Pastor celebrates 25 years of ministry at Eagle Harbor church
Photos by Tom Rivers
EAGLE HARBOR – The Rev. Susan Boring greets people on Sunday after a special service at the Eagle Harbor Methodist Church celebrating Boring’s 25 years at the church.
Boring said serving the Eagle Harbor church has been an honor. She praised the congregation for their commitment to bringing’s Christ’s love to each other and the community.
“The greatest gift in my life has been serving this church as pastor,” she told about 75 people at the service on Sunday.
The Albion resident for many years served as pastor while also working as a music teacher in Brockport, including 29 years with the fifth grade band.
She is now retired from that career but continues to reach out to her many friends in music to perform at the Eagle Harbor church.
Boring sings and plays the guitar, piano and the trombone at church.
“I’ve really been able to embrace God’s call on my life, which I was really resistant to in the beginning,” she said. “I enjoy leading worship, I enjoy the people and I enjoy working together with the congregation to reach out to the community.”
Boring plays the guitar with Mike Vick, which a regular feature every Sunday at Eagle Harbor. They are singing, “This Little Light of Mine.”
Terry Vick, a lay leader in the church, leads an installation for Boring which is now an independent Wesleyan Methodist Church. The church was affiliated with the United Methodist denomination until last year.
Vick, after the service, said the congregation is thankful to have Boring as their pastor.
“She’s real,” Vick said. “She’s not above us. She learns with us. She is a good friend who is available day or night.”
The Rev. Susan Boring holds her robe and stole as a visible representation of her responsibilities as the church’s shepherd and pastor.
The Rev. Linda Haight grew up in Eagle Harbor as Linda DeBoard. She delivered the sermon on Sunday. Haight said she felt the call to be a minister when she was a child attending Eagle Harbor.
She now serves as a pastor at the North Ontario Methodist Church in Wayne County. Haight said the Eagle Harbor congregation has long been welcoming and a place to grow in the Christian faith.
The Eagle Harbor church’s brick building was constructed 150 years ago in 1875. It replaced an earlier wooden structure. The church is located along the Erie Canal in the town of Gaines.
The first church in Eagle Harbor was built in 1826. Before that, circuit riding preachers established a preaching station in Eagle Harbor in 1818. As more people moved to the community, Baptist and Presbyterian groups were founded and met in homes or the school house.
The Reb. Boring said the church has changed over time but it’s heart-warming Christian hospitality continues to be a vital part of the ministry. She a stuffed animal ministry where Teddy Bears and other stuffed animals are given to people from the church as a tangible reminder that the Eagle Harbor Methodist Church loves them and is praying for them.
After the service, the congregation went to the Elks Lodge in Albion for a brunch.
