A Bronx Church Where Love Abounds
Thessalonia Worship Center sits on Rev. James A. Polite Avenue at the corner of Rev. Dr. Shellie Sampson Jr. Way in the Bronx, a short walk from the neighborhood that has shaped the congregation for years. The church's motto, "Where Love Abounds and God is Glorified," frames everything from Sunday worship to small-group ministry. Members call the church simply "The Worship Center" or TWC, and the community they describe is one of open doors, deliberate hospitality, and a desire to see every newcomer welcomed into the family of faith. Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube, the building has been renovated to include a bookstore and coffee shop, and outreach stretches from the South Bronx all the way to West Africa through the pastor's nonprofit, A Chance4Life.
A Pastor with a Global Heart
Rev. Malobe Sampson has pastored Thessalonia Worship Center since 2014. He and his wife, Andria Sampson, who holds a Master of Science in Education, are raising four children in the ministry: Alexia Imani, Malobe II, Jafari Qenu, and Ardel'Paschal. Rev. Sampson describes himself as a born-again believer whose ministry is rooted in the active work of the Holy Spirit, and he has spent more than twenty years in ministry with a specialty in outreach, missions, and men's work.
His pastoral voice is unmistakable. He preaches the so-called 5-W's (word, worship, welcome, witness, and work) and pushes the congregation toward what he calls PAD: pray, act, and deliver. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Baruch College, a Master of Divinity from Drew Theological Seminary, and is a doctoral candidate in ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. He also serves as a mathematics and history teacher at the church's Christian school, Thessalonia Academy.
Beyond the Bronx, Rev. Sampson is the Founder and President of A Chance4Life (formerly the African Initiative Mission Foundation), a non-profit with headquarters in New York and Ghana. He chairs the Tender Loving Care Group Ministry, co-chairs the 120 Disciples initiative, and serves as President of the Commission on Mission and Evangelism (C.O.M.E.). He is a clergy member of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater New York and the United Missionary Baptist Association, and holds Christian education certifications with the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. and the American Baptist Churches.
Sunday Mornings and Wednesday Nights Online
Sunday worship at Thessalonia Worship Center begins at 11:00 AM, when the doors open for in-person gathering. The service is also the front door to a much wider network of ministry that meets throughout the week. For those who cannot make it to the Bronx on Sunday, or who live outside the New York area, the Wednesday evening gathering meets online at 7:00 PM. Both services are livestreamed on YouTube, and previous messages are archived on the church's YouTube channels (TWC951 and Thessalonia Worship Center).
The church also hosts a weekly Men's Outreach Bible Study on Friday nights, open to all who wish to attend. For those who want to gather before dawn, there is a 5 AM Prayer ministry that has become one of the church's signature rhythms. Monday nights bring a Men's Leadership Training session, and a 21-day season of 6 AM morning prayer is organized each year.
TWCKIDS and the Children's Ministry
Children have a dedicated space at TWC. TWCKIDS meets during the 11:00 AM Sunday service, with children's church launching at 11:15 AM for ages two through twelve. The ministry's vision rests on three pillars: Worship, the Word, and Witness. Children learn memory verses from a curriculum kept in each leader's binder, sing worship songs as they enter the room, and practice standing up for their faith in everyday scenarios. The goal, in the ministry's own language, is for children to know that "they don't have to wait for adulthood to do great things."
The children's ministry team is led by Andria Sampson, who serves as Visionary. Mrs. Dominique (the Successor) teaches the Ology class and leads a women's group within the Momco. program. Ms. Joanne (the Intercessor) works with the 6 to 9 age group and brings games and activities into every lesson. Mrs. Tanja (the Administrator) keeps the program organized. Together they make sure that each child who walks through TWCKIDS doors finds a safe, energetic place to encounter the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Life Groups for Every Season
The backbone of discipleship at Thessalonia Worship Center is its network of Life Groups, sometimes called cell groups. There is a group for nearly every age and stage, all meeting on different days of the week so that members can choose what fits their schedule. Together, the Life Groups form a web of relationships that turns Sunday worship into a daily walk with God and with one another.
Children's LifeGroup gathers on Sundays at 11:15 AM, exploring the gospel through crafts, music, trivia, and culture. Youth Night, for ages 13 to 18, meets on Thursdays at 5:30 PM and offers sports, the arts, baking, and writing in a safe environment where teens can build community. Young Adult Women (ages 18 to 29) meet Tuesdays at 7:30 PM to bond over games and conversation while seeking God together.
