The History of Orchard Community Church

Mission: To make and become fully devoted followers of Christ through the renewing and transforming power of the gospel for the glory of God.  

At Orchard, you'll find friendly and welcoming people, meaningful worship, and Bible based teaching and preaching.  We love following Christ together and hope you will join us and see what God can do in and through your life.
 
Orchard began over 160 years ago, founded by German immigrants in Rochester, NY. Throughout this long history, the church has seen a lot of change. In the 1940’s, the language spoken in the worship services was changed from German to English. In 1970, the church moved from Rochester to Greece, the church’s current location. In 2008, the church’s name was changed from “Latta Road Baptist Church” to “Orchard Community Church.” In 2010, the pastor at that time left for another ministry and the church brought on an interim to help guide them through the transition. The interim pastor took the church through a refocusing process centered on the gospel. The mission statement and core values were rewritten and then used in the search for a new pastor.

In 2011, Pastor Dave Daye was hired as the new Senior Pastor and has continued the focus on developing fully devoted followers of Christ through the renewing and transforming power of the gospel for the glory of God. From 2011 to 2015 the church grew from an average of about 80 to about 180 in Sunday morning worship. In that same time, youth group attendance has more than doubled and children’s ministries have grown significantly as well. In 2012, a new membership covenant was written and a new membership process was initiated so that the church members are committed to maintaining a biblical, gospel-centered focus in the church. In January 2014, the church voted to transition to an elder led model of church leadership and equipping the first group of men to serve as elders to continue to shepherd the church according to God’s Word.
 
There is a great deal of unity and excitement among the people of Orchard. We seek to root everything in Scripture and this is evident in the number of people getting involved in mid-week and Sunday morning Bible studies. Currently, we are working on reaching out to the immediate community as well as working with other churches in the area to plant an inner-city church in Rochester. We recently made major improvements to the building so that the structure is sound and the building is attractive in the community. 

Through all of the growth and change, there is a strong commitment by church leaders and church members to be faithful to the Great Commission’s call to make disciples, both through the message of salvation in Christ and the growth of mature followers of Christ, as the main focus of everything we do.