LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 100th Anniversary of First
Assembly of God Church of Binghamton, New York, to be celebrated from
May 14-15, 2016

WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and
WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body takes pleasure in commemorating the
100th Anniversary of First Assembly of God Church of Binghamton, New
York, to be celebrated from May 14-15, 2016; and
WHEREAS, This auspicious occasion will be celebrated with a myriad of
events throughout the weekend including "A Stroll Down Memory Lane" with
historical trolley tours of the city, an Open House, a 100th Birthday
Party, an evening service, and a multi-media choir and drama presenta-
tion; and
WHEREAS, On February 5, 1916, the Reverend John Kellner was called
from his home in New Castle, Pennsylvania, to minister to a small group
of people who were conducting prayer meetings in private homes in the
city of Binghamton, New York; he had expected to stay but a few weeks,
but that ministry lengthened into a total of 28 years; the following
year, he married the former Olive Youngs of Binghamton; and
WHEREAS, On May 28, 1917, the tiny congregation became affiliated with
the General Council of the Assemblies of God; for the next several
years, the small Assemblies of God Mission in Binghamton, known as Faith
Pentecostal Society, grew larger and subsequently, they had to relocate
many times; on December 19, 1919, the members of the Society purchased a
three-story brick building at 34 Tayntor Avenue; and
WHEREAS, During the summer of 1922, tent meetings were held for commu-
nity residents, when summer ended, the people returned to the Mission
and became convinced of their need for a larger place of worship; on
February 12, 1924, the church was officially incorporated; and
WHEREAS, In April of 1928, the Church moved once again; the congre-
gation purchased the former High Street Methodist Church, located at
Conklin Avenue and High Street; the building could seat 550 people and
also came with a parsonage, which would be used for Sunday School class-
rooms; and
WHEREAS, The members of the Church changed their name to Faith Taber-
nacle, and remained there until 1957; from 1930 to 1934, during the
interim in Pastor John Kellner's ministry, the work prospered under the
direction of the Reverend O.P. Brann; in 1934, Pastor John Kellner was
again called to pastor the Binghamton flock; and
WHEREAS, Pastor John Kellner was succeeded by Reverend John Jenkins
who ministered until September of 1950; following him, the Reverend Paul
Bills and his wife, missionaries in Alaska, served as an interim pastor;
and
WHEREAS, In October of 1950, Faith Tabernacle welcomed Pastor R.D.E.
Smith and his wife, Goldie; under his leadership, the ministry of Faith
Tabernacle once again expanded, and soon after his arrival he began the
radio program, The Voice Of Pentecost; and
WHEREAS, Within five years of his arrival, Pastor R.D.E. Smith was
looking for a way to cope with a church that had outgrown its facili-
ties; they bought the much larger Kalurah Temple at 255 Washington
Street in downtown Binghamton, and the new building was dedicated on May

5, 1957; at that time, the church name was changed from Faith Tabernacle
to First Assembly Of God; and
WHEREAS, During the 1970s, First Assembly of God managed the Turning
Point Coffee House which reached out into the community with regular
street witnessing teams and festivals complete with marches through
downtown Binghamton; and
WHEREAS, In February of 1976, the Church welcomed to Binghamton,
Pastor Ronald Piedmonte and his wife, Sally; two years later, he began
the television program, "It's A Wonderful Life!" on Channel 40; and
WHEREAS, From 1973-1975, Ernest and Miriam Steffansen pastored First
Assembly of God; the Sunday School reached an attendance of 300 chil-
dren, and the adult Sunday School classes were also well attended; after
the Steffansens left, Reverend Edward Simmons and his wife took over
leadership of the Church; and
WHEREAS, In 1980, the first Youth Pastor came to join the Senior
Pastor and Assistant Pastor on staff; two years later, the positions of
Minister of Music and Minister of Outreach were added; in 1983, the
members of the Church purchased an existing structure nearby and in
March of 1984, it was opened as the A/G Learning Center; and
WHEREAS, Sunday School, Wednesday night programs, and adult classes
were moved into this facility, and an 8:30 early morning service was
added; and
WHEREAS, In August of 1987, another building was purchased and named
the Family Center providing space and kitchen facilities for large
fellowship groups, church meals, Home Fellowships, School of Ministry
and Wee Care Nursery School; and
WHEREAS, In October of 1988, the Church was approached by the Council
of Churches to assist in the resettlement of a Pentecostal refugee fami-
ly from Russia who arrived in early 1989, with more families to come;
and
WHEREAS, A World Relief office operated in the Church, until relocat-
ing to the New York Penn Trade Center, to assist in resettling Viet-
namese into the Binghamton Area with the Welcome Home program for Amer-
i-Asians; for the next four or five years there were Ukrainian and
Spanish services meeting weekly in Church facilities; and
WHEREAS, In the early 1990s, and every holiday, the Minister of Music
presented productions which were well attended by the community and
enjoyed by all; in March of 1995, one of the members opened her home to
minister to women in crisis; this later became the Teen Challenge minis-
try in the area; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Ronald Piedmonte retired in June of 1997, after
.SO DOC S R5053 RESO TEXT 2015
serving as Senior Pastor for 21 years, and has remained in Binghamton as
our Pastor Emeritus; in June of 1997, Reverend William Kirk and his
wife, Laura and their family arrived to lead the First Assembly of God;
and
WHEREAS, To pay off the mortgage of the church building, Pastor
William Kirk instituted the principal of the Joash Chest offering which
soon paid off the debt; under his luminous leadership, the children's
ministries, such as Sunday School, Kidz Zone & Club 56, Junior Bible
Quiz, summer outreach and the Wednesday night programs of Royal Rangers
and Missionettes were successful ventures; as with the children's minis-
tries, teen programs are also vital; many young people are being
mentored under the dedicated leadership of ministerial and lay leaders;
and
WHEREAS, At District Council in May of 2005, Pastor William Kirk was
asked to serve the New York District of the Assemblies of God as Assist-
ant District Superintendent; he accepted the position and began his
duties in Syracuse, New York, in August of 2005; and

