Bold Evangelism: Remembering Gene Smith
On May 23, 1973, Gene Smith was having some fun playing piano duets with his cousin who was a musician for a traveling evangelist. Gene, a young married man with two children, was a gifted…
Accidental Churches: The Evolution of Evangelistic Church Planting in the Bible Fellowship Church
Is any church an accident? The men who got together to start what is today called the Bible Fellowship Church did not intend to start churches. They simply wanted to share the gospel, to evangelize…
From Saving Merchandise to Saving Souls: An Interview with Church Planter Christian Lefko
Christian Lefko is the new Church Planter in Residence at New Life BFC in Oley. Although he has only been at the church since September 1, the Lord has been working on his heart for…
Committed to Community: Church Planting Technical Assistant Aaron Tull
Aaron Tull prefers working with his hands rather than sitting at a desk in an office all day long. He is creative, not just in his construction job, but also through his side gig of…
Living Bible Fellowship Church: A Warm Family Gathered From Far and Wide
As a child, Caroline moved from state to state and wherever they lived, her mom would take her and her siblings to the Catholic church nearby. The Catholic church taught Caroline the importance of Jesus,…
The Life of a Church Planter’s Kid
Nine-year-old Emma Radcliff spends her days like most kids. She gets up in the morning, eats breakfast, then does school at home with her younger brother, Sam. They watch some television (Bluey is her current…
Building a Worship Team in Milford, DE
When Church Planter Josh Dupiche arrived at Hope Church, Milford, DE in 2020, he discovered that one of his big weekly tasks would be finding music on YouTube for the weekly worship gathering. He says,…
Church Planting: Then and Now
Some of our Bible Fellowship Churches began in the late 1880s. When these stalwarts of our denomination began there was no internet, no television, no cars, no vacuum cleaners. We were called the Mennonite Brethren…
Church Planting in Oley, PA: Are We Eager to Proceed as God Allows?
“What responsibility does this church have to non-churched people in the communities surrounding it?” The challenge was straight forward and clear as then Pastor Austin Shelly handed out a map with a ten-mile radius outlining…
Welcomed with Open Arms: Donna Oliver and Cape Community Church
In the quiet dark of the early morning, Donna Oliver was home alone. She felt a burden on her soul that she could not carry anymore. She cried out, “Lord, I have gone my own…
Digital Media and Church Planting
When Dan Hoffstetter was preparing to launch Redeemer BFC in Topton, PA just one year ago, he included on his launch team a person who can manage and update the social media accounts for the…
Sports and Church Planting: A Perfect Team
When Church Planter Tim Zuck was investigating a possible church plant near Easton, PA in Forks Township, they discovered that sports was going to be key in reaching people in the community. Tim Zuck coached…
Coffeehouse Connections in Chestertown: Ed Sadler’s Church Plant Story
Ed doesn’t like coffee, but that didn’t stop him from being a regular at Play It Again, Sam, a coffee shop in Chestertown, MD. He had a standing lunch date at the coffee shop with…
Woodbury Heights, Thompson, Dauphin: An Update on Three Former Mission Churches
One day I answered the phone in the Church Extension Office. The woman on the other end of the line had a quick question which I answered. Then she asked, “Whatever happened to the mission…
Street Evangelism in Church Planting in the Past and Present
Throughout the history of the Bible Fellowship Church, our church planters have used street evangelism to share the gospel. Here are some ways men and women have used street evangelism in the past and the present.
How God is Answering Our Prayers for Salvation
Director David Gundrum felt a burden to see more people being saved not only in our church plants but in our denomination as a whole. There are so many people in our neighborhoods and workplaces…
Why Not?: an Answer of Faith in Church Planting
Brrrinnggg! Pastor Dick Taylor from Grace BFC in Wallingford answered the landline phone. It was Jack Becker of Integrity Missions. He asked, “Would the BFC like to have a church in New Mexico?” Jack and…
What Can I Do about Racial Justice?
After George Floyd was killed by a white police officer, a fresh wave of outrage over race relations washed over the United States. This outrage was displayed by peaceful protests, destructive riots, and blacked out…
A Deep Dive into Technology : How Church Planters Do Church during Quarantine
There are two ways to learn how to swim. You can start in the shallow end and paddle through one swimming lesson at a time. Or your uncle picks you up and throws you in…