Pastor A.B. Bennett took time to share that he and his wife Christi have been lead pastors for the Pawnee Assembly of God (PAG) for nearly19 years now. “We wanted to help facilitate a culture of God’s love to the church.”
He shared that when people take God’s journey, “He’ll change and transform your life.”
The Pawnee Assembly of God has a staff of five, and a wonderful group of volunteers. PAG is a community church welcoming member of Pawnee, the surrounding area and beyond. “PAG has a sharing heart to be a church for the community. We want people to know God loves them and so do we, if you go to church here or not, we love them.”
The church was first established in 1930. “The church was planted out of tent revivals.” Pastor Bennett said when God moved, they planted a church. “Jack Gibbs was an evangelist, the first pastor here.”
“What God plants, he intends to grow,” he said about the church that he thought started in the town hall. After that, PAG was in a couple of different buildings and was set for years at a building in Washington that now holds apartments. “In 1978, we moved in here,” Pastor Bennett said about the current church location which sits on an expansive site with a huge park-like view and a big pond.
Today the church is going through an upgrade in the sanctuary with new lights, sound, and technology.
At PAG, Pastor Bennett said, “Our mission is to connect people to Jesus so they can love and live like him.”
Pastor Bennett admits that life is messy, but added, “Back in Jesus time, his ministry was messy too. We must have different and honest conversations about life. We must look at issues in culture and life and learn and grow. The Holy Spirit is a great teacher. PAG helps people connect to God’s Word and cultural issues to have intelligent and spiritual conversations.”
One of the wonderful community services they offer is an Academy for junior, senior high school and college students to help them ease their way into adulthood whether they choose college, or a career. The academy is offered the entire month of June, and covers Identity in Christ, the Holy Spirit, Apologetics, the Heart of God the Father, and ends with the Biblical Foundation of the Constitution and United States with a trip to Washington D.C. “The academy is to prepare the students to stand, strengthen their faith and be armed with tools that come into faith.”
The academy as well as the church helps people find their foundation, so they know just what it is that they believe.
Church services are offered on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday evening at 6:30pm and you can watch live online as well. The church also has several YouTube videos of sermons and more for the community to use. Church members have even more media, videos, books and more available to help them in their Christan journey.
There is also adult Bible study, and a children’s and youth ministry. PAG has an active Senior ministry called “The Oaks”, and Pastor said, “The seniors are a strong presence.”
He said they help with many aspects of the ministry from prayer to hospital visits and more. “We have a cross generational congregation,” Pastor Bennett said about the active youth to the busy seniors.
The Mamma Together program is held twice a month on Thursday offering times for young moms to gather, some are church members, and others are not.
The church serves as a place for the community to gather. Working with community churches, vendors, and the Village of Pawnee, they offer fourth of July fireworks onsite at the church. Pastor Bennett said he wants their site to be used and it is. Youth fish in the pond that they re-dug, there is a play area for children, and youth play baseball on the church fields. A lot of this came about through upgrades changing the field to grass, expanding the pond, and creating a hill where when snow comes kids can sled.
They are not done either. “Our long-term plan is an amphitheater on the hill.”They hope to work with the community and build shelters for picnics as well. “The parking lot is where many kids have learned to drive, mine as well. We want PAG to be an inviting place. Our gym is used almost every night with basketball programs. It is there to be used.” “Christi and I are honored to lead this local church. We came here in 1992 and fell in love. Our first ministry was in the nursery.”
With a variety of positions, and a seven-year ministry journey to Texas and other sites, the Bennetts returned to PAG in 2003, and Pastor A.B Bennett took over as lead pastor in 2005. “We love the town and community. We are blessed. It is the perfect location, rural, but near a big town like Springfield,” he added. “People at PAG truly want to live out their faith and make it count.”
For more information, log onto their website at home – PAWNEE ASSEMBLY OF GOD. They are also on social media channels, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.