Early History
The organizational service followed at 3:00 p.m. The hymns “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” and “Blest Be the Ties That Binds” were sung. The scripture was I Thessalonians 5:1-23. The Rev. Samuel Dunham, who later served as our Pastor, led the service. During this service Rev. Miller ordained 3 Elders: Mr. Dickson, Mr. Wilbur and Mr. Johnson; 3 Deacons: Mr. Lewis Dickson, Mr. Mudge and Mr. Wickham. The Rev. John McVey gave a charge to the congregation and the Floral Avenue Presbyterian Church of Binghamton was officially chartered. With Mr. G.M.T. Johnson as Clerk of Session, a duty he performed until 1902.
The first year was an active one. We supported a missionary by the name of Sidram Jadhoe in India, added 10 members to the church roster, had an infants roll of almost 30 and selected and purchased a Communion set. The first communion was celebrated the last Sunday of July using unfermented wine.
On August 17, 1894, Rev. Miller presented his resignation as pastor and it was accepted. The church was without a regular pastor for 9 months, during which time the pulpit was filled with pastors from the area churches. It was decided by the membership that the week’s collection was to be given to the pastors as their wages.
The Session extended a call to the Rev. Robert C. Bryant, a seminary student, on April 1, 1895. He was paid a salary of $1,000 per year. The congregation loved Rev. Bryant and the church was vibrant and active under his leadership. During the summer of 1897 he visited Palestine. In January 1898, much to the surprise of the congregation, he resigned and became a missionary. He closed his pastorate with us on October 31, 1898, leaving the church with a membership of 88 and a Sunday school of 143 members.
Rev. Fay
The Rev. C. Edward Fay became our pastor in December 1898 and served until August 1905. His relationship also was a prosperous one with our church. Membership grew to 191 and Sunday school to 238. Under his leadership an addition was built on to the church in 1900. This is believed to be our present parlor.
The Rev. A. W. Allen was elected as our 4th pastor in October 1905 and resigned only 7 months, later to accept a call in Delphos, Ohio. Due to the short life of his pastorate there are no clear accounts of increased activity in the church.
Rev. Dunham
The church was blessed with the Rev. Samuel Dunham, Pastor Emeritus at West Presbyterian Church agreeing to serve as our interim supply pastor. Despite his age and the fact that he was retired, he accepted a call to our church on March 31, 1907. He served our church until November 1914. The church made strident gains under his leadership, of which one is that we were incorporated on September 11, 1906. The membership grew to 287 and the Sunday school to 324 members. The Rev. Dunham is remembered as a man of great faith, an excellent preacher and a good administrator. He lived until the age of 104.
Rev. Eisenhart
A call was extended to the Rev. Wilson A. Eisenhart to become our Pastor in November 1914. In June of 1915 lightning damaged the chapel. No records exist as to the extent of the damage. At the church’s annual meeting on October 26, 1915, it was decided by a majority, passing by only 3 votes, to construct a new church edifice, to better serve the needs of a growing congregation. The reason for the narrowness of the vote was the question of whether to build a new structure or expand our existing church. At the same time, a reed organ was purchased for the church at a cost of $675.00.
A committee was appointed to select a site and make cost recommendations for the new building and to select an architect. The committee purchased land adjoining our chapel from a Mr. William H. Knoeller for $4,500.00, which included the former manse, which was later demolished and now serves as our church parking lot. The Johnson family pledged $12,000 towards the cost of the church if it would be built in Johnson City and cost at least $30,000.
It was at this time the church name changed from the Floral Avenue Presbyterian Church of Binghamton, to the First Presbyterian Church of Johnson City. We must thank Mr. Laverne Twinning for attending to this matter and all the legal affairs of this church for many years with no remuneration. The official name change occurred April 4, 1916 in the New York Supreme Court.
The cornerstone of the church was laid October 21, 1916. It was during this service due to poor construction and architectural design, the floor collapsed, injuring many people in attendance. The services of the architect, Mr. Bartoo, were promptly dismissed, at which time Mr. George Mason, a member, took the responsibility of overseeing the building of our church.
The church was completed in November 1917. Many local dignitaries and church members were present. The Rev. Wilson A. Eisenhart dedicated the building to the Glory of God on November 4, 1917.
Rev. Eisenhart is to be commended for his diligence in his efforts to build our new church. This is a momentous task for any pastor. Much praise should be given to him because despite the fact that we were engaged in a World War, the church debt was being satisfied from regular contributions from members and not special fund drives. The entire cost of the building, including interest on the debt was approximately $65,000.
Rev. Eisenhart tendered his resignation to the church in April 1918. His pastorate was truly commendable with membership growing to 545 with a Sunday school of 412.