WELCOME
People everywhere are looking for a warm, loving and accepting place; full of life and purpose, a place where there is a sense of family belonging, a place to find practical advice for daily living where they can grow in their relationship with Christ and the Church. Our church is that kind of place –a place to Experience Grace!
Jesus gave the Church a pretty simple purpose; Love God, Love People, and help other folks become the same kind of God pleasing people. Our hope and prayer is that together we will continue to encounter the living God, enrich our love and life with and for other people, express that love and life with compassion, and experience the Spirit of Christ more and more.
Come and worship and be a part of the Grace of God with us.
- Pastor Ron Neff
Encounter God
We exist to Encounter and Engage the Presence, Power and Purposes of the Lord Jesus.
Enrich Relationships
We exist to Enrich and Extend God's Grace in its various forms to reach, join, build-up and prepare Gods people to be filled with the fullness of Christ.
Express Compassion
We Exist to Experience and Express the Grace of God in Central Pennsylvania and around the Globe.
Experience Grace
We exist to Encourage and Experience the Character and Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Our Vision
Jesus said...
"I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
~Matthew 16:18 NKJV
Our
Strategies
To accomplish our vision and mission through, but not limited to; regular worship services, administering the sacraments, small group fellowships, specialized ministries, seminars, evangelistic events, Christian education and training, advertisements and media, sending and supporting domestic and global missionaries.
Our Mission
Grow in Grace to become strong Disciples and to make new Disciples of Christ.
Reach with Grace by Inspiration, Influence, Invitation and Investment in Relationships.
Abide in Grace through Prayer, Preaching, Praise, Worship and the Word of God.
Care with Grace by Serving and Giving to the Family of God and our World.
Empower with Grace to Equip the Generations to fulfill their Destiny in Christ.
Core Values
Values help us understand why we do what we do. When we grasp our values they give us the passion in our hearts to accomplish the mission. Check out here what we value as a church family which makes us unique.
We Value a balanced devotion to the Word and Spirit of God.
We value Excellence and Integrity as they honor the Father.
We value the gifts, graces, talents, and diversity of people.
We value Service, Sacrifice, and the Sacraments as practical expressions of the Christian Faith.
We value Local, Regional, National, and Global Mission and Church Activity.
We value the Five-fold Ministry Gifts of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher.
We value meaningful loving Relationships, as ministry flows through relationships.
We value Unity, Harmony and Teamwork for accomplishing common goals and vision.
We value healthy Families as the primary building blocks of the Church and Community.
Our Pastor
Pastor Ron and his wife Cyndi are a blessing to the church. Through their faith, hope and love, and the grace and truth of Christ, they exemplify a Godly relationship and have inspired others to follow Jesus. Pastor Ron has a shepherd’s heart and is a gifted preacher and teacher. He has a hunger to know God deeper and to edify others about God. Cyndi's passion is to encourage homemakers to be virtuous women and to strengthen marriages and families.
The Neff's desire to see hearts and homes honoring the Father through friendship with the Holy Spirit, and living lives filled with love. Ron holds a Bachelors’ degree with the Christian Life School of Theology, Columbus, GA., and has been a past member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Ron and Cyndi have also completed a 3yr Pastoral Leadership program at Elim Fellowship where Pastor Ron is ordained as a credential holder (see www.elimfellowship.org). The Neff's reside in the Lewistown area and are the proud parents of three adult children: Ryan (wife Laura), Samantha (husband Andrew), and Johnathan (wife Amelia).
Our Leadership Team
Elder: Terri Johnson
Terri and her husband Rodney (deacon) have been long-time leaders (mid 90s) within Grace Covenant
Church. They have been especially active with Women's and Men's Ministries and have also been vital Student Ministry leaders. Terri is a gifted and humble teacher with a prophetic anointing. She also has a passion for prayer. Rodney has a strong gift of encouragement. The Johnson's have a heart for families and a desire to see the generations coming together to honor God. The Johnson's reside in the Reedsville area and are the proud parents of two adult children: Joelle (husband Danny) and Kelsey (husband Nate).
Elder: Randy Pepple
Randy and his wife Brook (deacon) have a heart for the things of God and His Church. Randy is a gifted teacher with a humorous heart and a love of history that flavors his style of ministry. Brook has a passion for God and a desire to serve Christ with her whole heart. Brook is a vital leader in our Audio and Visual ministry at the church. Randy also serves with the worship team and with our Hand-of
Grace food distribution ministry. Randy and Brook have hearts to see people worshipping God with heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving each other with the kindness and faithfulness of Christ. The Pepple's reside in the Lewistown area.
Elder: Larry Shaffer Jr.
Larry Shaffer Jr. has been a long-time leader (early 90s) serving in various capacities including prison ministry, men’s ministry, small groups, and short-term mission teams. Larry has also been long-standing member of our worship team and is a gifted preacher with an evangelistic anointing and prophetic voice. Larry and his wife Dawn, who also serves on the worship team, have a heart to see families set free and walking in wholeness. The Shaffer's reside in the Penns Valley area and are the proud parents of four adult children: Vinny, Oksana (husband Andrew), Tavi (wife Emma), Ossiana (husband Danny), and their teenage son Oren.
Elder: Adam Bachert
Adam Bachert began attending GCC with his then girlfriend Alexis. Adam has a passion to help the generations to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Adam is an anointed worship leader who understands the grace-filled approached to encountering the presence of God. He serves as the worship director and both
Adam and Alexis have been long-serving teen leaders and serve with Hand of Grace delivering to shut-ins and with administration. And they also have been active in small group ministry, including Men’s and Women’s ministry. Adam and Alexis desire to see families reached and transformed by the goodness of God. The Bachert’s reside in the Strodes Mills area and are the proud parents of six children: Elly, Jayce, Charlie, Shia, Brooklyn, and Norah.
Hand of Grace Pastor: Barbara Mannino
Pastor Barbara has a heart for the hurting and downcast. Her ministry of compassion, through word and song, inspires hope to the hopeless and joy to the sorrowful. She has been pastoring our Hand-of-Grace congregation as a volunteer from the start of our food distribution ministry (since 1999), and also ministers in a variety of ways in our community. Her passion is to see folks completely set free by the love and grace of God. Barb holds a Bachelor's degree with the Christian Life School of Theology, Columbus, GA. She lives in the Strodes
Mills area in her late husband Cosmo's home. She has five adult children Cindy (deceased), Tina, Tim, Justin, and Jason.