FBC Blossburg Pastor Installation

 

Visiting Don and Jane Rockwell

While in the Elmira, NY, area... Mark Mahserjian-Smith had a chance to visit with retired Pastor Don Rockwell, his wife Jane Rockwell, and their daughter Sharon Rockwell. It was great catching up with these dear friends and sharing a meal together. Pastor Don served at the Fassett Baptist Church for over 40 years and continues at the church as the congregation’s Pastor Emeritus.

Nicaragau Cyberbox / Library Project

Mark Mahserjian-Smith joined Pastor Arthur Campbell Reed at the United Baptist Church of Elmira, NY, to promote the 2018 Nicaragau Cyberbox / Library project. 

In 2015 ABCOPAD partnered with ABC New York and AMOS on the 3-year Waters of Blessing project in Nicaragua. Over the last 3 years, there have been 5 mission trips to Nicaragua installing water filters, building and expanding health clinics, doing anemia testing, donating baby layettes and much much more.

This very productive partnership continues with the Cyberbox / Library project.

It was a joy spending time with Pastor Skip (Arthur) and many other Nicaragua Mission Team members. Lindsay Mills is heading up the computer lab portion on the project while our own Sally Perry (FBC Lancaster) is heading up the library. Lindsay was joined by his wish Karen Mills and Eddie Kirkpatrick to promote the project. It was great being with these amazing partners in ministry as we serve as the hands and feet of Jesus in Nicaragua.

Union Baptist Swissvale

Union Baptist in Swissvale, PA (Pittsburgh) is being served by interim pastor, The Rev. Dr. Michael Friday.

Recently, Minister Les Scales was called upon to preach. Les is a bright young man who serves on the ABCOPAD Commission on Ministerial Leadership. He’s also a Vice President with Key Bank, and His message was on Discipleship. Great job Les! His mother Minister Ella Scales led in the Pastoral Prayer. What a Spirit-led and joy-filled worship!!!

First Baptist Tarentum Pulpit Committee

Recently, Kevin Walden worked with the deacons at First Baptist Tarentum (Pittsburgh Association). Their pastor retired after 31 years! We talked about the typical interim process. It was a wonderful time with these great leaders. To God Be The Glory! 

2017 Catalyst

Regional Executive Pastor Frank Frischkorn pulled together 25 pastoral leaders from across ABCOPAD to attend the Catalyst event in Lancaster. It was a very exciting day as the theme for Catalyst this year focused on "Leading Change."

Northumberland Association AB Men

The Northumberland AB Men gathered for their fall meeting. The men gathered at the First Baptist Church of Berwick and enjoyed a delicious roast beef and mashed potato dinner made by members of the church. It was scrumptious. After the meal, Mark Mahserjian-Smith was given and opportunity to tell the guys about our disaster relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana, inviting them to join one of the Disaster Relief Team now scheduled to serve in November and January. It was great being with these men of faith and terrific partners in ministry.

Northumberland Baptist Association
Hygiene Kits

Following the Northumberland Baptist Association meeting a team got together to create hygiene kits. Everyone at the NBA meeting brought donated items for the kits. Mary Ritter and her husband Pastor Jim Ritter from Watsontown Baptist Church coordinated the effort. There were enough donated items to fill the Ritter’s van with hygiene kits that will help those in need.

Southwest LLC

Jeffrey Johnson recently reported --- Members of the southwest LLC gathered together. After catching up on what is going on in our own houses as well as our church houses, we then prayed for one another. We then studied the Sean McDowell book, Apologetics for a New Generation. Each member of our group took a chapter, summarized it for the rest of us, and then provided their own input and insights and then had the chance to share the thinking of the others.

Northumberland Association
Autumn Festival

Northumberland Baptist Association gathered at the Moreland Baptist Church for their annual Autumn Festival. Pastor Bob and Beverly Ingraham along with Associate Pastor Robert Nuccio hosted the event when included lots a great picnic food, delicious deserts and some rich fellowship.

One of the highlights of the NBA Autumn Festival was a hay ride and games for the kids. It was fun seeing so many kids at the event. “Kids” young and old had a chance to see the beautiful fall foliage while having fun on a hay wagon. The kids also got to play games like ring the pumpkin and guessing the amount of candy in a candy jar. It was so grand seeing lots of kids at an Association event. Thanks be to God. 

