Our VISION
Center City is a church (body of believers on mission together) that is called to carry out the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20)
We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be God’s witnesses (to testify, to speak on behalf) locally, regionally, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) We have been prophetically called and apostolically sent and set in place.
Our desire is to see people Awakened to God, Revived in His Presence, and Equipped to Transform Lives, Families, and Communities.
We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be God’s witnesses (to testify, to speak on behalf) locally, regionally, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) We have been prophetically called and apostolically sent and set in place.
Our desire is to see people Awakened to God, Revived in His Presence, and Equipped to Transform Lives, Families, and Communities.
Our MISSION: TRANSFORM ONE
We exist to see individuals, families, and communities transformed by the love and power of God"; “Transforming our cities one life at a time”; "Transform One! One Life, One Family, One Community…”
Our STORY
OUR HISTORY AND HEARTBEAT
Prophetically Called. Apostolically Sent. Set in Place.
The story of Center City Church did not begin with a building or a Sunday service. It began years earlier with a call to a city, a burden for people, and a series of steps that, looking back, reveal the faithfulness and direction of God.
In 1998, after graduating from college, Jim Kilmartin felt called to return to his hometown of Tyrone, Pennsylvania. That November, he was ordained as a minister and commissioned to begin Joshua House, a ministry focused on reaching and developing young people.
Jim and Jessica were married in 2000, and together they continued serving the vision God had given them for young people, their city, and the region. Along the way, young adults began moving to Tyrone to become part of what God was doing.
Years earlier, a prophetic word had been spoken over Jim that he would become the mayor of Tyrone. In 2006, that word became reality when he took office, serving through 2010.
Then God's direction began to shift toward Altoona.
In March 2015, a prophetic word came forth about planting a church in Altoona. Bishop Bart Pierce later confirmed that direction, and in November 2015, Jim and Jessica were commissioned at the Rock City Church Fellowship Convention in Baltimore to plant the church. During the prophetic presbytery, words were also spoken concerning a "Brownstone" church building. As soon as that word came forth, Jim knew where that building was - downtown Altoona.
In 2016, Jim, Jessica, and a small team were sent out by Keystone Church in State College and later prayed over and sent by Bishop Bart Pierce and Rock City Church. That fall, God gave them the name Center City Church, and the new church became part of the Rock City Church Fellowship.
On January 1, 2017, 17 people gathered in the Kilmartins' living room for Center City Church's first official meeting.
A little more than three months later, Center City publicly launched on Easter Sunday with 93 people. God continued to add people and establish the church, and by Easter 2019, Center City welcomed 393 people across two Sunday services.
Then the "Brownstone" came back into the story.
In 2019, Center City purchased the former First United Methodist Church in downtown Altoona, a historic brownstone church building.
The prophetic word spoken four years earlier had taken on a very tangible meaning.
Through 2020 and 2021, the congregation poured itself into renovating the Brownstone. In May 2021, Center City dedicated its new sanctuary in the heart of downtown Altoona.
But while one chapter of Center City's story was being built, God had already been preparing the next.
Preparing the Next Pastor
Years before Center City existed, God was also working in the life of Mark Mielnik Jr.
On August 10, 2013, Mark was flying home from a business conference in Texas with a growing conviction that something in his life needed to change. Exactly one year later, during a worship service at Cowboys Stadium, Mark surrendered his life to Christ.
Everything began to change.
Mark and his wife, Shannon, began serving in youth and children's ministry in the Scranton area. During these years, Mark also developed a relationship with Jim Kilmartin, seeking his advice about ministry and the possibility of starting a Joshua House in Scranton.
Jim would pray for Mark and repeatedly ask him a simple question:
"What keeps you in Scranton?"
For Mark, the answer was his teaching career.
But in 2017, Mark sensed God telling him it was time to leave teaching because He had something else for him. A month later, while hiking Mount Nittany, Mark sensed another clear instruction from the Lord: Take the narrow road.
