New church in town
The first meeting of the Episcopal Church Pea Ridge will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. The newest place of worship in the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, the Pea Ridge church is still in its infancy. The current lay ministers are James Crews and Jason Malloy. The church will be served by visiting priests from northwest Arkansas congregations, primarily Father David Benham of St. Andrews, Rogers, and Father Ben Helmer of St. James, Eureka Springs.
The lay ministers will facilitate pastoral care for the church until growth and finances can support a priest. The location for services will be a shared space with Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church at 1300 N. Davis St. Worship will be at 2 p.m. Sundays.
The mission of the church is to love Christ in each other.
“We will be a welcoming place for everyone,” Crews said. “We will seek to be a place to encounter the risen Christ together, and to help our neighbor as we would Christ. If you are interested in finding out more about the Episcopal Church please contact us.”
“This church plant has been a dream of mine for several years,” Crews said. “I am an Episcopalian and was transformed by the church and hope this place can be a vehicle for transformation in others. Jesus wants us to love him and for us to acknowledge the Love he has for us and grow in that love. This leads to transformation in how we love others. Trans- forming how we are, not who we are.
“God made us in his image and “God does not make Junk.” At the Episcopal Church Pea Ridge, we will acknowledge Christ in you and will be transformed together as the body of Christ in the world. See you in church and you don’t have to put on your Sunday best, but you can if you want to,” Crews said.
The Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas encompasses the geographic boundaries of the state of Arkansas. The diocese is composed of 24 self-sustaining parishes and 31 mission churches overseen by the bishop of Arkansas. The bishop is assisted in pastoral work by approximately 100 ordained clergy, including priests and deacons both active and retired. As of 2006, the Episcopal Church in Arkansas has approximately 15,000 members who are subsequently members of the 2.2 million member Episcopal Church in the United States and the 77 million member worldwide Anglican Communion. The Cathedral or seat of the Bishop of Arkansas is Trinity Cathedral Little Rock. The current bishop is the 13th Episcopal bishop of Arkansas, the Right Reverend Larry Benfield. The Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas has seen growth in the recent years with new churches and members.
The e-mail for the Pea Ridge church is tecpearidge@gmail.com; the Facebook site is The Episcopal Church Pea Ridge. For more information, call Crews at 479-372-3765 or Malloy at 205-717-4377.