photo by: Stephanie Elverd

Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder addresses attendees of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Ohio District Council convention Thursday at the Highlands Event Center.

TRIADELPHIA — Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder addressed attendees of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Ohio District Council convention Thursday at the Highlands Event Center, delivering a message focused on Christian charity while welcoming the Ohio District Council of Pentecostal Churches.

“Wheeling is a very historic and resilient city. It’s a city of faith,” Magruder said. “And for generations, our faith-based institutions have reached out. They’ve fed the hungry. They’ve tended to the sick. They have served our communities.”

Earlier in the week, convention participants extended their outreach beyond the event center by supporting local efforts at the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling, where members assisted with meal service and distributed winter clothing items to those in need. Magruder recognized that act of giving.

“You made our community better by being here and when you go home I want you to continue to make your communities better,” Magruder said.

The convention is being held Tuesday through Saturday in Triadelphia. The gathering is open to the public and features daily seminars and guest speakers under the theme, “Evangelism: The Church At Work.”

Pentecostal leaders and members from across Ohio and West Virginia are attending the weeklong event celebrating faith, unity, promise and hope. Those present include Bishop James M. Agnew III, pastor of Tree of Life Church in Martins Ferry; Elder James Dunigan, evangelism director of the Ohio District Council and pastor of Be Blessed Ministries in Cincinnati; and Bishop Darrell W. Cummings, pastor of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in Wheeling.

In addition to worship services and educational sessions, organizers said the convention is designed to equip churches with practical tools for community engagement and faith-based leadership.

The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World is one of the oldest Oneness Pentecostal organizations in the United States, tracing its roots to the early 20th century.

More information about the convention is available through the Ohio District Council and Pentecostal Assemblies of the World websites.