ROOTS TO GROW
There are not many occasions where “old” feels good, but when organizations get old, that can be a great thing. Mendon Church is one “old” and great organization celebrating its 200th year, in 2016, as a home of worship in the town of Mendon, NY. A little band of believers first met on January 5, 1816 in Ezra Sheldon’s stone house on Mendon-Ionia Rd. to form Mendon First Congregational Society.
What an honor to be here in 2016, recognizing such a long and dramatic history in our church, the roots of who we are today. In 1816, our country was under the leadership of Virginia Democrat, President James Madison, women were still over 100 years from having the right to vote and people were talking about global cooling! Yes, cooling! Today, we have our first black president, a whole lot of talk about glob-al warming and women are doing a lot more than voting.
The Men who organized the fledgling church did a pretty good job of establishing meeting sites and keeping records that help us to trace our development. The original 13 members of this society became Presbyterians by 1822 and the first (part time) pastor was hired. Rev. Elijah Wollage continued in this role from 1822 to 1824 according to church history.
The building of our new Mendon Church (click to view video)
