Northgate Free Methodist Church

Team of teachers from Northgate Free Methodist Church, from left: Candy Laird, Melissa Vanelli, Melanie Domes, Krystal Forsyth, Mark Logan, Jennifer Dunn.

Submitted photos and press release:

Northgate Free Methodist Church in Batavia has established a relationship with a community in Gahanda, Rwanda, Africa. Over the past few years, Northgate members and others have sponsored more than 150 children through International Child Care Ministries.

These sponsorships along with other fundraising events have given Northgate the ability to supply families with food, clothing, housing, land purchases, water collection systems, school classrooms and just recently, a building project in which the community built a large facility to house their administration and library for the school.

The school in Gahanda is comprised of 1,200 students. All of these students and teachers walk to attend school, some from miles away. There are barely roads to get there, and the resources for the classrooms are scarce.

(Photo above: New administration building built in Gahanda earlier this year.)

Through copious amounts of thought, prayer and consideration, a group of teachers from Northgate have decided to venture across the world, just weeks before the beginning of their school year.

The group of teachers will be sharing teaching techniques and help the teachers of Gahanda implement a syllabus to help them efficiently teach the children of Gahanda.

They will be traveling with luggage full of school supplies, both for the teachers and the children within the Gahanda community.

More importantly, they will be going with pure joy and excitement of creating lasting memories with the teachers, families and children of Gahanda, that are sure to last tremendously longer than either side has been anticipating.

For more information about Northgate Free Methodist Church and their involvement in missions, click here.

Below, the children of Gahanda. Bottom photo: School building in Gahanda.

Press release:

Are you ready to change your financial future? Northgate Free Methodist Church is hosting its next semester of Financial Peace University, which will be held on Monday nights, starting on July 1st from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the North Campus.

It is located at 8160 Bank Street Road in Batavia.

For more than 25 years, Financial Peace University, created by Dave Ramsey, has helped thousands of people take control of their money.

Through this nine-week course, Ramsey’s proven money-management class will show you step-by-step how to create a budget, pay off your debt, make wise spending decisions, and save for the future.

Preregistration is required, so please visit www.northgatefmc.com and follow the Financial Peace link to sign up.

The cost is $109, scholarships are available.

If you have questions please email office@northgatefmc.com or call the church office at (585) 343-4011.

Proceeds from an upcoming Rummage Sale will be donated to Northgate’s "Connected Community" School in Gahanda, Rwanda, Africa, shown above, as well as Batavia's All Babies Cherished.

Submitted photos and press release:

A few months ago, the pastors at Northgate Free Methodist Church gave a series of messages based on a book by Rick Warren titled, “40 Days of Community.”

The book outlines five purposes for people to fulfill in community with other people -- people within your church family, small groups and in the world around you.

Warren calls the readers to "reach out" and "serve together." So, in response to that call, some of the people who attend Northgate felt led to organize and facilitate a Rummage Sale that will be hosted at Northgate’s South Campus, located at 350 Bank St., Batavia.

Donations will be collected, sorted, and priced accordingly, all by a volunteer group out of Northgate.

The sale will take place Friday, June 21st from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday, June 22nd from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. There will be refreshments available at the sale.

ALL proceeds from this Rummage Sale will be donated to Northgate’s "Connected Community" School in Gahanda, Rwanda, Africa, a school which aids 1,200 children within the area, as well as the Batavia-based charity All Babies Cherished.

Please consider joining Northgate for this sale and contributing to the important work that these charities do.

For further information, please visit northgatefmc.com, contact the Northgate office at (585) 343-4011 or email office@northgatefmc.com.

Below: Smiling faces of children at Northgate’s "Connected Community" School in Gahanda, Rwanda, Africa.

Press release:

On Friday, May 31, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Northgate Free Methodist Church in Batavia will host the first Marriage Night simulcast event in partnership with RightNow Media.

