From a Tent Revival in 1958
Pennridge Christian Fellowship serves Blooming Glen and Perkasie in Bucks County from 720 Blooming Glen Road in Perkasie. The charismatic Pentecostal church is known for Bible-based teaching, lively praise, shared testimonies, and ministries that include children, teenagers, adults, incarcerated Christians, and families. Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. in a casual, friendly atmosphere.
The congregation traces its beginning to the spring of 1958, when Gerald Derstine held a tent revival that gave birth to a small church called North Penn Revival Center. The first services took place at Brotherhood Hall Building in Perkasie. When the congregation outgrew that space, it moved in 1959 to the former Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Lansdale.
Pastor Derstine moved to Florida in 1960, and Roy Allebach Sr. was ordained as the church's new pastor. The congregation moved to Community Hall in Blooming Glen the next year. In 1965 it became Pennridge Full Gospel Tabernacle. A new sanctuary and an adjacent building were constructed over the following two decades, and in February 2012 the church adopted the name Pennridge Christian Fellowship. The same church continues serving locally and internationally.
Sunday at 10:30: Song, Testimony, and the Word
The Sunday service begins at 10:30 a.m. in the main sanctuary with a lively song service. The worship team, led by KK as Director of Worship with Merlin Thomas and Frank Sirianni as worship leaders, uses piano, guitars, drums, and other instruments. The musicians lead both contemporary praise songs and traditional hymns. Children and adults sing together first, with lyrics scrolling live, and children are then dismissed to Sunday school. The main components of the gathering are song service, testimonies, and teaching of the Word.
Pastor Thomas teaches memorable, passionate, Bible-based messages. The church characterizes the congregation as multicultural and the atmosphere as casual and friendly. From time to time, someone shares a live testimony about the impact of God on their life, and anyone who wishes to tell the story may take the microphone. The church presents testimony sharing as a basis for fellowship and spiritual growth. The gathered congregation joyously sings out praise together. Sunday worship is livestreamed, and previous sermons are available through the church's Facebook presence. Wednesday worship begins at 7:00 p.m. On the first Sunday of each month, childcare is provided for children under four while older children remain with their parents for Holy Communion.
Children Begin in the Sanctuary
Sunday school serves nursery through seventh grade during the Sunday service. Infants through kindergarten meet in rooms adjacent to the sanctuary, while first through seventh grade classes meet near the fellowship hall. The Children's Church presents the Word of God in an entertaining, age-appropriate format that includes Bible stories, prayer, games, and drama or puppet skits. Curriculum varies by age, and close small groups give children supportive settings for learning how biblical stories and teachings relate to their lives.
The Children's Ministry wants children excited about living for Jesus and sees them as people who should be saved, baptized in water and the Holy Spirit, worshiping God, and serving the Body of Christ. Teachers and volunteer teams are dedicated to that vision. Families begin the service together in the sanctuary, singing before children move to their classes. The ministry welcomes fun and games, expressive worship with loud music and dancing, and adults who want to love and lead children closer to Jesus.
Friday Evenings for Students
The Youth Ministry welcomes boys and girls ages 12 through 18 and meets every Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. in the youth zone. An evening can include games, food, worship, praise, and Bible study, with occasional travel for events and retreats. The ministry wants students to develop a personal faith in Christ, ask questions, search for answers, listen for God's direction, and understand the part they play in the story God is writing in their lives.
Middle and high school students are described as smart, funny, bold, and full of potential, with the church calling them world changers in the making. The goal is to engage them in meaningful conversation about God and help each one pursue a personal faith in Christ. Mark and Gretchen Green direct the youth ministry.
Women of Joy and the Adult Table
Adult ministries seek to build genuine connection among people at different stages of life, including those who are young or old, Christian or not, single or married. The stated aim is deeper friendship as members share beliefs and work together in God's name. Women of Joy has a specific purpose: to equip women to run the race for the Lord through teaching, fellowship, and encouragement. It gathers on the second Tuesday of every other month at 6:30 p.m. for prayer, worship, fellowship, and friendship. Jolly Thomas, Linda Sirianni, Sue Allebach, and Maggie Mungai serve as leaders.
A second adult gathering takes place on Saturday every other month at 7:30 a.m. Breakfast and fellowship come first, followed by Bible teaching and prayer. Men, fathers, and sons age 14 and older are welcome to join. The combination of a relaxed buffet breakfast, friendly conversation, and time around God's Word gives adults a recurring setting in addition to the Sunday and Wednesday services.
