A Wesleyan church located just north of the Albany/Schenectady, New York, metroplex area has something to celebrate following this weekend’s Easter services. Located near what recent George Barna surveys indicate as the “least religious city in the nation,” Vantage Pointe Church in Queensbury, N.Y., has an encouraging story to tell.
The church that averages 101 in attendance rented the nearby Civic Center, after the church’s facility was maxed out for Christmas services in 2015. Rev. Dean Brown knew the Easter crowd would likely be larger and wanted to be prepared.
Hundreds and hundreds of unchurched families poured into the sports arena to worship, where they heard a clear gospel message. ( See video.) Estimates show between 900-1,000 men, women, and children attended Vantage Pointe’s Sunday morning service, where a large cross was raised on the ice in the center. In conjunction with the service, Vantage Pointe also hosted its fourth Annual Easter Celebration and Egg Hunt as an outreach to the community, which included 30,000 filled Easter eggs. Advertisement was done through social media, a local, online newspaper, and scattered lawn signs throughout the community.
As Easter stories within The Wesleyan Church continue to be gathered, here are just a few statistics that illustrate just how many heard the Resurrection story in Wesleyan circles:
- Village Church, Red Rock, Arizona: Over 90 in attendance, with four placing their faith in Christ. (Thirty-four have made the decision to follow Jesus since the church launched four weeks ago.)
- Fountain Springs Church, Rapid City, South Dakota: 700 faith conversions
- Heritage Wesleyan Church, Rock Island, Illinois: 75 conversions
- Daybreak Community Church, Hudsonville, Michigan: 300 conversions
- Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, Scott City, Missouri: Over 160 in attendance, when, just three years ago attendance totaled 12.
- Bella Vista Wesleyan Church, Bella Vista, Arkansas: half of the 40 in attendance were visitors
- Denton Wesleyan Church, Denton, North Carolina: 500 in attendance with more than 10 placing their faith in Jesus; average, weekly attendance totaled 325 in 2015
- Trinity Wesleyan Church, Greenville, Ohio: 300 in attendance, with nearly 10 faith conversions; average attendance in 2015 was 180+
Stay tuned for more encouraging stories in the coming weeks.
