Faithful Stones Church has grown from its humble beginning to its present location at 299 East Utica Street, Buffalo, New York. The church began in the summer of 1980 at 800 Sycamore Street. This area was known for its activities: people engaged in drinking, gambling, and after-hour social activities. Here, within this area of darkness, the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ began to be proclaimed.
After some time, a more suitable place of worship was being pursued and, at 120 Laurel Street, Word of Faith COGIC was born. The Lord filled the house with His presence and with many converted souls. The church remained in that location for about 1½ years. The ministry grew from a membership of 5 to 45 which exceeded the seating capacity, so the church began seeking a larger facility. In 1983, the church moved to 299 East Utica Street, the church’s current location, into a building that was formerly used as a post office with a purpose of postmarking letters for mail. The time had come to convert it into a cathedral with the purpose of marking souls for eternal life. Upon renovation, 299 E Utica Street became a soul-saving station for the lost and a haven for saints to grow in grace.
In 1995, the current building was built with a seating capacity of over 400 people. Later, the church’s name was legally changed from Word of Faith COGIC to Word of Faith Church due to some differences in Scriptural interpretation. The church has a variety of ministries, each of which serves a vital role in building and sustaining the house of God. The Great Commission has been the vision: “to train an army of men and women, going forth winning souls for Christ.” The vision of the church continues, with the desire to meet the needs of this community through the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In 2019, Mark Hamilton, who had been serving as an elder, was chosen as the church's lead pastor. Since 2019 Pastor Mark Hamilton along with fellow elder Cyrus Hines has continued to pursue the mission of the Great Commission through faithful preaching and teaching, strengthening the believers, making disciples, and leading the church into biblical reformation by the Word of God. The church’s final name change was in the works for some time. After explaining to the congregation the connection the former name had with false teachers and false doctrine, Word of Faith Church became Faithful Stones Church in 2021. Bearing fruit in keeping with repentance, not only was the church's name changed, but there was a continued recognition of the need for renewal and reform. As the Lord faithfully builds his church in every era and every age, we remember, repent, and reform. We welcome this message of reformation - semper reformanda - "always reforming." Our desire is not to honor tradition or heritage over clear scriptural teaching but to humble ourselves and submit to the authority of the sacred text. This effort is far from changing or introducing new doctrines but rather continuing in sound doctrine to further define, understand, and hold to what God has already providentially provided the church (2 Tim 3:14). Faithful Stones Church is a community of believers crying out in the city, for the city. His name and renown are the desire of our soul (Isaiah 26:8).
For Christ, by Christ, in Christ.