FBC, Blossburg

Recently, Mark Mahserjian-Smith had the opportunity to join the First Baptist Church of Blossburg for morning worship and meet their new pastor. Pastor Patrick Parsons was called to FBC Blossburg at the end of September. Pastor Patrick grew up in Wellsboro where he attended the First Baptist Church. Pastor Patrick is married, and his wife Bianca is a nurse at Soldiers and Sailors Hospital in Wellsboro. It was great spending the morning with the church family and hearing Pastor Patrick preach.

Macedonia BC, Norristown

Jeffrey Johnson recently spent a weekent at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Norristown. He  did a discipleship training event with the congregation's leadership on Saturday as part of ongoing vision work. They were in our region's colab back a couple years ago. Sunday morning I worshiped with the church. Wow ... what a powerful time of worship. I provided the morning message. An invitation was given and the altar was packed two to three people deep praying to settle for nothing less then a disciple's life for themselves and for others. Rev Bryon Craig is the pastor.

Christ Memorial Celebration

The congregation at Christ Memorial in Dover, Delaware gathered to celebrate 10 years of pastoral leadership with Rev. Jeffrey (and Kim) Collins. As you can see from the pictures, it was a wonderful gathering. A local pastor and close friend of Jeff preached a wonderful sermon. The congregation outdid themselves on a beautiful reception. Three of the four Collins’ adult children were present and their 1 year old grand daughter. All were honored. Way to go church family, well done.

FBC Monroeville Anniversary

Ritzpah's Children

Recently, Frank Frischkorn participated in a luncheon by ABHMS to launch the ministry of Ritzpah’s Children. Headed by the Rev. Dr. Marilyn Turner-Triplett, the ministry takes its name from the story found in 2 Samuel 21:1-10. ABHMS’ Rizpah’s Children initiative seeks to create a network that advocates for and addresses the needs of children affected by poverty. At the event, four organizations from around the country received grants of $15,000 each to support their work with children and youth.

Legends of the Huddle

It was great being at Franklin Park today hearing so many excellent speakers during the Legends of the Huddle event. Jon Kolb, Sid Bream, Mike Adams and Dennis Bowman are presented a panel discussion during the second half of Legthe program. The group had some prizes to share. Pastor Alan Berg won an autographed picture of Mike Adams, and Pastor Ed Zinser won an autographed football with signatures of all the group on the panel. Pretty cool.

Pastors' Retreat Planning Committee

Our ABCOPAD chapter of the Ministers Council met at the ABCUSA Mission Center in King of Prussia. They are already planning our Spring 2018 Pastors Retreat - April 9-11. Leila Martin was our guest. Each year our Region Council grants an excellence in ministry award, and it is named for the late Reverend Craig Martin (Leila’s late husband).

Hepburn Baptist Pastoral Installation

WELCOME! Rev. David(and Candy) Parker were welcomed at Hepburn Baptist in Cogan Station, PA, where David begins his ministry as pastor. The church involved a lot of local leaders. Kevin Walden was privileged to preach during the service. It was such a wonderful gathering! Welcome Pastor David and Candy!

ABW Thrive Mini Conference Lancaster

At the Thrive Mini-Conference, nearly 100 ladies gathered at FBC Lancaster from 5 Associations representing 15 churches! During the morning session, they heard Rev. Luminita  Nichols share her testimony. Rev. Mary Lewis shared in the afternoon. A wonderfully blessed gathering to glorify the Lord and encouraging each other to THRIVE in Jesus!

Camp Carmel Fall Festival 2017

Folks from southwest PA gathered on the Gatten Family Farm outside of Washington for the annual Camp Carmel Fall Festival. The time together started with a potluck dinner followed by visiting and catching up from the summer. Then games like volleyball were played, always a camp favorite. A hayride was taken. The evening capped off with a slide show of this past summer season and a bonfire with a devotion and the singing of camp songs. Those in attendance were from many churches in both the Ten Mile and Monongahela Associations. 

