Presbyterians in Albion had a grand time celebrating 200th anniversary
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Some of the worship participants for the First Presbyterian Church of Albion’s 200th anniversary service on Sunday are pictured just before the start of the service at 11 a.m.
From left include Leigh Hamilton; Amanda Krenning-Muoio; elder Mindy Shaffer, moderator with the Presbytery of the Genesee Valley; Jim Vanbrederode, a bagpiper; The Rev. Susan Thaine, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church; and the Rev. Mary Jane and Gary Saunders, pastors emeritus.
The church celebrated the bicentennial on Sunday and was happy to welcome back former long-time pastors, Gary and Mary Saunders. They have since retired after serving a church in Bowling Green, Ohio.
From left in front include Amanda Krenning-Muoio, Leigh Hamilton, Mary Jane Saunders, Gary Saunders, Kaylin Gannon and Sue Thaine. Elder Mindy Shaffer, moderator with the Presbytery of the Genesee Valley, is in back at podium and brought greetings and congratulations from the Presbytery.
The Rev. Susan Thaine and her husband Mike Thaine dance while the Batavia Swings Band performs on Saturday during a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church of Albion.
The Rev. Thaine, an Albion native, has led the church the past six years.
Dan Klinczar and the Batavia Swing Band played for two hours, despite some drizzly weather and cool temperatures. They started with music by Gerswin, then “New York, New York,” and “Moonlight Serenade.”
The community was welcome to enjoy the music and a dance floor outside the church. East State Street was closed to traffic from Main to Park streets for the celebration.
The church wanted to have a catered dinner on the street, but the meal was moved inside due to the weather.
39 Problems catered a meal inside the church in the fellowship hall. The church choir often goes to the 39 Problems restaurant after rehearsals on Wednesday evening.
The dessert on Saturday included a cupcake with two candles. There were 100 cupcakes and the 200 candles represented the church’s first two centuries. The cupcakes were made by Andrea Muoio.
The Rev. Susan Thaine, center, presents Gary and Mary Jane Saunders with certificates and the honorary titles of pastors emeritus. The Saunders were leaders in the church for 24 years and raised their three sons in Albion. They moved to Albion in 1985.
“It’s a profound privilege to have a little recognition and be with you all tonight,” the Rev. Gary Saunders told the group.
Kevin Gardner, an elder in the church, shared about the first 200 years of the church. The congregation started with 16 people and they built a church that has served the community for two centuries and counting.
Initially the congregation met in homes in 1824. Those 16 people were part of the Congregational Church in Barre and withdrew to start the new church in Albion.
The Presbyterians built a church on Main Street in 1830, a building they quickly outgrew. Christ Episcopal Church has used that structure for more than 150 years.
The Presbyterians built a brick church on East State, and then an even bigger building made of Medina Sandstone that opened in 1874. That church, with a 175-foot-high spire, is the tallest building in Orleans County.
Jim Vanbrederode plays the bagpipes during a procession into the church on Sunday.
The Rev. Susan Thaine shared a sermon, “God is Not Done Yet.” She said the church is celebrating the first 200 years of the Presbyterian congregation in Albion, with eyes on the future.
