Our Guiding Mission
As a church community seeking to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ together in Western New York and beyond, we at Pathways are committed to leading lives that increasingly:
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Reflect our love for God, Scripture, and all peoples.
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Transform our local community, our nation, and beyond into loving, caring, and peaceful communities.
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Invite others into our community of relationships that reflect our love and nurture all who wish to learn to live in God’s grace.
Therefore, our mission is to worship God, faithfully study God’s word, prayerfully care for God’s people, and lead lives that witness to God’s love and mercy.
We worship to honor God and celebrate what God does in our Fellowship.
National & Global Missions
Back in 2016, when Pastor Frank Cerny first connected with Pastor Gariston Saydee, neither could have imagined how God would weave their lives—and their congregations—together. What began as a friendship has grown into a brotherhood, and through that bond, Pathways has had the privilege of walking alongside the Upper Caldwell community in Liberia.
The needs there are real and urgent. Children eager to learn lacked even the basics—teachers struggled to serve without reliable pay, classrooms needed resources, and hunger often stood in the way of education. Pathways stepped in, one need at a time: providing computers for the school, helping cover teachers’ salaries, supporting local businesses like charcoal-making and logging, and most recently, launching a school feeding program.
That last effort has been transformational. Imagine a child showing up to school, stomach empty, trying to focus on lessons. Now imagine that same child receiving a warm meal—their only meal that day. Because of your generosity, those children no longer learn on empty stomachs. They laugh, they focus, they grow.
Every meal served, every lesson taught, every brick laid is a testimony to what happens when hearts thousands of miles apart beat for the same mission. Together, we’re not just building a school—we’re building hope, dignity, and a brighter future for children who deserve it
Liberia school mission
This year, our congregation found a creative way to help make that dream of a school buildingreal. Every week of the NFL season, while the games played on, Shawn Merkle and Darla Wheaton collected jars of spare change from our Pathways family. What felt like little drops in a bucket grew into something extraordinary—about $1,500 toward school construction in Liberia. Add that to the $15,000 annually that supports the feeding program, and you can see how God multiplies small acts of love into life-changing impact.
As enrollment has increased, so has the school’s vision: the dream of building a permanent home for education is no longer just a hope, but a plan taking shape
Bills Can Collection
During the 2025-2026 Buffalo Bills season, Darla Wheaton, Sean Merkle, & Ralph Lowe lead a collection for the Christ International School Project. This year a total of $2090 was collected and donated to aid in the construction of this school in Libera, Africa.
Upper Caldwell, Liberia
Operation Christmas Child
Every November, Pathways joins the global mission of Operation Christmas Child—and the results are nothing short of amazing! With school supplies, toys, and essentials pouring in, our volunteers pack hundreds of shoeboxes filled with love and hope. Each box becomes more than just a gift—it carries the life-changing message of Jesus, shared in the child’s own language.
Preparation begins in August, when school supply sales make it easy to stock up. Since 2006, Barb Lowe has faithfully led this mission, helping Pathways fill 150–200 boxes every year. At about $30 per box, every prayer, donation, and gift purchased makes a real difference.
The grand finale is our Shoebox Packing Party—a joyful evening of packing, pizza, and fellowship. When the work is done, the boxes are stacked high at the front of the church, and the whole congregation gathers to pray over them before they are sent off on their journey across the world.
Thanks to everyone who shops, donates, packs, prays, and supports this ministry—together, we’re bringing joy and the love of Jesus to children who may receive their very first gift.
For more about the program
2025 Collection
A Note from Barb,
"Our Operation Christmas Child Shoebox packing team did an outstanding job yesterday after worship - packing 114 shoeboxes! These are added to the pre-packed ones and will be delivered to the Orchard Park Wesleyan Church collection site. Thank you to all who helped with this child evangelistic project."
