Terra Nova, North Adams

History & Vision

See What the Lord Has Done

Past

The story of Terra Nova in North Adams originates an hour east in Troy, NY.  In January 2006, Terra Nova began having weekly worship services at Revolution Hall in Troy. That Autumn Paul & Nicole Gordon began attending Terra Nova and it soon became their church home where Paul would be led by the Lord to become an elder in 2010 and then in 2013 leave his finance career to pursue full-time pastoral ministry.

In January 2015, the Gordons and 8 other people started a Tribe in Williamstown, MA and began praying about planting another Terra Nova in the Berkshires, which is where Paul’s family roots go back four generations. By Easter of 2016, approximately 25 people were gathering with us and we decided to follow the Lord’s leading to start a new church.

In the fall of 2016 we began meeting regularly on Sundays in a home and we we’ve been growing in numbers of people and in depth within our community by doing life with each other as we follow Jesus. In the fall of 2017 we began gathering in downtown North Adams every Sunday morning at The Green on Main Street in North Adams, a new community shared space we helped to form and launch. The Green relocated in the November of 2018 to its new home at 85 Main Street. In September of 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Terra Nova Church absorbed The Green, and 85 Main St. became Terra Nova Church’s space.

Present

We gather each week on Sundays at 85 Main St. in North Adams, and gather in small groups via Zoom throughout the week. Life in small group at Terra is critical as we see this as the primary place of discipleship, pastoral care and mission in our church family.

God has continued to provide key leaders & volunteers for our work — from Children’s programming, to worship leading, and all the administrative oversight.

We are also excited to see small ways that we’ve been able to be a part of our City. Several of our members serve on Boards of non-profits locally and we are listening and learning where we can most effectively serve our communities.

Future

Our future is unwritten, but we want to keep following the Lord as faithfully as we can. Our hope for gathering in a downtown, multi-use spaces is so that we can gather where others are comfortable gathering.  It is our hope and prayer that many will find life, place and meaning in Jesus as a result.

We will teach the Bible in order to display Jesus. We will create art and music that we hope awakes the soul of worship and resonates with our times. Our small groups will continue to be the heart beat of our way of doing life alongside each other.

Church doesn’t start on Sunday morning and end with a benediction at the close of the service. So, we will seek to live lives that display Jesus and bless the towns in which we live. Our heart is to continue and build a presence with those who live here.

And, should the Lord bless our work, our aim is to bless others as a response. We will be a part of praying, planning and providing for future churches in Western New England through the Terra Nova Network, the Acts 29 Network and/or ConvergeNortheast.

We invite you to join us as we journey into new places, fresh ground, or Terra Nova, with the Lord and alongside each other.

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