Marriage Night offers husbands, wives, and engaged couples the opportunity to hear from Francis and Lisa Chan ("You and Me Forever"), Les and Leslie Parrott ("The Good Fight"), and Christian comedian "Michael Jr."

Registration is $15 per person, and includes dinner prior to the simulcast.

Healthy marriages don’t happen by accident. They require work and dedication, but with the busyness of life and the pressures of culture it’s easy to lose focus. What is marriage supposed to look like when those initial bursts of excitement give way to everyday troubles and routines?

This event provides expert teaching and principles for a lasting relationship while challenging the couples to see the greater purpose of marriage — to glorify God and advance his Gospel. Marriage is made for more than fairy tale ending. It’s a picture of God’s hope and redemption for a world in need of rescue.

Northgate Free Methodist Church is located at 8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia.

To register and find out more information, visit here. If you have questions, you may call the office at (585) 343-4011 or email Pastor Gloria at gloria@northgatefmc.com

Invite your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to attend this one-night event.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Genesee Justice office, part of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, received a nice donation Wednesday from Pastor Vern Saile at the Northgate Free Methodist Church in the amount of $2,732.11 from a day of giving they did through the church.

The money will be used partly for staff trainings and also for program expenses not covered by any other funding received by the office.

"We are very appreciative to be chosen as the recipient of this check to fill existing gaps in our programs," said Tammy Schmidt, financial management assistant, Genesee Justice / Child Advocacy Center.

Top photo: Pastor Vern Saile, of Northgate Free Methodist Church, and Cathy Uhly, program coordinator for Genesee Justice.

Press release:

Northgate Free Methodist Church in Batavia is continually opening its doors to the community and inviting everyone to their events throughout 2019. In addition to worship services, Northgate offers dozens of volunteer-led small groups, many of which are open to the public. Several groups relaunch in January, including:

• Grief Share, a 13-week group designed to help and encourage those grieving the loss of a loved one due to death. The format is a weekly video presentation and discussion time that offers hope and comfort. Find more information at http://www.griefshare.org/about. Meetings will take place on Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m., starting Jan. 22nd, at Northgate’s North Campus, 8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia. There is a $15 cost for workbooks, scholarships available.
• Divorce Care, a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. Don’t go through separation or divorce alone. Divorce Care seminars and support groups are led by people who understand what you are going through and want to help. You will learn how to heal from the deep hurt of divorce and discover hope for your future. A new 13-week session begins on Saturday, Jan. 19th, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Northgate’s North Campus. There is a $15 cost for workbooks, scholarships available.
• Mothers of Preschoolers or “MOPS” are women who gather together twice a month to share and support each other in the remarkable journey that is motherhood. Meetings consist of relevant speakers, fun crafts, supportive conversations and fellowship. There is always hot coffee and childcare provided at MOPS meetings. Moms can choose a 9 a.m. group or a 6:30 p.m. group. MOPS is open to all moms with children from birth to their youngest child finishes kindergarten. MOMSNext is also available for moms of school-aged children, they meet every second and fourth Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit Northgatefmc.com/mops for more information. Each group has a separate membership fee, scholarships are available.
• Celebrate Recovery meets every Thursday evening at 6:30 (including any and all holidays that fall on a Thursday, unless there is a serious snowstorm). Our CR leaders guide and assist those of us who are gaining joy and freedom in Christ as we apply the 12-Steps of Celebrate Recovery to the hurts, habits and hang-ups we all struggle with. All are welcome! We believe anyone and everyone would benefit by attending this group, where we take off our masks and allow God to transform our lives. We are able to share openly and honestly about our struggles with people we come to trust, who will maintain confidentiality, and who will not judge us. For more info, go to: https://northgatecr.weebly.com/
• Financial Peace University will be held on Wednesday nights, starting on Feb. 13th, from 7-8:30 at the North Campus (8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia). For more than 25 years, Financial Peace University, created by Dave Ramsey, has helped thousands of people take control of their money. Through this nine-week course, Ramsey’s proven money class will show you step-by-step how to create a budget, pay off your debt, make wise spending decisions, and save for the future. Preregistration is required, so please visit https://fpu.com/1079986 to sign up. The cost for the class is $129, scholarships are available. If you have questions please email john@northgatefmc.com.

