Miscellaneous, ME Church Corner Stone Laid (1902)

Corner Stone Laid for M.E. Church

With Ceremonies Befitting the Occasion

Bainbridge, Chenango Co. , NY, Aug. 23,  1902

 

The ceremonies attendant upon the laying of the corner stone of the new M.E. church in Bainbridge, took place Saturday afternoon, opening at 2 o'clock, and were conducted under the most auspicious circumstances.  The shifting, threatening clouds of the morning, and the occasional dashes of rain which seemed to presage an unfavorable time for the anticipated event, gave place at noon to clearer skies, dry streets and perfect weather conditions. 

 

People began to assemble at an early hour about the church site, many driving in from out-of-town until a large and interested audience had congregated.  The services were in charge of the pastor, Rev. J.S. Crompton, and presiding elder of the Oneonta district, Rev. T.F. Hall, D.D.  The order of exercises began by singing hymn No. 859 from the Methodist Hymnal by the church choir, followed by the reading of the scriptures by Rev. C.E. Sweet of Afton, and C. Fremont Bentley of Bainbridge.  Brief but eloquent addresses, full of fervor, were made by the visiting clergymen, Revs. C.N. Olmstead of Guilford, Alfred B. Burke of West Exeter, C.E. Sweet of Afton and T.F. Hall, D.D., of Oneonta.  They brought cordial and sympathetic greetings from their several pastorates, and equally fervent messages had been received from invited clergymen who were unable to be present.

 

After the addresses came the ceremony of placing the corner stone in position by Presiding Elder T.F Hall, the pastor, Rev. J.S. Crompton, and the builder, J.E. Hall of Sidney.  The stone was of clouded marble and was the gift of the marble dealers, Messrs. Phelps & Potter of Sidney, and bore their names with the initial letters of the church, M.E.C.  A matter of much interest was the contents of the metallic box placed within the stone which contained the following:  Bible, by Leland C. Yale & Co., copies of hymnal, discipline, conference minutes, Epworth League year book, Christian Advocate, Northern Christian Advocate, Epworth Herald, Bainbridge Republican, lesson quarterly, Epworth league topic card, lists of officers and members of the church, of Epworth League and junior League, of the Ladies' Aid society, and lastly a historic sketch of the church.  The enclosure was dated August 23, 1902.

 

The essential feature, the laying of the stone being finished, the presiding elder and Pastor Crompton made short addresses happy in congratulation to the members of the church that their efforts so far in construction of the edifice had been successfully carried out.  The closing exercises were prayer by Rev. Hiram Payne, followed by the Lord's prayer repeated by the congregation, hymn 871 sung, and benediction by the pastor, Mr. Crompton. 

 

The ceremony of laying the corner stone of last Saturday, with its large attendance, its freedom from worry for lack of means in the construction of the new church, the large membership roll, the various societies in the church made up of youth full of ardor and enthusiasm and determination to build the new church, shows the march of years and the noble and far reaching results evolved from the single purpose of one man, Charles Curtiss, a devoted follower of John Wesley, to establish a Methodist church in Bainbridge. 

 

As far back as 1816 Mr. Curtiss as leader held meetings in school houses, homes, and wherever practicable with the trend towards Methodism.  The meetings were irregular and no definite step was taken towards the formation of a society, the adherents being so few and uncertain, until 1833 when one was incorporated under the name of the M.E. church of Bainbridge.  Mr. Curtiss with five others, one of whom was Ambrose Lyon of this village, constituted the sole membership.  Two years later Mr. Curtiss began the erection of the present M.E. church.  Many difficulties were encountered but the heart never faltered when the hand and purse grew weak.  There were no public ceremonies in the laying of the corner stone then, such as marked the propitious event of last Saturday, only the bowed heads and the consecration anew of the devoted ones to the sacred task of building the church.  We have no precise record when the church was finished but it was completed by this little band of loyal Methodists, Charles Curtiss being the inspiring head, and for a period of nearly three-quarters of a century, the M.E. church of Bainbridge, has been a growing strength until its present prosperity has been reached and the primitive church of the olden time is to be supplanted by a modern edifice representative of the progress of the great Methodist church at large.