CDP Church Spotlight: Accokeek First Church of God
By Rev. Paula Collins, Pastor at Accokeek First Church of God
Accokeek First Church of God, pastored by Rev. Paula Collins, is a small, diverse fellowship of believers with a very big heart. Located in southern Prince George’s County and within two miles of the Charles County border, the church is strategically placed to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ in Word and deed to a population in both counties and the District of Columbia that reflects the congregation’s diversity.
A focal point of the church’s mission is supporting the work of international and national missionaries, and working with local associations to provide assistance to families within the community who are challenged with food security. With a heart for those who have unstable permanent shelter, the church members minister in the community through their “Personal Encounter” Ministry. This ministry distributes personal hygiene items, bottled water, snack, coats, and blankets to those who are without shelter. This past MLK Community Day, AFCOG worked in tandem with one of its sister churches, Temple Hills Church of God, to distribute bagged lunches to persons who are faced with living on the streets. The bagged lunches were packed and supplied by the National Harbor Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, a community partner.
Pastor Paula, who has attended AFCOG for 39 of its 80 years of existence states, “Over the past several decades, I have observed the change in the demographics of our community. With the change has come the need for our ministries to change. Our presence in the community can no longer be the church building, but our members must serve the community as the hands and feet of Jesus.” As such the church has renovated and made available two homes for affordable housing within the local community.
The pastor also noted the change wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I am so very proud of our congregation. God had been preparing us for the changes in our worship service prior to the pandemic. We had been working on transitioning to an online presence for meetings and our Bible school when it hit. We simply moved all our services online when the State of Maryland mandated that everything be shut down. We have not missed a service.” AFCOG continues to worship in hybrid services. According to Pastor Paula, “We were worshipping online when other churches had closed and had not figured out what to do. People found us and didn’t leave when the doors of their churches reopened. Some folks didn’t have a church and were drawn to seek God during this time. They, too, came and didn’t leave. Some live in other states, which makes it impossible for them to attend in person, so, hybrid services are here to stay.”
AFCOG members are currently sharing their worship space with a Spanish-speaking congregation with the conviction that God gives those whom He can trust the resources to steward for themselves and to share with others. With this belief in their hearts, church members are working toward establishing a community garden on vacant property.