Recent History
Rev. Morrison
Rev. T. Maxwell Morrison was called to be our pastor on July 31, 1918. Rev. Morrison endeared himself to the heart of the people and large gains were made in church membership and income.
In April 1922 new pulpit furniture was dedicated to the church. The 3 chairs were presented by the Session, Deacons and Trustees; the flower stands and Holy Communion Table were presented by the Floral Ministry Class; the pulpit by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Frost, who made the same, the pulpit Bible by Mr. and Mrs. G. Robinson, Mr. and Mrs. H. Robinson and Raymond Menhennett.
In 1923, Mrs. Elizabeth Land presented wall mats for our gymnasium (Now Fellowship Hall) in memory of her son Andrew Land, who died in a football game.
In December 1926, Rev. Morrison became ill and was taken to Clifton Springs Sanitarium for treatment, however he never recovered and went home to be with the Lord on May 11, 1927. During his illness Rev. Gordon Davis filled the pulpit.
Rev. Morrison’s death deeply saddened the church, as he was a well-loved man in both the church and community. A bronze plaque bearing his name and a simple message “He Kept The Faith, hangs near our main entrance.
Rev. Slack
On August 16, 1927, the Rev. John W. Slack, D.D. was unanimously extended a call to become our pastor. He accepted and began on October 10, 1927. It was very difficult for Rev. Slack during his first few years as he followed a much-loved pastor whose ministry was tragically cut short by death.
Rev. Slack encouraged special services at the church. For a few years beginning in 1938, we had a Lilac Sunday in which the sanctuary was adorned with lilacs. It was truly beautiful. But due to the uncertainty of flowers blooming, it was discontinued. The church also sponsored several special musical and ecumenical services and also special services over the years for Masons, Knight Templars, Odd Fellows, Rebekkahs and Daughters of America, just to name a few.
In 1936, a beautiful gift of shrubbery was made to the church, given in memory of Harvey Smith by his parents, elder and Mrs. Robert Smith. This shrubbery beautified the church for over 50 years and was recently removed. The new shrubbery and landscaping was provided for through the Memorial Fund.
As mentioned previously, the church had a strong and varied music program. We were blessed with the beautiful music of 3 choirs, our orchestra and a wonderful organ and talented organists. During the 1920’s and 1930’s organ recitals and special choral concerts were frequent. The orchestra opened the Sunday school sessions every Sunday for about 50 years.
Rev. Leeper
The Rev. James C. Leeper, Jr. was installed as our 9th pastor on October 4, 1949. Like his predecessors, he was a man well loved and respected by the congregation. His pastorate has been the longest to date, serving faithfully until July 1972, when he resigned to enter the mental health profession.
His years here saw many positive improvements in our facilities. The manse was torn down and a large parking lot was put in its place. The gym floor was raised and made into the “Fellowship Hall”, one of our most used rooms. In the early 1950’s the nursery for children was begun under the sponsorship of the Sunday school. The nursery was recently repainted and carpeted. In 1964 a new pipe organ was purchased and installed at a cost of $15,283.00, which required altering the choir loft. Other significant improvements included carpeting and repainting the sanctuary and church exterior, a new roof, boiler and the 1967 renovation of the chapel to offices and a rest room at the Floral Avenue end and repairing and carpeting for our 75th Anniversary.
Rev. Leeper’s resignation saddened many people. He is still held in high regard by many of our members who knew him.
Rev. Wise
Rev. Jack P. Wise became our pastor on Easter Sunday, April 1973. He served the church until his resignation in 1989 to accept a call in Long Island. Rev. Wise led the church through difficult years. Faced with an aging building and congregation, it sometimes proved difficult to overcome. The population shift away from neighborhood churches was a direct cause for this problem.
However, during his years we had many special services and events. Some, which stand out, are a very meaningful Maundy Thursday service conducted by Rev. Wise and the choir, a Colonial Sunday in 1976, an annual church wide Thanksgiving Sunday dinner and several church variety shows in our chapel.
Rev. Wise dedicated much time to teaching Sunday school and leading the Youth Fellowship on several trips. He was also very active on the Presbytery Camping Committee where he organized the “Wilderness Camp”.
During his years here, Rev. Wise was able to obtain his Doctoral robe.
In July of 1990, the church extended a call to Robert T. Peak, of Hopedale, Ohio, to be our new pastor. Since his arrival in October, there has been a marked revitalization in church activity.
Rev. Peak has been a motivator to many of us. Some of his endeavors include a Sunshine Hour, begun by his wife, Brenda. This program keeps the young children engaged in a form of worship suitable to their age group. He has strengthened the effectiveness of our church boards by clearly defining the purpose of each Board and committee.
Many physical improvements have been made in and about the church through Rev. Peak’s leadership. Much of this work has needed to be done for some time and was done to keep the church attractive for our use and of course for the centennial. Some of the improvements since Rev. Peak’s arrival include new memorial landscaping, rewiring of the sanctuary, repainting many rooms in the church including the sanctuary, carpeting the nursery and Rose Room, a dishwasher in the kitchen, extensive masonry repairs to the exterior, installation of an accessibility lift, a complete face lift of the outside chapel front and sides, expanding the pulpit area including new carpeting, purchasing a Grand Piano for the sanctuary, remodeling the chapel and the two offices and doing the same to the three Sunday school rooms. The building now stands in much better condition than it did a few short years ago.
Today the church is composed of several vital organizations that provide significant spiritual growth to its members. We have the Lael-Friendship Class, an active Women’s organization and a fine choir, under the direction of Michael Saarie and the gifted talents of our organist, Paula Bacorn.
The church continues to have special services and events throughout the year. In addition to those mentioned previously in this account, we have an annual church picnic, ice cream social, a children’s Christmas program and an annual Christmas open-house at the manse In 1990 we began holding our chicken barbecues, one each in the months of June, July, August and September.
As we have brought ourselves up to the present, it is difficult to end our history here. It is difficult because no account of our history can truly and accurately recount the one hundred years of friendship, love and faith that has occurred in our church family. This account only briefly recounts our history and some of these feelings.
The church looks forward to the future with hope. The past few years have been difficult. The congregation is small but the membership is dedicated and has always met the needs of our church even as we have struggled with the high cost of maintaining our lovely church building. One can’t help but draw the comparison of our current congregation to our founding congregation. That is to say, a group of people with a vision, a vision to serve God and to spread His word. This vision isn’t without obstacles or challenges but it is filled with hope, faith and anticipation. So by faith we are setting out to make this vision a continuing reality. With energy, hard work and the guidance of the Lord, we will maintain that vision as we have for the past one hundred years.