Since 1927, we have been sharing our message.
Our Pastor
Welcome to our website! My name is Rev. Heidi Butler, and I’m honored to be the Pastor here at Eastwood Baptist Church.
I have been serving as Pastor at EBC since September 2023. I am a lifelong American Baptist, growing up as a “Preacher’s Kid” with both my parents in pastoral ministry, and I am blessed to be able to carry on this tradition and serve God in living out my own call. I hold a Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT), a Diploma in Congregational Ministry from Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT), and a Bachelor’s Degree in American Studies and Music from Washington College (Chestertown, MD). I have served in different positions of worship leadership and pastoral support at churches in a variety of denominations, including the American Baptist Church (ABC), the United Methodist Church, and the United Church of Christ. I also have experience working in chaplaincy and spiritual care; I have completed 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education, most recently as a Chaplain Resident at Saint Francis Hospital, a Level One Trauma Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
I first felt my call to ministry forming while working at Camp Wightman, an ABC summer camp in Connecticut, where I grew up and first found God in nature and in relationships with loving community. I have a deep passion for camping and children’s ministry, for worship leadership and church music, for Biblical study, and for history. I have experienced the transformative power of God’s love and grace in many ways throughout my life, but most especially through community and interpersonal relationship. I am passionate about extending God’s welcome to all.
I am originally from Elmira, New York, but spent most of my life in southeastern Connecticut. I have now come full circle back to Central New York, along with my spouse Nate and our two cats, Spirit and Autumn. I love to connect over books, television and movies, playing games, crafting, or spending time in God’s creation. I am eager to meet with you and my door is always open!
With blessings in God’s love,
Pastor Heidi
Our Core Values
Our Faith is Bible-based
The Holy Bible, with Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, forms the foundation of our faith.
We seek to honor God through regular worship, Biblical education and our relationships with one another, our local community, and the world.
We welcome all
We welcome all people as made in the image of God, from all walks of life, each with unique personalities, abilities, and talents.
We are committed to creating a warm, respectful, and supportive environment within our church.
We respect all people
We believe that every individual, guided by the Holy Spirit, is led to Christ in different ways and that none of us is equipped to judge another individual’s interpretation of the Bible, if reached in an earnest pursuit of truth.
In humility, we encourage and challenge one another in our walks of faith, while worshipping and fellowshipping together as one church.
We Value Service
We feel a strong obligation to use our God-given gifts, resources, and church facilities to help others.
We extend our own missions and ministries outside the church walls to meet spiritual and material needs in the local community and around the world.
We are the Church
Though autonomous from any outside church hierarchy, we connect to the global Body of Christ through our affiliation with American Baptist Churches USA and fellowship with other local churches and associations. We use a democratic process to elect our leaders, choose our pastor and make decisions in carrying out God’s mission for the church.
Our Affiliations
ABC USA
ABC USA is comprised of 5,000 congregations across the USA and Puerto Rico. It is the denomination that most closely aligns with the core values of EBC. ABC USA programs and services include: Congregational Tools & Administrative Resources, Worship Renewal, Clergy & Leadership Development Resources, Stewardship Resources, Programs to address poverty and disaster/crisis, Support for 31 Regional Ministries across US, International Ministries supporting the work of 80 missionaries. ABC USA also has 13 Associated Ministry organizations including American Baptist Women’s Ministries, American Baptist Historical Society and Karen Baptist Churches USA.
ABC NYS
ABC NYS serves 273 member churches in 16 Upstate Regions. Services, programs, and events include: The Biennial Meeting, Pastoral Support, Clergy Training, Clergy Retreats, Grants, Lay Study Program, Disaster Relief and Mission Trips, Pastoral Search support, the Annual Youth Convention and Financial Literacy Workshops.
The Iroquois Association
The Iroquois Association consists of 39-member churches in Central New York. Although it works in cooperation with ABC NYS to a common purpose, the Iroquois Association is an autonomous self-governing organization with its own independent leadership and decision-making processes.
American Baptist Women’s Ministries (AB Women’s Ministries)
AB Women’s Ministries has a long heritage of being on the forefront of mission and ministry with women and girls worldwide. AB Women’s Ministries focus on issues such as: domestic violence, immigration, cross-cultural relationships, economic empowerment, sex trafficking and sustainable development.
Vick Pathfinder Camp and Conference Ministries (VPCC)
VPCC is an ABC NYS affiliated summer camp program ministering to the larger Christian context (Not only American Baptists). VPCC has two primary sites: Camp Vick, located in western NY and Pathfinder Lodge in Cooperstown, NY. The central office is in Manlius, NY. In 2021 VPCC conducted a two-week camp for 57 young people. VPCC relies on guest usage and mission support from individuals and churches to continue its ministry.
Eastwood Ebenezer Karen Baptist Church (EEKBC)
EEKBC is an ABC USA and ABC NYS affiliated tax-exempt congregation. EBC provides EEKBC with wide use of EBC facilities for worship, fellowship, and related events. EBC also provides English Sunday School Classes for Karen children grades one through high school on Sunday afternoons from 2:00 to 3:00 PM.