Allegheny East Conference

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

Instead of attending afternoon seminars at the 2016 Allegheny East Conference (AEC) Camp Meeting, campers participated in service opportunities in nearby Pottstown, Pa.

Service activities included: sponsoring a community kids’ health fair, volunteering at a local community garden, distributing flowers in a nursing home, writing encouraging letters to prisoners and distributing balloons with words of encouragement. AEC even sponsored a “senior prom,” complete with boutonnieres and corsages at another nursing home.

William Hall, Delaware Valley Area Ministerium leader, welcomes Janene and Ron Williams to the Macedonia church.

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

The Allegheny East Conference's Macedonia church in Chester, Pa., recently held a day of celebration to welcome new pastor Ronald Williams and his wife, Janene. Williams comes to the Allegheny East Conference from the Central States Conference where he served as the director of Men's Ministries and a local church pastor.  Williams has a strong commitment to community ministry and engagement, and earned a doctorate in Urban Ministry from the Theological Seminary at Andrews University (Mich.).

Robert Smith, pastor of the Allegheny East Conference’s First Church in Teaneck N.J., has assisted in recovery efforts for the last five major hurricanes over the last 30 years. And, he’s again helping victims, this time in West Virginia, where floodwaters killed at least 25 and left thousands homeless.

On Monday Smith (pictured above with members of the National Guard) and Lee Kimani (pictured below), pastor of the Angaza Sharon church in Newark, Del., arrived in Lefthand, W.Va., an area northwest of Charleston. Smith reports that they’ve knocked on doors, visited 20 churches of all faiths and have counseled 50 families, provided prayer and connected victims to FEMA and Red Cross resources.