He understood it as a call to ministry.
Mark and Shannon continued serving and seeking God about what was next. Mark began wondering whether God might call their family back to his hometown of Altoona to help Jim and Jessica with the newly planted Center City Church.
Shannon's response was clear. She wasn't moving to Altoona unless God told her.
Then, in April 2018, everything changed.
The Mielnik family had traveled to Altoona for Center City's first anniversary. In the early morning hours before the Sunday service, Shannon woke Mark and told him that God had spoken to her:
They were moving to Altoona to become part of Center City Church.
That morning, they received prayer and a prophetic word that things would move quickly and that God would take care of the details.
Within months, their house was sold, their family had relocated, and they had joined Center City in serving Altoona.
From 2018 forward, Mark and Shannon gave themselves to the vision God had entrusted to Jim and Jessica. In 2020, Mark joined the Center City staff and became heavily involved in renovating the Brownstone. During those long days of building, Mark began sensing that God had a larger purpose for placing him there.
In 2021, Mark became Center City's Executive Pastor, and in November 2022, he was licensed as a minister.
What had begun as a call to simply come and serve was becoming something more.
A New Chapter
In 2024, another major transition began.
Jim and Jessica were called to Baltimore as part of the leadership succession at Rock City Church. That November, they were set in as Senior Pastors of Rock City Church.
Center City was entering a new season too.
On November 26, 2024, Reliance Bank donated its downtown Altoona building to Center City Church, opening another opportunity for the church to disciple, train, equip, and serve people in the heart of the city.
Then, on January 5, 2025, Mark Mielnik Jr. was set in as Senior Pastor of Center City Church. On that same Sunday, Center City officially began holding two Sunday morning services.
It was both a transition and a continuation.
The leadership changed, but the calling did not.
From Jim and Jessica being sent to Altoona, to Mark and Shannon unexpectedly being called back to the city, to 17 people gathering in a living room, to the Brownstone, to another building being entrusted to the church, Center City's story has been marked by a willingness to hear God and obey.
That remains our heartbeat today.
We believe the local church is called to make disciples, develop leaders, serve its city, reach the next generation, and demonstrate the Kingdom of God wherever He has placed us.
Our story is still being written.
And just as we have from the beginning, we want to keep listening, keep following, and keep saying yes to whatever God asks us to do next.
The story of Center City Church did not begin with a building or a Sunday service. It began years earlier with a call to a city, a burden for people, and a series of steps that, looking back, reveal the faithfulness and direction of God.
In 1998, after graduating from college, Jim Kilmartin felt called to return to his hometown of Tyrone, Pennsylvania. That November, he was ordained as a minister and commissioned to begin Joshua House, a ministry focused on reaching and developing young people.
Jim and Jessica were married in 2000, and together they continued serving the vision God had given them for young people, their city, and the region. Along the way, young adults began moving to Tyrone to become part of what God was doing.
Years earlier, a prophetic word had been spoken over Jim that he would become the mayor of Tyrone. In 2006, that word became reality when he took office, serving through 2010.
Then God's direction began to shift toward Altoona.
In March 2015, a prophetic word came forth about planting a church in Altoona. Bishop Bart Pierce later confirmed that direction, and in November 2015, Jim and Jessica were commissioned at the Rock City Church Fellowship Convention in Baltimore to plant the church. During the prophetic presbytery, words were also spoken concerning a "Brownstone" church building. As soon as that word came forth, Jim knew where that building was - downtown Altoona.
In 2016, Jim, Jessica, and a small team were sent out by Keystone Church in State College and later prayed over and sent by Bishop Bart Pierce and Rock City Church. That fall, God gave them the name Center City Church, and the new church became part of the Rock City Church Fellowship.
On January 1, 2017, 17 people gathered in the Kilmartins' living room for Center City Church's first official meeting.
