NCCF Roots
North Country Christian Fellowship, located in the town of Gouverneur, NY, can trace its roots back to 1973 when a young evangelist from Florida, Lonnie Langston, held tent meetings in Brier Hill, NY. People from around the North Country region began attending these meetings to hear the Gospel preached and to experience the touch of God’s Spirit. Many people came to new found faith in Christ. Hearts were transformed and lives were changed. In 1974, the meetings moved to a rented building just outside of Ogdensburg, NY. The building, originally constructed as a chicken coop, became the new site for the fledgling church.
By 1977, Tom Wells, a native of Ogdensburg, assumed the pastorate. Pastor Tom led the church in an important season of spiritual growth. Land was then purchased in Madrid, NY and a new church building completed which became known as Christian Fellowship Center. As the congregation grew, two other churches were planted in Massena and Ogdensburg, both in Upstate NY. To read more about the fascinating faith story of the early days of this church planting movement click here.
The New Church Plant
In 1992, Pastor Rick Sinclair of Madrid, NY, along with Ford and Sarah Reynolds, planted a third church plant in Richville, NY, located just outside of Gouverneur, NY. The church was called
Richville Christian Fellowship (RCF).
Reynolds faithfully served this church in southern St. Lawrence County for many years. Click here for Pastor Ford Reynold's fascinating biography. Pastor Ford formally retired on February 1, 2009, passing the baton to Pastor Mike Tomford. Pastor Mike had served for many years as an Associate Pastor in CFC Madrid since 1994.
The church grew steadily and by 2014 it was becoming clear that something needed to be done to create more room. In 2018 after searching for almost a year, a church that had recently closed its doors, located at our current location on Route 11, became available virtually free of charge. Plans soon began for expansion on this building to provide for additional classroom space, offices, and a sanctuary addition to meet the needs of the continued growth of the congregation. Recognizing the broader communities that people came from, the name of the new location in Gouverneur was changed to North Country Christian Fellowship (NCCF). Our story is far from over! There is more exciting ministry and life ahead as we seek to grow in our relationship with God and obey Him in walking out the commission of Christ to be disciples and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
Psalm 84:5-6
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.