This Week in the BRN Family 05.26.22

A BRN church moves Sunday worship outside; BRN collegiate missionaries take a hike; and the BRN team continues to accelerate Kingdom movement through important meetings - it's all happening this week in the BRN Family!

May 27, 2022
Macala Mays

Every week, This Week in the BRN Family strives to share quick highlights of BRN churches and ministries throughout Pennsylvania and South Jersey loving their neighbors. Check out the latest happenings, baptisms and accelerating Kingdom movement stories below:

Streamsong Church in Doylestown, Pa., moves Sunday worship outside for community clean up day

Instead of a traditional service, members of Streamsong Church partnered with Discover Doylestown for a community street clean up project. The church plant served their community by picking up trash and beautifying their neighborhood.

Baptist Campus Ministries participate in campus wide worship at Drexel University in Philadelphia

Christian organizations at Drexel University, including Baptist Campus Ministries, participated in a joint, student led worship experience. According to BRN Collegiate Missionary Brian Musser, during the evening, one student shared their personal testimony of how God found them on Drexel’s campus, while another shared the gospel.

BRN collegiate missionaries gather for end-of-the-semester retreat

College missionaries from across Pennsylvania and South Jersey gathered last weekend at Camp Hebron in Halifax, Pennsylvania, for a time of debriefing, team building and preparing for the fall semester.

Director of BRN Next Collegiate Ministry earns Master of Divinity degree

BRN Director Stanley Williams recently completed his schooling and earned a Master of Divinity degree in Great Commission Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Congratulations, Stanley! Your BRN family is proud of you!

Youth pastor at SOAR Church graduates with degree in communications

Jalen Hudgins recently graduated from Kean University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. Congratulations, Jalen! Your BRN family is proud of you!

BRN Executive Board approves abuse prevention policy, pastor wellness program, and hears progress reports on BRN work

Executive Board members of the Baptist Resource Network (BRN) of Pennsylvania/South Jersey approved an organizational “Abuse Prevention of Persons” policy for BRN employees, endorsed a pastor wellness program, and heard progress updates during their May 21, 2022, meeting at the BRN’s Hub in Harrisburg. more

BRN Pastors enjoy a day of fun and fellowship at Top Golf

Pastors in South Jersey were treated to a day of fun at Top Golf. The outing was a part of the BRN’s new Pastor Wellness Program, which looks to provide BRN pastors with recreation, respite, restrengthening and reassurance. Other events will be held throughout the region this summer!

BRN Team gathers for semi-annual meeting

BRN directors, church health consultants and staff members met at the network’s Hub in Harrisburg on Tuesday to connect and strategize. Please, pray for our team as they strive to accelerate Kingdom movement in PA/SJ.

BRN’s Disaster Relief volunteers bolster Wholesome Riches’ compassion ministry to Camden school district

Several organizations with ties to the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey united together to serve the Camden community during a ribbon-cutting ceremony of a new immigration Welcome Center at Veteran’s Memorial Family School on May 23. more

In Memoriam

John W. Spoonhour Sr. | Worship leader at Stewartstown Baptist Church

The BRN expresses condolences to the family of John Spoonhour Sr. and Stewartstown Baptist Church of Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, for the loss of their worship leader, John Spoonhour Sr., who passed away unexpectedly on May 21, 2022. A funeral service was held on Thursday, May 26 at Hartenstein Funeral and Cremation Care, Inc. with Pastor Timothy Parker and Brother Michael W. Stello officiating.

Be a part of This Week in the BRN Family

Have exciting things happening in your church!? Let us know so we can celebrate with you and share the good news with our BRN Family. Submit stories of your church accelerating Kingdom movement, loving their neighbors or celebrating baptisms on our News Tips page. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Macala Mays

In 2022, Macala Mays stepped into her current role as Associate Editor of BRN United and Podcast Producer for the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania/South Jersey (BRN). Before taking this position, she worked as a contracted Podcast Producer in 2021 and a freelance writer in 2020 for the BRN. During her time with the BRN, Macala Mays has produced three different podcast series, including 50 Stories of Transformation (2021-2022), The #LovePASJ Podcast (2022), and Celebrating Cooperative Missions (2023). She also has written over 60 articles for the BRN and has been nationally published by The Baptist Paper and Baptist Press. She is also a member of the Baptist Communicators Association (BCA).

Prior to working with the BRN, Macala interned at the State Capitol of Tennessee in the Publications Division under the office of Secretary of State. She also remotely wrote news for TalkErie, a radio station in Erie, Pa., and previously worked as a News Director/Producer for WJET-TV in Erie, Pa.

Macala Mays holds a master of arts in communications from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (EUP) as well as a bachelor of arts in journalism/public relations from EUP. During her graduate years, Macala worked as a Graduate Assistant and helped manage the on-campus radio station. She also served as a managing editor for the university’s newspaper, which led to an interest in music journalism.
Macala and her husband, Robbie, live in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, where they attend Big Woods Bible Church and Robbie serves as the Associate Pastor of Campus Ministry. Both Robbie and Macala find great joy in discipling and walking alongside college students at Lock Haven University.