Published: November 03, 2005 09:55 am      

Sermons from the Summit

North Tonawanda, NY — WHEATFIELD — Linda Badame was driving down Sy Road one night in January 2002 when she started getting angry.

Years before, she had been studying at evangelist Peter Youngren’s church in St. Catharines, Ontario, working to become a traveling minister. But her faith told her she needed to stay near her roots in Western New York and start her own church.

But where, and how, were still a mystery.

“At that moment, I said, ‘God, if you want me to stay here, you’ve got to give me the heart for this place and its people,’ ” she said. “He did ... and he told me the place was going to be Wheatfield.”

Nearly four years later, Badame’s Wheatfield Community Church finds itself between a Sears and a Toys R Us in The Summit mall on Williams Road. It’s an unusual location, but Badame said it’s part of a mission to spread the gospel in non-traditional ways.

“The church isn’t a building, the church is each and every one of us,” she said, motioning toward a small group of parishioners on a recent night. “We’re here until we grow ... and we will grow, quite a bit.”

Wheatfield Community Church is actually one of two at the former Summit Park Mall — the Niagara Falls Vineyard Christian Fellowship occupies another spot near the food court. Julie Clark, marketing director for The Summit, said the churches fit into mall owner Jim Anthony’s idea of making The Summit “a well-rounded space for the community.”

Wheatfield Supervisor Tim Demler said he introduced Badame to Anthony after they discussed how the mall could be, in part, an “incubator” for up-and-coming churches.

“The local churches get a place to meet and enhance their congregations,” Demler said. “Until the mall is completely leased, which I think will be happening, the local churches serve an important role there.”

Having a worship space inside a mall can have its drawbacks. Chatter and noise outside the glass doors can be distracting during services, and the mall is closed on the holiest Christian days — Christmas and Easter — requiring Badame to negotiate with mall security.

But the location can also inspire passers-by to stop in, something most churches often don’t see. And the location offers better amenities than the living rooms and hotel banquet rooms from which it grew, Badame said.

The church has seen more than 50 visitors at some services since it opened up in April 2003, but has about 12 regular parishioners. Five of them have recently started meeting once a week for bible instruction courses, offered on DVD through Youngren’s World Impact Bible Institute.

It’s different from most ministers’ training, but Badame said it’s part of a modern approach to help people follow their calling.

“On the whole, churches, I think, have done a poor job of teaching people the many types of ministry,” she said. “It’s not just a person giving a sermon, it’s doing His work in many, many facets of everyday life.”

Sue Hawkins of Wheatfield said the courses are the best way for her to further her religious education while raising children and keeping a full-time job.

Hawkins doesn’t plan on entering the ministry, but Brian LaPlante of North Tonawanda does. He was the main reason Badame decided to offer the courses.

“I don’t think I would’ve been able to drive back and forth to St. Catharines,” LaPlante said. “I want to learn, but I want to be in the area also.”

Badame said many of the church’s outreach programs — including sponsoring “Ladies’ Lunches,” fashion shows and the Miss Wheatfield pageant — have helped spread awareness of the church, but growth has been slow.

That’s fine with her.

“We never want to lose the personal intimacy we have here, but we do want to grow,” Badame said. “(God’s) desire is to make this a mega-church someday ... but that will happen when it happens.”

Contact Kevin Purdy at (716) 282-2311, Ext. 2251.