About Us

Our History

Although we now reside on 6295 Broadview Road, The Branch Community Church has not always been a part of the city of Parma. In fact, it originated in the inner city of Cleveland on Nursery Avenue. It was there that the foundation of this church was built.

While residing in Virginia at the time, it was the Reverend Paul Deaton who felt the call of God to come to the city of Cleveland. When he first arrived in the area in the early 1950’s, he made a contact with a man who graciously opened his home to hold church meetings. Over the next couple of years, Paul faced many challenges building a church and eventually decided to return back to Virginia.

Discouraged from his fruitless experience in Cleveland, Paul tried to dismiss his calling to preach. He started to pursue a career in farming, but God seemed to have other plans for him. Struggling to keep his farm alive, Paul could not ignore the dreams and visions that God had given him for Cleveland. In 1956, he finally consented to return to Cleveland, this time for good. From there, the church on Nursery Avenue was established and remained an anchor of truth in the city for sixteen years.

1972 ushered in a faith bound change – Moving from the storefront building in the inner city, to the hill at 6295 Broadview Road in Parma, the church was growing. Back then, however, this church looked nothing like it does today. The hill this building is positioned on was almost double in size; the facility a mere one-sixth what it is now. The expansion of this building as it is presently is all due to the vision of the pastor who was voted into leadership in 1976, Dan L. Deaton, Paul’s youngest son.

As the second pastor of this church, Dan L. Deaton oversaw two momentous church editions – the first in 1977, which enlarged the auditorium by fourfold – and the second in 1984, which expanded the building by including a gymnasium, foyer, prayer room, offices, youth room, and the Jim Curtan Jr. Learning Center.

Throughout his years as pastor, Dan L. Deaton has also visited the island of Haiti where the foreign missionary work that his father, Paul, started and continues. In fact, Dan, along with his wife Donna, spent a number of months on the island before he was voted in as pastor in Parma in ’76. Currently the church in Haiti is lead by Pastor Dantes Jeune and his son Benite Jeune, and they have started many other brush arbors as preaching points around the island.

Dan L. Deaton served as a presbyter in the United Pentecostal Church International and continues to share his vision of reaching the whole community for Christ. In 2007, he proposed that the church name be changed from Parma Pentecostal Church to The Branch Community Church. The new name is inspired from the Scripture in John 15:5, which says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches,” and is indicative of the church’s mission: Connecting people to Christ.

In 2012, Dan L. Deaton made the momentous decision to retire from pastoring. He now serves as Bishop of The Branch Community Church, and his son, Dan M. Deaton, was installed as pastor. We greatly anticipate what the Lord has planned for the future of our church.