In Star Lake, a radiant devotion to a cause as old church gets new life

Dec. 5—STAR LAKE — In an age when stories of churches closing are the norm, something divine is happening in this Adirondack Mountain hamlet.

But the family responsible for the opening of God's Missionary Church, 4274 State Route 3, is not taking credit.

"We don't want any glory given to us. We feel like it's God's," said Rebecca J. Hunter, whose husband, Shane L. Hunter, serves as minister of the church.

"This is such a unique town," Mrs. Hunter said. "They are so excited about the church coming. It's not just nostalgia. We want a place, a haven, where they can come and get together, have meals and fellowship with one another, because we need that. It's the basis for living. Without that, our lives are so empty."

With a grand opening celebration today, what was once a structure boarded up for years is literally now a shining, inviting beacon.

"It's beautiful to drive by the church at night and see the beautiful stained glass windows all lit up," said Town of Fine clerk and tax collector Hope M. Dolan. "There is a lot of excitement in the town to see the church being restored."

God's Missionary Church is in the former building that once housed St. Hubert's Catholic Church, which in 1980 moved to its current location near the lake at 1046 Oswegatchie Trail Road. The property was then purchased by Leon Zois and was boarded up shortly after that.

The old St. Hubert's Church was originally located at Benson Mines. According to the 2019 book, "Images of America: Around Cranberry Lake" by Susan Thomas-Smeby, it was dedicated in 1893 after land was donated in 1892 by the Magnetic Iron Ore company. It was named after the patron saint of hunters.

In 1942, Ms. Thomas-Smeby wrote, the church and its rectory were moved one mile west on Route 3 to Star Lake.

Mrs. Hunter said that she and her husband found out about the church property from her dad, the Rev. Donald Snedeker of South Gibson, Pa.

"My parents planted the seeds in my heart at a young age and gave me a passion for working with people," Mrs. Hunter said. "My father's church group had some interest, but then they decided no. They have a small conference. It was too much for them."

The Hunters conferenced, served and pastored many years with the Evangelical Wesleyan Church, a Methodist denomination in the conservative holiness movement.

"We helped with a new church plant in Great Bend, Pennsylvania, and also pastored a church plant in Moira," Mrs. Hunter said.

The listing price for the old St. Hubert's Church, Mrs. Hunter said, was $20,000. In the spring of 2020, the building was sold to the Hunters by New Jersey residents Athena K. Zois and Peggy A. Capko.

"They took an offer of $8,000 for almost 5 acres of land, two paved parking lots, a church and a house," Mrs. Hunter said.

The sale was brokered through Cranberry Shores Realty Corp., Cranberry Lake.

"The main thing is the church is no longer an eyesore to the town," Cranberry Shores owner Denise Barstow said. "Rebecca and Shane have done a wonderful job restoring the property and I can only imagine the joy this church will have to residents of the community. They are wonderful people with a lovely family."

Mrs. Hunter said tha Shane, a minister, had taken some years off from those duties. The couple also owns R&S Electrical Services, based in Brushton, their former residence, and now also based in Star Lake.

"We were looking to get back into this kind of thing," Mrs. Hunter said. "As a family, we tried other areas and just didn't feel like this is what we should do in looking at other closed churches. We decided this is where we need to be. Our hearts were here in this town. We put our house up on Airbnb that we had recently built in Brushton and found a house here that was never finished that would make do for our family."

That family includes nine children, ranging in ages 3 to 22.

"We like adventure," Mrs. Hunter said. "When your children's hearts are in this too, and the family is in it, you can get a lot done. We went ahead, started gutting the church, getting it prepared, forming relationships in the community. The community was so excited to see a landmark come back to life."

But at one point, as they looked at the challenges ahead, the Hunters wondered what in heaven they were thinking.

"There was a moment where we got cold feet and were like, 'Oh, what are we getting ourselves into?'" Mrs. Hunter said. "We actually told the Realtor to send the deposit back. I called her the next day and said, 'You're going to think we're crazy, and probably nobody has ever done this before, but we're going to go ahead with this purchase.'"

Luckily, Ms. Barstow had not yet mailed out the deposit check.

more restoration

The unfinished house the Hunters purchased is about a mile from the church.

