Its History and Mission & the Community
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The Fort Miller Reformed Church: Its History and Mission & The Community c. 1890 2011 Dedication We dedicate this church history update to the 13 men who organized our church in 1822, the 34 pastors who have served here and to the church members and residents of Fort Miller and the surrounding area who have kept the church open and vital for the last 189 years. Your dedication, stewardship and love of God have given us this church today. To the over 7 generations who have maintained and strengthened our church, we thank you. Also, we dedicate this update to our current pastor and his wife, the Reverend Charles and Debbie Bailey, for their 39+ years of love and service to our church and community. Thanks to your continuing efforts we have a rich tradition of vibrant Sunday worship services, vital Sunday School and youth programs, a strong outreach to seniors, missionaries in various fi elds and to those in the community needing support. You have urged that we give priority to maintaining the church and its properties and we have done this. And, most importantly, you have always been there for us, celebrating with us during the good times and supporting us when we needed a friendly ear and to be reminded of God’s love. We thank you. Lastly, we dedicate this update to the current generation of church members and community residents with the challenge to continue to support the church – continue to worship on Sunday, continue to send your children to Sunday School and youth programs, continue to support our seniors and missions and continue to attend our suppers, other fund raisers and programs. Invite others to worship with us. Our challenge is to hand off a stronger church to the next generation. The Fort Miller Reformed Church Consistory November, 2011 Members Elders Deacons Tina de Jong Mark Anderson William McCulley Paul Flanders Malcolm Sanders Janice Peterson Mark Sheffer Mary Louise Gaylord Squires Foreword The Fort Miller Reformed Church has been an institution in the community for almost 200 years. The sanctuary was constructed in 1816 and used as a meetinghouse until 1822 when a Reformed Protestant Dutch Church congregation was organized. The hamlet of Fort Miller began to grow at this time around the operation of a sawmill and a gristmill on the Hudson River and, later, with the opening of the original Champlain Canal in 1822 and a paper mill in 1855. A post offi ce, grocery stores, blacksmith shops, hotels and schools also opened to meet the needs of an increasing population. The church grew during the fi rst half of the 19th century with this economic development of the area, however in the early 1850s the congregation fractured over the issue of building a new dam on the Hudson River at Fort Miller and the church closed in 1853. (Note: The church reopened in 1867.) In the late 19th century, the church expanded its mission to start new religious groups and host new civic and fraternal organizations in the community. The church and community honored those serving in World War I. For its 100th anniversary in 1922, church members organized a three-day celebration highlighting the history of the area and the church. Members came together to support the church and each other in the “Great Depression” of the 1930s. During World War II, church members gathered again to honor those serving in the armed forces. In the decades after World War II, the church experienced the same economic and demographic shifts as other rural churches in upstate New York. But the church has kept its doors open and continued to be vital over the last 6+ decades, serving its members and the community, and remains as the fi nal link to the other public institutions that existed in the hamlet over the past 189 years. In 1971, the Reverend Millard Gifford, the pastor of the Fort Miller Reformed Church at that time, compiled the history of the church and published this work as The Phoenix of the North. (This title referred to the rebirth and reopening of the church after the Civil War.) Reverend Gifford researched the biography for each pastor serving at the church and compiled the history of church-related events occurring during each of these pastorates. The Phoenix has not been updated since its publication. The Fort Miller Reformed Church will celebrate its bicentennial in 2022. The church’s consistory, its governing group of lay leaders, has decided to (1) update The Phoenix now to include the last 40 years of church history, the pastorate of our current minister, the Reverend Charles Bailey, (2) bring-in new items of historical interest, those not published in The Phoenix, (3) show how the church has been an important and continuing institution in the