2025
Wrapped
Celebrating the Work God has done at Open Arms Community Church this past year.
Welcome Home
Let’s Look back
and CELEBRATE all that God has done
for Open Arms Community Church
& Bradford, PA & beyond
in 2025…
This year
23
Lives transformed
In 2024, 23 people let us know that they made
the life-changing decision to follow Jesus as their savior.
33
Baptisms
We celebrated 33 baptisms, celebrating
public declarations of faith in Christ!
The Story God Is Writing Among Us
As we look back on 2025, we don’t just see events on a calendar—we see a story unfolding. God has been active, faithful, and powerfully present in our church and in our community. This year wasn’t random. Clear themes emerged as we watched lives change, prayers deepen, and our mission take shape in new ways.
These themes help us name what God has been doing among us—and they invite us to give Him glory for the work He’s still continuing.
AWAKENING
This year, we joined with churches across our region through the Keystone Conference to pray for awakening—a fresh move of God in our hearts, our church, and our community.
And we saw God answer.
Throughout the year, something shifted. People were drawn to the altar in prayer. Worship deepened. Our hunger for God grew. We began leaning in—listening, responding, and seeking Him together in a new way. God has been awakening us, stirring our hearts, and doing a fresh work among us.
RESTORATION
Our vision is Restored Lives in Christ, and in 2025 we saw that vision come to life in powerful ways.
We witnessed relationships healed. People found freedom from addiction. Old wounds, trauma, and past hurts were met with God’s healing presence. Spiritual wholeness replaced brokenness. God has been restoring lives—deeply, personally, and in ways that only He can.
This year, restoration wasn’t just something we talked about. We lived it.
Moving into the neighborhood
This year marked a major milestone as we moved into our new building in the heart of Bradford—but more than a physical move, it was a missional one.
Jesus put on flesh and moved into the neighborhood. In the same way, we are choosing to be present, engaged, and sent into our community. We’re not here to observe from a distance—we’re here to love our neighbors, serve our city, and lead people to Jesus through real relationships and real presence.
God has placed us here on purpose, for such a time as this.
PUSHING BACK THE DARKNESS
Our community has faced real pain, crisis, and tragedy. Instead of turning away, God has called us to respond.
We’ve been praying boldly. Walking with people through their darkest moments. Offering hope, healing, and practical help. We are standing in the gap—working to prevent crisis, bring light into dark places, and proclaim the hope of Christ.
This is spiritual warfare rooted in love. And God is using His church to shine His light throughout our community.
Online ministry
We made quite a splash online this year by posting sermon clips on social media platforms.
98,105
Video Views on Youtube
and
95,147
Video Views on TikTok
Our Most Viral
Sermon Clips of 2024
3100+Views
3300+Views
@openarmschurchbradford 🤝🕊️ Harmony in War: The 1914 Christmas Truce Amid the chaos of war, a moment of peace shined through. Discover the incredible story of the 1914 Christmas Truce and what it teaches us about finding harmony today in Carols of the Coming: Part 4 – Silent Night. 🌟✨ 🎥 Watch this inspiring message now on YouTube! #ChristmasTruce #PeaceOnEarth
♬ original sound – Open Arms Church
Impacting our Community Through Local Outreach
$4,935.03
poured into our community through local outreach programs,
including our shoe outreach, Summer Bash, packing bags for the homeless, & more.
79 Pairs of Shoes
Our Back to School Shoe Outreach provided 79 pairs of shoes to kids in need.
$971.78
went to help with Benevolence, helping local individuals in critical need.
Global and Local Missions
$11,284
invested in international missions
$13,104
invested in local missions
A total of $24,288 committed to God’s Kingdom work
both locally and globally in 2024
Open Arms raised
$4,314
for Angels of East Africa
When Sam “Machine Gun Preacher” Childers visited in April
Operation Christmas Child
232
Boxes
Sent out through Samaritan’s Purse
What this doesn’t account for…
The countless lives touched through acts of kindness that go unrecorded.
The anonymous generosity of many, meeting needs within our microchurches and beyond.
We’re more than just a church—we’re a family.
We thank God for all of you and the ways you serve so faithfully and lovingly,
reflecting the heart of Jesus.
“We can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing
and your love for one another is growing.”
