Bethel Baptist Church :: Meet the Pastors

Our Pastors

Reverend Ralph H. Hoist, III is a native New Yorker and the only son of the late Gertrude Louise and Ralph Hilton Hoist, Jr. His early education was accomplished through the Board of Education, New York City School System. Upon leaving school he began working for the United States Postal Service until he was drafted and inducted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Rev. Hoist is married to Reverend Ellen Regina Hoist who serves with him as Co-Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in St. Albans, NY, and is the father of four children: Ralph IV, Danette, William and Easter. He is the proud grandfather of three: Tajah Rajaa, Kenneth and Bree Michele.

Rev. Hoist’s life took some twists and turns along life’s road. He started serving in the church, in his youth, as an Episcopal alter boy, and later, after entering adulthood, became a Muslim under Elijah Muhammad and Wallace D. Muhammad believing he was destined to become a Muslim Minister. God knew better and put His hand on him to begin his Christian walk at Memorial Baptist Church, in the village of Harlem, under the spiritual guidance of the late Bishop Preston R. Washington Sr. His next stop on this road leads him to Greater Tabernacle Baptist Church of Jersey City, New Jersey under Rev. Hugh E. Best, Pastor. It was here that God elevated Rev. Hoist to serve as the Chairman of the Deacon Board.

Continuing to follow God’s call, Rev. Hoist was lead back to New York City to serve on the Ministerial Staff of The Greater Universal Baptist Church of the Bronx, N.Y., under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Daniel Dupree. Rev. Hoist was licensed in 2000 and Ordained in 2002 by Dr. Dupree, and given the opportunity to teach the weekly Tuesday night Bible Study for the next four years. Reverend Hoist served as the Executive Minister and Commissioner of Worship Support until December of 2008. Rev. Hoist was called to the Pastorship of Bethel Baptist Church on January 1, 2008. He was installed as the Senior Pastor on March 30, 2008.

Rev. Hoist obtained his theological training at Manhattan Bible Institute (MBI). After going to school at night for eight years, he received a Bachelor’s of Theology Degree in May 2005 and Master’s of Divinity in May of 2006. The Fall Semester of 2005, found Reverend Hoist returning to his Alma Mater to join the teaching faculty as an instructor. He is blessed to share his knowledge with others teaching the course on Christian Workers. The Reverend is currently working towards his Doctorial Degree in Theology as he serves.

In addition to his role as Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Rev. Hoist serves as a Chaplin with the United Chaplin International Worldwide Outreach (U.C.I.W.O.) Inc. and is the Director of the Youth Department. Most recently he was appointed to serve the U.C.I.W.O. as the 2nd Assistant to the New York State Director. Another important aspect of his chaplaincy was the service he provided for BronxConnect, a ministry of the Urban Youth Alliance. For this organization, Rev. Hoist worked as a volunteer mentor with troubled youth, and was a recruiter for men and women seeking to become mentors to young men and women who needed positive role models in their lives.

Rev. Hoist’s life scripture comes from the book of Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.”

Delivered on Valentine’s Day to Mamie E. and the late Willie K. Sheppard, Sr., Reverend E. Regina Hoist, a native New Yorker and the eldest of three daughters, received her call to the ministry on an operating room table in January of 1998.

Rev. Hoist is the Co-Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in St Albans, NY where she labors in team ministry with her husband and Pastor Ralph H. Hoist, III. She considers it a humbling honor and privilege to be called to this high position of service to God and His people.

Rev. Hoist began her Christian journey at Memorial Baptist Church where she became a member and was baptized, together with her daughter Danette, by the late Bishop Preston R. Washington, Sr. in the early 1980s. It was at Memorial that the Rev discovered her love for singing in the then developing choir, working with the Health Ministry and for a short while teaching in the Sunday School. At Memorial, Rev. Hoist received her first lessons in church involvement in community development when the Bishop sent her to Washington, DC on a mission to get information he needed to begin working on his community development vision. Rev. Hoist remained a member of Memorial until she moved to New Jersey and the Greater Tabernacle Baptist Church in Jersey City under Rev. Hugh E. Best, Pastor. The Lord’s need of her at Greater Tabernacle included serving as the Church Clerk, Superintendent of the Sunday School, and secretary of the Deaconess Ministry.

Rev. Hoist’s journey after six years returned her back to New York to The Greater Universal Baptist Church in the Bronx where she served and was blessed to be ordained by the Reverend Dr. Daniel Dupree, Pastor. Her service in this Christian venue included being a member of the Ministerial Team, Commissioner of Christian Education, Coordinator of the Health Ministry and active member of the Women’s Fellowship which served to prepare her for the Lord’s current need of her at Bethel Baptist Church in St Albans, NY.

Rev. Hoist’s Christian service extends beyond her leadership and service to her Bethel Baptist Church family to include the Christian community at large. She is the President of the Minister’s Wives and Minister’s Widows Alliance of Newark New Jersey and Vicinity, local chapter, and participates in this organization on the state level serving as the Worship Leader for the state of New Jersey. Additionally, Rev. Hoist is privileged to serve the International Association of Minister’s Wives and Minister’s Widows, Interdenominational on the state, regional and international levels as a member of the teaching faculty of this august body. She has taught for the state of New Jersey Annual Baptist Convention and is a member of the Queens Pastor’s Network and the Ecumenical Federation of Queens Pastors.

Professionally, Rev. Hoist is a Registered Nurse, licensed in the States of New York and New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees and a Doctoral Equivalency from The City University of New York. She has been employed as the Director of the Licensed Practical Nursing Program at Bronx Community College since 1991, and is a tenured Associate Professor of Nursing in The Department of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences.

Rev Hoist’s service goes on to include the Greater New York City where she is a member of the Medical Reserves Corp an organization devoted to meeting the cities needs during disasters and emergencies. With her spare time, she serves on the Bronx Lebanon Hospital MLK Ambulatory Care Center’s Board of Directors.

Co-Pastor Hoist has purposed the remainder of her life to the study, preaching and teaching of God’s Word, to being a devoted and faithful servant of God, wife, mother and grandmother, and to introducing and helping others come to know and faithfully serve the Lord. To this end, she has received certification in evangelism by completing the Evangelism Course at The Manhattan Bible Institute, in New York City. Currently on leave from her seminary studies in the Master of Divinity Degree program at Drew University’s Theological School, in Madison New Jersey, where she has completed two years of seminary work, the Rev looks forward to returning to her studies at the appointed time.

Many scriptures have captured Co-Pastor’s heart, but the ones that are her foundation builders and sacred to her life and heart are, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me;” and “Be yea transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Co-Pastor ER Hoist, as she is affectionately called, lives by the principle, “If I can help somebody along the way, then I would not have lived my life in vain.”

To God be the glory for the great things He hath done!