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About Us
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A Community of Christ Since 1963
The story of West Islip Church of Christ began with an extraordinary act of faith. In the early 1960s, a group of Christians envisioned establishing a Church of Christ congregation on Long Island. What began with eight families in Texas grew into Exodus Bay Shore, a movement that brought roughly 80 families from the South and Southwest to Long Island in the summer of 1963. They left homes, jobs, churches, and familiar communities behind to build a new Christian community here.
A Vision Takes Shape: 1962
Before the congregation formally began, its purpose was already taking shape. The church's incorporating documents, dated September 18, 1962, expressed a mission that still speaks beautifully today:
“We are, and we offer, a community of Christ.”
Those documents envisioned a church devoted to biblical teaching, worship, Christian fellowship, spiritual growth, service to those in need, and care for the surrounding community.
Exodus Bay Shore: 1963
Led by minister Dwain Evans, families relocated to Long Island from Texas and other states including Alabama, New Mexico, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The new congregation initially worshiped in space connected with the Jewish Center of Bay Shore and then in a storefront on
Main Street in Bay Shore.
This wasn't simply the beginning of a new congregation. Exodus Bay Shore became part of a larger movement within Churches of Christ, inspiring similar efforts to establish congregations elsewhere in the Northeast and Canada.
A Home in West Islip: 1964
Five acres on Montauk Highway were selected for the congregation's permanent home. On September 13, 1964, the new church building and classrooms were formally dedicated. By then, the congregation had grown
to more than 220 members.
Celebrating 50 Years: 2013
Fifty years after Exodus Bay Shore, former and current members returned to West Islip for a 50th anniversary reunion, June 28–30, 2013. It was an opportunity to remember those who took the original leap of faith and to celebrate all that
had grown from it.
The Story Continues
More than sixty years later, West Islip Church of Christ continues to be a place of worship, fellowship, learning, and service.
Much has changed since those first families arrived on Long Island in 1963. Yet the heart of their vision remains: to worship God together, welcome others, grow as disciples of Jesus, and serve our neighbors.
We are, and we offer, and continue to be, a community of Christ.