A Brief History of Hamilton Bible Fellowship

From the beginning Hamilton Bible Fellowship has sought to be a church that consistently and systematically teaches the Bible in a relevant way; that emphasizes reflective and personally engaging worship; and that engages the people of the larger community as well as its own members in ministry and outreach. HBF began as the result of the efforts of several families from the Hamilton area and the leadership of Eastern Hills Bible Church in Manlius, NY (suburban Syracuse). James (Putter) Cox had accepted a pastoral internship position there following graduation from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1984. In the fall of that year he and wife Linda connected with those families who comprised a small group at EHBC. They soon began plans to start a church in their own community 30 miles away, the home of Colgate University. After much input from the EHBC staff, the inaugural service was held in a private home in May 1985. Putter was ordained and the new church commissioned at EHBC on May 19. The “mother church” helped to support HBF for the first several years; the Fellowship has been independent (and incorporated) since.

HBF has had quite an odyssey in meeting places. Small groups and non-Sunday activities have met in homes and borrowed spaces. Sunday worship met in a home the first summer, and moved into the large open space of a truck garage converted to a gymnastics school for the first fall through spring season. With that space no longer available, it was back to homes until the fall. The Fellowship then secured the rooms of the local IOOF (Oddfellows) chapter, meeting on the third floor above downtown Hamilton storefronts for the next two and a half years. When the local daycare/nursery school secured the truck garage (our first non-domestic meeting space!), arrangements were made for HBF to become the Sunday tenant as soon as the necessary construction was completed. The Chenango Nursery School became the Fellowship’s meeting place for the next 14 years (1989 - 2003). From 2003-2006 our friends at Park United Methodist Church graciously allowed HBF to meet in their fellowship hall until our building was ready to be occupied in Fall 2006.

Despite these transitions, the HBF vision has been maintained and increasingly evolved through the coming and going of many individuals and families in this somewhat transient university community. HBF has supported the establishment of Young Life (a nationally-supported ministry to teenagers) in the community. It also supports the ongoing campus ministry affiliated with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Cooperation among local churches in areas of common ministry is also encouraged, most recently as a charter member of HVAC - Hamilton Village Area Churches. HBF supports the local food cupboard and has in the past supported the Syracuse Rescue Mission.

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