The members of Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Mount Joy like to use a phrase to sum up their ministry: "All are welcome, all are needy and all are needed."

"Christ gives His invitation to everyone, so are all welcomed in that sense," said pastor Troy De Bruin. "We are all sinners in need of a Savior, so we are needy, and God has given gifts to every person, youngest to oldest, to be used in service, so we are needed."

As the church marks its 10th anniversary, De Bruin and associate pastor Collin Gingrich are looking forward to continued growth while looking back on their journey so far.

"We are a daughter church of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lancaster," De Bruin shared, noting that Westminster has a history of planting churches. De Bruin, who joined Westminster as a youth pastor in 2000, worked with Westminster staff to look for a new church home in the Mount Joy/Elizabethtown area in the fall of 2013.

By February of 2014, Proclamation Presbyterian Church was welcoming worshippers to services at Mount Joy Church of God. The church met on Sunday evenings, but after a few years, the congregation changed locations to be able to offer Sunday morning services. Proclamation met at Florin Church of the Brethren from April 2016 to March 2020 before moving to its current home at Kraybill Mennonite School, 598 Kraybill Church Road, Mount Joy.

Both De Bruin and Gingrich note that Proclamation offers the strength of the Presbyterian denomination combined with a small-town, community spirit.

"As a denomination, there's a high focus and priority on preaching the Word of God," De Bruin said. "Our worship is both with reverence and with joy. ... We intentionally rehearse the Gospel in our worship service, and we partake of the Lord's Supper every week. Being a smaller church, that helps us to be more of a family, with a welcoming feeling. There is a true welcoming spirit and love for one another."

Added Gingrich, "It's in our name: Proclamation. Our weekly proclamation is the Gospel. We remember the Good News that Christ died for our sins. Each week, we are remembering that each one of us is a sinner, and we're saved by God's grace. ... People are coming to Proclamation and finding healing and hope and stability in their Christian life."

Before becoming associate pastor, Gingrich served as a pastoral intern with Proclamation, and the church is working on growing the internship program, which prepares men for ministry.

The church wants to be a good neighbor, De Bruin said, whether that means supporting a community organization or equipping its members to love their actual neighbors in word and deed.

De Bruin noted that he typically preaches through the books of the Bible, most recently focusing on Romans. "Romans 15:7 says, 'Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God,'" he shared. "If someone is thinking about coming to Proclamation, we would want them to know they'd be welcomed with open arms."

Proclamation holds services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m., preceded by Sunday school for people of all ages at 9 a.m. A 6 p.m. service is also held on the second and fifth Sundays of the month, and the church will hold vacation Bible school this summer in late July. For more information on the church, including livestreamed services, visit http://proclamationpca.com or call 717-207-8220.