This Week in the BRN Family 07.25.24

BRN churches pour into the next generation through VBS; evangelism grants help churches live on mission and share the gospel; and two get baptized in the river - it's a wonderful week in the BRN Family!

July 25, 2024
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:

BRN churches pour into next generation through VBS

As summer continues, so do the many adventures of Vacation Bible School at our Pennsylvania/South Jersey churches! Here are just a few VBS highlights from the week of July 21 at Harvest House Community Fellowship Church in Towanda, Pa.; Three Rivers Grace Church in Pittsburgh; and First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Philadelphia:

Harvest House Community Fellowship:

Three Rivers Grace Church:

First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church:

BRN EVANGELISM GRANT: Stay at home mission trip forges new partnerships at First Baptist Clarion

Earlier this summer, First Baptist Church of Clarion teamed up with a mission team from Shady Grove Baptist Church in Belton, South Carolina. Through this partnership, Clarion was able to strengthen community bonds, offer evangelism training, and vision cast for reaching the “unreached” areas of northwest Pennsylvania. Read More

BRN EVANGELISM GRANT: Expressway Baptist takes gospel outside church walls for Backyard Bible School

For the fourth year in a row, Expressway Bible Church hosted a Backyard Bible School for children living in the Sheldon Park Housing Projects in Natrona Heights, Pa. Each night, children received a small meal and the good news of Jesus Christ! Read More

BRN EVANGELISM GRANT: Fellowship CrossPoint pours into military families through Adventure Camp

Kids Adventure Camp has become a staple at Fellowship CrossPoint Church in Chesterfield, New Jersey. This week of fun and learning about Jesus is open to all families in the Chesterfield community, but this year the church put a special focus on making the camp available for military families. Read More

BRN EVANGELISM GRANT: Crossway Church enrolls 50 in Christianity Explored course as result of outreach

An annual Independence Day Celebration at Crossway Church in Millersville, Pa., exceeded 1,000 guests, leading to 50 community members exploring Jesus Christ through Crossway’s Christianity Explored course. Read More

Baptisms:

Big Woods Bible Church celebrates riverside baptisms

After worship on Sunday, July 21, Big Woods Bible Church in Lock Haven, Pa., gathered at Riverview Park to celebrate two young men, Chris and Oakton, going public with their faith in Christ! Praise the Lord for these brothers in Christ! Please join us in celebrating with them and the whole Big Woods Church family.

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.