First Assembly of God of Hermitage
The founding and development of the First Assembly of God of Hermitage in Hermitage, Pennsylvania is a tribute to a recognized supernatural work of God, a dedicated leadership and a committed congregation.
In April of 2007, the church celebrated its 80th anniversary. From the original small Italian-speaking church, the church has developed greatly.
Sensing a calling from God, in the year 1927, two Italian women from New Castle, Pennsylvania, Ann Miller and Almirina Catalani, struggled to begin an evangelical missionary service throughout the Shenango Valley. They went from door to door presenting the Gospel of Christ, but often were turned away because of the religious prejudice against non-Catholics during that time. Some feared what they interpreted as a disruption of their faith; others felt they were unqualified to present the Gospel because they were only laypersons. But this did not discourage them from sharing the Gospel throughout the region. When they finally gathered followers, their numbers increased rather rapidly since most families in that time were quite large. They met in homes to worship, but needed a pastor to lead their fellowship.
By April of 1927, Rev. Peter Bonafiglia became the pastor of the unnamed church, which would soon be known as the Assemblia Christiana, the Christian Assembly. They purchased the Polish Falcon home at 1013 Emerson Avenue in Farrell for $4500, and by 1929 began worship services in that building. By 1937, the name of the church was incorporated as the Italian Christian church in the state of Pennsylvania along with other churches in Greenville and Meadville.
The congregation of AbOUT 150 held services on Sunday evening at 7:30. Although a good number of the members were former Roman Catholics, a formal liturgy was not followed. However, a specific Order of Service was followed while carefully permitting the Holy Spirit to express Himself as He willed while they were gathered - and He did manifest His presence in various ways,including healing the sick. Services were conducted in Italian and English with the Pastor giving the sermon first in Italian and then translate in English. During the time of praise and worship, songs would be sung and prayers were offered in Italian. The church was blessed with a small orchestra that accompanied the singing. Charles Sanitate served as worship leader in those early days.
During the 1940s, a Sunday school was formed to meet the needs of the younger children and teenagers attending the church with teachers equipped with Sunday School Quarterlies to make sure sound doctrine was being taught.ref name="Sanitate"/>
A Board of Trustees and a Board of Deacons were responsible for the secular and spiritual affairs of the church under the Pastor's leadership. Michael Cagno Sr. was treasurer. Records in those beginning years were written in Italian to keep track of financial records and the ProgresS of the growing church. Remodeling of the inside of the Polish Falcons Hall and building of the baptistery introduced baptism and new areas for Sunday schooling and other studies. The increaed requirement for the English language in the growing church made it difficult for Pastor Bonafiglia to serve the people adequately. The church experienced decline as some members drifted into other churches; so in 1955 Pastor Bonafiglia resigned.
In 1956 Reverend Guy BonGiovanni became the Pastor. The church was renamed the Farrell Christian Assembly. The sanctuary was soon renovated. On New Year's Eve, 1960, the first service was held with Rev. David Wilkerson as Evangelist in The New church built on Roemer Blvd. Thereafter, services were conducted only in English except for Friday night which was exclusively in Italian until no longer needed. Sunday School was completely reorganized and grew to a membership of 264, with attendance over 300 for special occasions. At least 50 were enrolled in the Teen Dept. during Pat Leali's term as Superintendent. Regular Staff Conferences and instruction sessions for teachers were instituted. Specialized ministry groups were formed at this time, such as the Boys' Brigade for young boys, Christianettes for young girls, fellowship groups for Men and Women. Rev. Dennis Sproul was called to serve as Minister of Youth, followed by Ray Lex and John Bone. Annual ministry events such as the Annual Couples Clinic, a Faith Promise-Centered Missions Convention, a School of the Bible, a Kids Krusade which served 400, and a Stewardship Campaign to encourage tithing based on the "Covenant of Blessing" also were instituted.
Reverend BonGiovanni was an energetic person who advocated the church be more ACTIVE in community activities. The church became active in the Pennsylvania Sunday School Association, District 12, and the Farrell Released Time Religious Education. He served as President of the Farrell-Wheatland Ministerial Association and led the only Association-sponsored citywide evangelistic crusade in the history of Farrell. The Gospel of John also was progressively placed in Shenango Valley homes by teams of students from Bible Colleges. A Gospel newspaper was sent to every Shenango Valley mailing address and a Newsette, produced originally by Evelyn Leali and Julian Martino and later for many years by Pat Leali, was mailed weekly to church members and friends. Rev. BonGiovanni brought in ministers widely known at that time on the national scene like C. M. Ward, Harold Bredesen, Dr. Harold Helms and Dr. Oswald J. Smith. to nurture the congregation; and was himself active in ministry in various denominations. During his tenure at least 12 people followed a sense of God's Call by enrolling in college for training in ministry. After about 16 years of being pastor, Reverend BonGiovanni resigned his position to become the Executive Director of Missions for the Christian Church of North America. While Director of Missions he returned on different occasions to help the church during transitional periods. He served the church more than 16 years.
Rev. Joseph Magliato succeeded Rev. BonGiovanni. He would be described as "young and vibrant" and had served the church as Minister of Youth while Rev. BonGiovanni was pastor. He began church services on Sunday mornings. Prior to his tenure the main service was held on Sunday evenings and Sunday morning was dedicated to Christian education. Rev. Magliota was gifted with humor and verbal creativity. The congregation responded well to his ministry. He made children’s bible story records and began a radio ministry to the community. After two years, he was called to California for pastoral work for a gathering called "Amazing Prophecies." Between 1975 and 1979, his successor, the Rev. Hugh Tedesci, whose ministry had been well received, wanted the church to be independent rather than continue identification with the CCNA. His resignation ultimately was accepted and Rev. Nat Sagenerio was called as Interim Pastor to bring healing to the bruised congregation. Later Eugene Carver was called as Pastor.
By 1989, Pastor Larry Haynes, who served as Associate under Pastor Carver, became the new leader of the church. Growth was at its highest rate since the founding of the church, with estimated attendance in the three Sunday services eventually reaching circa 1000. He led the church in a change of affiliation with the General Council of the Assemblies of God and the church name was changed to the First Assembly of God of Hermitage. He also led the congregation in building new facilities in Hermitage. Unfortunately, Pastor Haynes shifted some of his doctrinal views and attempted to go independent.
In 1997, Rev. Larry Haynes resigned his position and Pastor Ken Martin, the current pastor, was called to the church. Under his ministry the church was stabelized and restored with a new sense of identity. He also led the congregation in building an addition to the church facility and acquiring considerable property around the church for additional ministries. Much of the music and worship that was prevalent in the early years of the church is still present in today’s church. The church continues to enjoy growth and increased numbers.