LEDYARD -- Ledyard United Methodist Church is a perfect example of an old-fashioned small community church.
White, with a high rising steeple, and set back from Route 34B, behind a smattering of green trees, the church has remained much the same since the present structure was erected in 1875.
On Sunday, congregation and community members gathered to celebrate that rich history and look toward the church's future, marking its 175th anniversary as well as commemorate the completion of a new stained glass window that graces the front facade.
According to Pastor Russell Riddell, this remembrance of the past with an eye on the future is important to any church.
"I think it is integral to any pastoral ministry," Riddell said. "We have to remember where we came from and we have to look to the next generation, without them the church does not go on. This is a day about the faithful, those that were there in times when the church was struggling and those that are here now when we are experiencing a time of growth, not just in numbers but also spiritually as well."
After a Sunday morning worship service with guest preacher the Reverend Deborah O'Connor-Slater, district superintendent of the Central Lakes District, guests were welcomed to walk through the church, which was adorned with period clothing on loan from the Scipioville Presbyterian Church, as well as documents pertaining to the Ledyard church, such as the deed to the property.
Kris Minster, the celebration committee chairperson, said the idea was to focus on activities from when the church was founded.
"We have carriages and buggy rides," Minster said. "We have food, like a good old-fashioned church picnic. Inside we have the clothes and pictures from the time period, some where you can see that there are as many as 50 horse and buggies tied up outside. We just wanted to do something that would feel kind of like the 1800s."
For more, read Monday's Citizen
On Sunday, congregation and community members gathered to celebrate that rich history and look toward the church's future, marking its 175th anniversary as well as commemorate the completion of a new stained glass window that graces the front facade.
According to Pastor Russell Riddell, this remembrance of the past with an eye on the future is important to any church.
"I think it is integral to any pastoral ministry," Riddell said. "We have to remember where we came from and we have to look to the next generation, without them the church does not go on. This is a day about the faithful, those that were there in times when the church was struggling and those that are here now when we are experiencing a time of growth, not just in numbers but also spiritually as well."
After a Sunday morning worship service with guest preacher the Reverend Deborah O'Connor-Slater, district superintendent of the Central Lakes District, guests were welcomed to walk through the church, which was adorned with period clothing on loan from the Scipioville Presbyterian Church, as well as documents pertaining to the Ledyard church, such as the deed to the property.
Kris Minster, the celebration committee chairperson, said the idea was to focus on activities from when the church was founded.
"We have carriages and buggy rides," Minster said. "We have food, like a good old-fashioned church picnic. Inside we have the clothes and pictures from the time period, some where you can see that there are as many as 50 horse and buggies tied up outside. We just wanted to do something that would feel kind of like the 1800s."
For more, read Monday's Citizen
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