Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Church of the Good Samaritans

Broken but Not Destroyed

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The Ordination of Kevin Opett

by Noel Santiago

On a rainy afternoon on Oct. 11, 2025, at The Church of the Good Samaritans (Holland, PA), friends, close church family members, colleagues, and guests gathered to witness the ordination of Kevin Opett. Despite gray skies, the room was warm with anticipation, celebrating God’s transformative work in a life once broken and now made whole.

Leadership Minister Noel Santiago officiates.

Opett’s journey is a testament to God’s redeeming power. Born in Abington, PA, in 1971 and raised in a blended family, Opett moved frequently along the East Coast as his father served in the Navy. As a teenager, an invitation to a youth Bible study led him to encounter Jesus in a deeply personal way, sparking a lifelong commitment to follow Him. He earned a B.A. in Secondary Education and Biblical Studies from Mid-America Christian University in 1995 and later a Master of Divinity from Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA.

During a trip to Germany in 2000, Kevin met Petra, who would become his steadfast partner in life and ministry. Ordained by the International Baptist Convention in 2004, he served with other pastors in Stuttgart, Germany for 10 years before returning to the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree. After being sent back into vocational ministry in 2021 by his home church, Oxford Circle Mennonite in Philadelphia, he received licensing and ordination through the Mosaic Mennonite Conference, serving in a congregation in New Jersey before becoming the pastor of Good Samaritans in June 2024.

The message for the afternoon was delivered by a fellow seminarian and best friend, Rev. David Grimes, based on 2 Corinthians 4:1-18 and titled “A Faithful Calling.” Grimes highlighted how God calls and commissions us not because we are perfect, but because God’s power is revealed through our weaknesses. The rainy afternoon seemed almost symbolic, echoing the truth that light shines brightest when clouds gather.

Rev. David Grimes preached during the ordination. Photo by Noel Santiago.

Colleagues who have walked alongside Opett shared heartfelt reflections of fights and tears, lessons learned, and bonds deepened through shared challenges. Their stories echoed the message that God calls, shapes, and commissions through every circumstance, even the painful and messy ones.

For Petra, the ordination marked a milestone in finding a home in a community that embraces her and the family she supports. Ministry, the afternoon made clear, is never an individual journey but a shared one, where the love and support of family and friends amplify God’s calling.

Tamira Good offered a reflection. Photo by Noel Santiago.
A fellowship meal followed the ordination. Photo by Noel Santiago.

As Opett received the laying on of hands and the charge to serve, the room resonated with hope and affirmation. He is a man once broken, now walking boldly in God’s calling, a living testimony that in God’s hands, brokenness is never the end.

Opett’s story and the afternoon’s message remind us all: we may be broken, but through God’s faithfulness, we are not destroyed.

Noel Santiago

Noel Santiago is the Leadership Minister for Missional Transformation for Mosaic Conference.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To contact Noel Santiago, please email nsantiago@mosaicmennonites.org.

Congregational Profile: Church of the Good Samaritans

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by Pastor Bob Pirylis and Elder Charles Bergey

The Church of the Good Samaritans began like many churches, as a vision given by God.  This vision was placed within the heart of Reverend J. J. Plenert, Pastor of First Mennonite Church of Philadelphia. He had an idea to plant a new church to minister to the spiritual needs of those living in the rural areas surrounding the city.

In 1957, many important things took place in the new church.  On February 3, the name “Church Of The Good Samaritans” was chosen.  The church’s constitution was drawn up and adopted by eighteen members on April 12, and later that month, the Sunday School was organized. In March 1959, a ten-and-a-half acre plot of property was purchased from William and Anne Fisher in Holland, PA (Northampton Township, Lower Bucks County).  In 1960, ground was broken to build a parsonage on this property.  All worship services, Sunday school classes, meetings, dinners and other events and gatherings were held there in the parsonage.

In 1961, construction started for the new church building to be located between the parsonage and Holland Road. The first worship service was held on the site of the new building at 6:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday 1962, without walls or a roof. The building was completed and dedicated on September 23, 1962. Over the next five years many new families began worshiping with us and thirteen people become official members of the congregation. God continued to be gracious to us throughout the years. Our mission verse is 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life.” This continues to be our passion to “Reach and Teach the World!”

Through God’s blessings and provision, we were able to add a playground to advance our outreach to the community and enhance our children’s ministry. Between Vacation Bible School and LEGO nights, we offer opportunities for children and young people to learn important Bible truths about Jesus and other skills to help them apply these lessons to their lives. We continue to seek God’s direction in how we should proceed in bolstering a youth ministry and using our puppet ministry to work outside the walls of the church.

Each month, a ministry team travels to the Helping Hand and Whosoever Gospel Missions to lead worship, bring an evangelical message, and serve a meal to the homeless. We partner with Crossroads Community Center through Easter egg hunts, campout & hayrides, movie nights, and children’s fun days. In addition, we work closely with Child Evangelism Fellowship and Ambassador Football in summer outreach events like Bible clubs and soccer camps.  

Our Quilting Ministry has been meeting every Monday evening for the past 15 years. Approximately 25-30 ladies of all ages create beautiful quilts that are given to sick children in local hospitals to bring them comfort, warmth, and love as they struggle through their treatments and recovery. To date these women have completed 2769 quilts. They work with “Quilts For Kids,” a national organization that distributes these labors to troubled children all over the world.

Carrying the Word of Life to the world has always been a key component of the ministry of this congregation. Each year, in addition to our local and urban outreaches, we send a team to tend to the needs of the sick and elderly in several financially depressed communities located in Webster County, West Virginia.  We combine our love, resources, and talents to build wheelchair ramps, steps, and porches to assist those with physical disabilities. We also fix leaky roofs and make desperately needed repairs to raise their quality of life, both spiritually and physically.

We are thankful to our Lord for constantly sending us and challenging us to be “Good Samaritans,” servants to His hurting world.  

Prayer requests:

  1. That we continue to seek God’s direction on trying some new and different ways to impact the community and the world with the Gospel of Jesus.
  1. As we make adjustment to our AV capabilities the congregation would be flexible to adjust with these advances to bring into the technological era.
  1. Ask God to show us how we would allow people to see the full image of Christ through us in everything we do inside and outside the church.
  1. That God would guide us to the new missionary we are add to our missionary support group.