For more information about any of these groups or other events, please contact the Northgate office at (585) 343-4011 or email office@northgatefmc.com

Press release:

Northgate Free Methodist Church invites the community to a "Vintage Christmas" event from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8^th.

Enjoy a festive Christmas tractor hayride through our community prayer walk, complete with carols and a retelling of the Christmas story. Come roast marshmallows around our bonfire, eat s’mores, drink hot chocolate, while the children are invited to create ornaments for the tree.

There will be a brief devotional, presented at 6 p.m., to ready our hearts and minds for the Christmas season, accompanied by a spectacular tree lighting. This is a free event, open to all ages, come and go as you please.

Northgate Free Methodist Church is located at 8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia. For more information, contact the Northgate office at (585)343-4011 or email office@northgatefmc.com

Northgate Free Methodist Church is continually opening its doors to the community and is inviting everyone to their fall kick-off events throughout September.

Beginning with a new message series starting on Sept. 8th and 9th, pastors Vern Saile, John Keller and Marsha Rivers will examine the "Fruit of the Spirit" -- characteristics of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control -- and how we can bring more of these into our lives.

In addition to worship services, Northgate offers dozens of volunteer-led small groups, many of which are open to the public. Several groups relaunch in September, including:

Grief Share, a 13-week group designed to help and encourage those grieving the loss of a loved one due to death. The format is a weekly video presentation and discussion time that offers hope and comfort. Find more information at http://www.griefshare.org/about. Meetings will take place on Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m., starting Sept. 18th, at Northgate’s North Campus, 8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia.

Divorce Care, a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. Don’t go through separation or divorce alone. Divorce Care seminars and support groups are led by people who understand what you are going through and want to help. You will learn how to heal from the deep hurt of divorce and discover hope for your future. A new 13-week session begins on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Northgate’s North Campus.

Mothers of Preschoolers or “MOPS” are women who gather together twice a month to share and support each other in the remarkable journey that is motherhood. Meetings consist of relevant speakers, fun crafts, supportive conversations and fellowship. There is always hot coffee and childcare is provided at MOPS meetings. Moms can choose a 9 a.m. group or a 6:30 p.m. group – both meetings begin on Sept. 25th. MOPS is open to all moms with children from birth until their youngest child finishes kindergarten. MOMS Next is also available for moms of school-age children; they meet every second and fourth Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit Northgatefmc.com/mops for more information.

Celebrate Recovery meets every Thursday evening at 6:30 (including any and all holidays that fall on a Thursday, unless there is a serious snowstorm). Our CR leaders guide and assist those of us who are gaining joy and freedom in Christ as we apply the 12-Steps of Celebrate Recovery to the hurts, habits and hang-ups we all struggle with. All are welcome! We believe anyone and everyone would benefit by attending this group, where we take off our masks and allow God to transform our lives. We are able to share openly and honestly about our struggles with people we come to trust, who will maintain confidentiality, and who will not judge us. For more info, go to: https://northgatecr.weebly.com/

For more information about any of these groups or other events, please contact the Northgate office at (585) 343-4011 or email office@northgatefmc.com

Press release:

Each Wednesday evening, a team from Northgate Free Methodist Church meet at 8160 Bank Street Road (North Campus) and walk a trail around the perimeter of the church property, praying for the community, the church and congregational needs as they walk.

The “Community Prayer Walk,” was scheduled to be open to the public this fall and is being developed by the members of the church and the youth of Northgate. It is a beautiful trail to walk, reflect, and meditate on and will soon include multiple prayer stations located along the path.

Last Wednesday, on Aug. 8, the prayer team’s lives were theatened as they were chased by a man who had intentionally driven his vehicle off of the Thruway and onto Northgate’s property. They narrowly escaped into the church, and the offender was apprehended by law enforcement.