community for the last 189 years and (4) do this update electronically so that further updates, such as the one for the bicentennial in 2022 , can be done easily and published in new books and on the church’s Web site at (www.churches.rca.org/fortmiller). Our goals for this church history update are to : Part 1 - Republish The Phoenix of the North with the update covering 1972 – June, 2011. Part 2 - Provide new items of historical interest (not published in The Phoenix), dealing with the area around Fort Miller, the community and church life. Part 3 - Lay out a vision/mission statement for the church committing to maintain it as an important and relevant part of Fort Miller community life. Members of the Consistory 2 Part 1 – Republishing The Phoenix of the North including the update covering 1972 – June, 2011 written by our current pastor, the Reverend Charles Bailey 3 The PHOENIX of the North Ministers and Supply Pastors Who Served The Fort Miller Reformed Church Fort Edward. NY. 1817 To 1972 By: Rev. Millard M. Gifford Layout And Editing: Charlotte C. Gifford Artwork: Ruth Lapitsky Printing: Kwik Kopy. New York 1971 DEDICATION. To the ministers and stated supplies who have served the Fort Miller Reformed Church, conscripts of God, followers of Jesus, lured by the music of faith and love for the brethren, men of prayer, workers, witnesses, I DEDICATE THIS BOOK. To the members of the church and adherents who have worshipped much, prayed often, worked gladly and given generously for the support of their church, I DEDICATE THIS BOOK. To those whose hearts and homes have been sanctuaries, whose hospitality has kindled abiding affection, I DEDICATE THIS BOOK. To the consistory men, my co-workers and friends, who authorized the work on this project and who are typical of the men who have served this church, I DEDICATE THIS BOOK. 1971 ELDERS DEACONS Russell Center Harold Hunter Ralph Humiston James Petit Richard Kidwell Allan Rice Albert Wachter George Welch Millard M. Gifford Pastor FOREWORD. When, in 1968, Mrs. Gifford and I saw the Fort Miller Reformed Church, it was a case of love at fi rst sight. The spacious grounds, the splendid parking facilities, the unaffected simplicity of its architectural lines, the beauty of the sanctuary created by the genuine craftsmanship of Shepherd Norcross, James Petit, Henry DeGroot, Bernhard Pett, Frank Taylor, Frank Germain, Harold Hunter, and others, made it for us ‘The Jewel Of The North”. And that it will always remain. So, when Elder Albert Wachter, whose enthusiasm and faith are a tonic and whose love for our church is an inspiration, asked whether I would prepare a brochure, bringing together the truly fascinating history of our church, I gladly accepted. It seemed to me then, and still does, to be the only way to let the world know of the struggle which has been Fort Miller’s attempt to witness for Christ. 4 For a struggle it has been, and a battle it still is. Just to survive for 150 years has been a monumental task. But more was done. Ecumenical souls labored here, striving to unite various types of Christians. Some ministers rode arduous miles on horseback, from Buskirk to Argyle to Fort Miller. Others died by tragic accident in the prime of life, leaving lonely hearts behind them. Some were wraithlike. They appeared and vanished almost without a trace. Even their date of death sometimes was not recorded. Some men came here with dreams sparkling in their eyes. Some were old, and it showed. One said his strength was insuffi cient for the rigors of this climate. A few were in a great hurry, scarcely able to settle, so attractive were greener pastures elsewhere. Some were dynamic leaders and left behind a goodly legacy in a short time. Others were authentic saints who, by their interest in young men, helped shape the intellectual life of America. Here consistories hammered out their resolutions, shared their considerable talents and pooled their labors. On this spot they sweated to raise funds. Sometimes they succeeded. But always love of Christ and their church sustained them and made them carryon. We were objects of missionary concern for a considerable period. Unable, or unwilling, to pay the entire salary of our pastors, we were yoked at various times with Old Saratoga (Schuylerville Reformed Church), Northumberland (Bacon Hill Reformed Church). Pastors from Hudson Falls and North Argyle helped, as have friends from Easton, Union Village (Greenwich) Schaghticoke, and Buskirk. Various wars and their thought currents have swirled about our church. The Civil War caused much divisiveness. But the thing that broke our corporate life, was a bitter, vicious, prolonged quarrel, occasioned by the State of New York placing a high dam in the Hudson River, near the present Cottrell plant.