This Week in the BRN Family 05.15.25

Pastors and state leaders gather in the PA capitol to pray; moms and women are honored for Mother's Day; and we celebrate new life through baptism and what's happening nationally and globally in college ministry - it's a great week in the BRN Family!

May 16, 2025
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:

Greencastle Baptist Church pastor attends time of prayer and worship in PA capitol

Recently, Pastor Rob Sheldon, senior pastor of Greencastle Baptist Church in Mercersburg, Pa., had the opportunity to join fellow Pennsylvania pastors and leaders of the Church Ambassador Network of PA in the state’s capitol for a time of prayer and worship. This time was devoted to praying for local, state, and national leaders.

Ekklesia of North Philadelphia students canvas neighborhood for Stronghold Foam Sword Fighting camp

In order to prepare for their upcoming Stronghold Foam Sword Fighting camp, Ekklesia of North Philadelphia hosted the director of Stronghold Foam Sword Fighting for a demo lesson. The director included a Bible lesson about the Lord being a shield, and guided the church to understand that they must hold Christ, our shield, near for him to protect us properly. To promote the camp, Ekklesia’s Preschool-Middle school groups canvased the neighborhood to invite families to the camp as well as two other camps they are sponsoring.

First International Baptist Church of Trenton requests prayer for new building

First International Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey, is asking fellow BRN churches to pray that God will provide a new and safe building for them. Please join us in praying for this church and their need for a new place of worship.

Submit Prayer Request to BRN Family

Serve Wilkes-Barre/Scranton prep creates community engagement opportunities

Earlier this week, Pastor Tim Morris from Restored Church in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., had the chance to talk about the upcoming Serve Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opportunity (June 27-28) on-air at the local Christian radio station, WRGN. During another engagement, Morris was able to be a presenter at the NEPA Task Force Against Human Trafficking. He was asked to speak on how the Church can be an asset to the conversation, which was well received by the Task Force!

BRN Churches honor women on Mother’s Day

Many of our churches across Pennsylvania/South Jersey honored the mothers and women in their congregation this past Sunday (May 13) for Mother’s Day! Praise the Lord for mothers and the women who impact our lives! Here are just a few Mother’s Day scenes from our churches:

Keystone Fellowship South Jersey | Sewell, NJ

Erie Deaf Community Church | Erie, PA

Millcreek Community Church | Erie, PA

Philadelphia Bible Church International | Philadelphia, PA

First Baptist Church of Swedesboro | Swedesboro, NJ

Baptisms:

Zion Church in Clarion, Pa., rejoices over several going public with their faith in Jesus

Over the past few weeks, Zion Church in Clarion, Pa., has witnessed several people decide to follow Christ and go public with their faith through baptism! Praise the Lord for these brothers and sisters in Christ and the new life He has given them through Jesus! Please join us in celebrating with them and the entire Zion Church family.

Riverbend Community Church celebrates Mother’s Day and baptisms

On May 11, Riverbend Community Church in Allentown, Pa., not only celebrated the mothers and women in their congregation, but also three individuals proclaiming their faith in Jesus through baptism! Praise the Lord for these baptisms! Please join us in celebrating with those who were baptized as well as the entire Riverbend family.

Ministry Milestones:

Pittsburgh pastor celebrates five years of ministry at Steel City Church

This past week, Pastor Chris Richards celebrated five years at Steel City Church in Pittsburgh! Five years ago, Pastor Chris was known as Principal Richards, but in 2020 God began to stir up in him what he now describes as a “holy discontent” with his career. That discontent blossomed into a clear calling to plant a church. By May 2020, Chris was finishing his final weeks as principal, and his family embraced a new chapter, leaving their life in Columbia, South Carolina, to plant Steel City Church with the support of Send Network and Shandon Baptist Church.

We are so grateful the Lord led you to Pennsylvania Pastor Chris! Congratulations on five years! Thank you for all you do for the Kingdom.

Collegiate Corner:

Resources shared and campus testimonies told at collegiate ministry conferences

Brain Musser, Director of Baptist Campus Ministries at Drexel University, reflects on resources gathered and stories told about how God is moving on college campuses across the nation and world after attending two collegiate ministry conferences in Texas. Read More

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.