ANSONIA — The Ansonia First Church of God will be celebrating their 100th year of sharing Christ with the Ansonia community, Darke County and beyond this year. The church has scheduled events for three weekends to celebrate their past, present and future.
The first celebration will be focused on praise, worship and missions. On Saturday, May 6, at 6 p.m., there will be a praise and worship service led by past worship leaders from the church, including Tim Smith. After the service, there will be homemade ice cream and dessert served in the fellowship hall for everyone to enjoy. Then on Sunday, May 7, at 10:30 a.m., the service will focus on missions, with Steve Shoop, who has served as a missionary for the past 29 years, with 25 of those years living in southern Africa, Swaziland, South Africa and Zambia, sharing the message. During this service, Leah Allread of Bradford will be talking about recently working in missions for the past three months in the Philippines. Additionally, there will be the commissioning of the church’s newest missionary, Alisa Beisner of Ansonia, with Revive. Following the church service, there will be an authentic Cuban meal. Please call the church office at 937-337-3945 to sign up to attend the free lunch on Sunday, May 7, to ensure we have enough food for everyone to enjoy. The public is invited to attend these events.
Ansonia First Church of God is celebrating the present by planning their sixth missions trip to Guatemala, June 17–24. God has blessed the church with the ability to bless a family in Guatemala with a new home. This will be the fifth house the church has had the privilege to build. If we built this house here in Darke County, people wouldn’t be very impressed. It consists of only two rooms with a wood-burning cook stove outside under its own roof, but for a Guatemalan family, it is life-changing and life-giving. The team gets to share Christ with this family and the neighbors while serving the Lord. It isn’t all work either. There is a time of sightseeing, going to a Guatemalan church service, visiting an orphanage and sharing in study and fellowship as a team. This experience doesn’t just change lives of the people we come in contact with—it also allows us to see God at work around us and in us.
Make plans to join us this year as we “Celebrate Our Heritage and Anticipate Our Future!” Worship services are each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The Ansonia First Church of God is located at 750 South Main Street. Contact the church office at 937-337-3945 for more information.