Thursday, April 30, 2020

National Day of Prayer, Thursday May 7th @ 6 PM via ZOOM

The Venango County Christian Ministerium is participating in the National Day of Prayer this year by hosting a Zoom meeting on Thursday, May 7th @ 6 PM. 



Click on the link below to join the meeting (note the password: prayer), you don't need to have an account to participate.  When attending a ZOOM meeting, please leave your mic on mute unless you're the current speaker, this helps control background noise so everyone can hear; thanks.

National Day of Prayer ZOOM Meeting

Meeting ID: 840 8592 3528
Password: Prayer

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Venango County Rises to the Challenge

One of the reasons why it was the right decision to move to Franklin in 2012 to lead 1st Baptist, and to raise our daughter Clara in this community, is the tremendous way in which the area churches, charities, civic organizations, schools, and local government work together to help our community.  As you know, we've seen this with Mustard Seed Missions and Emmaus Haven, and now we're seeing it once more with the local food pantries who have found a way to increase their already excellent service to our community as they distribute food safely during a pandemic to more people than normal.  How have the people of the county responded to these increased demonstrations of love for our fellow human beings?  By sending extra donations of money to cover the cost of the influx of new people seeking help during this pandemic's economic downturn.

God bless you all, keep up the good work, and please, as you are able, support our local food pantries.  We were in this together when things were 'normal', we're certainly still in this together now as well.

{1st Baptist supports the Shepherd's Green Food Pantry hosted by our neighbors St. John's Episcopal Church as well as Community Services of Venango County, one of the two highlighted in the article}


As always, excellent news coverage from our local newspaper, the News-Herald/The Derrick
Please consider subscribing to help keep this local source available to our community.

Friday, April 10, 2020

Good Friday Crosswalk

Because of the pandemic, the Franklin Christian Ministerium recorded our crosswalk readings and hymns yesterday, for those of you unable to come out and walk the course solo, this is the alternative.


Thursday, April 9, 2020

Venango County Christian Ministerium utilizes local pizzerias to bless healthcare workers


On Thursday, April 9th, the Venango County Christian Ministerium coordinated the delivery of dozens of pizzas for the staff at five healthcare facilities throughout the county.  Given the isolation and anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, local churches were eager to show support for, and solidarity with, those tasked with continuing to provide care for our family members, friends, and neighbors.  In addition, the symbolism of providing a meal to those who don't normally get holidays off, when the Church would typically be gathering together to commemorate the Last Supper, reminds us that the Church must continue to "go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find." (Matthew 22:1-14)  There will always be people who cannot physically be at our church when we gather to worship, whether they be Christians with job responsibilities, transportation, or mobility challenges, or simply those who do not yet know the Good News about Jesus Christ.  We must always reach out into our community with the salt and light of the Gospel.

Our thanks to those who participated and helped bring this blessing, including Fox's Pizza in Franklin and Sweet Basil in Shippenville.  In addition, we discovered along the way that several of our targeted healthcare facilities were already being blessed today by local individuals or businesses with a free meal.  They beat us to the punch, but it encourages our hearts to know that others too are seeking to spread kindness during these difficult times.

The VCCM will continue to seek ways to help to those in need in our community, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond.  To monetarily support the efforts of the VCCM during this crisis, please send a check made out to the Franklin Christian Ministerium to Grace United Methodist Church, 350 Front St, Franklin, PA 16323, with "Covid-19" in the memo line; thank you.


Rochelle Vroman of Fox's hands pizzas to Lyn Serafin of The Caring Place in Franklin

Friday, April 3, 2020

Upcoming online class starts Tuesday 4/7 at 7 PM

The History Of The Bible


ACTS Continuing Education Class
The History of the Bible

Instructor: Pastor Randy Powell
Pastor, FBC of Franklin, PA

April 7th, 14th, and 21st
7:00-9:00 PM

In an effort to provide some support and encouragement for the ABCOPAD Family in the midst of dealing with the challenges of COVID-19, the ACTS Coordinating Council is pleased to offer a free continuing education course on The History of the Bible, taught by Pastor Randy Powell. The course will be held on three successive Tuesday evenings (April 7, 14, 21) from 7:00-9:00 PM using the online Zoom platform. 
While there will not be a formal Registration process for this course, Continuing Education units will be offered for the experience to those who request them on the opening night of the class.

Below you'll find a description of the course by Pastor Randy....
The history of the copying, preservation, and translation of the Bible will be given in a three-part seminar taught by Pastor Randy Powell of First Baptist of Franklin. This seminar will include helpful visual aids that will assist in the telling of the amazing history of God’s Word, beginning with the original manuscripts in Hebrew and Greek, and ending with the modern English translations that we read today. When we understand the history of how an accurate rendering of the original words of the authors of the Bible have been preserved for two millennia, our faith in its trustworthiness will only increase. The seminar will include an opportunity for Q&A, is free and open to the public with no reservation required; it will be a benefit both to novices and to those who only need a refresher, including pastors. Questions? Call 814-432-8061

Below you will find the Zoom link for the first class on Tuesday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m.
Topic: History of the (English) Bible
Time: Apr 7, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/106181233
Meeting ID: 106 181 233
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