by Gary Bolles
I am so humbled & honored-let’s step back in time for a moment
Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
March 5, 1961, Sunday, 9am – the grand opening of this brand new Church and our very first morning service of dedication in this beautiful, glistening sanctuary. Confirmed in May 1960, without a church sanctuary, we young new members were brought in here on February 28, 1961 by our Pastor and Teacher, Rev. Harold C. Burdon to see our new surroundings. Leading us down this center aisle, he exclaimed: “Oh isn’t this great, the floors don’t creak”. The Church bell now rung by the simple turn of a key, gee, no more racing up to the belfry to see who gets there first to pull the rope sounding the bell’s call to worship.
What’s happened over these past 50 years?
• We have been honored to have 5 senior pastors, several associate pastors, interim pastors, music directors, sextons, office staff and hundreds of volunteers.
• 1960 in April even before construction started, we began a pipe organ fund to replace the Hammond electric organ.
• 1961 we voted to join the United Church of Christ.
• 1967 in September after 7 plus years of fund raising and planning, a dream come true to the musical life of this church, the installation of our present majestic Moller pipe organ.
• 1972 organized in 1722, our Church’s 250th anniversary celebration..just think, in 2022, we will celebrate 300 years!
• 1973 St. Francis, the patron saint of animals, would have been proud of our congregation’s march from this Church to the Town Hall to voice our concerns to a developer’s plan for a Greyhound dog racing track in town. A blessing of defeat.
• 1981 construction and furnishing of our Church Chapel.
• 1995 capital campaign to enlarge our narthex, build a new coat room, 2 restrooms close to the sanctuary and the elevator – a generous gift from the thrift shop, purchase of property to our south. Our congregation’s successful plea’s to stop the plan to widen Main Street in front of our Church.
• 1998 planning and construction of our Memorial Garden.
• 1999 second mile campaign started to further cover the costs due to the enormity of the 1995 campaign projects.
• 2005 capital campaign dedicated to enhancements in this sanctuary. New lighting, fresh paint everywhere, carpeting, window treatment, sound system, major upgrades to the Pipe Organ.
• 2007 New painting, carpeting and furnishing-Church Parlor.
• 2008 New painting and enhancements to Fellowship Hall.
• All memorial gifts including the Carillon & Grand Piano.
March 6, 2011, 10am – a celebration of 50 glorious years to the Sunday in our beloved Church that still sparkles. Three things that haven’t changed over the last fifty years are the truly wonderful, caring, generous members, friends, visitors, children of all ages; and the two tenets, tenets of God’s holy light and never ending love that streams through these seven windows to surround each and every one of us. So may it be. We can truly celebrate. May God bless us all. Alleluia. Amen.
