Our History
In 1972 three students involved with the Inter-Varsity Campus Fellowship of RPI began a Bible study on the Oneonta State University Campus. Townspeople joined the students and the meeting place shifted into a house on Maple Street called Fisherman’s Wharf.
In 1975 the group started Sunday morning services. They became acquainted with Don Yarborough through his wife Jackie (Jackie attended Fisherman’s Wharf when she was a student at Hartwick College.) After the Yarborough’s arrival on October 20, 1976, the small congregation rented the Knights of Columbus building on Grove Street. But because the building was too big and cold the group accepted First Baptist Church’s offer to rent two classrooms. The small group called itself The Community Gospel Church. Within months the congregation grew to 75 people and overflowed the classrooms. When they heard that the Knights of Columbus building could be purchased for $35,000.00, one of the elders suggested that they make an offer of $15,000.00. The Knights of Columbus surprised them by accepting the low offer and then the church leaders had to somehow raise the needed monies. Miraculously, the need was met with an anonymous donation of $10,000.00 and several pledges from congregants. On September 12, 1979, community Gospel Church owned the building they had once rented. |
Tenants Of Faith
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, ultimately authoritative Word of God in all matters of faith.
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three personalities: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God born of a virgin, that He performed miracles, that He lived a sinless life, that He redeemed us by His atoning death through His shed blood, that He was bodily resurrected, that He ascended to the right hand of the Father, and that he will personally return in power and glory. We believe in the total inability of man to save himself through unaided human effort. We believe that men are saved through a complete commitment of themselves to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord together with their being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is empowered to live a victorious life and by whose administration the Christian Church receives miraculous gifts and ministries in this present day. We believe that every man shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give account of the stewardship of his earthly life. |
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