For women in their thirties and forties, the ISHAH Women's LifeGroup meets Tuesdays at 7:00 PM. The Daughters of Lydia Women's LifeGroup, for ages 50 to 64, gathers on Thursdays at 7:30 PM and takes its name from the New Testament businesswoman who "worshiped God" and whose heart the Lord opened. The Growing in Grace II LifeGroup, for those 65 and older, meets on Mondays at 8:00 PM and uses biblical examples, role play, and life-writing to explore what grace sounds like and looks like.
On the men's side, the Young Men's LifeGroup (ages 18 to 39) meets Tuesdays at 7:00 PM for honest conversation about culture, current events, and manhood in the present day. The Men's Life Group for those 40 and older gathers on Fridays at 7:00 PM, and the church describes it with a simple call: come be a part of "the Mighty Men of God." A Marriage LifeGroup meets Thursdays at 7:00 PM to build, renew, and restore relationships from a biblical perspective. For those interested in business, the Hidden Treasures LifeGroup meets Saturdays at 9:00 AM and exists to help members achieve success in a godly manner, whether or not they aspire to own a business.
Men's and Women's Work Across the Church
Men's ministry is one of Rev. Sampson's longstanding specialties, and it shows. Beyond the Friday night outreach Bible Study and the Tuesday night Young Men's LifeGroup, the church runs a Men's Sunday School class and a Monday Night Men's Leadership Training. The 120 Disciples initiative, which Rev. Sampson co-chairs, is designed to raise up a deep bench of committed lay leaders.
Women's ministry is anchored by the trio of life groups described above, but it extends further through the Young Women's Excellence program and the Tender Loving Care Group Ministry, which Rev. Sampson chairs. Together these ministries give women of every age a place to grow, to serve, and to be cared for. The Hidden Treasures LifeGroup, which welcomes both men and women with an interest in business, rounds out the ministry map.
A Chance4Life: Mission Across the Atlantic
The church's missions heart extends well beyond the Bronx through A Chance4Life, the non-profit Rev. Sampson founded. With headquarters in New York and Ghana, the organization works to alleviate poverty through the spread of the gospel and follows three keys: Education, Health, and Self-Sustainability Businesses.
Over more than two decades, Rev. Sampson has made more than fifteen trips into Ghana and other West African countries. A Chance4Life has supported the Good Shepherd Orphanage in Greater Accra, increased pupil attendance in the Volta region from twenty-five students to six hundred, created the first internet café in Bonwire, and established a men's fellowship called "Men of Christ" in 2004. The organization has cultivated more than twenty acres for agricultural development near the Burkina Faso border, supported wells for clean drinking water in the Upper West, and helped thousands of West African children with uniforms, school supplies, clothing, and shoes.
More recently, the work has included a computer literacy program for business development, free malaria treatment with mosquito nets in the Upper West, and the construction of a modern octagon school in Wechiau. The annual Wechiau Girls Conference, founded in 2007, drew close to seven hundred girls by 2010. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization fed more than ten thousand people. Church members are invited to participate in group trips to Ghana and to other destinations, including the Creation Museum and Noah's Ark.
Closer to home, the church runs a robust food pantry that has grown exponentially under Rev. Sampson's leadership, with regular turkey giveaways, ham distributions, and partnerships with city agencies that bring donations of food and clothing into the Bronx neighborhood.
Practical Details for Visitors
Thessalonia Worship Center is located at 951 Rev. James A. Polite Avenue, Bronx, NY 10459, with a secondary address marker for Rev. Dr. Shellie Sampson Jr. Way. The church office can be reached at 718-542-0828 or by email at twc@thessaloniabaptistchurch.org. Newcomers interested in making TWC their church home can register through the Join TWC form, and a separate prayer request form is available for those who would like the church to pray with them.
Those who wish to support the church's ministry can do so online through Simple Church Giving, and a separate giving link is available for A Chance4Life. The church is active on Facebook and Instagram (@thessaloniaworships), and its services and archived sermons are available on YouTube. Parking is available behind the building, which Rev. Sampson has renovated during his pastorate to include an extended pulpit, a bookstore, a coffee shop, restored stained glass, and a paved back lot.