(The following is from a speech given on Sunday, June 11, 2006 by Miriam Wagar.)
It was a beautiful sunny day that Ebenezer Bible Church came into being on June 4th, 1972. Ebenezer was taken from 1 Samuel 7:12b which says
“Hither to has the Lord helped us.”
That was 34 years ago last Sunday.
Our first service was held at St. Lawrence College with 25 people in attendance. We met at the College Sunday mornings and for our Wednesday evening prayer time until June, 1973. Our evening service on Sunday was held at Bayridge Public School.
In September 1973, both our Sunday services were held at the school and Wednesday evening at the College.
By this time we had grown to about 62 people. So after much prayer it was decided that we purchase property to build on and we purchased what became 954 Hudson Drive. With a few men signing promissory notes for $10,000 each, we began our first phase. We moved in March, 1975.
At that time, we changed the name of the church to Bayridge Bible Church. We were an Associated Gospel Church at that time. It was about two and a half years later that we realized the need for more room in the Sanctuary and so began phase two, which was opened in the fall of 1978.
In 1979, we joined with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and changed the name to Bayridge Alliance Church, as we are known today.
After much prayer and leading from the Lord, in 2003 we purchased 825 Gardiners Road. Our first service was held on September 21, with our dedication Sunday held on October 5th, 2003.
God has been very good to us here at Bayridge. Many men and women have sacrificed much to get us where we are today. I’m sure my husband, as one of the four founding members and also our founding Pastor Rev. Erickson and his wife as they look in at our website are thrilled to see how far God has taken us and where He will lead us in the future. It sure has been a great journey thus far.
So let’s celebrate what God has done and what He’s going to do for us in the coming years.
God bless you all as we serve Him together, trusting the Lord’s guiding in all we do as He leads us on.