![\"Pastor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/STT-L-CHURCH-12EG-02.jpg\")
Pastor Jack Munley and his wife address Rescue and Restore Church in December of 2025. The Olyphant Church has grown in numbers and its commitment to the community, Munley said. (SUBMITTED)<\/p>\nIf a year ago you would have told Pastor Dennis D\u2019Augostine that 2025 was going to be one of his best years in ministry, he wouldn\u2019t have believed you.<\/p>\n
Church attendance numbers were down and it seemed like young people had no interest in attending.<\/p>\n
But now, looking back on 2025, D\u2019Augostine, pastor of Steamtown Church in Scranton, says people are flocking to the church in record numbers and its social media platforms are thriving.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the best year I\u2019ve ever had in 22 years of ministry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Pastor Jack Munley and his wife address Rescue and Restore Church in December of 2025. The Olyphant Church has grown in numbers and its commitment to the community, Munley said. (SUBMITTED)<\/p>\n
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![\"Mary,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/STT-L-CHURCH-12EG-01_e24d42.jpg\")
Mary, Mother of God, Scranton. (SUBMITTED)<\/p>\n
The church has also benefited from its online presence, including Facebook.<\/p>\n
For example, several weeks ago during a snowstorm, not only were the pews full, but there were also 300 people watching a livestream of the service, D\u2019Augostine said.<\/p>\n
Livestreaming and social media are great ways to get the word out. Often those who watch the service online eventually come out to a service, he said.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Augostine believes the increase in attendance has it roots in people seeking acceptance, truth and real peace.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Augostine\u2019s experience is not unique. Churches across the area are seeing an uptick in attendance. And not just for Sunday services, but throughout the week.<\/p>\n
Pastor Jack Munley, of Rescue and Restore Church of Olyphant, said church membership is up and the church is increasingly involved in community activities.<\/p>\n
For example, the church recently opened up its parking lot and basement to the Olyphant Kris Kringle Market.<\/p>\n
Residents not only got to shop, but also to stop for a hot chocolate and a bite to eat before heading out to Santa\u2019s arrival at the Queen City train station and the parade that followed.<\/p>\n
But Munley and his church congregants also supported the community through difficult times this year.<\/p>\n
When 12-year-old Bentley Zippittelli was shot just blocks away from the church earlier this year, church members immediately reached out to his family, offering to pray and help in any way that was needed.<\/p>\n
When Zippittelli was released from the hospital, the church held a fundraiser, which served not only to raise money but to bring the community together in a show of support for the young man and his family.<\/p>\n
Munley\u2019s church also benefits from social media.\u00a0He takes to Facebook most weekdays to share a daily devotion.<\/p>\n
The church livestreams its Sunday services on Facebook and YouTube.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe following on Facebook is growing every day; we\u2019re close to 3,000 followers on that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do get a lot of requests through Messenger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Munley is not only committed to the church\u2019s current social media activity, but is also open to expanding it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m considering doing a podcast during 2026,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rebounding after the pandemic<\/p>\n
Pastor Elliott Cooke of the Jackson Street Baptist Church came to the Scranton church in 2017, and soon attendance tripled.<\/p>\n
But then the COVID pandemic happened and in-person attendance dwindled.<\/p>\n
Since that time attendance numbers are up, but they have not completely rebounded, he said.<\/p>\n
During the pandemic, Cooke began livestreaming on Facebook and has continued to do so.<\/p>\n
And, although he strongly believes that in-person church attendance is vital, he also sees the benefits of livestreaming the service, with videos available throughout the week.<\/p>\n
That way, if someone had to work on a Sunday morning, they can still hear the message.<\/p>\n
Even those attending in person can reinforce the message by listening to it again during the week, he said.<\/p>\n
In addition to the church\u2019s main Facebook page, there are also private Facebook pages for prayer requests, the youth group and newcomers to the church.<\/p>\n
The church also Zooms its Wednesday night prayer meeting, making it possible for people to participate in the service, even if there\u2019s bad weather or they feel it\u2019s too late to go out.<\/p>\n
Growing in tradition<\/p>\n
Mary, Mother of God parish on William Street in Scranton also has a vibrant presence on Facebook, posting not only livestream videos but also information about the church and photos of activities.<\/p>\n
The Rev. Cyril D. Edwards said the church has seen a definite rebound since the pandemic, consistent with a nationwide trend.<\/p>\n
\u201cNational statistics, and I speak from the Catholic perspective, show that there are a number of people who are finding meaningful direction in religious life,\u201d he said. \u201cWe live in difficult times and people are finding stability and direction. They\u2019ve determined they need something that brings them peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
The church continues to maintain robust attendance, with the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass service averaging about 400 to 500 people.<\/p>\n
Edwards said the church serves people of all ages, including families.<\/p>\n
One statistic that he believes is especially telling is the number of baptisms per year.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year we had 25 baptisms; this year we\u2019ll have 40,\u201d he said. \u201cThat tells you something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Younger people, greater growth in attendance<\/p>\n
Statistics about church attendance nationwide are mixed but consistently show an increase in church attendance among millennials and members of Gen Z.<\/p>\n
For example, 39% of millennials report attending church on a weekly basis, according to the Barna Group\u2019s most recent State of the Church report, as opposed to about 21% of Americans overall who attend church regularly.<\/p>\n
For the first time in decades, younger adults \u2014 both Gen Z and millennials \u2014 are now the most regular churchgoers, outpacing older generations who once formed the backbone of church attendance, the report concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If a year ago you would have told Pastor Dennis D\u2019Augostine that 2025 was going to be one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75416,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,139,28,178,180,179],"class_list":{"0":"post-75415","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-lackawanna-county","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-scranton","13":"tag-scranton-headlines","14":"tag-scranton-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}