—2 Thessalonians 1:3 (NLT)
JANUARY
Visit from Tyler & Gretchen Braund
Tyler and Gretchen visited Open Arms and shared with our church and our youth group about their mission work in Zambia.
Pacesetting Leaders
Pastor Zoe attended the Pacesetting Leaders Conference in Long Beach California. This conference helps equip pastors who are leading in innovative ways. Open Arms is unique, as we are a church that has planted multiple churches.
Temple
We dove into a series of messages about how our bodies and our lives are the dweling place of the Holy Spirit.
Encounter
In January, Open Arms Hosted an Encounter Weekend. Encounter is the program we use to train church planters and microchurch leaders, but it’s also an opportunity for folks to experience God’s call and direction.
FEBRUARY
First Baptist Tour
As we patiently awaited the closing date for the building swap with First Baptist, we took leadership on a tour of the building, to start making plans for the move.
Music Sorting
In preparation for the move, we started sorting through printed music, and cast a vision for what the transition would look like for the worship team – a move to more acoustic sets, and packing up a lot of the stage equipment.
Game Night
Our Community Fun Night team hosted a Game Night for members of the community! We had a blast!
March
Preparing to Move
With a closing date on the move getting closer, both churches started to prepare by packing and moving into empty rooms. Volunteers worked hard throughout the month!
Awakening
Something started to shift with our church this year. We have seen moments like this before, but on March 30, there was a moment when many in our congregation came forward to the altar to pray for repentance and renewal. In the days since, there is seldom a service where someone doesn’t kneel at the altar to pray. God is on the move in people’s hearts, and we welcome it!
Key Connect
Several of our pastors and leaders gathered with other leaders from the Keystone Conference for Key Connect in Oil City for a time of equipping and learning. Pastor Zoe led a workshop on Restoring The Soul.
Brett Heintzman is the Communications Director for the Free Methodist Church, and he did two video sessions, you can watch them with us if you’d like!
Baby Dedication
Mario and Cearah Tremblay dedicated their baby Gianna to the Lord! We love celebrating families who commit to raise their children in the faith!
40 Days of Sharing
We hit the streets, as we launched 40 Days of Sharing – visiting hundreds of houses in the new neighborhood, inviting them to our services! We met lots of new friends!
FMX / Exponential
Dan & Melissa Robinson attended the FMX (Free Methodist Multiplication) and Exponential Conference in Florida. They learned from top leaders about becoming a church that makes disciples who makes disciples, and planting more churches!
April
Signing the Deed
With a closing date on the move getting closer, both churches started to prepare by packing and moving into empty rooms. Volunteers worked hard throughout the month!
Moving In
Dan & Melissa Robinson attended the FMX (Free Methodist Multiplication) and Exponential Conference in Florida. They learned from top leaders about becoming a church that makes disciples who makes discples, and planting more churches!
Welcome Home
Dan & Melissa Robinson attended the FMX (Free Methodist Multiplication) and Exponential Conference in Florida. They learned from top leaders about becoming a church that makes disciples who makes discples, and planting more churches!
Machine Gun Preacher
In April, Sam “Machine Gun Preacher” visited Open Arms and shared about his testimony, his mission work in Africa, and gave an invitation for people to surrender to Jesus.
We raised $4,341 for Angels of East Africa that night.
Crosswalk
Dan & Melissa Robinson attended the FMX (Free Methodist Multiplication) and Exponential Conference in Florida. They learned from top leaders about becoming a church that makes disciples who makes discples, and planting more churches!
Easter Sunday
Something started to shift with our church this year. We have seen moments like this before, but on March 30, there was a moment when many in our congregation came forward to the altar to pray for repentance and renewal. In the days since, there is seldom a service where someone doesn’t kneel at the altar to pray. God is on the move in people’s hearts, and we welcome it!
May
Tribe of Lions: Forge Night
Our friend and mission partner Pamela Okinda visited from Kenya.
Pleasantville Men’s Retreat
in May, the Bradford Area Ministerium holds the National Day of Prayer Event in Veteran’s Square.
National Day of Prayer
in May, the Bradford Area Ministerium holds the National Day of Prayer Event in Veteran’s Square.
Awakening Service
Churches from across the Keystone Conference of the Free Methodist Church joined across the region throughout the spring to worship and pray, fervently seeking a move of the Holy Spirit in our churches. The Open Arms worship team joined together with the Salt and Light worship team to lead the Awakening service at God’s Country Ministries in Coudersport.
