Coronavirus Update

Anne Ashley UMC will not physically be meeting for any church related activities, including Sunday worship, for the rest of March.

The one exception is Bountiful Blessings distribution will proceed on March 28th with modifications to the process to protect the health and safety of all participants.

A Letter From Our Pastor...

To the Anne Ashley family,

Please know that our pastoral team is called to more than your spiritual well being but your physical as well. We are going to follow the wisdom of the CDC and Allegheny County and not hold any church related activities, including Sunday worship, for the rest of March (with the exception of Bountiful Blessings on March 28th). For many, this may sound like a lack of faith. To me, it is faith interwoven with wisdom. Our region still does not know to what extent the coronavirus is present. Pastor Dave and I are available for phone calls and will respond to emergencies. Please use this time to draw closer to Jesus through prayer, Scripture, and reaching out to others. Below is a brief guided study that I put together based off the weekly Scripture verses used in sermons.

This is a time that we must worship in "Spirit and Truth", even while physically apart.

In love,

Pastor Keith (PK)

Online Bible Study

Read John 4:1-26

Some context for you...

"From the time of King Ahab’s father Omri, Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel (1Ki 16:24). Scripture says that when Israel was exiled, foreigners settled in the land, mixed with remaining residents, and mixed their foreign gods with the true God of Israel (2Ki 17:23 – 35; cf. Ezr 4:9 – 10). Nehemiah reports Samaritan opposition to his plan to strengthen Jerusalem (Ne 4:2).Samaritans and Jews were hostile toward each other’s holy sites. Jews insisted that Jerusalem was the proper place for the temple; Samaritans insisted that it was Mount Gerizim (Josephus, Antiquities 13.74); the extant form of the Samaritan Pentateuch even includes the demand to worship at Gerizim in the Ten Commandments!"

The Jews though true worship could only happen in/at the Jerusalem temple and the Samaritans thought it was at Mt. Gerizim.

Questions to reflect on...

What is true worship according to Jesus?

And where can true worship happen?

Operation Christmas Child Virtual Thank You

Click HERE to see a Virtual Thank You from Samaritan's Purse.

A Special Report From
Operation Christmas Child 2019

Click HERE to see a detailed report of where the 2019 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes were delivered.

About Our Pastor

Pastor Don Blinn, Jr. has been in ministry for over 37 years. Earlier this year Pastor Don had announced his retirement. We acknowledge his many years of serving the Lord and we wish him well in his retirement. He departs with our prayers for his future and for guidance of where God will lead him. We have a feeling He is not quite finished with him yet. We will miss Don, Kim, and Ben and hope to see them again down the road.

We are please to announce that Reverend Keith Kaufold has been appointed to be the new pastor at Anne Ashley UMC. Anne Ashley will join a charge which includes 8th Avenue Place, West Homestead, and New Day Swissvale.

Keith is the founding pastor/director of Eighth Avenue Place in Homestead. He is married to Monica and they have two beautiful daughters, Malea, 6 ,and Jessa, 1. Throughout his adolescence, Keith was involved with Homestead Park UMC and transferred to Christ UMC- in Bethel Park while a teenager. Keith re-awoken to God’s love while working at Jumonville for a six-year period and sensed a God’s call to ordained ministry while dean of HOPE Camp working with at-risk youth. In 2008 through 2012, Keith was a volunteer chaplain in Allegheny County Jail, visiting inmates and teaching addiction recovery. Although in active ministry for 11 years, Keith was ordained an elder in 2011 and has served congregations in McKeesport, Millvale, Aspinwall, and the Steel Valley area. Keith’s passion is to see the reality of Jesus take precedence in people’s lives, leading to community engagement and transformation. It is Keith’s desire to see the body of Christ join together across racial and socio-economic lines and “live out” life together depending upon the Spirit of God.

Keith graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with both a Master of Divinity and a Master in Sacred Theology degree. He has recently graduated from California University of Pa with Master in Social Work and is a Licensed Social Work in Pennsylvania.

Sunday Schedule

Sunday Worship, Sunday School, and all other church activities are canceled through the end of March. Bountiful Blessings distribution will take place March 28th with extra precautions due to the coronavirus in place for the safety of all participants.

Daily Scripture: