Pastor and Peggy spent their first five years in ministry evangelizing throughout Virginia, Maine and New York. They spent the first three and a half years in Virginia traveling across the state preaching week long revivals in the Church of God. They went from church to church, large and small, preaching and ministering to others. Next, they went by faith to a ministers meeting in Maine. God blessed, and they ended up preaching every night for eight straight weeks. During these services many people were saved, healed, and filled with the Holy Spirit. While evangelizing in New York, Pastor and Peggy met life time friends, who God later used as instruments to bring them to Auburn, New York.
In the fall of 1986 the State Overseer of the Church of God of New York, Bishop G. J. Chandler, asked the Colombo family to move to New York to start a church in Auburn. The Colombo family moved by faith from Virginia to New York and held the first church service in their living room. As the ministry expanded the church met in the Auburn Cooperative Extension. Later, God opened a door to hold services in the Columbian Rope Building (pictured left). On June 14, 1987, the Church was officially organized as the Auburn Church of God.
While meeting at the Columbian Rope Building the church was involved in many food handout programs to help those struggling with unemployment and economic recession. These food programs brought the need of many families in the community to the front news and inspired other organizations to begin or expand their services to those who needed assistance.
Eventually business men purchased the Columbian Rope Building with a vision to tear down the landmarks and build a mall. The Colombo family was given a 30 day notice to vacate of the building. The P&C plaza stands in its place today. With only 30 days to find a new church location, once again church services were held in the Colombo family’s living room as well as other church member’s homes. Then a door opened at the Throop Fire Department, and church services were held in the fellowship hall. When the Throop Fire Department decided to build a new Fire House, the church raised money through yard sales, chicken barbecues, and bake sales to purchase and renovate the building.