“God, then and now… Twenty five years ago, in the fifth decade of my life here on earth, I came to know a group of folks who always seemed to have a twinkle in their eye and a smile on their face. Knowing that they were facing the same overwhelming challenges that life has to offer as I, somehow they had a belief that no matter what came their way, everything was going to be okay. Would that we all could see life that way!
About six years passed and I hit rock bottom in my life. Everything around me had completely collapsed and it was these same folks who reached out and picked me up. Embracing me they shared with me that all I needed to do was to find the will to put myself in the palm of God’s hand and to trust fully in the Lord for the course of my life. They shared that one day I would look back on my present troubles and truly see the hand of God leading and guiding me through it. They told me that at some point I would even give thanks for God’s grace in the whole of my life…and you know…that is just what happened.
They invited me to church and it was there that I soon discovered that what I thought of as ‘church’ was not anything like this one I had found, where the emphasis was on teaching that true church and true faith in God was really all about establishing an up close and personal relationship with the living God and that styles or forms of worship were secondary. These folks revealed through their life and through their faith the saving gift of God’s love for all of us. And in a very real sense they saved me from all my previous misconceptions about God. They saved me from my fear of being rejected and my needless efforts at trying to ‘earn’ God’s love. They saved me from any worries or anxiety over God’s ultimate intention for my life and, once I understood God’s message of love I was freed from the power of temptation and testing, free from missing the mark.
How did these ‘God-folks’ do all this good God stuff for me? It was simple…they loved me as they had been loved themselves. And they enabled me to begin to love as I too had been loved by our Lord. Come visit us at the Patterson Community Church and have the experience for yourself!
P.S. If you are blessed to have already had this amazing experience of God in your life, then come and share with us anyway! Peace and Blessings”
—- Bruce F. April 2017
“If you’re looking for a very welcoming Christ centered church with lots of beautiful music, I have just the one you might be looking for. The Patterson Community Church in Patterson, NY with Pastor David Frost, gives an uplifting and challenging message every week that makes you think outside the box of religion and keeps your eyes focused on what being Christ-like really means. As part of the worship team at Patterson Community Church, we are there for one reason and one reason only, to help the congregation in facilitating their own praise to the God they love and want to worship. Being a Christian goes far beyond the church service on Sunday, it means going out into the community and to help in some way all those who may be struggling at this time of their life.”
—- Walter T. McSpedon March 2017