GEMS and Christian Service Brigade
GEMS Girls Club welcomes girls ages 5 through 13 and meets on Wednesday evenings from September through April at 7:00 p.m. Its goals are to help girls build an authentic relationship with God through prayer, regular study of his Word, service to others, interaction with God's people, open conversation about God, and awareness of God in ordinary life. The club emphasizes wholehearted passion and warns against spiritual lukewarmness. The girls also take part in outreach into the community and the wider world, and they contribute a worship dance for the congregation.
Christian Service Brigade gathers boys ages 6 through 11 with men for adventure, positive relationships, and learning to live Christian lives through Jesus. Age-specific groups include Tree Climbers for ages 6 and 7, Builders for ages 8 and 9, and Sentinels for ages 10 and 11. Activities include group gatherings, gym nights, fishing trips, camping, and an annual pine-car race with cars designed by the boys. The ministry also encourages fathers to invest about 90 minutes a week with their sons. Frank Sirianni leads Christian Service Brigade.
Pennridge Christian Academy
Pennridge Christian Academy provides licensed childcare for infants through kindergarten. It holds a 4 out of 4 rating from PA Keystone Stars and is a Pre-K Counts location participating in CCIS/Apple for qualifying families. The center is also a member of the Association of Christian Schools International and the Pennsylvania Child Care Association. As a nonprofit, it seeks to offer a high-quality program at a more reasonable price to families in the community.
Isabel Sovocool directs the academy, whose mission is to create a loving, safe, and comfortable environment where children can learn and grow and are valued as unique individuals created by a loving God. The Pennridge Christian Academy makes its program and enrollment information available for families considering infant-through-kindergarten care.
Prison Mentoring Since 2014
The Prison Mentoring Ministry has served incarcerated Christians since 2014. It does not drive to prisons or conduct in-person visits. Instead, participants send birthday greetings, Christmas greetings, encouraging notes, favorite Bible verses, and messages of fellowship, choosing to do as little or as much as their time allows. Requests for fellowship services have come in writing from incarcerated Christians who are often forgotten by family and friends.
The church describes these brothers and sisters as the "Unseen Christians" and recognizes that its correspondence can be a lifeline and a connection to Christian fellowship from outside prison. Rick DiLaurenzo directs the ministry. Its work is grounded in Matthew 25:40, where Jesus identifies his followers with those who are least among them.
Local Roots and Global Mission
Outreach extends through relationships with Living Stream Ranch in Quakertown; Children of the Most High in Zambia, led by Kevin and Dociah Freidrich; the South Africa Evangelistic Mission, led by Dave and Donna Haag; World Wide Evangelistic Ministry in Philadelphia, led by Joey and Damaris Perez; Transformation Mongolia, led by Jargal and Duya; and Flame of Truth in Mexico, led by Mel and Anna High.
The church also names Crossroads Pregnancy Center in Quakertown, Hope International, Tumaini Brother's Keeper, PrisonMentoring.com, and support for persecuted Christians around the world. This network spans local ministry in Bucks County, mission partnerships across the country, and work around the world. Pennridge Christian Fellowship has missionaries and global partnerships focused on making disciples of all nations and carrying the Great Commission beyond its own community.
Giving supports both local and global work, with 50 percent of financial contributions staying in the Bucks County area. Donations are accepted in person or by mail and can be made with cash, checks, and major credit cards. The church's giving options also support specific ministries and its own local initiatives. Giving is presented as an expression of purpose, passion, and priority, with half of contributions remaining in the local community and the rest supporting work across the country and around the world.
What the Church Holds
Pennridge Christian Fellowship describes itself as a charismatic Pentecostal church. Its stated beliefs center on the infallible inspiration of the Bible, the deity and virgin birth of Jesus Christ, his blood atonement and bodily resurrection, and his personal, visible, bodily return to earth. It teaches salvation through faith in Christ's finished work at Calvary, the Pentecostal experience for today, divine healing for the whole body, and the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations. It also holds that marriage is between one biological man and one biological woman.
The fellowship observes believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. It also practices anointing the sick with oil for healing, laying on of hands, and dedication of children whenever appropriate. These teachings, together with the emphasis on praise, testimony, and Bible teaching, shape the church's worship and fellowship.
Pennridge Christian Fellowship's week is anchored by Sunday worship at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday worship at 7:00 p.m., with the Sunday gathering available by livestream. Around those services are classes for nursery through seventh grade, Friday youth nights, recurring adult fellowship, girls and boys ministries, the prison mentoring ministry, and Pennridge Christian Academy. Rooted in the 1958 tent revival, the church's present identity combines expressive Pentecostal worship, ministry from childhood through adulthood, local service, and global mission in Blooming Glen, Perkasie, and beyond.