"We could finish it like we needed for a large family and be able to entertain a lot of people," Mrs. Hunter said.

As for the home on the church property: "We're planning to restore the house and have another minister and family move in to join the ministry team here," Mrs. Hunter said.

As their church took shape, the Hunters pondered what religious denomination it should be linked to.

"We knew we wanted something that would suit the church here, suit the town and we were praying about what we should do," Mrs. Hunter said. "We didn't want to be one of those independent churches, not tied to anything."

Shane and Rebecca then received a call last November from Jeremy L. Fuller, Conference Vice President and Director of Home Missions for God's Missionary Church, a conservative Wesleyan denomination chartered in 1935 and based in Penns Creek, Pa.

Mr. Fuller invited the Hunters down to a banquet he hosts annually for existing home missionary pastors and churches.

"I saw the opportunity with the Hunter family because they have a large family of children, Shane has his own business, he is very self-motivated and they actually purchased the church as a family and began to repair it before I got involved," Mr. Fuller said. "They had a company come in and replace the roof and they gutted it. And it was way too big of a project for just one family, trying to raise children, keep a business running and build relationships in the community. They really needed the conference to come along and support them, send work teams, give financial aid, etcetera."

Two days after the banquet, Mr. Fuller said he received a call from the Hunters saying they would like to link their church to God's Missionary Church.

"Up until that time, we had put all of our finances into the project," Mrs. Hunter said. "There were a few people here and there who might give us a little bit, nothing of much substance. We said, 'We're going to move forward with this and we're going to donate the church to God's Missionary Church Conference.'"

"We made some large donations toward the renovations and assisted in getting a small loan to get us across the finish line," Mr. Fuller said. "But it was a very generous donation for them to purchase the property, begin the renovation, get the roof replaced, get the building gutted, and of course, they supplied thousands of man hours in labor."

Mr. Fuller added, "It's a joint venture. We have to be set up this way to perpetuate the ministry. If they decide they want to move and start something else in five to 10 years, then there's a system in place where the work can be perpetuated and it won't die."

Mr. Fuller said there are nearly 50 God's Missionary churches throughout the U.S. There are now two in New York state. God's Missionary Church in Rome, about a two-hour drive away from Star Lake, was chartered four years ago.

"I personally have a fixed purpose to start 10 new churches in 10 years," Mr. Fuller said. "So, I'm looking for families that have a strong work ethic, are committed to the Christian faith and have a vision to reach into their communities."

Although aggressive, Mr. Fuller sees his goal as realistic.

"We have seen our fundraising capacity double in the last seven years," he said. "So, were on the right course to fund these visions. We do recognize that for a small denomination of less than 50 churches it's pretty aggressive, but my philosophy is, shoot for the stars. If you don't land on the moon, at least you'll get off planet Earth."

That higher calling is what inspires the Hunters.

"Christ can work through us to make an impact on the community," Mrs. Hunter said. "That's our desire. We want to be here for people and have the church as a lighthouse for the community."

Mr. Fuller and his family had planned to be in Star Lake today for the opening celebrations.

"The word is out," he said. "We expect there will be several groups and families who will be coming from various places from the state of Pennsylvania and perhaps even other states that will be coming into Star Lake for the grand opening services."

Mrs. Hunter recalled one incident in which someone good-naturedly asked her why on Earth she would want to settle in Star Lake.

"It's been intense, it's a lot of work," Mrs. Hunter said. "I'm thinking, 'We're doing this for God, doing it for Jesus. It's not, 'We want to find another old place to fix up.'"

"You just want to be a servant of the Lord and do what you can to help the community and mend broken hearts the best you can."

That devotion has come with uplifting surprises. Mrs. Hunter said the family discovered that the old church bell, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon and Anna Black, remains in the tower.

"Our children ventured up into the bell tower, found it, and rang it," she said. "Many in the community don't even remember ever hearing it ring."

The details

WHAT: Grand opening of God's Missionary Church, 4274 State Route 3, Star Lake.

WHEN: Today, with services at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

NEXT SUNDAY: At 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 12, a concert featuring The Bradford Family from Missouri is scheduled as the morning service.

MORE INFO: Call the church at 518-322-9959, godsmissionarychurch.org