by Cindy Angela
On a sunny fall afternoon in South Philadelphia, the streets around 18th and Wolf Streets were buzzing with excitement. The energetic sound of Indonesian praise music filled the air as people filled the main sanctuary of the renovated building of PAX Center, the new home for Philadelphia (PA) Praise Center (PPC). About 200 congregation members attended PAX Center’s building dedication service on October 26, 2024.
Earlier that day, PPC hosted an open house to invite the community to tour the historic space—formerly home to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church—and explore all the building has to offer.
‘Pax’ means peace in Latin, and it is exactly PPC’s hope for the building.
“We want to bring light in the darkness, bring hope to the hopeless, and to bring peace to the entire community,” shares PPC Senior Pastor Aldo Siahaan.
The building serves as a worship space for the PPC congregation, and PPC also hopes that PAX Center can be a blessing to other organizations and the neighborhood. Along with PPC’s activities, PAX Center is already being used by a Spanish-speaking congregation, gamelan (Indonesian traditional music) practice by a local organization, a preschool, as well as hosting other community events.
Every Sunday, the first floor of the parsonage is transformed into PAX Cafe, a welcoming pay-as-you-wish café open to everyone in the community.
For 18 years, PPC had worshipped in a building on McKean Street in South Philadelphia. As the congregation grew in size, it had become evident that they were outgrowing the space.
In 2023, through Mosaic Conference’s Executive Minister, Stephen Kriss, PPC learned that this historic property on 18th Street was for sale. After a long process, PPC was finally able to acquire the building in July 2024.
“We are very grateful for Mosaic staff and board members who walked with us faithfully during the entire process until we finally got the mortgage and closed on the building,” reflected Siahaan.
Within three months of purchasing the 200-year-old building, PPC completed several renovations to accommodate the needs of the congregation. PPC now has space for two services, a youth service, and three Sunday School classes every Sunday.
“An overcrowded space is no longer an issue and now we can truly focus on discipleship,” said Siahaan.
Cindy Angela
Cindy Angela is the Director of Communication for Mosaic Conference. She attends Philadelphia (PA) Praise Center, and she lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Andy, and son, Noah.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.