Many within the community have offered prayer and support for our prayer team, and expressed gratitude for their protection.

In response to this unfortunate event, Northgate is inviting the community to join the prayer team as we commit this "Community Prayer Walk" to the Lord at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Aug.15th.

The walk will begin behind Northgate’s North Campus at 8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia.

For more information, please contact the church office at 343-4011.

(Editor's note: For previous coverage of the incident cited above, click here.)

Submitted photos and press release:

Northgate Free Methodist Church is currently holding its Summer Base Camp for children ages 6-12 years old.

Next Generation Pastor Daniel Calkins has created an engaging curriculum to help build character development as well as community awareness among the enrolled children.

The morning curriculum is a sports-themed program, coached and run by UW Sports Ministries. This year's encompassing theme is “Breaking Free.” The children have been able to participate in select sports and are being taught lessons of responsibility, truth, strong relationships, faith and eternity.

Today, as part of their community involvement, the kids were able to visit Batavia’s T-Shirts, Etc. The children were educated on the process of screen-printing, and were able to get an exclusive sneak peek into the world of T-shirt printing.

Pastor Daniel is running Base Camp this week through Friday. Throughout the year, he also conducts both a Middle School Base program, which runs each Wednesday evening from 6-8, and a High School Base group, which meets Sunday evenings from 6:30-8.

For more information regarding our youth programs, please contact the office at (585) 343-4011, or email Pastor Daniel at Daniel@northgatefmc.com

Submitted photos and press release:

BATAVIA — Northgate Free Methodist Church is ushering in summer with family fun.

The end of the school year coincided with Father’s Day, and Northgate Church celebrated both with a sweet treat. Following Sunday services on June 17, LuGia’s Ice Cream Truck doled out scoops of the cool confection to everyone who attended either the 9:30 or 11 a.m. services at North Campus (8160 Bank Street Road), or 10 a.m. at Arbor House (350 Bank St.).

Northgate will again host its Star-Spangled Celebration, this year on Tuesday, July 3, in the church parking lot. This is the perfect place to enjoy fireworks courtesy of the Batavia Muckdogs, whose Dwyer Stadium is near Northgate’s backyard. A neighborly, family-friendly get-together is planned, with games and food beginning at 7 p.m.

All of these events and activities are free and open to the public.

For more information, call the church office at (585) 343-4011 or visit northgatefmc.com

The women organizing the third annual Eve Conference at Northgate Free Methodist Church are excited about the event next month that they believe will help bring more joy into the lives of all the women who attend.

The conference is March 25 and will feature keynote speaker Pam Washburn, whose talk is titled "Defending Our Joy."

The Eve Conference is open to teen girls and women of all faiths. 

There are also 12 breakout sessions, including three specifically for teens, two worship services, and an optional lunch.

Sessions include "The Interruption of Joy," "Surviving Divorce," "Marriage," "Living the Full Life," "Daughters of Miriam: Hearing the whispered heroism of the women of the Old Testment," and "Jesus 1st."

Registration is $25, $15 for teens and the optional lunch is $7.

“We’ve had people’s lives transformed in here in one day," said Jennifer Berry. "It’s amazing. It’s a day where you walk away thinking anything is possible and you have the tools you need to improve your life.” 

For more information and tickets, click here.

Photo: Jennifer Berry, Jessica Barone, Meg Hoistington, Gloria Roorda, and Julie Varland.

• Massive Air Balancing
• Advanced Podiatry
• Kreative Kitchens and Designs
• Knights of Columbus (Batavia)
• Five Star Bank
• Bank of Castile
• Knights of Columbus (Le Roy)
• S & S Limo
• First Choice Travel
• Mike Stasko 
• Ameri-prise Financial
• Dr. Salmon

A service of prayer and remembrance was held tonight at Northgate Free Methodist Church in Batavia, hosted by H.E. Turner Funeral Home.

The annual service is a chance for those who lost loved ones during the year to honor their memories.