Harrisburg Assoc Ordination Council

The Harrisburg Association recently convened an Ordination Council for David Klock, Pastor of the Living Bridge church plant in Mechanicsburg. It was held at the Colonial Park Community Baptist church for the congregations of the Harrisburg association. Rev. Dr. Dale Miller and a few members of the church family from First Baptist Church of Bethlehem were also present to support and encourage Dave in this important day in his life. The council was unanimous in its support of Dave for ordination by the church ..... Dave's wife, Danae, and Council Moderator, Pastor Tim Munson, share the moment of the announcement.

Clifford Baptist Celebrates 200 Years

 

Clifford Baptist Church celebrated its 200th anniversary yesterday in multiple all day events. Pastor Bonnie Resseguie did a wonderful job of getting several people involved. Members and friends all came to help celebrate. Former pastors Jack Race, nearly 97, and John McCarty both spoke words of greetings. Hot dogs, sloppy Joe’s, ice cream and cake! And a lot of (biodegradable) balloons! The program highlighted famous connections to history such as President Harding’s Family; starting of new churches; and current Mission endeavors. It was a wonderful day!

Forest Baptist Church Donation

 

Words can not express our gratitude for the Forest Baptist. Not only did Deacon Alan Arnold and the Deacon board express the churches appreciation for all our ABCOPAD Regional Pastors, but then Deacon Alan presented Mark Mahserjian-Smith with a check for $5000 to support ABCOPAD’s Ministry. The church had been given a bequest following the passing of one of the member of the community, and the church tithed their gift for mission in our Region. It was such a blessing being with these awesome partners in ministry. Thank you so much!

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #9

Mark Mahserjian-Smith writes:

There wasn’t a pile there when we started, but as you can see --- there is one now! After moving the truck and trailer, a township crew came by and removed all the debris from the from of the house.

We finished the kitchen and one of the bathrooms. Lyle began breaking up the cast iron tub with a sledgehammer. It has been a very productive day, and homeowner Bob is please with our progress. One thing I’ll say --- It is hot and humid here in Lake Charles. Yikes!

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #8

 

Mark Mahserjian-Smith writes:

This morning our AB Men’s team at Lake Charles, Louisiana, is helping out Bob and Margery whose house was flooded by Hurricane Harvey. We are continuing the demolition started by a team from Illinois last week. Ken and Lyle are ripping out a kitchen while I demo the bathroom. Not sure what we would do without the tools and equipment on the Disaster Relief Trailer! It is such a blessing having the equipment we need for the job. Thanks to everyone who has donated to this ministry. Special thanks to Lyle and Kenny for making the long trip down both to deliver the trailer and to work. Such great partners in ministry.

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #7

Following morning worship at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. I drove to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to join the AB Men doing disaster relief. Two of our ABCOPAD AB Men from Bentley Creek drove almost 24 hours straight to bring down our disaster relief trailer. Special thanks to Lyle and Kenny for making the long trip from north central Pennsylvania to Lake Charles, LA. We connected with Jack Cobb, AB Men’s National Disaster Relief Coordinator, and getting ready for busy day tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers as we continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need.

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #6

Mark Mahserjiah-Smith writes:

On Saturday, Pastor Tim Schwartz and I went to Wharton, TX, to access the damage done by Hurricane Harvey and see if we could help. Wharton is quite away from Houston and it took quite a while to get there. We found quite a bit of flood damage; however, Wharton is a pretty small community, and most of the neighborhood had been very effective in helping one another. Most of the homes had already been cleared out, and families were starting to re-sheetrock their homes. It was great to see neighbors helping neighbors and restoring home and lives. We probably won’t send teams to Wharton, but it was good to check in on the community.

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #5

Mark Mahserjian-Smith writes:

Pastor Tim is the president of the PTA at John Adams Elementary School in Scranton and the Principal of John Adams Elementary, Mario Emiliani would like to have his School partner with Ross Elementary to help in whatever ways they can.

Principal Kelly shared how Ross Elementary is trying to care for the needs of their students with about half the students impacted by the flood. Many students had their homes destroyed and are now living with relatives and friends far from school. These students need to be driven to school by their parents who are attempting to maintain some stability for these kids whose lives have been turned upside down by Harvey. The school has been accepting donations of gas cards and giving them to parents to offset the cost of transportation even as these parents start the costly process of rebuilding their houses. 

