Religion & Faith

Over four dozen churches of varying denominations operate in Washington County, in addition to almost a dozen faith-based organizations operating services such as addiction rehabilitation, food distribution, homeless shelters, and more.

Impact

• In rural McDonald, the McDonald Bible Methodist Church seeks to bring care to the isolated, providing programming for seniors at local centers and apartments, a food pantry, and counseling for struggling families.
• Resurrection Power of Washington PA operates four recovery houses in Washington, two for men and two for women, helping those struggling with substance abuse get back on their feet in their time of greatest need.
• Through support from churches of varying denominations, St. John XXIII Interfaith Food Pantry provides over 80 specialized food boxes to the Haitian Creole population at the Literacy Council’s Charleroi location.

Challenges

Cooperation between churches is often minimal, with only one interfaith organization established to help solve community issues. There are no collective religious forums that would bring churches and faith-based organizations together to discuss these issues either, leading individual churches and denominations to often keep to themselves. As a result, some respondents to our Community Needs Assessment expressed concerns that area churches are insular and less willing to accept new, diverse membership. Certain churches in Charleroi such as Church Time of Glory, St. Andrew Catholic Church, First United Methodist, and Presbyterian Church of Charleroi buck this perception, however, welcoming Haitian immigrants and often leading services in Haitian Creole.

Though as far as faiths other than Christianity are concerned, the closure of Beth Israel Synagogue in 2024 meant the county lost its only synagogue and has never had a mosque, leaving Washington County’s already isolated Jewish and Muslim populations to seek places of worship outside of the county or online.