About Landmark Free Will Baptist Church
Dana Booth was converted at the age of 23 in 1970. He was ordained in 1972 after 2 years of licensing training at Westerville Free Will Baptist Church in Westerville, Ohio. Pastor Booth attended prophets school and other conferences and special seminars at different times during his ministry.
He has been the founding pastor of 4 Free Will Baptist Churches; one in Missouri, 2 in Ohio, and now one in New York. He left Freedom Free Will Baptist Church in Plain City, Ohio, where he was the founding pastor and served for 13 years.
After many years of abiding conviction of the need for a Free Will Baptist Church in New York state, my wife Betty and I, working with the National Association of Free Will Baptist Home Mission Board, moved to Farmington to begin the Landmark Free Will Baptist Church.
My wife and I have been married for 38 years and have 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren who live in Plain City, Ohio, and are faithful to the work of the Lord there at the Freedom Free Will Baptist Church. My wife has worked in the children’s ministry as a teacher, the van ministry, and many ministries of service to others. We desired to plant a Free Will Baptist Church in the Clifton Springs and Phelps area and plant other Free Will Baptist Churches in the area from this congregation.
We are so thankful that the Lord also dealt with the heart of the Martin family from Birmingham, Alabama, to move here and assist in the planting of a Free Will Baptist Church, and has sent others to be a part of this work of the Lord.
Thanks to the workers and commitment of those who make up our church and to the generosity of other Free Will Baptist Churches and individuals, we were able to purchase the property where we are located. We were also able to have a van ministry, a children’s church, a radio ministry, and a senior citizen ministry and examine the prospects of a Christian school.
To God be the Glory!
Left to right: Dana Booth, Betty Booth, Sylvia Martin, Jim Martin
Our current pastor Jim Martin and his wife Sylvia
Our Logo Explained
Ship
The ship symbolizes the church and represents all church members pulling in one direction, guided and powered by the Holy Spirit. Seeking to fulfill Christ’s last commission to the church, Free Will Baptists unite in one purpose with the priority to proclaim the good news of the gospel throughout the world.
Fish
The word “fish” in the first century Greek (Ichthus) is an acrostic for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. The fish, represented in the symbol by the space between the bottom of the sail and the top of the ship’s body, is one of the most popular symbols of Jesus Christ. Many believe it was a secret symbol that identified Christians during time periods of persecution.
Anchor
The anchor on the ship’s bow symbolizes the Christian hope of salvation, “the sure, strong, and steadfast anchor of the soul.”
Cross
The mast of the ship in the emblem forms the most familiar symbol in the history of the world, the cross—an instrument of execution and death turned into a worldwide emblem of hope and love by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Bible
The Bible has always been at the heart of our life as Free Will Baptists – the centrality of the scriptures. Free Will Baptists adopt the Word of God as our only rule of faith and practice. We believe the scriptures to be inspired, inerrant, infallible, and immutable.
Loaf and Cup
The loaf and cup represent the Lord’s Supper, one of the gospel ordinances. This ordinance commemorates the death of Christ for our sins in the use of the bread, which He made the emblem of His broken body. The cup is the emblem of His shed blood. Participation in this ordinance expresses love for Christ, faith, and hope in Him and serves as a pledge of perpetual fidelity and faithfulness to Him.
Basin and Towel
The basin and towel historically symbolize the service and outreach of the church, but for us, it has an added significance of representing our practice of washing the saints’ feet.
Clasped Hands
The clasped hands symbolize many things to us: fellowship, brotherhood, and the warmth of our faith. Perhaps the most important thing symbolized by the clasped hands is our commitment to reach out to people worldwide with the good news.