New Places - New People: Mosaic Community Church, Halifax

At the 2024 Susquehanna Annual Conference, the New Places - New People Award was given to a church in each district that has experimented with new ways to build relationships and make new disciples. God is calling each of us to be in relationship with others and our churches are commissioned to go to our immediate neighbors as well as the ends of the earth to make new disciples. We celebrate with these churches and the ministries that they are engaging as they offer new places for new people. If you would like to learn more about New Places - New People, there are courses in Portico, our online learning platform that is located on the Conference website. You can access Portico directly here: https://susumc.org/portico/.

Mosaic Community Church, Halifax

River Valley District

Rev. Gary Weaver, Superintendent

The New Places New People award is given to those people who are self-starters, who are visionaries, and who are team builders. Coming out of both COVID and a season of disaffiliation was a confusing time for many of us in the life of the church. Many faith-filled people wandered aimlessly and yet others found their way. 

A handful of people in the Halifax area wandered and then found their way, seeking creative connections to their community, to God, and to the individuals around them. Wanting to be connected in a significant way, with inspiration and energy in their heart, they came together. 

We have always been, since the beginning, a nomadic people. These people were indeed nomadic and coming together, they found and created a home. Under the connection and support of Calvary United Methodist Church in Harrisburg these nomads made the journey each week to nearby Camp Hebron, that was both home but ultimately temporary. Then, these risk-takers sensed that a time had come to put down roots, so now they meet in an elementary school, where all people are invited to be part of the journey. 

As they responded to their changing context, they have been faithful to the opportunities for sharing their faith and those moments of growth with people around them. One of their greatest desires is to continue to be a faith community where people can become who they were created to be, can continue to be followers of Jesus Christ, and know that they are truly welcome no matter who they are. 

The simple definition of a mosaic is a decoration made by inlaying small pieces of varied colored material to form a picture or a pattern and indeed that’s what this new place is; an inlaying of individuals who collectively paint a picture of God’s Kingdom here in the Susquehanna Conference. 

mcc-halifax.com/

New Places - New People: 12th St Huntingdon, McConnellsburg, and Mill Creek UMCs

At the 2024 Susquehanna Annual Conference, the New Places - New People Award was given to a church in each district that has experimented with new ways to build relationships and make new disciples. God is calling each of us to be in relationship with others and our churches are commissioned to go to our immediate neighbors as well as the ends of the earth to make new disciples. We celebrate with these churches and the ministries that they are engaging as they offer new places for new people. If you would like to learn more about New Places - New People, there are courses in Portico, our online learning platform that is located on the Conference website. You can access Portico directly here: https://susumc.org/portico/.

Freedom Trail District

Rev. Dr. Joleen Willis, former Superintendent

We celebrate the McConnellsburg, Mill Creek, and 12th Street Huntington United Methodist congregations who have created New Places for New People in creating alternative holiday events. These events provide a way for differently-abled children and adults who have sensory issues, autism, developmental delays, and physical limitations to participate in holiday activities. 

 

The churches provide lower-stress holiday events, with no long lines, no bright lights, no loud noises, etcetera, which can make differently-abled children anxious. Each child has all the time they need meet and greet Santa and the Easter Bunny. These are family-friendly events where siblings are invited to join also, but the focus is the differently-abled. Parents and families are also personally invited to worship and other upcoming events. 

A wonderful example of a specific adaptation was at the Easter egg hunt, where eggs were attached to helium balloons for their wheelchair friend Clayton. Clayton was able to grab the strings to get his eggs. 

We are thankful for the commitment of McConnellsburg, Mill Creek, and 12th St UMCs to designing inclusive experiences for children and adults who often must fit into events that are not considerate of them. They have a future goal to offer an alternative worship experience too. 

Another ministry, birthed by the 12th Street Huntington church, takes place at the Huntington Community Center, during their open gym nights. The church discovered that kids were coming in hungry because there was no one home to provide a meal, let alone any quality family time that happens around the table. So once a month, 12th St. UMC cooks a hot meal and then everyone, volunteers included, sits around the tables with the kids eating and fellowshipping. The church members are sitting side-by-side with the children, talking to them, listening to them, and building relationships with them. They are kind of a surrogate family to these children. In these conversations other needs are often identified, and they may serve to develop further ministry. They also hope to start a youth group with these kids. At Christmas time, a party was planned and in addition to the meals, kids received shirts, socks, blankets, cookies, and candy. Thank you 12th St. UMC for identifying this need in your community and ministering to it. 

New Places - New People: Mainesburg UMC “Messy Church”

At the 2024 Susquehanna Annual Conference, the New Places - New People Award was given to a church in each district that has experimented with new ways to build relationships and make new disciples. God is calling each of us to be in relationship with others and our churches are commissioned to go to our immediate neighbors as well as the ends of the earth to make new disciples. We celebrate with these churches and the ministries that they are engaging as they offer new places for new people. If you would like to learn more about New Places - New People, there are courses in Portico, our online learning platform that is located on the Conference website. You can access Portico directly here: https://susumc.org/portico/.

Mainesburg UMC “Messy Church” (Williamsport District)

In a small town, a small church felt the call to reconnect with its community. This church longed to better establish and reestablish relationships with families in the surrounding area, especially multi-generational families. This is how Mainesburg UMC began its ministry called “Messy Church.”

If you haven’t heard of Messy Church, I invite you to look online where you can find websites, books, and curriculum to help get this intergenerational experience started.

At Mainesburg, Messy Church meets once a month and engages 40-45 people at each gathering. From newborns to people 88 years old, this is a worship gathering that reflects the community around them. Each month families return because their kids insist that they go to Messy Church. 

It is in a gathering like this that a little child can learn about the cross that God used to save her and that this type of church allows for her to wander through all the spaces looking for the different crosses that adorn the church.

It is also in this Messy Church experience that a woman who has been hurt by a church and denied communion was finally able to find healing and receive this beautiful means of grace. Her journey has taken her beyond just Messy Church—she also connects to a weekday devotional group. 

Mainesburg has found a way to take the Messy Church model and make it their own. Through the activities, the worship, the meals and stepping out into this new place for new people, Mainesburg has been able to answer that call to better connect with their community. 

While churches really can be messy, Mainesburg has found a way to redeem the word messy and to help bring the healing and wholeness of Jesus to their community. In a small town, a small church didn’t let their size or the distance to their neighbors prevent them from creating an experience where people could not only encounter God, but that youngest among them would insist they go to worship at Messy Church. Thanks Mainesburg UMC for stepping out in faith to create New Places for New People.