Melissa Robinson, LMC
in May, the Bradford Area Ministerium holds the National Day of Prayer Event in Veteran’s Square.
Memorial Day
in May, the Bradford Area Ministerium holds the National Day of Prayer Event in Veteran’s Square.
June
Church In Town
Church has left the building! Our annual tradition of setting up church in the square the park was a huge success. We provided lunch, and met a lot of new friends in the community!
Annual Conference
At the 126th session of the Keystone Conference of the Free Methodist Church, Annette Dennison and Shawn Pierce were received as Conference Ministerial Candidates (CMC’s). We’re grateful for their service at Open Arms. Annette as our Family Pastor, overseeing Children and Youth Ministries, and Shawn as our Worship Pastor, overseeing our worship ministries!
Tribe of Lions: Forge Night
We helped support and send a team of local missionaries who went to serve along with Samaritan’s Purse ReBuild on a Mission Trip in Kentucky.
Action Required
In June we started a series called “Conversations”
We started by asking our whole congregation a few months before to fill out cards that said, “If you could ask God any question, what would you ask Him?” Then we wrestled with those questions together.
Foundations
In June we started a series called “Conversations”
We started by asking our whole congregation a few months before to fill out cards that said, “If you could ask God any question, what would you ask Him?” Then we wrestled with those questions together.
Okindas Visit
Our church body met for the first time to discuss the details of the Feasibility Study, and to publicly begin praying about the decision to swap buildings with First Baptist Church downtown.
Encounter
Congratulations to worship leaders Shawn and Shiloh who got married on June 15th!
CLC Reunion
Congratulations to worship leaders Shawn and Shiloh who got married on June 15th!
July
ANF Bike Ride
Dennis and Kyle Leon visited Open Arms from Costa Rica. They shared with us the mission of Pura Vida Church, and their ministry to the surf community. We had an amazing time visiting with them and their children, and we were encouraged by their heart for the Kingdom.
Kids and Cancer Benefit
The Least of These Rider Microchurch participated in the Kids and Cancer Benefit and raised $310 to support the organization. Rich also won an award for his bike.
Break the Chains Festival
Ignite Church in Lewis Run, which started as one of our microchurches, launched their Sunday morning services, and became an officially recognized Free Methodist Society. We celebrate with them, and send them with blessings as they obey God’s call to minister in a new way and reach Lewis Run for Christ!
Restoring The Soul
A couple times a year, our church hosts an Encounter in conjunction with Church Development Network.
Encounter is a worship, prayer and training experience that teaches the strategies for multiplication. The Encounter weekend is followed by a mentorship journey that guides you to plant churches.
We use Encounter to help start our Microchurches and train microchurch leaders within our network, but we also train people from other churches.
At our July encounter, Josh and Zoe led the training, and no one from our church attended, but people from three different countries attended!
God moved in a powerful way, and afterward, we followed up with one of the young women who attended.
Family Meeting
Our church body met for the second time to review more details of the Feasibility Study, and to discuss the building swap.
Ms Tillie’s Ice Cream Social
Thrive Children’s Ministry and The Least of These Rider Microchurch held a Car Wash at Charlie’s Cycle Center to help raise funds for Super Summer Bash. The kids had a blast!
August
Jessica Pierce, LMC
Our Super Summer Bash invited families to come and have a good time with games and food, and they signed up to receive a voucher for a free pair of shoes. We were able to show many kids and their families how much they are loved by Jesus!
Baptism
Our Kinzua Beach Picnic and Baptism was a highlight of the year for many of us. Baptism is an opportunity for someone to publicly declare their faith in Christ. For some folks – they were finding that faith for the first time right there in the water.
How We Love
Our Super Summer Bash invited families to come and have a good time with games and food, and they signed up to receive a voucher for a free pair of shoes. We were able to show many kids and their families how much they are loved by Jesus!
Super Summer Bash
Our Super Summer Bash invited families to come and have a good time with games and food, and they signed up to receive a voucher for a free pair of shoes. We were able to show many kids and their families how much they are loved by Jesus!
September
Pitt Chapel Worship
After our August Baptism, we had a few people reach out and say, “I couldn’t make the baptism and I’d like to get baptized.”
So we asked if there was anyone else — and nine people responded.
The Holiday Inn was gracious to let us use their pool!
