Allegheny West Conference

Story by Benia Jennings

Last summer, the Women’s Ministries Department at Allegheny West Conference's Smyrna church in Lynchburg, Va., collaborated with neighboring churches to start the Alabaster Box Book and Bible Study Group.

The group met once a month to read and discuss multiple books. This year, they are focusing on one book: The Lies Women Believe, and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. The volume covers topics such as marriage, sexuality and emotions.

The discussion subject matter might be more female-specific at times, but Patricia Jerome (pictured), one of the group facilitators, sees this ministry as an outreach tool to reach different groups of people. At the Alabaster Box, all are welcome, she notes.

"[God] used art to help me to move forward, He used art to do something new in me ... And I think one of the reasons I love art and I have loved my journey is because it allows us to go back to it childlike place, when we think about worshiping God, and we think about getting in a space with God," says Regina Johnson.

Story by Cynthia Mendoza

This story was originally published in a February 1, 1987 Columbia Union Visitor:

Allegheny East Conference's Pine Forge Academy has a special historical heritage. The school is nestled in a rustic valley that holds some of America's most intriguing colonial history and this country's most poignant folklore.

Story by Benia Jennings

While at their previous location, the Grace Community church in Cleveland desired to expand their ministry reach by looking for more impactful ways to serve their community.

“We felt like just doing Sabbath worship was not enough for Cleveland. We had a vision that we needed to expand to more of a seven-day-a-week ministry that met people’s needs, and our facility at the time could not provide that,” says MyRon Edmonds, lead pastor at Grace Community.