The Berachah Church of Delaware will soon have a permanent home.
After nearly six years of holding services in the Mingo Park gymnasium, the church has purchased land on U.S. 23 North, where Tracy’s Restaurant was located. The old restaurant building is currently being renovated to serve as a church.
With a permanent home in sight, members of the Berachah Church have decided that it is time to extend their outreach to the community.
With the goal of letting “people know that we care about them and love them and God does, too,” in mind, Pastor Jonathan Smith and members of his church have decided to host a “Family Fun Day.”
The “Fun Day” event will be held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on June 13 in the Merchants Building and surrounding area.
The event will include carnival games, watermelon-eating contests, cake walks, three different bounce houses, and cookout food. There will also be several performers, including a poker thrower and a comedian. Everything will be free.
Leslie Alexander, a member of the Berachah Church, explained that the church is not asking for donations at the event. “We don’t want your money,” she said. “We just want you to come and enjoy yourself.”
Alexander, along with church members Paige Moore and Katie Mobley, has been working to organize this event since the fall. She said the church chose to host this event because “we’re really focused on the goal to bring as many people to the kingdom as possible. … We are a church body who really loves our community and it seemed like a really opportune time.”
The Berachah Church is almost 6 years old. It is an independent church that focuses on the Bible. According to Smith, about 100 members attend services every Sunday and there are additional members who attend less frequently. Smith said he decided to start the church because “I just got a little weary of churches being filled with politics and rules and just wanted to show people that there can be a difference and really just follow what Jesus said to do: Love people, love others.”
Alexander echoed Smith’s sentiments. “It’s awesome. I love it. It’s one of the few churches that focuses more on heart than on politics and roles, which is a big attraction for my family and me.”
Alexander said she hopes the Family Fun Day will help members of the community see how much they have in common with members of the church. “We would love for people to look around and say, ‘These people are just like me; I could go to a church with people like this’,” she said.
According to Smith, however, the main goal of the event is not to recruit new members for the church. Rather, it is to show the community that “we love ’em and care about ’em and we’ll help ’em.”
