The Welcome Church
A Church Without Walls
What's New at The Welcome Church?
Partnership with West Kensington Ministries!
For the past several years we have been developing a printing business known as "Welcome Threads." Based on skills learned through that initiative and experience with silk screening and printing tee shirts bearing various words of wisdom from the street, we have now partnered with West Kensington Ministries, an initiative of the Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. This partnership will now allow us to take custom orders on tee shirts printing up to 500 shirts for your church, school, camp or personal use. It also allows us to provide jobs and experience for our Welcome Church community and for West Kensington. For more information on ordering tee shirts, call us at 267-324-7386 and visit our website for more information WKMSILKSCREENS.
Welcome Church Clergy Team
(not new but never grows old in time and commitment!)
The Reverend Violet Cucciniello Little
Pastor, Mission Developer, The Welcome church
Violet is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) who first began The Welcome Center and later The Welcome Church after meeting women who were washing up and changing clothes in train station restrooms. Ordained in 1992, Pastor Little has served in urban ministry since her ordination. Pastor Little is also a trained psychotherapist with a small private practice in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia.
The Reverend Schaunel Steinnegal
Associate Pastor, The Welcome Church
Schaunel, formerly serving as the Hunger Action Enabler for the Presbytery of Philadelphia, comes to the Welcome Church with a passion and belief that with the proper use of our resources, we can end hunger. Here Schaunel is pictured with a King's cake, walking us into the season of Lent. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary in New York, Schaunel has worked on several programs with people experiencing homelessness.
The Rev Dennis Lloyd
Dennis comes to us by way of Nashville where he served a street ministry known as Church in the Yard. Dennis is part of The Welcome Church clergy team and brings us the opportunity to offer prayers and readings in Spanish as well as English. Dennis is currently retired after serving as rector of Holy Apostles Episcopal Church in Wynnewood, Pa.
The Rev. Dave Madsen
An Episcopal priest who, after serving the parish of Church of St. John the Evangelist in Essington, PA (near the Philadelphia International Airport), and being part of The Welcome Church clergy team, brought The Welcome church to the West Coast! Pastor Dave started The Welcome Church, El Cajon after accepting a call in San Diego. Prior to his move to the Philadelphia area Dave worked for four years with Ecclesia Ministries of New York. Dave says, "My favorite thing about my involvement with the Welcome Church of Philadelphia is that I have leaders of my congregation that share this passion, and it has become a key ministry of outreach for St. John’s. It gives me great joy to see members of St. Johns adopting the Welcome Church as their ministry, and experiencing first hand that 'all Gods gifts are to be experienced and enjoyed by all Gods people wherever they may be.'”
The Reverend Linda Manson
Pastor and Mission Developer, Living Gospel
Linda first came to Welcome Church as a seminary student doing both her field education with us and later her internship.
Following her ordination in 2015, Linda conitnued to develop Living Gospel, a Synodically Authorized Worshiping Community of the ELCA. Pastor Manson also created the L.I.F.E. Ministry which offers assistance to individuals and families connected to the criminal justice system.
More profiles to come...
The Reverend Donna Maree
Rector, Trinity Memorial Church
The Reverend Betsy Ivey
Rector, St. Simon the Cyrinean Episcopal Church
Waverly Alston, Jr.
Minister of Music, Clergy Team Member
Meet our Minister of Music, Waverly Alston, Jr.!Waverly is a talented vocalist, composer and arranger whose heart is as big and magnificent as his voice. In addition to his musical talent, Waverly has a Masters Degree in Biblical Studies and is currently working towards his Ph.D. in Pastoral Counseling. Waverly has a special interest in the development of leadership among men and has offered a number of workshops in this area. Along with serving as a director for a men's shelter, Waverly is a dedicated member of our Welcome Church clergy team.
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