Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Rev. Harold Banarsee, senior pastor of the Freeport Church of God for 21 years, has seen numerous forms of ministry as the community has grown and changed. Banarsee first came to Freeport and the church in 1988, to serve as the executive pastor, and was later asked to become senior pastor.
Banarsee plans to continue leading the congregation, he said, “as long as the Lord would have me heading his people in this vineyard.” He added, “I really didn’t think that I would be pastoring in Freeport for all these years, but all God has shown me the vision that this is where my base would be.”
Although he has done ministry around the world, the Freeport community is important to Banarsee, who appreciates the opportunity to meet people and form relationships from the pulpit as well as in the streets of the village.
“A pastor sees a village not only by what is built, but by who is becoming visible, welcomed and invested,” he said. “Freeport’s story, with my experience and observation, is of resilience and transition and cultural enrichment. And that really makes me feel that I find myself in the place where I want to be.”
The changes that Banarsee has seen over the years have, unfortunately, included many losses. He described the pandemic as “the biggest challenge the church and community has faced,” which resulted in unexpected deaths of church members and declining attendance. But the trauma brought about stronger ties in the community, as well as the implementation of online services and an increasing focus on utilizing social services.
“I think [the pandemic] brought us closer together as families, as people, as a community,” Banarsee said. “From that pandemic, I think it was only a spiritual awakening.”
Community outreach has been a staple of his leadership. His sister, Waveney Joseph, a trustee and a member of the church for over 25 years, said that it now organizes more service-oriented events.
“Before he became pastor, there was not that much outreach into the community,” Joseph said of her brother. “When his leadership started, we started a Saturday breakfast for anyone in the community. We had clothing drives for anyone in the community. We now have a congregation with Hispanics and African Americans, so, to me, outreach for souls and community outreach are two of the big changes that he implemented.”
A new challenge has impacted the church, the village and much of the surrounding area, in the form of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities, which have included widespread arrests and forced deportations, at the direction of the federal government. In addition to the Church of God, Banarsee oversees more than 20 other congregations in his capacity as president of the Eastern New York General Assembly of the Church of God, and he noted the spreading fear among many minority churchgoers, particularly Latinos.
“There are concerns about ICE among our leadership … we are all concerned about what people in our communities are dealing with,” Banarsee said. “I think it drove a lot of fear, and still is, in people within our community who are afraid to even go to the grocery store, to go shopping and to go out to do their daily routines.”
Freeport’s significant Latino community, he said, makes the area more susceptible to traumatization. He is aware, he said of “ICE’s presence in many of our business entities, arresting people in the community.” And Banarsee remains concerned that the agency does not always follow proper procedure or explain to people it takes into custody or their families the legal basis for its arrests.
Asked what could help reduce fear in the community while ICE is directed to uphold immigration laws, he noted that communication between federal and local authorities is key to maintaining peace in Freeport and other affected communities.
“I think if there was dialogue and conversation on these matters, I think [ICE] would be more effective and respectful,” Banarsee said.
Joseph added that the church can serve as a “safety net” for community members in need. “Our doors are always open,” she said, “meaning we’re always welcoming, regardless of ethnicity or status of the community members.” As an example of such support, when the church held a Thanksgiving food drive in November, families who were worried about leaving their homes had food delivered by church members.
Overall, Banarsee praised Freeport as a community “on the right track,” and described the leadership of Mayor Robert Kennedy and his administration as a crucial “turning point over the past decade.”
“His administration, I believe has been a game changer, marked by visible increases in new businesses, meaningful project development, and a stronger sense of safety and quality of life for residents in this community,” Banarsee said. “Freeport has been transformed into a village on the rise.”
The Bible will continue to serve as the “blueprint” for how Banarsee and the Church of God handle the influence of social issues in the congregation and around the village.
“What is being transmitted through social media and all of that, I think, has really created havoc in people’s lives,” Banarsee said, “because the truth in many aspects is not told, and I believe that this is the time where the church really has to be a lighthouse, a guide in society, where truth is concerned. One of the things that I am involved in right now is biblical trauma psychology, with all the mental issues that we’re dealing with in society right now. We have to turn back to the biblical principles to deal with such matters.”
