Shared Missions
One heart for Altoona.
Overflow, Renew, and The Cord churches exist to see lives transformed by the hope of Jesus through a movement of everyday missionaries and neighborhood churches. We believe the Gospel is too good to keep to ourselves and that reaching our region means going beyond the walls of any single church building.
Our Story
In 2012, Pastor Richard Cox moved to Altoona with a vision from God and a burden for the 290,000 people in Central Pennsylvania who claim no connection to a church or relationship with Jesus. Overflow Church was born out of a simple but bold conviction: God wants to change that number, and we want to be part of it.
We felt God calling us to become the Forgotten Church. Instead of focusing on becoming the biggest church in the area, we would focus on rechurching the area. What would it look like to be in a region where people stopped talking about this church or that church and instead started talking about what God is doing in a region?
We are committed to seeing the established churches thrive and new churches be birthed as we continue to make disciples who make disciples and release them to be missionaries in the places God is calling them.
We felt God calling us to become the Forgotten Church. Instead of focusing on becoming the biggest church in the area, we would focus on rechurching the area. What would it look like to be in a region where people stopped talking about this church or that church and instead started talking about what God is doing in a region? We are committed to seeing the established churches thrive and new churches be birthed as we continue to make disciples who make disciples and release them to be missionaries in the places God is calling them.
We’ve partnered with local churches, served our city, and sent out leaders with a mission to multiply the hope of Jesus across every neighborhood
A Movement of New Churches
God has blessed us with the opportunity to help start new churches:
Renew Church was born in a local park as a Backyard Club, started by Matt and Jess Burns to reach families in their neighborhood. Today, it’s a thriving community focused on making disciples who live on mission.
The Cord Church was launched by Pastor Pam Townsend as a dinner church designed to serve those in the mental health and recovery communities—removing barriers and building bridges to Jesus through relationships and shared meals.
In 2025, the Juniata Presbyterian Church graciously entrusted us with their building, which will become the future site of our next neighborhood church plant in Altoona’s Juniata neighborhood.
Overflow has also supported new church plants across the Northeast:
Inspire Wesleyan Church in Rochester, NY (Pastor Sam & Rekha Abraham)
New Heart Church in Ithaca, NY (Pastors Brady & Sydney Bonds)
Rooted on the Rock Church in Rhode Island (Pastor Jon & Jamie Wixson)
Our Mission
2030 Vision
10 new churches started by 2025
25 new churches by 2030
30 launchable leaders answering the call to ministry by 2030
250 disciple-makers actively making disciples by 2030
25,000 gospel conversations by 2030
We are on a mission to join God on His mission by inviting people to find hope in Jesus. We believe the most effective way to change the statistics in our region is by making disciples who make disciples and equipping them to live as missionaries in their neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces.
