Brittny Boyd, Alvarez’s wife, has been a member of the Church of God for nine years. She said she, like others in her church, is passionate about her religion and sharing it with others, and said it makes her sad that people are “taking something so beautiful” and twisting it to look like something sinister.
She had attended seven different churches when a friend invited her to visit a Bible study at a World Mission Society church in New Jersey. She wanted to know more about God and liked that everything she learned was taught directly from the scriptures. After several months of study, she feels that she has found her place in the world.
“I realized this was the place for me,” she said. “The members treated me with so much love and concern.”
When she moved to Buffalo for her husband’s sales job, they had Bible studies with other Church of God believers in a private home. In 2017, the church purchased a small brick-fronted building at 3750 Millersport Highway in Amherst and members began worshiping there. The religion has other locations in Syracuse, Rochester, Albany and nearby Ontario.
Church members meet at Amherst Church most nights of the week. They hold Bible studies on Wednesdays and observe the Sabbath on Saturdays. Members often stay for all three Saturday services and pass the time between eating together, studying the Bible or watching church-produced videos. Outside, a basketball hoop and a barbecue.
