still be waiting on the fulfillment of the prophetic word received. 

It would be some years later in 2017 that God would give another significant word to the church.  Now a presiding bishop, the Lord woke him up at 3 am in the morning and gave him a building fund strategy for the church.  Presiding Bishop Howell formed a building fund committee, and with twenty faithful members raised over $120,000.  It was a miracle! 

In 2020, the Lord spoke a ridiculous prophetic word again and said “there is a move coming!”  Presiding Bishop Howell wondered what the Lord meant especially since the state of Delaware was in a state of emergency and all businesses were directed to shut down.  The food closet was still permitted to supply food to those in need, with inventory that encompassed the entire storefront building.  This created a concern with the Food Bank which told the congregation it would have to cease services because the space was not large enough and would violate safety policies.  This decision did not sit well with Pres. Bishop Howell and Sr. Pastor Rachel, who knew people needed to be fed both naturally and spiritually.   Determined and not defeated, they jumped into their car late at night and began to look for another space for the church.  While they drove, they prayed until they came across a real estate sign.  They left a message for the real estate agent, expecting a return call.  The next day they spoke with the agent who was touched by their dilemma and immediately went into action.  Within four months, Pres. Bishop Howell and the congregation of Perfecting Holiness Deliverance Ministries walked into their new building!  The church moved from a 2,000 sq ft storefront into a 14,000 sq ft building, seven times larger (God’s number of perfection), complete with a large area to house the food closet.

In the new building, the Lord begin to stir in the middle of a meeting.  The Lord spoke through the prophet and said “The angels are rejoicing!  God said, this is Rehoboth: the Lord has made room for you!”  Presiding Bishop Joseph and Sr. Pastor Rachel immediately knew that finally the word of the Lord had been fulfilled!