How Did Our Atlantic City Ministry Get Started?

In 2011 one of our board members, Bob McDonough, spoke with the SOFM board about a friend of his, and his wife, who recently planted a church in Atlantic City, NJ. Santo & MaryEllen Garafalo had been friends with Bob & Ann McDonough for many years. Once again, a relationship was about to birth a new ministry from within SOFM. A few of us made a trip down to AC that year to check out what they were doing and quickly saw that their desire to serve the people of AC was not only needed but could give many people who wanted to help spread the Gospel a short-term mission trip in which to do so.

The following year we put together our first mission team that spent 1-week serving alongside Pastor Santo and the team from New City Fellowship of AC. This trip was amazing because it not only gave us the opportunity to bring a 3-night Bible Club to a low income community that was in need of the Gospel, but our team also worked on construction projects, service projects and were discipled in urban ministry and how racial reconciliation can help connect the community to the church.

Each year since we have brought a team down during the summer. Teams as large as 20 to as small as 6 have walked the streets of AC, evangelized the local communities and help meet the needs of that week. The now famous saying from Pastor Santo, “Come with a flexible and pioneering spirit” has been used every since throughout SOFM.

Not only have we been able to help during the summer, but we have also helped New City with their Christmas Store in December and have been able to support Pastor Santo with pastoral support.  Helping to support interns as well as providing scholarships for those who want to go on a trip are also part of what SOFM has been able to do.

In the past 2 years Santo & MaryEllen have been in the planning stages to hand off the baton of leading the New City Fellowship Church to Pastor Pete and and his wife Katie. This is being done because Santo & MaryEllen are being led to ministry in Italy. Our summer trip this year (2022) was a very special one because we were there the week that Pastor Pete was prayed over for this new position as well as Santo & MaryEllen’s going away party. While there are changes happening, God continues to be consistent in the vision to help those in this city become followers of Jesus while helping to meet their tangible needs.