Community_Service_of_the_Assemblies_of_God_Churches

SECTION 1: PERSONAL INTRO The area of services of what Calvary Assembly of God has to offer is what draws its community members to the church. Helping out at this church has always been a large portion in my life. I have always been involved with mission trips, outreaches, dance teams, and car washes within the youth group. The youth group does not only focus on people within its own age group, but reaches out to everyone who is around us mostly children; God taught us to be like children. This is what the call of God upon our lives is. The services are helpful; however, they are not perfect. In community service, we often come across positive and negative experiences. The negative experiences sometimes include the absences of my friends, and the dull moments such as having trouble with those we are working with. The important thing is to examine this as a whole and to over look the negative things that may come from this experiences. Since helping the community is the number one goal, those negative experiences seem minuscule compared to the positive. It may be tiring at times but it is all for the good of others. It is easier for a person like myself to work where I am close to the one in charge. I also know that everything I do effects me as well as the outreach I am trying to help. This will not only force me to accomplish what I must do, but it will indeed inspire me to go beyond what I am aspiring to do. SECTION 2- RESEARCH ABOUT THE AREA OF NEED The service of Calvary Assembly of God is a non-profit organization. This organization is run by mostly volunteers and Pastors, who are paid through the chain of Assembly of God churches. Pasternak 2 The church is upheld financially according to the tithes and offerings given to the church. The average amount that people give to the church is ten percent of a person’s salary. Although this organization; church, is supported by the community, it is fully in return beneficial to the community. Every activity, event, group, or service is made so that the community will be benefitted, socially and spiritually. Because Calvary Assembly of God is run on volunteers mostly, it is in fact necessary to always have volunteers or an extra hand, when ever there are possibilities. If anybody would be willing to help out there is always room and opportunity for this. SECTION 3- Research on the specific agency 1921 was the year of the beginning of a worldwide revival of the Pentecostal movement. This began in Azuza, Los Angeles. This happened on Azuza Street. This movement was followed with a street meeting, with only a small group of believers, who would soon gather at 4045 Germantown Avenue for fellowship and prayer. This started right in Philadelphia. This group moved a few places on German Town Avenue and Allegheny Avenue. In a short time this group had soon became a church that was constructed at Eleventh Avenue and Westmoreland Streets. Many at this time had accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior at this time. For thirty-five years Benjamin Cox would pastor this congregation. Through his leadership, December 16, 1940, the church had been officially presented as the Pentecostal Gospel Mission of Assemblies of God. While Pastor Cox being pastor the church moved to 3300 N. Eleventh Street, still in Philadelphia. The congregation was in need of better facilities, forcing them to move again. This was an unused church building at sixteenth and Courtland Streets. During this time Robert Watters and A.A. Smith led the church at this time as Pastors. Pasternak 3 February 26th, 1956 the congregations name was officially changed to Calvary Assembly of God of Philadelphia. Soon James A Griepp became the Pastor in 1958 and led the congregation for fifteen years. During the year of 1968, Pastor Griepp began a building program to construct a present building in Wyncote, PA. Gerald Fortunato became the pastor of Calvary Assembly in 1974. By 1980 William Acker became the pastor, his leadership soon ended with his death in 1983. Reverend Howard Roberson became an interim. This was until R. Stanton Williams had been chosen as the pastor. Eighteen years passed and Pastor Williams resigned and became pastor in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 2001 John A. Holt was elected as Pastor. Calvary Assembly of God has many opportunities to offer. Connections, is a small group that meets weekly or monthly and has a many different topics that are focused on. The purpose of this is to grow closer to God and to others around one self. Powered up is a program run for children, it helps bring God into a child’s world and shows ways to know, love, and serve him at their level of understanding. Activities that are a part of powered up include Super Church, Toddler Time, God’s Awesome Puppeteers, and the nursery. Ransom Student Outreach allows the youth in the church to learn about God’s plan for one’s life and draw closer with Him. Royal Rangers is a boys club, which is a scouting activity and teaches skills and biblical life applications to young boys. Missionettes is a girls club, that teaches life based on the bible. This club also teaches social skills and develops talents that a girl already has. The Food Bank provides a service to our community; this provides food to qualified families. This only is open during the second Tuesday of every month. Pasternak 4 Women’s Ministries provides events that help women spiritually, relationally, and socially. Son Shine Day Care Center is a fostering care facility that provides needs for children while parents are working. Honor Bound is a men of promise organization, which focuses on life issues for men with interesting activities to serve with bible study and prayer. Married couples activities builds friendships through events that care for joy, laughter, love, fun, and growing in married relationships. Community influence finds ways to build up the community by serving others and showing God’s love and goodness through people. VIP Ministries provides ways to serve older adults, by involving them with events to serve others as well. College and career provides activities for single adults, events such as, retreats and small group studies. Prayer Action Team connects us with power of God and his vision for us, this is only posted in the weekly bulletin for each event. The Worship team is composed of musicians, lead singers, and the choir. Their duty is to lead people into God’s presence, to help people to bless His name. World Missions provides vision and communication, by ministering to the world and the nation. Hugs, is a ministry for hospitality, for examples ushers, greeters, and serving guests. It also includes ministry in the multimedia area, such as sound room, and cleaning. All of the programs given in Calvary Assembly of God are funded through tithes and offerings given during church services and donations at any times. Since this is an organization with outstanding service to the community, its rewards are there even without recognition. Pasternak 5 SECTION 4- PERSONAL GOAL This church plays a major role on me, not only as a student, but also as an individual. Ever since I was twelve years of age, I have always attended this church. It always taught me to have a good relationship with other people and to love others, not because of who they are, but because God loved us first and we are His children. It has also brought me closer to God and deeply effected my life after I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in my heart as Lord and savior. This church taught me the true meaning of Christianity and what it means to have a close relationship with God as my Father. When I first began coming to this church, I had a lot of anger built up inside of me, and I was not as open to talking and meeting people as I am now. This church has shown me that “faith can move a mountain ( Pentecostal Evangel )”, and that love can move any heart. I am very close to the people who work in the church, and therefore this contributes to making it more interesting to help out here. I have always been an active member in this church and this just allows me to help out even more than I already do. This three week placement will be a time for learning and growing as an adult. I will learn to be more responsible because I will then be treated as an adult already. I will be assigned to work on planning our mission trips that are planned for the summer. I will be an active part in them because I will also be running errands that are pertaining to this. I will also be making flyers for the mission trip because after all, one that we have every year takes place in Philadelphia. I will also be answering phones from time to time, but this will not be a major part of my duties. I will also be organizing and planning many events the youth pastor there is panning for the future. I will also help out to clean from time to time, or any other little thing that might need to be accomplished. Because I will always be an active member and volunteer at this church there will not be any thing really new for me in the future as far as this type of community service. I am always deeply devoted to my church, whether or not I move somewhere and begin attending another church. Hopefully I will still be going on mission trips even as I grow older until the day I am not able to serve. No matter where I am, I will always shine the love of God as best as the human inside me can.