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The
Beginnings
It all started in 1971 and 1972. A group of Christian
believers had been holding house meetings. They also
preached at various evangelistic services throughout
Central and Northern New York. After several months
of these outreach activities, they felt called of God
to form a local Church. Of course, forming a Church
in itself is not all that unusual. Many organized religious
groups serve the Greater Syracuse Area. But the vision
these believers had was for a New Testament, Spirit-filled,
Christ-centered local work. Their intention was to have
a place to worship and praise the Lord in Spirit and
in Truth, using a full-context, balanced-Gospel approach
to the Word of God. They also desired to proclaim an
uncompromising Gospel message that would set a Godly
standard before the community.
Intentions and words alone are not worth very much.
However, today, over three decades later, the congregation
founded by this fledgling group has many hundreds of
members and operates a pre-K through 12th-grade Christian
academy. Most importantly, the Church continues to preach
a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled Gospel.
To us, members of the Church of the Living Word, that's
all-important. An uncompromising, Biblical, Spirit-filled
witness in a world of half-truth, cultic error, dead
religion and sin, tends to stand out in contrast to
the society it's a part of!
Now let's return to the beginning... Approximately
13 people met in a dilapidated, former Methodist building
in the tiny hamlet of Euclid, N.Y., in January of 1972.
They had just formed a congregation, chartered by the
State of New York as a non-profit religious organization.
No one really knew in detail what was going to happen
next, although there had been some spectacular prophecies
concerning the newly-formed Church's future growth and
function. The pastor, who had been saved in 1970 in
Houston, Texas, knew he was called of God to be a shepherd
of a local Christian flock serving the Syracuse and
Central New York area. Each person at Euclid had a Salvation
experience with Jesus Christ. And, the Lord was speaking
to their hearts...
Would people come to the services in such an unlikely
and out-of-the-way location? After all, there was dust
on the floor that defied cleaning, a rest room situated
next to the pulpit, and buzzing insects on the walls.
Not the most suitable place to hold meetings! Added
to that, there was opposition. People who were in favor
of lively house meetings suddenly were against forming
a new Church, especially one that might reflect on their
spiritual background.
So the pastor, Bro. Robert J. Mazur, prayed: "Lord,
if the religious people don't want us, then send the
ones that nobody else wants." Almost immediately
many of us in that category started showing up to all
the meetings, four times a week. These later arrivals
were quite a challenge for the Church's founders, who
were middle-class people in their thirties with little
or no theological training. Thus, it was somewhat of
a shock to them when even younger types started coming
to the meetings. These were "flower children,"
"hippies," and "long-haired freaks."
Most of the newcomers had been or were on drugs.
Some had repeated brushes with the law. Some sported
tie-dyed shirts, some wore mini-skirts (and those were
their "dress-up" outfits). Most arrived skeptical
and rebellious. Many left the same way. But, for a surprisingly
large number of these mixed-up young people, a wonderful
thing happened.
They came to check out this "crazy" new
Church in Euclid. Instead of encountering man's programs
and man's psychology, they ran head-on into a face-to-face
encounter with Jesus, The Christ, The Son of the Living
God. Many stayed with the work. They repented of sin,
became filled with the Holy Ghost, and began leading
sanctified, holy lives. They married, started families,
obtained educations and good jobs. For some this took
several years, and this was really still at the beginning...
A few months after its founding, so many people were
attending the services that those in charge decided
to rent a larger building on Rt. 370 between Liverpool
and Baldwinsville called White's Chapel. The meetings
there grew rapidly, until the building's capacity of
about 130 people was filled to overflowing.
By late 1973, it was imperative that the young Church
once again move to larger quarters. This was done in
early 1974, to a former Baptist building in the heart
of Phoenix, N.Y. There, the congregation continued to
gain in numbers. People came to the meetings from as
far away as 50 or 60 miles.
From the time of Euclid, to White's Chapel, to Phoenix,
and even to today, those who come to Living Word have
heard very direct, basic preaching from God's Word.
