Our Story
Over three years ago, in the Fall of 2006, Michael Mazzye felt a strong call from the Lord to plant a new church in Syracuse, NY. In addition, Grace Evangelical Covenant Church of Clay, under the leadership of Pastor Bill Anthes, felt a growing sense that they should play a prominent role in parenting a new church plant. It was evident that God was orchestrating people and events to bring these two passions and visions together for the transformation of Central New York.
Pastor Mazzye resigned from his position at First Baptist Church of Wolcott, NY in January 2007 and journeyed with his family to the Syracuse area with hopes of seeing God do a fresh work in the lives of people who needed him deeply. After a season of prayer, preparation, and confirmation of calling through the Evangelical Covenant Church, Michael began to share in formal and informal settings the vision of a new church called Catalyst that would seek to bring the truth and love of Jesus Christ to the Eastside of Syracuse. The Mazzye family hosted a series of “Vision Desserts” in their home where people were able to ask questions and investigate to see if God would call them to become partners in this new endeavor. At the end of this season of vision casting, a core group grew to twenty-five adults plus their children and discussions of a public service began to materialize.
Catalyst Church is an Evangelical Covenant Church (http://www.covchurch.org), and its beginnings are directly tied to its strategy for church planting which includes a supportive parent church and a four-stage launch process involving core group development, preview services, weekly worship, and launch. This four-stage process began in January of 2008 and gave rise to our first preview service on April 6, 2008 where God proved himself faithful to provide more support and excitement than anyone could have anticipated as ninety-three people came. It was evident that God was doing something amazing through the efforts of our very hard-working and faithful people. Our preview services (4.06.08, 5.04.08, 6.01.08, and 6.29.08) gave us a significant amount of momentum as we approached the summer with a rhythm of corporate worship and community service. Finally, in Mid-August of 2008, we began to meet weekly and prepare for our Grand Opening Celebration service on October 5, 2008.
Grand Opening proved to be a monumental occasion in our church history. The Evangelical Covenant Church, the Great Lakes Conference, and Grace Evangelical Covenant Church of Clay prayed with us and expected God to work mightily on our behalf—and God did just that! On this Sunday, we were able to witness 135 people gather at Catalyst Church. The support was overwhelming and encouraging. As a result, we saw and continue to see the lives of people transformed by the truth and love of Jesus.
As we look back on these events, we see the hand of God working in us and through us. We see his grace as we have failed and his power as we have worked diligently. Today, we continue to move forward with a sense of awe and anticipation, a deep sense of calling and courage, and a growing sense of gratitude toward God and all those who have invested in us. Our history shows that God is faithful and our hope is anchored in the firm belief that He will be and do the same in the future. God will continue to build His Church and transform lives of people in Central New York.
