ABOUT US
Five Congregations, Serving God, Together
Punxsutawney Cross Town Ministries is comprised of five churches that are in and around the town of Punxsutawney. This charge includes Frostburg/Hopewell, Grace, Hamilton, Valier, and Woodland Ave United Methodist Churches. Cross Town includes a wide array of people from many different backgrounds offering diverse ideas and passions. The history of these congregations dates many years of history in serving within the town and hillsides of the Punxsy Area and Perry Township.
Sunday Worship Times & Locations
Hamilton UMC - 9:00am - 53 #8 Road Hamilton, PA 15744
Woodland Ave UMC - 9:00am - 201 Woodland Avenue Punxsutawney, PA 15767
Grace UMC - 10:00am - 61 Hillcrest Drive Punxsutawney, PA 15767
Frostburg/Hopewell UMC - 11:15am - 12373 Route 536 Punxsutawney, PA 15767
Valier UMC - 11:15am - 54 Center Street Valier, PA 15780
Cross Town Ministries has a number of mission areas that are focused on over the course of the year. Many of these are supported by the United Methodist Women in the charge including local and world missions. Other ministries in the congregations include prayer blankets, soup ministry for shut-ins, an Alzheimer support group, a VBS that includes more than 130 children and a food pantry that offers monthly distributions.
Pastor Edmund Bach
Edmund was born at Brookville hospital in 1979. He was baptized at the Clarington UMC and attended East Forest Elementary school until 1989. He went to middle school and high school in Waynesburg PA and was confirmed at First UMC Waynesburg. After attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering for two years, he lived in Pittsburgh for over a decade; working a variety of business management and culinary jobs. After moving back to the Jefferson County PA area, he joined First UMC Reynoldsville, becoming a very active member.
He served Goodwill Industries as an eCommerce Manager for years, growing their online sales revenue from $400K to over $2M per year and providing opportunities for dozens of workers with barriers to employment. While serving in this role, he went back to school, earning a B.S. in business management.
Through his growing involvement in Lay Servant Ministries, including teaching many classes and serving as district co-director of LSM, he became aware God's calling for him to serve in pastoral ministry. He served first as an associate pastor supplied by the DS in the Grampian Charge, then as a part time local pastor in Falls Creek. He is now the pastor of the Valier Charge and a full time seminary student at MTSO. He loves to cook, and to spend time with his wife Morgan and two young children Victoria and Anthony. He is excited to be serving in this new charge, and exploring how the people of the United Methodist Church can share Christ with the people of Punxsutawney and Perry Township in new and renewed ways.
About
This is a new charge alignment in the Indiana District. The churches included in the charge are Valier, Frostburg: Hopewell, Hamilton, Woodland Avenue and Punxsutawney: Grace. The congregations are anxious to find new ways to do ministries in their community as part of a new charge.
Jillian Jones
Jillian Jones is a lifelong Methodist from Blairsville who grew up in the church. She went to Blairsville High School, then got her bachelors degree in Creative Writing at Saint Vincent College before getting her Masters of Divinity at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Jillian has a husband, Justin, who is a nurse at UPMC East and a son Josiah who is 7 and about to start second grade.
When she’s not preaching Jillian works at a non profit called Family Promise that works to address and prevent homelessness in Indiana County. She has a special place in her heart for homeless and disability ministries like Deaf ministry. In her free time you’ll find her playing Table Top Role Playing Games, watching Anime or otherwise being a total nerd.
Jillian is the Associate Pastor of the Cross Town United Methodist Ministries Charge.