The message was (and is) aimed first at Salvation and
the Spirit's Infilling, followed by Sanctification (dedication
and commitment to Jesus Christ); Holiness; and Christian
growth in faith and service to the Lord.
In July of 1978, the Lord led the Church to move once
again. This time, it was from the village setting in
Phoenix to a semi-industrial area on Court Street Road
just north of Syracuse, about a mile from Thruway Exit
35 at Carrier Circle.
Since then, the Church has continued to grow over
the years. This has resulted in:
• The founding of the Living Word Academy,
A Christian school that is Christ-centered and upholds
the Word of God.
• The acquiring and occupying of a 135-acre
scenic campground in Oswego County to give families
a place of refuge from the world's influences and standards.
• The establishing and expanding of the
various outreach and internal ministries that are explained
further on this website.
In 1997, the Church embarked on another bold step
by purchasing about eight acres of land adjacent to
the Academy and began the process for construction of
a new facility (The Family Worship Center) to help the
Church continue fulfilling its mission.
The Church of the Living Word Family Worship Center:
A fulfillment of the Lord's promise
Shortly after Bro. Robert J. Mazur started pastoring
the work, the Lord revealed many aspects of His future
plan and direction for the Church. Over the years, we
have seen God's plan come to pass regarding the Academy,
the Church campgrounds, many of the Church's ministries
including street preaching and television outreach,
and the moving of the assembly hall to Syracuse, NY.
After almost 24 years of being on Court Street Rd.,
the Lord's timing had finally come to move the meeting
place up the road to its final location, next to the
Academy. Truly, it has been the Lord who allowed everything
to properly fall into place. Right from the beginning,
the Lord provided the land next to the Academy to be
purchased, the sorting out of all the legal details,
and the finances to undertake such a monumental construction
endeavor. The Lord put it on the individual hearts of
the Saints that "Every man shall give as he is
able according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which
he hath given thee" (Deuteronomy 16:17). Likewise,
the devoted love and volunteering of innumerable Saints
who helped work on the structure, allowed the Church
to keep costs down. The Lord then added the increase
to see the project through. Finally, this vision that
was shown and made known so many decades prior had come
to pass! We thank the Lord for his faithfulness in bringing
this promise to fulfillment because "Except the
Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build
it..." (Psalm 127:1).
The building was specifically tailored to meet the
needs of the Church. The structure houses a sanctuary,
nurseries, a bookstore, a publications facility, and
a large foyer and banquet hall that can be used for
fellowship. However, what continues to be the most impressive
isn't the brickwork, the seating arrangements, the acoustics,
or the previously mentioned structures within the facility.
Rather, it is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ continues
to meet with His Saints in every service, just as He
has done right from the inception of the Church. While
the building itself is formidable, it is the fact that
the Holy Spirit continues to have His way in the lives
of people at each service that is most noteworthy. Meeting
after meeting, people are repenting and getting saved
as they make a sincere commitment to Jesus Christ. Many
are being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking in
tongues, prophesying, speaking a word of wisdom, or
a word of knowledge as the Spirit leads, while the Lord
is healing others from diseases and afflictions through
the laying on of hands from the Saints.
Having the Worship Center on the same campus as the
Academy is a tremendous blessing for the Church members.
Parents no longer have to shuttle children between two
different locations for Sunday School and the Sunday
morning service, as they did in the past. Likewise,
for newcomers to the Church, the presence of the Academy
buildings is a reminder of the importance that is placed
on families as a whole. It is also a reminder of the
vital ministry of passing on the Christian faith to
our children.
Our pastors have decided to appropriately title the
new building as "The Living Word Family Worship
Center." As always, the focus of Living Word Church
continues to be on families (both natural and spiritual)
engaging in the praise and worship of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, while allowing the Holy Spirit to do His
work that brings change to people's lives.
next
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About
the Church
• A
Ministry of Caring
• and Outreach
• The
Beginnings
• The Preached Word
• Our Doctrinal Statement
• Outreach Ministries
• Internal Ministries
• Living Word Camp
• Trip to Israel
• The Local Church
• Praise, Worship, and Music
• Our Father's Business
• Where to Find Us
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