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Open Arms Pastors Chris Stavish (L) and Mike McAvoy (R) |
Music and preaching will once again fill the auditorium at the Free Methodist
Church in Port Allegany this weekend, but it’s going to be a different kind of
music and preaching, as Open Arms Community Church officially holds their Sneak
Peak service September 29th at 11AM.
It’s been a year since Pastor Mike McAvoy announced that Open Arms Community Church in Bradford would be starting worship services at the vacant Free Methodist Church in Port Allegany, and that year has been a whirlwind of prayer and preparation. “I am really excited about the opportunity to serve of Port Allegany and to impact the community with the life changing message of Jesus,” says McAvoy, “I have high expectations for the church and the results of seeing lives transformed, families strengthened, relationships restored, health and financial circumstances changed; to name a few of many results we have seen through our Bradford Campus. God cares about people and about every aspect of their lives.”
Open Arms Community Church in Port Allegany will operate closely in conjunction with the Bradford church, featuring hard rock music, cutting edge graphics and video, and a casual, “jeans and t-shirt” approach to faith. But don’t let the trendy style fool you, there’s a lot of substance to this newer breed of faith, says Open Arms Port Allegany Site Pastor Chris Stavish. “If you boil it all down, Open Arms is about Loving God and Loving People. We believe that God is real, and that belief has an impact on every area of our lives.”
Stavish, who lives in Port Allegany with his wife, Ariel, and their newborn daughter, is an Iraq War veteran, a former paramedic, and as a teenager, toured the East Coast as a drummer in a local punk band. He started attending Open Arms in Bradford after the death of his cousin, and found comfort in the church’s teachings, and in the friendships he made at Open Arms. He’s been approved as a Conference Ministerial Candidate by the Keystone Conference of the Free Methodist Church, and will be working closely with McAvoy and the staff at Open Arms in Bradford.
Open Arms Community Church in Port and Bradford are one organization, holding services in two locations. While it might be new to this area, McAvoy says, “Multi-Site churches are nothing new and we're excited to be able to expand the reach of our services. We have been greatly blessed with support from our Free Methodist Denomination in this first step of developing a network of Open Arms churches.”
McAvoy wants to see their style of ministry in more communities as well, “I hope Port Allegany is just the first of many opportunities for Open Arms Community Church to expand into new communities and add value to the lives of the people.”
It’s been a year since Pastor Mike McAvoy announced that Open Arms Community Church in Bradford would be starting worship services at the vacant Free Methodist Church in Port Allegany, and that year has been a whirlwind of prayer and preparation. “I am really excited about the opportunity to serve of Port Allegany and to impact the community with the life changing message of Jesus,” says McAvoy, “I have high expectations for the church and the results of seeing lives transformed, families strengthened, relationships restored, health and financial circumstances changed; to name a few of many results we have seen through our Bradford Campus. God cares about people and about every aspect of their lives.”
Open Arms Community Church in Port Allegany will operate closely in conjunction with the Bradford church, featuring hard rock music, cutting edge graphics and video, and a casual, “jeans and t-shirt” approach to faith. But don’t let the trendy style fool you, there’s a lot of substance to this newer breed of faith, says Open Arms Port Allegany Site Pastor Chris Stavish. “If you boil it all down, Open Arms is about Loving God and Loving People. We believe that God is real, and that belief has an impact on every area of our lives.”
Stavish, who lives in Port Allegany with his wife, Ariel, and their newborn daughter, is an Iraq War veteran, a former paramedic, and as a teenager, toured the East Coast as a drummer in a local punk band. He started attending Open Arms in Bradford after the death of his cousin, and found comfort in the church’s teachings, and in the friendships he made at Open Arms. He’s been approved as a Conference Ministerial Candidate by the Keystone Conference of the Free Methodist Church, and will be working closely with McAvoy and the staff at Open Arms in Bradford.
Open Arms Community Church in Port and Bradford are one organization, holding services in two locations. While it might be new to this area, McAvoy says, “Multi-Site churches are nothing new and we're excited to be able to expand the reach of our services. We have been greatly blessed with support from our Free Methodist Denomination in this first step of developing a network of Open Arms churches.”
McAvoy wants to see their style of ministry in more communities as well, “I hope Port Allegany is just the first of many opportunities for Open Arms Community Church to expand into new communities and add value to the lives of the people.”
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