This Week in the BRN Family 03.23.23

A BRN church covers a minor league baseball field in prayer; Youth students enjoy fun outreach events; and PA/SJ churches enjoy unique workshops and times of fellowship - it's a busy week in the BRN family!

March 23, 2023
Macala Mays

This Week in the BRN Family shares 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:

Riverbend Community Church in Allentown, Pa., prayer walks local minor league baseball field

During lunch, Pastor Joe Velarde and members of Riverbend Community Church gathered at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa., to prayer walk over the park in preparation for the Iron Pigs starting their season. Over the spring and summer, Riverbend hopes to find ways to saturate where people from Riverbend work by prayer walking around that location. Currently, two Riverbend members work at Coca-Cola Park.

Great Commission Church youth carve up some fun at ice skating event

Great Commission Church in Philadelphia, Pa., hosted an ice skating event for its youth, where nearly 50 kids enjoyed a fun day of skating, food, and fellowship!

Men at Fellowship CrossPoint Church in Chesterfield, New Jersey, gather for ManUniversity

On Saturday, March 18, Fellowship CrossPoint Church in Chesterfield, New Jersey, hosted ManUniversity. ManUniversity, is a group of men that gathers every first and third Saturday of the month to dive into Scripture, pray for one another, and enjoy a time of fellowship!

Harvest Community Church campuses go bowling with international neighbors

On March 18, all Harvest Community Church campuses, including campuses from Kittanning, Pa., Petroleum Valley, Pa., Natrona Heights, Pa., and Indiana, Pa., gathered to go bowling with international students. The churches also hosted the students for worship the next day.

Renaissance Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., launches new workshop series

During the weekend of March 10-12, Renaissance Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., hosted its first Renaissance Church Institute (RCI) workshop. RCI is a series of workshops designed to grow one’s faith in Christ. For this semester, the church is focusing on the habits of Jesus that transform believers more into His image and likeness: Scripture reading, praying, fasting, and resting. At the first workshop, Renaissance saw more than 50 men and women attend!

Zion Churches in Pennsylvania partner with national organization to learn more about God’s Word

Members from Zion Church of Clarion County, Zion Church of Jefferson County, and Zion Church of Petroleum Valley recently gathered together to hear from Walk Thru the Bible, a national organization dedicated to helping people overcome obstacles to knowing and living God’s Word. The campus churches learned more about the story God wrote in the Old Testament and enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship!

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.