CLIFTON PARK – Northway Church is a fast-growing, modern, non-denominational church that has called the Capital Region home for over 15 years.
In September 2002, Senior Pastors Buddy and Debbie Cremeans founded Northway Church in Malta. Starting with a handful of people each Sunday, Pastors Buddy and Debbie embarked on a journey to reach people with the hope and love of Jesus Christ, reminding them that “God’s not mad at people, He’s madly in love with people.”
Their goal remains the same today as it was 15 years ago, and that is to provide a church experience where people are built up and encouraged in God’s love.
On Sunday, Dec. 3, hundreds of members gathered in Clifton Park to celebrate the grand opening of the church’s new location at Exit 10 of the Adirondack Northway.
Northway Church has grown from one small service to six locations and community campuses, including its modern headquarters at 770 Pierce Road in Clifton Park; Rye, New York; Milford, Delaware; York, Pennsylvania; in the Berkshires of Massachusetts; and Southeast Asia.
Northway Church looks forward to further serving the Capital Region with their new, state-of-the-art facility in Saratoga County.
“We are grateful for this building and for the opportunity to further share the life-giving, life-changing message of Jesus Christ to the area we love,” the pastors said.
The new building features accessibility from Pierce Road and Van Patten Drive; a 20- foot-tall wood entryway; community amenities, including a bike path, bike racks and pergola; modern design, featuring shades of blue and gray; stage design by Disney’s Designer Adirondack Studios; D & B Audio Technik System; a lighting combination that includes Chroma Q’s and Martin Lights; and a private room with live streaming for nursing mothers.
“It's hard to articulate what this day meant to us,” reported the Cremeans, in a statement after the Dec. 3 events. “Our grand opening represented that God can do more than anything. Fifteen years ago, Northway Church didn't exist. It was just a dream. A dream in our hearts to be part of a church that would encourage, inspire and lift all people up—a church that would be diversified in all ages and stages of life. No matter who you are, your background, your race or nationality, you're welcome at Northway Church.”
“Our grand opening also represents 15 years of giving back to Clifton Park, Saratoga County and the Capital Region,” the pastors continued. “It's been our honor to partner with CAPTAIN in Clifton Park for over a decade, providing Christmas presents to under-privileged children. We also enjoy supporting children's education by providing free backpacks and school supplies. It's been our honor to give back to the Capital Region by feeding the homeless and taking care of our veterans. In addition, the generous people of Northway have provided over 700,000 meals to orphans in Haiti, and provided hurricane relief to Houston, Florida and Puerto Rico. We were glad to give back to the local residents of Exit 10 by investing $100,000 in infrastructure, a bike path and a gazebo for the local community to enjoy for years. This new building right off of Exit 10, represents our gift to the Capital Region that will enable us to demonstrate the love of Christ, do more, and give more to our local community and globally.”
The Cremeans said weekly attendance at Northway Church had reached about 600 individuals prior to construction of the new Clifton Park facility. Members had to meet at various unusual locations as it was being built, such as a bar and a middle school. Now, the church added a new service time because membership has grown to “approximately 1,900,” they added.
“There were so many memorable moments we turned into monuments,” said Pastors Buddy and Debbie, again referring to the Dec. 3 grand opening event. “We had many guests who celebrated and collaborated with us in our building process. Since Northway Church is a homegrown church in the Capital Region, we chose to partner with local business to build our new home. We were honored and grateful to have our friends from BBL, Adirondack Studio, SAVI, KT, Interior, Sequence Dev, SHE Electric, and Ciliento Block, to name a few. We are also grateful for our new business friends at Exit 10. Every business at Exit 10 welcomed us and provided auxiliary parking if needed.”
The Northway Church Sunday services are at 9:30 and 11 a.m. All are invited. The current Message Series is “How To Find Peace In A Chaotic World.”
The Cremeans are planning seven Christmas weekend services on Dec., 22, 23 and 24. All are invited to experience dynamic Christmas music and an inspirational message of hope.
For more information, visit the website www.northwaychurch.tv or call 518-899-1200.
Larry Goodwin contributed to this report.
