Evangelism and Mission
We feel strongly that our church is here to serve our community and share the love of Jesus Christ. Thus, we seek to be a “missional” church.
A Missional Church by definition is sent beyond its walls to share the Gospel in the world around us (i.e. to "evangelize"). The word "mission" comes from the Latin verb meaning "to be sent out." We express in our worship and our ministry that it is the task of each Christian to serve Christ by serving the world wherever God has placed them. We not only are called to do this as individuals but also as a church community. As a Church, we seek to do this together through local service projects and programs in the community around us.
In August 2007, we began a ministry to the children waiting for the bus outside our church each morning. We provided them shelter and a quick snack each morning, and they provided us with fellowship and a chance to get to know our community better. After three years, this program has proved to be a valuable way for us to reach out to the youth of our community and build relationships with them.
Several of our members are also instrumental in the Bessemer Community Days each July and the Pumpkinfest in October. These events help raise money for the community and provide a time of fellowship and fun for our neighbors. Our church also sells pies during this event. We also host community movie nights in conjunction with the local library. Our involvement is another opportunity to build relationships in our community so that we can share the love of Jesus in what we say or do.
In the summer of 2010, several members of our church will be went to Tennessee to work with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) from July 17-24. In the summer o 2011, we took a group of six youth and four adults to work with the Pittsburgh Project from August 7-11. We also support mission workers in the Sudan, and have recently raised money for relief efforts in Haiti, as well as supporting our presbytery's sister church, the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC).
We have an evangelism and mission committee that typically meets the last Wednesday of each month, and is planning more outreach programs for our congregation.
