News
SIX CHURCHES UNITE FOR SERVICE
Posted January 27, 2026
By Mark Keck, Member of Clinton Church, Saxonburg
Collaboration. It is a simple enough idea in concept. “Work together to achieve a common goal”. While the concept is straightforward, oftentimes the action of doing it, is very difficult. As we all remember from group assignments in school, sometimes collaboration with one other person is hard; and more than one, downright challenging. Now imagine, instead of two people collaborating with each other, there are six. Moreso, imagine that each person is now an entire congregation, so there are six congregations collaborating. Sounds impossible accomplish anything, right?
While it sounds daunting, that was ultimately the goal that six Beaver-Butler Presbytery congregations in the Saxonburg area set out to achieve: to collaborate together in a manner that would benefit the Saxonburg/Butler community and glorify God simultaneously. Those six congregations including: Buffalo, Clinton, Glade Run, Jefferson Center, Saxonburg Memorial, and Westminster, formed the Saxonburg Area Presbyterian Collaborative (SAPC).
The SAPC first started in early 2024 as an initiative by the Beaver-Butler Presbytery’s Collaboration, Fellowship, and Youth (CFY) Committee to begin a dialogue between the six churches. There are so many similarities between the congregations including geographic, demographic, spiritual, and even literal DNA, that it only made sense to begin interactions that could benefit not only the people in the pews, but also the people beyond the churches’ walls.
The first SAPC meetings focused on generating discussions among the members about their churches’ characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and successes. These discussions ultimately led to the planning and execution of a joint picnic/worship service at Winfield Township Community Park in the fall of 2024. While the event itself was a success, the true achievement was demonstrating that the SAPC could come together and plan an event…and yes, collaborate.
Following the picnic and worship event, the question then became “what happens next”? It became clear through the SAPC meetings that in all six congregations, mission and service are core tenants in each church. The idea of a community service day was brought up because several of the churches had completed similar events and it is a concept that is simple, but also very effective. The idea of helping others in the community with seemingly simple tasks (mowing, weed trimming, landscaping, home repair, basic electric or plumbing items) was appealing because logistically it is a rather straightforward effort, but it has a big impact for those receiving assistance.
The first item that was completed was the generation of two questionnaires: one for those volunteering and one for those that were requesting help. The questionnaires allowed the volunteers to list their skills and strengths as far as the tasks they are confident they have the ability to do. The SAPC committee was then able to review those questionnaires and assign volunteers to projects and homeowners that best matched their gifts. It should also be noted that each congregation applied for, and was awarded, a $500 grant through the CFY Committee that provided funding for supplies such as equipment, tools, project materials, water, and food (because what is a collaboration event without food?!)
The first SAPC Service Day event took place on May 3, 2025. There were 28 volunteers that served six homeowners. The volunteers met at Jefferson Center for a time of breakfast, fellowship, and prayer before dispersing to the work site locations. All of the work teams had a “team leader” who the was the point of contact for each group and communicated with other SAPC volunteers to ensure each job site was going well. The goal was to only work about 3 hours which ensured that projects could be completed but also prevented any “burnout” from the volunteers. The jobs ranged from trimming hedges, cleaning gutters, mowing grass, weeding flower beds, installing curtains, fixing trailer skirting, and even replacing a toilet! Following the day’s projects, everyone returned to Jefferson Center for lunch, fellowship, and to share stories (both good and not so good!) on what was accomplished.
Due to the success of the May 3 Service Day, the SAPC elected to do another event of a similar format on October 4, 2025. For that event, 24 volunteers participated and served eight homeowners. Many of the volunteers and homeowners were repeats from the spring event, but there were also new faces both serving and being served. The October event was again a big success and the feedback from all parties was overwhelmingly positive.
It is clear that the Lord puts people in the places they need to be in accordance with His plan. Sometimes (maybe most times, actually) the place that He puts you is not glamourous. After all, pulling weeds, cutting firewood, cleaning gutters, fixing stairs is hardly exciting. But when He puts you in a place where you can fellowship, laugh, make a new friend, make someone smile, and be a witness, that is His true plan. We recently had t-shirts made for the SAPC group that quote Galatians 5:13 which states that we should, “….serve one another humbly in love”. With the SAPC, we know our work is not done and that Lord is continuing to ask us to be the hands and feet of Christ, and to serve one another humbly in love; and we are going to continue to answer His call.