WHEREAS, Upon Reverend William Kirk's departure, Reverend Ronald Pied-
monte was asked to serve as interim Executive Pastor, and Reverend Bran-
don Samuel held the title of Preaching Pastor; on September 18, 2005,
Revered Brandon Samuel was overwhelmingly elected to the position of
Senior Pastor; and
WHEREAS, In this capacity, he reached out to the community with TV
recorded live from the 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning service and broadcast
on four stations throughout the week; during Reverend Brandon Samuel's
tenure, the Learning Center ground floor was transformed as The City
Light Cafe; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, the Church Board of Directors gave approval for
construction of a bridge connecting the Family Center to the Worship
Center creating indoor access between the two buildings; the first floor
of the Family Center was then renovated to house the Nursery and Pre-
School Departments; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Brandon Samuel held the title of Senior Pastor for six
years; after six months without a Senior Pastor, Reverend Lance Bass was
elected as Senior Pastor of First Assembly on January 29, 2012; Pastor
Lance Bass and his wife, Linda, their children, Laken, Landon, Lane,
Luke, and Logan brought a renewed sense of vision for reaching the inner
city; and
WHEREAS, Under his able leadership, the Church began to enlarge its
local outreach ministry; in the spring and fall there were many Adopt-a-
Block Saturdays where people went out to clean up city yards and side-
walks, greeting folks with love; the old kitchen and downstairs of the
Worship Center were renovated to include a commercial kitchen and a
large gathering area; and
WHEREAS, In March of 2014, the First Assembly of God began to offer
free weekly community meals on Wednesday evenings and a weekly Sunday
breakfast was instituted in August of 2014; in the first year of
service, 12,990 residents were fed; one year later, 16,950 meals were
served to the public; and
WHEREAS, In April of 2015 the Food Pantry was established, serving an
average of 55 families per month; in addition, a delicious Thanksgiving
dinner was held the Saturday before Thanksgiving, feeding over 600
people; the kind members of the Church also prepare and serve dinner at
the Rescue Mission on a monthly basis; and
WHEREAS, Truly committed to its community, the First Assembly of God
partnered with an existing local ministry, The Impact Project, to Save
Souls One House At A Time; through its steadfast efforts, several local
houses have been restored in one Saturday; and
WHEREAS, On September 20, 2015, Pastor Jerry Qualls, and his wife,
Laura came to the First Assembly of God; he serves as Interim Pastor
while the congregation work through the process of securing a new Senior
Pastor; in this role, he preaches, conducts seminars, and serves as an
interim pastor in several different churches; and
WHEREAS, For a Century, thousands of people have experienced life
changes through the ministry of Binghamton First Assembly of God by
making a difference in their cities, Nation and world; and
WHEREAS, First Assembly of God Church stands on the threshold of
tomorrow, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming decades while
retaining that spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of First Assembly of God Church of
Binghamton, New York, to be celebrated from May 14-15, 2016, fully

confident that this commemoration reflects the belief in those values
which enhance the dignity and purpose of life; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Jerry Qualls, Interim Pastor, First Assembly of God Church.