When Kathy Kuss signed up to sponsor a Haitian child through the International Child Care Ministries five years ago, she had no way of anticipating the earthquake that would soon hit the island nation and its horrific consequences.

After the disaster struck, she received bad news: her sponsored child and the girl’s family were missing. The family was eventually discovered, safe and sound. However, the storm was not over yet — for the Haitians lucky enough to survive the earthquake and the subsequent hurricanes, the real horror had just begun.

Many had been rendered homeless by the natural disasters, and the lack of clean water was rapidly killing off people by the thousands, the majority of them children. It was upon hearing about these tragedies that Kuss, a Batavia hair salon owner, decided something had to be done—thus, “Haircuts for Haiti” was born.

“(The disaster) was all over the news and it was very frightening,” she says. “What I kept reading was that the water situation was so disgusting. There was no water there. I kept thinking, ‘What can I do to help?’ ”

The answer came to her in the form of an article about Sawyer Water Filters.

“There’s a lot of disease right now in Haiti that they have not seen for decades, like typhoid fever and dysentery, and the reason is because all this bacteria is in their water now,” she explains.

“That’s happening because people are not back into homes and there is no sanitation in place there yet, and disease bacteria is in the water again. This filter will actually take that bacteria out, and it will take out dirt and debris also. You get a clean glass of water.”

The filters that Kuss hopes to purchase will be sent to Haitian schools — or rather, what remains of them.

According to her research, “schools are particularly affected. ICCM sponsors children in Christian schools, and our sponsorships pay the fees for the children to go to the school and buy their lunches and books and education. When I was looking into this, they said that many of the schools had been demolished by the earthquakes. They were holding the schools in tents but there wasn’t any clean water for the kids.”

These lifesaving devises are, unfortunately, not free — each filter system costs $50. To raise enough money to send “many, many” filters to the children, Kuss has organized “Haircuts for Haiti,” an all-day fundraiser where people can get a haircut and make a donation.

This is Kuss’s first time organizing a “cut-a-thon,” but she has participated in one before and speaks highly of the experience:

“It’s really a lot of fun because obviously you have a large group of hairdressers and barbers. People love doing things like this because they really feel like they’re doing something to help.”

The 11 hairdressers and barbers will be at Northgate Free Methodist Church (located at 350 Bank St. Road in Batavia) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 23  in the south campus gymnasium. A Sawyer Water Filter will be on display at the event.

If you are unable to attend but wish to make a donation, you can make a check out to Northgate Free Methodist Church with the memo line of “Sawyer Water Filter Fund” and send it to:

Northgate Free Methodist Church, 8160 Bank St. Road, Batavia, NY 14020.

This past week we have all read about the beatings and the other issues going on in the State Street neighborhood. This Saturday morning a diffferent story was to be found.

St. Paul Lutheran Church and Northgate Free Methodist Church came out and partnered with Care-A-Van Ministries to bring peace and joy to the neighborhood.

St Paul provided a delicious breakfast casserole for the folks, while the MOPS (Mother of Pre-Schoolers) Tuesday evening group provided games and activities for the children. 41 families with 120 family members received groceries from Care-A-Van this morning.

Care-A-Van Ministries visits this neighborhood the fourth Saturday of the month. St. Paul partners every time with the ministry on the monthly outings. St Paul Lutheran will be also be holding a neighborhood picnic in the parking lot this coming Wednesday evening as well.

Care-A-Van would like to thank these two churches and their volunteers for coming out and making a difference. There are many volunteers from different churches that are coming out now and volunteering for the weekly cookouts, street church, grocery distribution and morning ministry. If  you or  your church would like to get on board with blessing the community, you can call 343-0328.

Pastor Werk from St. Paul Lutheran and his little new friend

Jessica Beal from Northgate Mops reads a book to a little one

Deb Porter and Michelle Taylor from St Paul Lutheran get ready to serve breakfast

Kids enjoy games provided by Northgate Mops group