By Andrew Hesner

Published: Thursday, January 17, 2013, 9:00 p.m.
Updated: Thursday, January 17, 2013

Al Thomas, 71, has owned Fox's Pizza in Mt. Pleasant since 1992. In the later months of 2011, he became interested in starting a church.

Last February, The Christian Community Church of Mt. Pleasant had its first service.

A nondenominational church, it seeks to restore the teachings and practices of Christ.

“We have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, and we wear no name but Christian,” says the mission statement.

The church has more than 20 active members and $12,000 in first-year offerings, said Thomas.

Instead of seeing a surge of new members around the holidays like many other churches, Thomas saw a surge in participation from his active members.

For the 2012 holiday season, the church donated toys to Madison's Angels and went Christmas caroling throughout the area.

On Jan. 20 and 21, they will sponsor an all-night Rock-A-Thon to raise money for a youth convention that members plan to attend in February in Hershey.

“The kids are off school on Monday, so they are gonna start Sunday night,” Thomas said. “They are gonna rock all night long and get pledges for how long they can go.”

Location has been an ongoing problem for the church, however.

Originally, services were held in Thomas' house next to the pizza shop. Crowded conditions made him reconsider.

Holding the service inside the pizza shop was the next option.

“We have enough seating for 28 people,” he said. “But Christmas Eve was pretty crowded.”

Thomas' next major priority is to look for a new building.

“We would like to stay in Mt. Pleasant,” he said. “We would even consider New Stanton or Youngwood.”

Thomas, a McKeesport native and graduate of Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tenn., served as minister of Squirrel Hill Christian Church in Pittsburgh for 25 years.

Church services are held on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in Fox's Pizza in Mt. Pleasant.

Andrew Hesner is a freelance writer.

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