New Places - New People: Faith UMC, Bellefonte

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 at susumc.org/portico/.

Faith UMC, Bellefonte, State College District

By Rev. Brenda Leigy, Superintendent

A few years ago, Faith United Methodist Church, Bellefonte, realized they were well positioned to be intentional to reach people outside the church. The people of Faith Church had a heart for the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ and they were willing to use their time, gifts, and treasure to help the mission be accomplished. Not only did new people show up every week; they also joined small groups and began serving.

Faith Church states that it is all about living out the love of Jesus in our everyday lives, both in our relationship with God and with others.

One major way they embrace this journey is through serving others. They believe that by investing their time and resources into God’s work and utilizing their unique talents, they embody the spirit of Jesus. 

They intentionally connect and share the gospel with the people around them, and they continually find ways to make the world around them better by spreading the good news and striving to make a positive impact wherever they go.

Moving forward Faith didn’t know what path God might have for them. With the affirmation of the Administrative Council, Rev. Andy Morgan; Pastor David Carter started collaborating with consultants to assess the church, the people, and the needs in their community. 

Ultimately, they decided the best path forward for the church was embracing that God doesn’t want us to “do life” alone - it’s so much better together! 

So, Faith said YES! and started a network of Fresh Expressions - social groups who would meet around a common interest and provide opportunities to connect and build relationships with others.

In the fall of 2023, Faith launched a Fresh Expression Pioneer Cohort with 25 people from the church. As of spring of 2024, they have 10 Fresh Expressions in the works led by lay people. Some are in the early stages of planning, others have specific dates on the calendar, and others have already started.

Some of the Fresh Expressions that are developing and starting are: ATV riding, Softball, Teens who are bored over the summer, Crafts, Doubts, Running, Writing, neighborhood relationships, and nursing home community. The plans are also in the work to start a Messy Church. All these start with strategic efforts to connect with people outside the church. Faith UMC is looking forward to the fruit this will have in the lives of people in the community as they have said YES to God’s leading.

Volunteers in Mission: Faith Bellefonte and Mt. Calvary Harrisburg

 

By Pennsy Waltman

Faith UMC, Bellefonte, and Mt. Calvary, Harrisburg, were so blessed to return to Carteret County N.C. this fall after having served there in the spring. There are 250 families still waiting for help from the 30 inches of rain in 24 hours in 2018 which came up through the floors and rotted them from the bottom up. We helped three families in the spring and two on our trip in October: a grandmother raising four grandchildren (wonderful kids!) and a retired gentleman on disability who had a broken back and neck and isn't able to do a lot of repairs himself. Both homes should have been condemned! Floors were rotted out so that you had to walk on the floor joists in order to cross the room and not fall through the floor. You could see the earth beneath the floor while using the bathroom. Insulation was hanging two feet above the bunk bed where a teenage granddaughter was sleeping. Four tarps on top of each other was keeping some of the rain from coming into the home. The back porch had fallen down onto the concrete making it unsafe to enter the house that way. In one home there has been no hot water since 2018! 

The job/housing coordinators are working six days a week without financial compensation but are greatly compensated by seeing what God is accomplishing through His children in mission. We were able to install shower/bathtubs, toilets, new flooring, new roof, a hot water heater, drywall, and much more. The day after we left, God sent another team to finish where we left off. Praise God both families are back in their homes.

We always invite past and present families we have served to join us for dinner and it was a joy to have them all together and hear their stories. The son of the gentleman homeowner helped us on his days off and is taking vacation to join us on our next trip in the spring because "I haven't seen my Dad smile in 3 years and he's been smiling all week!" A couple we helped in the spring thought God had forgot all about them and lost their faith, stopped going to church, and gave up. Seeing us driving all the way from Pennsylvania, sleeping on the floor, and helping people they never saw before brought them back to God and they paid it forward with a check for $1,000 to help us help someone else! 

As we all say, "We always get more than we give on these trips!! Maybe God just wants us to keep paying it forward!"

For more information contact Volunteers In Mission Coordinator Michelle Schwartzman at 717-766-7441 ext.3105 or email VIM@susumc.org or visit susmb.org/vim