If you punched 490 Frontier Road in Amherst into a GPS, you would end up in the middle of the Ellicott Complex at the University at Buffalo’s North Campus – not the intended location of the Little White Chapel.
But a GPS wasn’t necessary Sunday evening. You could just follow the noise across the John James Audubon Parkway and find the church with no “rerouting” required.
That’s because about 50 people inside the church were singing, clapping, dancing and shaking tambourines to dedicate the new home of BibleCities Christian Fellowship, a non-denominational Pentecostal Christian church.
The church, which can squeeze about 100 people within its 139-year-old walls, is the former location of UB’s Newman Center. The center moved into a new building on Skinnersville Road in Amherst in 2010 because the chapel was not large enough for most weekend Masses. But the church has enough room for the BibleCities Christian Fellowship, which will hold services at 10 a.m. on Sundays and 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
It’s just a question of if the church can withstand the spirit.
Those worshipping Sunday had the church’s old floor bouncing, as they sang along with music blasting from two speakers at the front of chapel, relying on handkerchiefs to mop the sweat from their faces.
“I don’t know about you, but I want a church on fire,” exclaimed the Rev. WC Slyde Moran, pastor of the church. “And God wants people who are on fire for him. He’s not interested in casual worshippers but those that are on fire for him.”
“If you’re not used to people making noise in church, that’s OK,” he said, noting that his parents used to tell him to be quiet in church as a kid.
“God doesn’t want you there,” he said, referring to the more staid houses of worship.
In dedicating the chapel, Moran said that the new church believes and lives every word of the Bible.
He then offered thanks.
“We thank you Father for every person here tonight,” Moran said.
Those people included four local ministers who attended the dedication ceremony, as well as Ron Hagelberger, vice president of the board of trustees of the Skinnersville Cemetery Association, which owns and cares for the church.
“Hopefully, this is going to meet their needs,” Hagelberger said before the ceremony. “We’re very glad to have them take over here.”
BibleCities Christian Fellowship didn’t find out until July that it was making the move to what is known as Little White Chapel.
Though it was an unexpected change, church members welcomed the opportunity and had their first service Aug. 5.
“What they didn’t know 140 years ago when this building was built was that they were building it for us,” said Moran said, igniting more applause and shouts of “Amen.”

email: jharris@buffnews.com