This Week in the BRN Family 04.07.22

A BRN pastor travels to Hungary to help Ukrainian refugees, a church meets its community on the diamond and a church plant celebrates five years - it's a busy week for the BRN family!

April 8, 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:

BRN pastor travels to Hungary to help Ukrainian refugees

Pastor Denis Sichkar of First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Philadelphia left for Hungary at the end of March. While over there, he has assisted Ukrainian refugees crossing the border and seeking safety. Please continue to pray for Ukraine and its people, as well as our brother’s safety and that God would give Denis opportunities to share the love of Christ.

Help Ukrainian Refugees

Providence Church – Coatesville celebrates five years

To celebrate the milestone, the church plant had a guest pastor, Phil Carnuccio from Providence Church West Chester and musician, Matthew Schuler, speak and perform at their Sunday service. Join us in rejoicing with our brothers and sisters at Providence Church!

Riverbend Community Church takes the gospel to the ball field, praying for opening day

Riverbend Community Church joined its community in celebrating the Northwest Youth Athletic Association in Bethlehem. This year was the association’s 64th year! As part of the celebration, they invited Pastor Joe Velarde to pray at the opening day ceremony.

South Jersey churches cast vision at Friends and Family Day

Both SOAR Church in Woodbine, N.J. and SOAR Church in Richland, N.J. hosted a Vision Sunday/Friends and Family Day. The churches individually celebrated God’s provision during worship and then provided food and fun afterwards for all who attended.

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.