Principal Kelly also told us literacy is a priority at the school and many of these kids lost their reading books in the flood. She hopes people will donate reading books to give to students so they can continue to learn to read.

Finally both Kelly and Georgina said the school is planning a Family Fun Fest at the end of October where kids and their families could come to school for a fun night could. Kids could come in costume, play games and receive treats. It is currently not safe for kids to be trick or treating with so much debris piles up on the street. The hope is the school will receive donations of gift cards so they can purchase the supplies they need. Principal Mario is excited about the partnership but he recognizes his own School is struggling financially.

We will be looking for ways to partner with Pastor Tim and both schools to assist. Kelly , Georgina and Jennifer kept saying how much they appreciated our presence. After a very challenging four weeks and what has been a challenging year, she said just knowing there are people offering to help makes a huge difference. The encouragement and support touched their hearts.

Please keep Ross Elementary, its staff and students in your prayers. Many children are struggling with depression and sadness having lost so much following Hurricane Harvey.

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #4

Mark Mahserjian-Smith writes:

Yesterday, Pastor Tim Schwartz and I visited Greg living in Dickinson. Tim and Greg became friends while Tim was serving in Galveston. Greg’s wife, Lauren, and Pastor Tim’s wife, Jennifer, were both expecting while in Galveston, and the families have remained friends following Pastor Tim’s move to Scranton. Greg moved his family following the devastation of Hurricane Ike only to have his new home flooded by Harvey. While Greg and Lauren rebuild, their children are with Lauren’s parents in Chicago. It was good to encourage Greg and talk about recovery efforts in Dickinson.

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #3

Mark Mahserjiah-Smith writes:

This afternoon Pastor Tim and I traveled to Galveston to check on possible disaster relief work in this community. We stopped by Primer Inglesia Bautista where teams stayed while doing Hurricane Ike Disaster Relief in 2009. We also had lunch with Joe Enriquez, who’s home was flooded following Hurricane Ike. Joe and his family were spared from damage with Hurricane Harvey but Joe reflected on how important Disaster Relief teams are in the midst of putting your life together after the storm.

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #2

Mark Mahserjian-Smith writes:

As Pastor Tim Schwartz and I drove through Dickinson, TX, we encountered street after street of houses in the process of mudding-out. Many houses already had their flood ravaged belongings removed and now drywall, insulation, carpeting, flooring and more were exiting the home. One thing I noticed: While some houses had started the process of recovery there were many other homes that had not. This recovery is going to be long and challenging. The longer a family waits the harder it becomes, however having said that, many people didn’t carry flood insurance and with little support, just don’t have the capacity to begin this very difficult process. Hopefully we can help.

MMS Reporting from Louisiana #1

Mark Mahserjian-Smith writes:

Yesterday I arrived in Houston Texas around 6:00 pm. Waiting for me at the airport was Pastor Tim Schwartz. Pastor Tim and his wife Pastor Jennifer Schwartz served as Disaster Relief Coordinators in the greater Houston / Galveston area following Hurricane Ike in 2009. Both Pastor Tim and Pastor Jenn are ABCOPAD natives who returned to Pennsylvania a few years ago. Not only is Pastor Jenn a Certified Lay Minister, but she is also a gifted Physical Therapist and was called to head the Physical Therapy program at the University of Scranton. Pastor Tim is a gifted leader who recently concluded interim ministry at FBC Abington in Waverly, PA.

Pastor Tim knows this area well and is praying about once again becoming a Disaster Relief Coordinator for ABHMS as well as assisting ABCOPAD in Disaster Relief Efforts.

After arriving in Houston, Pastor Tim took me to Dickinson, a community just outside of Houston hit hard by Hurricane Harvey. The first picture is of a McDonalds, now closed and beginning the mud-out process.

The next couple of pictures are photos of a shopping center parking lot now being used as a dump site for the neighborhood as everyone removed destroyed appliances, mattresses, furniture, sheet rock, installation and so much of their personal belongings destroyed by Harvey from their homes. Just unbelievable and heartbreaking.