A little more than three months later, Center City publicly launched on Easter Sunday with 93 people. God continued to add people and establish the church, and by Easter 2019, Center City welcomed 393 people across two Sunday services.
Then the "Brownstone" came back into the story.
In 2019, Center City purchased the former First United Methodist Church in downtown Altoona, a historic brownstone church building.
The prophetic word spoken four years earlier had taken on a very tangible meaning.
Through 2020 and 2021, the congregation poured itself into renovating the Brownstone. In May 2021, Center City dedicated its new sanctuary in the heart of downtown Altoona.
But while one chapter of Center City's story was being built, God had already been preparing the next.
Preparing the Next Pastor
Years before Center City existed, God was also working in the life of Mark Mielnik Jr.
On August 10, 2013, Mark was flying home from a business conference in Texas with a growing conviction that something in his life needed to change. Exactly one year later, during a worship service at Cowboys Stadium, Mark surrendered his life to Christ.
Everything began to change.
Mark and his wife, Shannon, began serving in youth and children's ministry in the Scranton area. During these years, Mark also developed a relationship with Jim Kilmartin, seeking his advice about ministry and the possibility of starting a Joshua House in Scranton.
Jim would pray for Mark and repeatedly ask him a simple question:
"What keeps you in Scranton?"
For Mark, the answer was his teaching career.
But in 2017, Mark sensed God telling him it was time to leave teaching because He had something else for him. A month later, while hiking Mount Nittany, Mark sensed another clear instruction from the Lord: Take the narrow road.
He understood it as a call to ministry.
Mark and Shannon continued serving and seeking God about what was next. Mark began wondering whether God might call their family back to his hometown of Altoona to help Jim and Jessica with the newly planted Center City Church.
Shannon's response was clear. She wasn't moving to Altoona unless God told her.
Then, in April 2018, everything changed.
The Mielnik family had traveled to Altoona for Center City's first anniversary. In the early morning hours before the Sunday service, Shannon woke Mark and told him that God had spoken to her:
They were moving to Altoona to become part of Center City Church.
That morning, they received prayer and a prophetic word that things would move quickly and that God would take care of the details.
Within months, their house was sold, their family had relocated, and they had joined Center City in serving Altoona.
From 2018 forward, Mark and Shannon gave themselves to the vision God had entrusted to Jim and Jessica. In 2020, Mark joined the Center City staff and became heavily involved in renovating the Brownstone. During those long days of building, Mark began sensing that God had a larger purpose for placing him there.
In 2021, Mark became Center City's Executive Pastor, and in November 2022, he was licensed as a minister.
What had begun as a call to simply come and serve was becoming something more.
A New Chapter
In 2024, another major transition began.
Jim and Jessica were called to Baltimore as part of the leadership succession at Rock City Church. That November, they were set in as Senior Pastors of Rock City Church.
Center City was entering a new season too.
On November 26, 2024, Reliance Bank donated its downtown Altoona building to Center City Church, opening another opportunity for the church to disciple, train, equip, and serve people in the heart of the city.
Then, on January 5, 2025, Mark Mielnik Jr. was set in as Senior Pastor of Center City Church. On that same Sunday, Center City officially began holding two Sunday morning services.
It was both a transition and a continuation.
The leadership changed, but the calling did not.
From Jim and Jessica being sent to Altoona, to Mark and Shannon unexpectedly being called back to the city, to 17 people gathering in a living room, to the Brownstone, to another building being entrusted to the church, Center City's story has been marked by a willingness to hear God and obey.
That remains our heartbeat today.
We believe the local church is called to make disciples, develop leaders, serve its city, reach the next generation, and demonstrate the Kingdom of God wherever He has placed us.
Our story is still being written.
And just as we have from the beginning, we want to keep listening, keep following, and keep saying yes to whatever God asks us to do next.
