Photo by Howard Owens
When pastors Jason and Michelle Norton began their church at the local YMCA with one other attendee, they had no idea their church would grow.
“It wasn’t really a church plant,” Jason described. “It was more like a church seedling.”
The church grew slowly.
Jason recounts some of his stressors were if anyone would show up for that week. Soon one attendee turned into five. From there, the couple moved to the YMCA’s workout room in which they would set up and transform the ordinary gym to a place of worship every Sunday. For three years, the Norton’s called the YMCA their home church.
Now, some 60 members later and growing, the church is in its permanent home in Batavia. But it wasn’t easy. The Nortons needed to buy the building in order to honor their mortgage plan. The pair decided to launch a building campaign in which locals and others could donate to their cause and help them buy the building. The goal was to raise a whopping $50,000 in two years.
Through the donations of the local Batavian community and businesses, they were able to raise $20,000 in-house alone. Then, an unexpected donor came up with the balance -- Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliette, Tenn.
Locke is known for helping build and donate to Christian churches around the country. He heard about EverPresent’s need for their building and wrote a check for $31,000.
“At this point now, the church technically has no debt. We own our own space.” Jason said.
To celebrate the church’s tenure, EverPresent Church is planning on throwing a celebration on Sunday. All in the community are welcome. Attendees can expect a regular service with guest worship leader Greg Skolaski, a dedication of various ministry leaders followed by hors d'oeuvres.
“A huge thank you,” the Nortons said to those who would be unable to attend. “The businesses of Batavia over the years, prior to paying off the mortgage, have been very generous. We do basket raffles and fundraisers; they’ve always been super generous with supporting anything that we do. A super huge thank you to every business and all those who live in Batavia and all those who have done what they could to help us be successful.”