Cruisin for Recovery
The Least of These Riders Microchurch participated in the Break the Chains Coalitions “Cruisin’ for Recovery” event. Click the button tp learn more about the Break The Chains Coalition
Homecoming Recovery
Starting in September, we shifted to one service at 10AM
Walk for Life
Our local mission partner Bright Alternatives held their annual Walk for Life fundraiser.
Destinations Chicken BBQ
Josh and Zoe start hosting a Young Adult Microchurch at their home on Sunday Night. (with dinner.)
Movie Night
We welcomed some new leaders into our staff to help us as we grow.
Dan Robinson: Missions Coordinator
Missy Robinson: Children’s Coordinator
Josh Hatcher: Communications Coordinator
National Back To Church Sunday
First Baptist Church holds their congregational vote, and they vote to approve the building swap.
October
Prayer Walk
A group of ladies from Open Arms and the EmpowHer Microchurch hiked at Marilla to raise awareness for the Set Free Movement to end human trafficking.
Then on Freedom Sunday, our church received a special offering to send to the Set Free Movement to support the cause.
Harvest Apple Festival
The Least of These Riders Microchurch raised $545 for Operation Christmas Child at The Harvest Apple Festival at Crook Farm. They also made a lot of connections with the community!
Worship at Pitt Chapel
We held a worship service at Pitt Chapel. It was a powerful and moving time.
Paint and Praise
Our worship and testimony night was a powerful experience. God moved in a powerful way as we praised His name, and as our people shared stories of how God has moved in their lives.
Trunk or Treat
It’s always a blast partnering with Grace Lutheran for our annual Trunk or Treat Outreach! Josh and Zoe dressed up like Doofenshmirtz and Perry the Platypus.
November
Least of These Riders Microchurch Friendsgiving
The Riders gathered at the Robinson house and ate, had communion, and connected in a very meaningful way.
Friendsgivings All Around
Friendsgiving is a tradition of gathering for a feast around Thanksgiving time with friends instead of family. At Open Arms, we do this a lot.
Our Microchurches, our Youth Group, and Our Family Fun Night all got together and had Friendsgivings… We’ll share a few with you – but there were more than we could keep track of.
Youth and Family Friendsgiving
The Youth Ministry brought their families for a big meal and fun. This has been an annual tradition at Open Arms for a long time!
Community Friendsgiving
Our Family Fun Night invited the whole community to join us for Friendsgiving! We had a great time and made some new friends!
Church For All
CoT Graduation
Communities of Transformation Program Graduation. Ten people graduate in 2024 through the program.
December
Christmas Caroling Outreaches
We revived an old tradition this year – Christmas Caroling at the nursing homes.
Now that the nursing homes are open to visitors again, they were very excited about us coming.
We put up a tree a few weeks before with tags, and collected gift items for the residents, and then each week we visited a different nursing home to go Christmas Caroling.
Christmas Eve’s Eve
Our annual Christmas Eve’s Eve tradition was a beautiful and special time. We held two services, with special music, a children’s skit, Christmas music, and a special message from Pastor Zoe.
Each service had different specials. Check out the videos.
What’s Next?
Where is God taking Open Arms in 2025?
2025 Ministry Goals
Broken Lives Restored
More Salvations and Baptisms!
Changed Lives Multiplying
Street Ministry Developed
Sharing Campaigns
Family Fun Nights
Communities of Transformation
Sunday Morning Attendance Growing
Wholeness Experienced
Acessibility Giving Campaign
Microchurch Attendance Growing
Friday Night Light Growth
Kids and Youth Growth
Volunteers / Service Increase
Holy Spirit’s Presence
Increased Attendance at Monday Night Prayer
Monthly Prayer Walks
Nursing Home Ministry
Inner Healing Team Deployed
Servant Leaders Empowered
Encounter Weekends (Jan, July)
Ministry Leadership Pipeline
Planting more churches
Spring
In the Spring, We’ll be moving into our new building!
Our hope is to be able to celebrate in the new sanctuary by Easter Sunday.
40 Days of Sharing Campaign
Summer
Monthly Sharing Events
Church Around Town
Encounter Weekend in July: We’ll train more disciple makers and prepare to plant more churches and microchurches!
Baptism Picnic
Fall
Youth and Young Adult Ministries Growing and having more impact!
Winter
Continued Growth as we reach out into our neighborhood with the good news of Jesus!