Pastors Jim and Jess Prophetic Presbytery
Pastors Mark and Shannon Mielnik Prophetic Presbytery at CCC
Pastors Mark and Shannon Mielnik Prophetic Presbytery at Rock City Church
What We Believe
We believe in the teachings of the Bible. We believe in one God. We believe in Jesus Christ. We believe in the Holy Spirit. We believe in the gift of redemption and salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We believe that church is a community that extends beyond our walls and is meant to minister to all.
God
Our belief is in God as the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is the belief that there is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As Christians, we interact with all parts of God.
The Bible
We believe the Bible is the absolute word of God and that it is essential for building a relationship with Christ. God used man to make known His revelation. The Bible teaches us about God’s nature, our own life, sin, salvation, faith, and eternity.
God desires that we enter into a relationship with Him and has provided His Word to be a guiding factor in our lives. “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” ( 2 Timothy 3:16,17)
God desires that we enter into a relationship with Him and has provided His Word to be a guiding factor in our lives. “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” ( 2 Timothy 3:16,17)
Creation
We believe as we read in Genesis that God created the heavens and the earth. We understand that we were provided with food, shelter, beauty, and goodness by God in the beginning.
“Thus, the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them were finished. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3)
“Thus, the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them were finished. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3)
Sin
We believe that we are all sinners. God sent His only Son to redeem us. Jesus, who lived without sin, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve through his death and resurrection.
As believers, we receive Jesus as our Savior. However, this does not give us free rein to sin. We believe that once you truly believe, you will not want to continue in your old ways. This belief is where the phrase “born again” originated. Once you become a new creation in Christ Jesus, it is harder to sin and not feel the consequences and separation from Christ.
As believers, we receive Jesus as our Savior. However, this does not give us free rein to sin. We believe that once you truly believe, you will not want to continue in your old ways. This belief is where the phrase “born again” originated. Once you become a new creation in Christ Jesus, it is harder to sin and not feel the consequences and separation from Christ.
Serving
We believe that we are all called to serve. In serving, we often find our gifts and ministry. As part of our community, if interested, you will be asked to serve on our team. There are many ways to get involved, and our Pastors will pray for and match you to opportunities. As a community, we are also called to serve the city. We believe that we are to:
- Feed the flock
- Strengthen the diseased
- Heal the sick
- Bind up the broken
- Bring back those who were driven away
- Seek for the lost
- Not rule with force or cruelty
Baptisms
Water baptism, as instituted in the New Testament, is how a believer is united with Christ (Galatians 3:27,28). It is more than a ritual or ceremony. In the New Testament, it is never mentioned as an act alone. Instead, its meaning always includes the entire redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12; 2:38-41).
The word Baptize means to “dip or immerse.” To be water-baptized, you must be completely submerged or immersed in water.
We believe Water Baptism is not Optional. Jesus commanded it for all believers (Mark 16:16)
Baptism in the Holy Spirit means a complete immersion of the believer in the Holy Spirit. This baptism provides us an entrance into the realm of spiritual power and enduement from on high (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49) Jesus said these signs would follow those who believe: Cast out demons, speak with new tongues, take up serpents; if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17,18)
The word Baptize means to “dip or immerse.” To be water-baptized, you must be completely submerged or immersed in water.
We believe Water Baptism is not Optional. Jesus commanded it for all believers (Mark 16:16)
Baptism in the Holy Spirit means a complete immersion of the believer in the Holy Spirit. This baptism provides us an entrance into the realm of spiritual power and enduement from on high (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49) Jesus said these signs would follow those who believe: Cast out demons, speak with new tongues, take up serpents; if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17,18)
Worship
Our praise and worship is a time of joy. Our worship leaders work to create an environment that allows all to participate. We believe this is how we come into God’s presence (Psalm 100:4), that God inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3) and that it is pleasing to God (Psalm 69:30,31)
You can expect modern, upbeat, and joyful music as part of worship typically encompassing 3-4 songs before service begins.
You can expect modern, upbeat, and joyful music as part of worship typically encompassing 3-4 songs before service begins.