Jim Lawson began attending BG in January 2019. He attended membership classes at that time just to learn more about BG’s beliefs. More recently he was convicted of the importance of being accountable and committed to a church body, which led Jim to attend the recent membership classes and decide to become a member. “It hit me hard that it was important to be a part of BG.” Jim is one of the men who meet to pray on Wednesday mornings. He gives David Barber credit for introducing him to the group. “David Barber kept after me to attend the men’s prayer group. If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be attending that group.” Jim is also one of BG’s faithful lawn mowers.
Jim is married to MaryLou. They have 6 cats and one dog. Jim enjoys working with his hands to build things, doing home projects, and working on cars. He enjoys their garden veggies and herbs and MaryLou’s delicious cooking.
Stephen and Savannah Emmons met each other at BG after a worship service one day. Stephen’s earliest memory of prayer was praying the sinner’s prayer at age 5. Savannah attended Awana and remembers that it was during second grade that she was saved and began to grow in her faith in Christ. They share a common interest in history (Savannah is a grad student in Medieval Studies and Middle English Literature) and enjoyed visiting historical sites in Iceland while on their honeymoon. They live in Watkins Glen near the store that Stephen manages, Seneca Gun Sports. They love the outdoors, hiking, skiing, kayaking, and gardening.
Savannah has been a Kingdom Kids volunteer since she began attending after Cornell lifted Covid restrictions for students. She liked that BG had both students and families. She says, “I want to feel like I’m serving the church actively.” They both admire how well Pastor Raley knows the scriptures and that he welcomes questions. They are glad to become members and look forward to where the church is headed. “Wanting to become members at BG didn’t come down to one specific teaching or sermon. We found that BG teaches the scripture as accurately as any man can do.”