Our Story

Our story began on September 30, 1930 when the former Seneca United Methodist Church was founded in the town of Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, N.Y. Formerly Seneca United Methodist Church, was seen as a healthy and vibrant congregation that thrived in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. During this time, there was an exciting and growing sense of community within the church. They grew quickly, with many from the surrounding neighborhoods was joining the church. Over time, the congregation grew to become primarily inward-facing. As leadership attempted to place momentum behind new vision and ideas for the church, many parishioners were leaving. This recurring theme, along with a steady rotation of pastoral transitions has loomed over the church for the past 20 years. In order to release the resistance and baggage of the past, the decision was made to temporarily close the former church on November 10, 2020 and restart a new congregation. Since then, Agape Fellowship Church was breathed into life on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021. With a vision to expand the reach of the Kingdom locally, regionally, and globally, the idea of a re-planted congregation and an early childhood center was launched in Irondequoit. Through the year, we’ve remained true to our commitment to biblical-based preaching/teaching and living in a way that brings glory to God. We are humbled and blessed to be a part of the big things that God has called our church to become.

WHO WE ARE

Whoever you are: We want you to know that you are safe with us. You are loved here. You are cared for—and not just in the spiritual, but holistically in mind and body. As Methodists, we believe in holiness and that holiness is social because God is social. We practice social holiness as a way of obeying Jesus’ teachings to love God more—heart, soul, and mind, and then loving our neighbors as Christ loves. Because holiness is social, we also believe that justice, diversity, and inclusion best work here at Agape Fellowship Church as we invite you into full participation in sharing life together and love whom God loves.

OUR CHURCH HERITAGE

We are Methodists! Agape Fellowship Church is a member of the Genesee Valley District of the Upper New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Church was created in 1968, but Methodism dates back to John and Charles Wesley who sought to spread a more “simple gospel” and revival movement when they began a student small group movement at Oxford University in England in 1738. 

After returning to England from America, John Wesley was bitter, disillusioned and spiritually low. He shared his inner struggles with a Moravian preacher, Peter Boehler, who greatly influenced John and his brother Charles to undertake evangelistic preaching with an emphasis on conversion and holiness.

Although both Wesley brothers were ordained ministers of the Church of England, they were barred from speaking in most of its pulpits because of their evangelistic methods. They preached in homes, farmhouses, barns, open fields, and wherever they found an audience.

John Wesley did not set out to create a new church but instead began several small faith-restoration groups within the Anglican church called the United Societies, and later known as, the Class system. Soon, however, Methodism spread and eventually became its own separate religion when the first conference was held in 1744. By 1787, Wesley was required to register his preachers as non-Anglicans. He, however, remained an Anglican to his death.