2008 Motley

2008 Recipient - Rev. Duane Motley

Rev. Duane Motley is a man of projects, a self-professed “goal-oriented” worker who seeks to find peace with God by doing His will. He is a powerful example of Christian action; of the fruit born from a desire to seek and follow God’s will.

After his parent’s divorce Duane was raised by his grandparents in Flint, Michigan. The Baptist faith of his youth has been a major influence throughout his life. While stationed with the Air Force in Little Rock, Arkansas, Duane entered college, eventually graduating with degrees in math and physics. He was guided toward the Graduate School of Technology at the University of Arkansas where he earned a degree in Instrumentation. Armed with this unique degree, Duane was in high demand. Although it was his least impressive offer, Duane was drawn to Kodak’s strong commitment to family and community. Hired for research and engineering, he moved with his wife Nancy and young family to Rochester, New York in the spring of 1966.

While searching for a church that met their needs, the Motley’s rested temporarily at a church in Chili. It was there that Duane met a man who had recently moved to Rochester desiring to start a church. The two joined forces and six months after the Motley’s moved to Rochester First Bible Baptist Church (FBBC) was born.

Prayer, fasting and an open heart led Duane to leave Kodak in 1979 after thirteen years to serve at FBBC full-time. That same year he founded and directed the Bible Institute in order to train people called for missionary or pastoral work. The need for a school led Rev. Motley and others to attend a meeting in July 1972. By that fall North Star Christian Academy opened.

It was the school that initiated Duane’s involvement with the state Legislature. RG&E was charging the school commercial rates rather than the residential ones appropriate for a church. This led FBBC to sue RG&E and the state-regulating institutions. The 1982 unanimous decision in favor of the church set a national precedent for religious freedom and made it apparent there was no one in Albany representing the Christian position. Noting the need for a state-wide, issue-driven lobbyist group, Duane began his transition from church-staff to full-time lobbyist. In the spring of 1982, Duane founded and still directs New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, Ltd. (NYCF). NYCF’s purpose is to monitor and lobby NYS government in three areas: religious freedoms and liberties, moral values, and family issues. A natural outgrowth of NYCF is the New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation, Inc. (NYFRF) whose purpose is to educate the Christian community about issues and voting records. Duane and his staff review thousands of pieces of legislation each year while working to inform and educate legislators on the Christian viewpoint.

Rev. Motley is a voice in the wilderness. Through the NYFRF’s publication “Freedom’s Alert”, his weekly radio alerts, radio and television appearances and frequent speaking engagements, Duane works to draw our attention to the vital importance of Christ’s teachings and our obligation to stand for the Truth.

Duane and his wife Nancy have been married 48 years and live in Spencerport. They have a son, a daughter, 2 fosters sons and four grandchildren.