At Gates Presbyterian Church (Genesee Valley Presbytery), an old spiritual has been reimagined for a new season of discipleship: “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” becomes “Matthew, Row the Boat Ashore”: a playful but powerful way of naming the congregation’s commitment to the Matthew 25 invitation.
That commitment shows up in steady, practical ministry—both inside the church and far beyond it. Every Monday, volunteers assemble lunch bags for St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality in Rochester, a Catholic Worker project offering emergency shelter and daily meals. The relationship runs deep: Gates’ pastor has served there for nearly a decade, and the congregation regularly prays for the neighbors they meet through that ministry.
Gates also helps confront food insecurity through Southwest Ecumenical Ministry (SWEM), an emergency food program serving Rochester’s southwest neighborhoods. As other partner congregations have closed, Gates agreed to provide the space and infrastructure needed for a large-scale food operation—welcoming deliveries, volunteers, storage systems, and a steady stream of shoppers seeking assistance.
On the church’s own property, Gates is addressing housing instability in a lasting way. After years of discerning how to use undeveloped land, the congregation partnered with Pathstone, Inc. and the YWCA to develop 45 housing units for low-income families and for single women with histories of serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder. Twenty-four units will include ongoing support and mentoring through partner organizations—shifting the vision from “units” to neighbors.
Dismantling isolation and fear also shapes Gates’ local witness. An African immigrant congregation, El Shaddai, now worships in the Gates sanctuary on Sunday afternoons. What began as a rental agreement has grown into mutual ministry: Gates volunteers support tutoring for children, respond to urgent needs (from health crises to hunger and eviction), and share in joint services and pastoral visits. In a climate where ICE has been a threat in the Rochester area, Gates volunteers have even provided door security during afternoon services—another way of saying, you are safe here.
And the boat keeps rowing outward. Gates maintains a long partnership with Gardens Edge in Guatemala—working “in partnership with people to protect Seeds, Water, Soil and Culture,” traveling to support rural communities recovering after civil war, and welcoming Guatemalan partners in worship.
As retired pastor and pastoral associate Rev. James R. Renfrew writes, Matthew 25 is not simply a story about “sheep and goats,” but about people from diverse backgrounds overcoming isolation and fear to find common cause—creating “miracles involving food, shelter, friendship and hope.” In Gates, that miracle looks like lunch bags packed on Mondays, food shelves humming with dignity, housing rising from church land, immigrant neighbors protected and welcomed, and global partners treated not as strangers, but as family.
Matthew’s boat is ready, and there’s room for more.
Information Submitted by James Renfrew,
James Renfrew is a retired PCUSA pastor who serves as a Pastoral Associate at Gates Presbyterian Church. He has served congregations in the city of Rochester and in surrounding rural areas of Genesee Valley Presbytery.
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