HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Northway Church celebrates Christmas in new facility
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y.» A local congregation celebrated Christmas Eve at its brand new home on Sunday.
As hundreds of area churches held services from early morning until midnight on the eve of the birth of Jesus Christ, Northway Church worshippers were particularly excited to do so in their new digs at 770 Pierce Road. The new, 40,000- square-feet church opened earlier this month.
Northway Church held five ser- vices Sunday, ministering to more than 1,000 people throughout the day. Though the setting was different, the message of this year’s Christmas Eve service was the same: celebrating Jesus Christ.
The musical service included live entertainment with popular songs such as “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Run Rudolf Run,” a rock ‘n’ roll rendition of “Carol of the Bells” and a lively tap - dancing number, along with a theatrical sermon by founder and pastor Buddy Cremeans, all held on stage in the church’s large experience room.
“Christmas is a time of giving,” said pastor Mike Mills toward the beginning of the 11 a.m. service. “We give our best to those that mean the most to us. Think about how good God has been to Northway Church.”
In return, he asked the audience to give their best back to God, in God’s house, predicting the greatest gifts are still yet to come.
During Cremeans’ address to the Christmas Eve crowd, he spoke about wonder.
“Wonder is the spiritual spark of our souls,” he said.
The senior pastor went on to re-enact a wonderful time in his life, a bountiful Christmas morning when he was a kid, asking “Is it ever possible to recapture that child-like wonder?”
Cremeans also recalled times when he was on the other side of wonder, feeling wonderless and wondering why bad things happen in the world. He went on to explain the difference is perspective.
“It’s all really our call,” he said. “It’s how we choose to perceive this world.”
To illustrate this, Cremeans played a clip from the classic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” in which the main character changes his perspective on life and finds joy just in time for the holiday.
“Make a choice to live your life full of wonder,” Cremeans said before releasing church- goers to celebrate with friends and family.
Looking ahead to the new year, Northway Church will start a new series, Fixer Upper, beginning Jan. 7, 2018, with services at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Sundays. For more information about Northway Church or its services, visit www.northwaychurch.tv.