The congregation was established in the early 1970s as an outreach of the Syracuse RPC. Greg and Karen Moberg were here from the start, and we are continually blessed to have them worshiping with us today. Greg has served faithfully as a ruling elder; he and his lovely and incredibly hospitable wife are an anchor within the congregation. We began many years ago as a home church, and eventually moved into a Christian school building, and now enjoy the blessing of having our own church building and parsonage. We are located in a small suburb just outside the city proper, in a small community called East Rochester. Our history is a colorful tale that would take far too much time and space to share here in this article. However, one thing is for certain; the promises of the Scriptures are true.

One of the verses that continually provided us with encouragement as we struggled was, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal. 6:9). We are reaping God’s blessing day by day, and we hope that this might bring encouragement to many of you who are small in number, struggling with concerns about growth, or uncertain how your ministry will be sustained. Currently, our congregation is without a full-time pastor. We are actively conducting a pastor search, and yet in many ways, we have been tended and guided by pastors from across the denomination. Pastors from all over the country have responded to the invitation to come to Rochester to preach. We have enjoyed visiting with Marty Wilsey, Jerry O’Neill, Ed Robson, Kit Swartz, Matt Kingswood, Ken Smith, Paul Martin, Harold Harrington, Greg Stiner, Jonathan Haney and many more. Our congregation is also doubly blessed to have Rev. William Pihl as a member of session. Bill has faithfully led our congregation in worship countless times, and his commitment to making certain that the flock is fed weekly is a testimony to the office of elder.

Our congregation is very excited to welcome Scott Doherty and his family for a summer internship. Scott is finishing his last year at RPTS and will be preaching for us weekly throughout the summer. He is also leading a midweek Bible study, and will actively participate in family visitations as well. In addition to all of this, Scott was asked, and happily agreed, to be a speaker at White Lake Covenanter Camp. Scott will be speaking with the middle school students during the family conference in early August. We will sadly be saying goodbye to the Dohertys at the end of August. However, we await a new excitement in September.

The congregation enjoyed hearing Rev. Doug Chamberlain preach on several occasions throughout this past year. Doug made a very positive impression on many families. When he offered to preach as often as needed, the session asked Doug to preach weekly, for a period of one year starting in September. Doug accepted the offer, and will be moving to Rochester sometime in August. He will be living in the church parsonage with one of our deacons, Bert Hays. Bert moved to Rochester last year in order to work for one of our local companies, Paychex. There are jobs in Rochester!

Speaking of deacons, this is perhaps the greatest blessing of this past year for the Rochester congregation. Stephen Robson has served as our lone deacon for well over 10 years and that is simply too long and too much to ask of one man. Early in the year, a congregational meeting was held, and 2 additional deacons were elected. David Ladwig and Bert Hays were elected to the office, and both have taken active roles in their new position. Stephen, David and Bert make an awesome team, and their combined efforts were seen immediately. Bert served as a deacon for the Oswego congregation, and David is a Marine…enough said! Please uphold these men in prayer as they go about the work of the church, bringing salt and light to the lost.

Please know that if you’re reading this little summary of our congregation, you are cordially invited to visit the Flower City. When you arrive, we’ll take good care of you. So much so, that you might decide to stay!

• Pray that the Lord would send us the man of His choosing to be our Pastor.

• Pray that the Lord would use us to build His Kingdom and that we might serve our community.

• Pray that the Lord would be pleased to allow us to grow in number, strength and commitment.

• Pray that the Lord would sustain the session (Bill Pihl, Greg Moberg, Geoff Shaw, and Peter Robson) as they guide and lead His people.

• Give thanks with us that God is good, all the time!