Church in Waterport gets fresh paint with help from other congregations

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 September 2022 at 4:41 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

WATERPORT – The Lord’s House at 2038 Eagle Harbor Rd. is getting a fresh coat of paint and new look with members of the church, and help from other congregations. They have been busy today with paint brushes and sprayers, changing the main color from white to gray.

This photo shows Jonathan Allis on the scaffolding and Leon Johnson on the grounds, both using sprayers with gray paint.

Johnson is a member of The Lord’s House and Allis attends the Agape United Methodist Church in West Seneca, where his wife Rebecca Allis is the pastor.

Raymond Pendergrass of the Shiloh Church is Albion joined the effort today to help paint the church. Pendergrass used to attend the church in Waterport. He volunteered today, wanting to “send blesses” to The Lord’s House.

Chuck Weed of the Agape UM Church traveled to Waterport today from Buffalo to help paint the windows.

The church’s pastor, Rebecca Allis, is from Medina and is friends with Eddie English, pastor of The Lord’s House.

They met through Pastors Aligned for Community Transformation or PACT, a group of pastors mostly in Orleans County.

English has preached at her church and she has been at the pulpit at The Lord’s House.

English said the church wanted to improve the outside of the building, and he is grateful for the help. Oak Orchard Assembly of God also is helping with the project, paying for scaffolding and some paint. The Lord’s House also had a chicken barbecue recently with the proceeds going to the painting project.

“The inside looks good but we know people judge the outside,” English said. “We want people who go by to say, ‘What an improvement.’”

English is hopeful the building’s new look will be done before the cold weather comes.

“We want to be one of the lights to help brighten up the neighborhood,” he said.

Anyone interested in helping to paint or in donating to the effort can contact Rose English at 585-331-7963.

Eddie and Rose English are pictured outside the church this afternoon. They have led The Lord’s House for 16 years.

The church moved from downtown Albion to the former United Methodist Church in Waterport after acquiring the building at the county tax auction in 2011.  The building had been vacant for about 20 years.

The building was in disrepair, in need of major repairs. English was called a fool by some in the community. Some church members also were skeptical about moving to a building out on the country that needed so much work.

English, with help from church members and some local residents, worked diligently to make the building ready for worship services. They painted, upgraded electric and plumbing, and put in a new bathroom, an outside ramp, a new pulpit and other improvements.

English said he is focused on given the outside an improved look. He said he is thankful for the help from people at his church and others from other congregations.

“God has put the right people with the right hearts in our path,” he said.