Lake View Church Is NOT Dead!

by Bill Balisteri

I am thrilled and Lake View Community Church is overjoyed to have restored our affiliation with the CCCC. As of March 14, we were accepted back. We had been pushed into leaving. Last June, I was one of three members left. Three people wanted to shut us down and turn the building into a community center, with one of those people as head of the non-profit and the pastor to stay in the parsonage as an employee of the organization. We are a in a rare growing area in New York, and I couldn’t see the wisdom of shutting down the church. I convinced one 51-year member to stand with me and seek help.

Through my former pastor of our previous church we contacted Dayle Keefer, the Area Rep for the CCCC. He and a retired pastor at his church drove up that day, and we decided to continue operations. They didn’t hesitate to help us, regardless of our membership status. This said much to us about the organization and Who was truly leading them.

Others personally attacked us privately and publicly over the decision, but God quickly confirmed what we were doing.  His word and prayers and strength from the Spirit lifted us up and protected us from bitterness and reciprocation.

Twenty former members came back the second week and a young lady gave her heart to Christ. One of the former members had just received a letter saying that a CD (unknown to us, not in our QuickBooks records) was going into abandonment status and we needed to contact them. I was the youth leader before, through, and after the shutdown. Even though we lost three children, the day after the meeting nine children came to hear the words of the gospel, and the same core of 8–11 kids has consistently attended our youth group. The Lord provided us with an interim pastor, finances, encouragement, children, joy, and a congregation of people with a variety of gifts and talents who were hungry to get back to God’s work at their home church.

Five years prior to this, my wife and I felt the Holy Spirit’s calling to leave our home church and move to Lake View. We loved our church and pastor and sought his advice. He said that if we felt led to be there God had work for us there. As things got bad, the calling from the Spirit was still just as clear, though from a human standpoint I didn’t understand what I was doing there and what God’s purpose was for us was

In His time, God revealed some of His purpose for our being there. We are now approaching our first semi-annual meeting since the restoration, and we have regained much of the ground Satan tried to take. We are in the process of searching for a permanent pastor to shepherd our flock, and looking forward with great joy and anticipation to the work that God has for us in this mission field. I am seeking formal training to be better prepared for youth ministry here and to prepare me for full-time ministry. If the Lord is willing to make a way for this, my desire is to reach many, sharing the Gospel with all that I am.

Again, I praise and thank God for the CCCC and the work you are doing, and our entire congregation thanks you. We are looking forward to serving side by side with you in the great work of the Gospel for many years to come, Lord willing!

A man joyfully wearing many church hats,

Your brother in Jesus Christ,

Bill Balisteri