Allegheny West Conference | Seventh-day Adventist Church

Drive-in Church Service Partners with Community

Image by PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay

by Lisa McDowell

After four months of online church services, the Dale Wright Memorial church members in Germantown, Ohio, organized their first drive-in worship service in the parking lot. Service participants, wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing protocols, stood under a small tent, while church members stayed in their cars, forming a semicircle around the tent. Worshippers tuned into the service on 88.3 FM, watched on their phones via Zoom or listened from their cars. Some members even brought lawn chairs and sat in front of their cars.

Conference Gives Cox Farewell Celebration

Story by Benia Jennings

Close family members, friends and colleagues recently gathered as the Allegheny West Conference (AWC) family hosted a farewell celebration honoring William T. Cox Sr. A small number of guests attended the in-person gathering, while others joined via Zoom. Well-wishers expressed their appreciation to Cox, his wife, LaTanya, and their family for 22 years of service to the conference.

“I served Pastor Cox as his first elder for about 10 years,” said Shirley Benton, AWC Women’s Ministries director. “He’s been more than a pastor or president; he’s been my friend.”.

Women’s Ministries Stays Connected During Pandemic

Story by Benia Jennings

According to Shirley Benton, the Allegheny West Conference Women’s Ministries director, the number one need in the Church right now is connectedness. This is especially true for women. However, with social distancing and the rules that are in place, staying in contact with one another has become more of a challenge.

Connection Community Serves as Safe Haven

John Coaxum (left) and Max Gomez, pastors at the Connection Community church, engage the young adult community in authentic and effective ways.

Story by Benia Jennings

Young adults are becoming more absent from churches. Finding creative ways to minister to this age-group is a well-known challenge, not only in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but within other denominations as well.

Southeast Member Encourages Others During Pandemic

Story by Cecily Bryant

As many parts of the country sheltered in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, the term “new normal” took root in everyday life. Children were home-schooled, health care was done virtually and work meetings were facilitated through Zoom and other electronic resources. So much changed so quickly. Only months ago, church members from Allegheny West Conference's Southeast church in Cleveland, Ohio, enjoyed the simple pleasure of opening doors and walking freely into a church so many consider home.