This past May we began two Neighborhood Groups in two different communities with the hope that one of them would be the location for our 7th church plant in 2009. Well, the time has come and one of them is in process to being that very church plant. I am very pleased to announce that not only is our new church plant going to be in Millvale but we have identified our church planters for this new church. The pastors of the new church plant are going to be…drum roll please…Pastor Rich and Jodi Jones. Rich is not only a good friend but he has proven himself as a great pastor. We are excited to welcome him to the church planting team and can’t wait to see what God is going to do as they join the great team already in place in our Millvale Neighborhood Group, Millvale Matters!!
In case you would like more info, here’s a short bio on Pastor Rich and Jodi:
Pastor Rich, along with his wife, Jodi, have been the Student Ministries Pastors at First Assembly of God in Hermitage, PA since October 2, 2005. They have two beautiful daughters, JoLyn and Jackilyn, and as a family seek to honor the Lord in all they do. Pastor Rich has served as youth pastor since the age of 18 years of age.
In 1992, He and Jodi began their full-time ministry as Youth Pastor at Full Gospel Worship Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1996 they accepted the Youth Pastorate at Monroeville Assembly of God and enjoyed eight wonderful years of Ministry under the leadership of Pastor Jim Leake. He spent 2005 in Detroit, Michigan, again as Youth Pastor.
Pastor Rich is a 1992 graduate of Valley Forge Christian College and is an ordained minister with the Penn/Del District of the Assemblies of God. Having spent more than 15 years in ministering to students, he has been blessed to have had many opportunities to attend and speak at Youth Ministry Training Events, including the 2004 National Youth Workers Convention for the Assemblies of God. Pastor Rich’s current portfolio at First Assembly includes the Youth and Mission’s Departments.
And for some more good news (if you’re actually still reading this super-long post), both Rich and Jodi have blogs! You can follow them at prsrant.com and jodischatterbox.blogspot.com.
If you’d like more info on our Millvale Neighborhood Group (Millvale Matters) you can e-mail us at MillvaleMatters@gmail.com.
Nick Poole 