This Week in the BRN Family 06.19.25

Churches engage in summer outreach opportunities; evangelism trainings take place; and we celebrate new life in Christ through baptism - it's an eventful week in the BRN Family!

June 19, 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:

Edgewood Church partners with community organizations for ‘Grand Slam into Summer’ event

Edgewood Church in Beaver Falls, Pa., teamed up with Rochester Area Baseball and Softball Organization for a ‘Grand Slam into Summer’ event on June 7. At this event, the church provided free food, crafts, face painting, and a bounce house for local families. This event not only gave Edgewood an opportunity to share the love of Christ with the families that attended, but also with the multiple community organizations they partnered with for the summer outreach.

Nebo Baptist Church hosts evangelism training ahead of Serve Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Planned just before Serve Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Nebo Baptist Church in Nanticoke, Pa., one of the Hub churches for this year’s Serve PA/SJ initiative, hosted an evangelism training for all those in their church who were interested in learning how to share the gospel and effectively tell their neighbors about Jesus. What a great way to bond as a church family and prepare to take the gospel door-to-door!

Thompsontown Baptist Church kicks off week of VBS

This week, Thompsontown Baptist Church in Thompsontown, Pa., kicked off their VBS! On Tuesday night, despite the rain, the church had 33 kids and 35 adults join them for VBS. Please join us in praying for these kiddos and for the Thompsontown volunteers striving to make Jesus known through this summer outreach.

Keystone Fellowship South Jersey honors graduates

On Sunday, June 8, Keystone Fellowship South Jersey in Sewell, New Jersey, honored their graduates. The church’s graduating students were recognized during the worship service, and then after they, and the whole church, were treated to ice cream and a time of fellowship. Congratulations to all of these Keystone graduates! Please join us in praying for them and all the Lord has in store for their next chapter.

Baptisms:

Newly weds head down to the river to be baptized at Fredericksburg Baptist Church

On Father’s Day Sunday, June 15, newly weds Riley and Ian were baptized in the river at Fredericksburg Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Pa. What an exciting Sunday! Praise the Lord for the faith He has given this young couple! Please join us in celebrating with them and the entire Fredericksburg Baptist Church family.

Faith Community Church Lakeside rejoices over baptism

On June 8, Faith Community Church Lakeside in McMurray, Pa., rejoiced over one going public with his faith in Jesus! This baptism was the first for Brendan Byham, who also gave the sermon at Faith Community Church Lakeside that Sunday. Praise the Lord for this young man and Brendan’s faithfulness to baptize and share the Word! Please join us in celebrating with the entire Faith Community Church family.

After years of knowing ‘of’ Jesus, one publicly proclaims Jesus as Lord at Renaissance Church in Pittsburgh

Recently, Renaissance Church in Pittsburgh witnessed the baptism of Aiden, a young man who knew about Jesus from a young age but truly came to faith after transferring to a Christian school. At first, Aiden judged the seemingly perfect lives of other students, but over time, and through the development of real and honest friendships, he felt God chipping away at his heart. Soon he came to know Jesus as his Savior and as Lord of his life. Praise the Lord for Aiden’s testimony and faith in Jesus! Please join us in celebrating with him and the entire Renaissance Church family.

Sisters rejoice at Riverbend Community Church over baptism

Riverbend Community Church in Allentown, Pa., rejoiced with a young lady named Sam on Sunday, June 8, as she baptized her sister! Praise the Lord for these sisters and their faith in Jesus! Please join us in celebrating with them and the entire Riverbend Community 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.