Our church history
In February of 2011, Dave and Faith Bogdan started a “spiritual discussion group” that met in The Express Café in downtown Elmira, New York. The purpose of the group was to create a place for seekers and skeptics to explore spirituality outside the trappings of religion. People from all walks of life attended those weekly meetings and talked openly and honestly about their spiritual experiences; they talked so long they had to change meeting places, as the café closed at 8pm—long before everyone wanted to quit talking!
So the “Spirited Discussion Group” (as they called themselves) moved around the corner to Nectar Floral Studio and continued to meet on Thursday evenings, often until 1AM. Friendships were forged between people of vastly different persuasions and lifestyles. It was phenomenal! But sadly, in June of 2012 Nectar closed and the group began meeting under the Walnut Street Bridge pavilion by the Chemung River. Eventually cold weather set in and the group disbanded as an official weekly meeting.
In the meantime, Dave and Faith felt called to start something that looked somewhat like an extension of that group, but more along the lines of a church-but-not-quite-a-church. They envisioned a “church” that met in a coffee shop and made everyone (and they do mean everyone) feel welcomed, honored and loved. But where would they meet?
As divine providence would have it, there was a building available in Wellsburg—the old Christ Episcopal church on Main Street. Dave and Faith’s pastor at the time, John McConnell of Southside Alliance Church in Elmira, became aware of the facility and, without knowing of Dave and Faith’s desire to start a church-type ministry, asked them to pastor a church plant of SSA. They said “yes” and found themselves in a bonafide church building, complete with a bell tower and stained glass windows—a far cry from the coffee shop they’d envisioned for a meeting place!
But God’s hand seemed to be all over that little white church building, and that’s where Wellsburg Community Church met for three years. After the first year, the church became independent from SSA and came under the leadership of “Destiny Ministries” (see our leadership page). In October of 2015 Wellsburg Community Church moved into its current location on Front Street, which was purchased the spring prior.
Wellsburg Community Church continues to operate under the same spirit of grace that marked those meetings in downtown Elmira years ago. It may be legally categorized as a local church, but WCC exists to be a sanctuary for people of every walk of life to come experience the love of Jesus Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Our motto is “We are in this together” and our mission is “Community transformation, one life at a time.”
So the “Spirited Discussion Group” (as they called themselves) moved around the corner to Nectar Floral Studio and continued to meet on Thursday evenings, often until 1AM. Friendships were forged between people of vastly different persuasions and lifestyles. It was phenomenal! But sadly, in June of 2012 Nectar closed and the group began meeting under the Walnut Street Bridge pavilion by the Chemung River. Eventually cold weather set in and the group disbanded as an official weekly meeting.
In the meantime, Dave and Faith felt called to start something that looked somewhat like an extension of that group, but more along the lines of a church-but-not-quite-a-church. They envisioned a “church” that met in a coffee shop and made everyone (and they do mean everyone) feel welcomed, honored and loved. But where would they meet?
As divine providence would have it, there was a building available in Wellsburg—the old Christ Episcopal church on Main Street. Dave and Faith’s pastor at the time, John McConnell of Southside Alliance Church in Elmira, became aware of the facility and, without knowing of Dave and Faith’s desire to start a church-type ministry, asked them to pastor a church plant of SSA. They said “yes” and found themselves in a bonafide church building, complete with a bell tower and stained glass windows—a far cry from the coffee shop they’d envisioned for a meeting place!
But God’s hand seemed to be all over that little white church building, and that’s where Wellsburg Community Church met for three years. After the first year, the church became independent from SSA and came under the leadership of “Destiny Ministries” (see our leadership page). In October of 2015 Wellsburg Community Church moved into its current location on Front Street, which was purchased the spring prior.
Wellsburg Community Church continues to operate under the same spirit of grace that marked those meetings in downtown Elmira years ago. It may be legally categorized as a local church, but WCC exists to be a sanctuary for people of every walk of life to come experience the love of Jesus Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Our motto is “We are in this together” and our mission is “Community transformation, one life at a time.”
