About NCF

You never know what to expect when you attend a church for the first time. You get up early, drive to an unfamiliar building filled with strangers, spend an hour or more with them, only to find out that it's not quite what you are looking for in a church. If only you could have some idea of what an average worship service is like before going to one! The following is an honest description of an average Sunday morning at North Country Fellowship.

As you enter the building you will immediately notice the Sunday morning buzz created by dozens of children running around. Both military and local families of all ages are in attendance. As you enter the meeting room (where the service takes place), you will notice a comfortably modern feel. Worship music is playing over the sound system and people are actually happy to be at church!

The music team will start the service around 10:30 AM and lead everyone in 3 to 5 songs. Drums, guitars, trumpets and piano are all used in our musical worship. The words to the songs we sing are projected on a screen for you to follow along. The music is modern, contemporary and exciting!

As the singing ends, we will pray and the kids are dismissed for their classes and one or more of our pastors will begin to teach from God's word. We believe that the Bible is worth studying every Sunday so we make it a priority to do so as a church. The messages are clear and apply to everyday life. If you own a Bible, bring it with you and follow along. We usually spend 45-50 minutes learning from scripture.

Afterward, people tend to hang around, talk and just enjoy each other's friendship.

Once a month we celebrate and remember the death of Jesus Christ through a ceremony called "communion" (it's also known as "the sacrament", "the Lord's Supper" or "the Eucharist").

During the teaching time (after the music), children from age three through fifth grade may attend Spiritual Life Classes. Most kids find this time to be an absolute blast! If you have a baby or toddler under age three, we provide a nursery ministry so you can catch the service. All of our children's workers have had background checks because safety matters to us.

We are an imperfect group of people trying to pursue Jesus Christ on the Journey of Faith. Sunday morning is our chance to join together in corporate worship. It's a breath of fresh air in the midst of a hectic life. We look forward to meeting you on Sunday!

NCF began when church planter, Rev. Patrick Wilson, moved to Evans Mills, NY to start a Conservative Baptist Church in July of 1986. Initially, Pastor Wilson held Bible studies in his home. In December of that same year, Pastor Wilson and his family moved to South James Street in Carthage, and continued the home studies until the gathering grew so much a new location was needed.

On the first Sunday of October in 1987, NCF held it's first official service at the YMCA in Watertown. Weekly meetings continued there until the church moved its services to 267 State Street, Carthage on September 3, 1989. The church thrived and within a few years it out grew it's State Street location and once again pondered a move.

On February 11, 1990, Vincent & Elizabeth Sayre offered to sell NCF five acres of land on the Sayre Road. The purchase price was one dollar. In January of 1991 construction began on the new building and on August 3rd the church celebrated its first service at 35206 Sayre Road, its current location.

Rev. Wilson remained with NCF as their pastor until January of 1994 when he relocated to Leroy, NY. Pastor Mike Biolsi joined the pastoral staff at NCF in October of 1990 and has been the Senior Pastor since 1995.

In October 2003, as the NCF celebrated it's 16th Anniversary, the church also celebrated another major milestone: thanks to a generous giving campaign, the mortgage on the church's facility was paid off early.

In the fall of 2006 the church brought on another pastor. Pastor Len Flack had come to faith in Jesus through the ministries of NCF, and after studying ministry at Davis College he returned to Northern NY and the church.

Today the church averages about 110 people at its 11:00am Sunday worship service which includes contemporary music, Biblical life application messages and Sunday School for children ages 3 through 5th grade. NCF still offers home study groups and programs for junior and senior high students.

"A lot of things have changed over the years", says Pastor Biolsi, "we have changed locations, music styles, pastors and many of our members have moved away; but the one thing that has never changed is our desire to help our community by helping people connect with the God who created them." North Country Fellowship continues to minister to local and military families located in the Fort Drum and greater Carthage areas.