In response to the National Christian and Missionary Alliance church planting effort, a core group of families who were attending the C&MA church in Shalersville began Friendship Alliance in September of 1988. Below is history of the church.

March 10, 1988

A core group of people, many of whom were participating in a home Bible Study and attending the Ravenna Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Shalersville met at the home of Rosanne and Dennis Sharrone to begin the preparations to start a new church in response to the National Christian and Missionary Alliance church planting effort, a daughter church, an extension church in the Auburn-Bainbridge area to be pastored by Rev. Lee T. King. This meeting was heavily set in prayer.

March 21, 1988

After exploring several options, Troy Elementary School is chosen as our new church location.

March 24, 1988

The core group met weekly. At this meeting, developing a philosophy of ministry was discussed and “Family Ministry” was chosen.

June 16, 1988

We have a name! We are now Friendship Alliance Church.

During these preparation months we kept the “mother” church aware of our needs and our progress through an information board which was updated weekly. We also held a telephone campaign called “The Phone’s For You” through which we contacted many people in the Auburn - Bainbridge area, sharing the Gospel Message, praying with them and informing them that we would soon be opening a new church in their area.

August 8, 1988

After months of searching, the King family locates a home - just days before their oldest daughter is to begin school and only a few weeks before our first service. God’s timing was excellent and He blessed the King’s with a home which allowed for an office, a room for the youth to meet and its location is only minutes from Troy Elementary School.

September 11, 1988

The Friendship Alliance Church receives its commission to begin the new church. This is our last Sunday at the Shalersville Church. A “baby shower” follows the service where we received many gifts to start us off -including a trailer to house all of our belongings. We also have a pulpit and communion table built by Robin Lance and Dave Cline.

September 18, 1988

We have our first service at Troy Elementary with approx. 50 adults and children in attendance. This was an exciting morning, filled with much anticipation. It was a real joy to unload all of our equipment, set up all the chairs, take down all of the chairs and put all of our equipment away. God had truly blessed us.

December 11, 1988

We hold our first congregational meeting and we’re chartered.

June 10, 1989

This was a big day - we bought seat cushions! Now our hard wooden chairs almost feel as soft and comfortable as those padded pews at the Shalersville church - almost.

June 1990

Due to maintenance work that needs to be done in the building at Troy, we move our service to the Troy community house for the summer. This proves to be one of many moves during our ten years.

December 8, 1990

Friendship holds its first “Friend Day”

February 1, 1991

Friendship Alliance Church becomes self-supporting, no longer relying on the District for financial support.

February 1991

We begin “Project 50,000”, a phone campaign to reach those families in our area and share the Gospel with them.

June 1991

We move for the summer once again. This time we meet in the Hayden Auditorium at Hiram College

June 13, 1991

The Governing Board approves the ministry of having small groups meeting in designated homes, otherwise known as Care Groups.

August 12, 1991

We begin the search for an Assistant Pastor

December 2, 1991

Rev. Mark Reitinger begins as our Assistant Pastor

March 27, 1992

Our congregation “adopts” Paul Isaiah Herman (born August 2, 1991). Paul is the son of missionaries in the Philippines.

June 1992

We are back at Hiram College for the summer.

Summer 1993

We begin meeting in the Kenston Middle School.

June 1994

We move to a new location, the Auburn Elementary School.

June 1994

Pastor King leaves for Nyack, NY to return to school for his Masters and Ph.D.

March 26 1995

We adopt a church in Rosie, Haiti and commit $3,000 to help them build a new church.

July 16, 1995

Rev. Stephen Sickel is installed as our new Senior Pastor.

December 1997

We purchase over 10 acres of land on SR 44 just north of Crackle Rd.

March 1998

Pastor Sickel leaves and takes a pastoral position at Willard Alliance Church.

August 1998

We begin the search for a new Senior Pastor.

February 1, 1999         

We hire our new Senior Pastor, Rev. A. Warren Gentry

September 1999

Rev. Mark Reitinger resigns as Assistant Pastor to begin a new church west of Cleveland. The search for a youth pastor begins.

February 15, 2000

We hire Rob James as our new youth pastor.

April 4, 2000

We go to Rosie, Haiti for the last time to help lay their church floor.

June 2005

FAC has a website at www.friendshipalliancechurch.org.

September 24, 2005

FAC sends three men (Pastor Gentry, Pastor James and Dan Van Oss) on a mission trip to Damascus, Syria.

September 25, 2005

After a couple of years of research, planning, discussions, etc. the congregation overwhelmingly votes to pursue building on the property SR 44.

July 2006

Pastor Gentry leaves to become Senior Pastor at Perry Alliance Church in Shermans Dale, PA.

March 4, 2007

Pastor Rob leaves to take a position with Christ’s Home for Children in Warminster PA.

July 14, 2007

Groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility.

October 7, 2007

First service (outdoors) and baptism held at new facility while under construction.

March 1, 2008

Dominic Cote is hired as the new Youth Pastor.

December 7, 2008

First service in our new church.