Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Feb/90

Contributor - Bill Snoei and Dr. Daniel Meeter

Title - Reformed Church Routes 1989

Topic - RCA

A dream come true!

In the early summer of 1989 Dr. Daniel Meeter and I (Bill Snoei) met in Wainfleet to discuss the possibility of a historic/scenic Reformed Church tour. Our love and deep rooted interest for this our Reformed Church, bound us together as we began to organize the tour.

Many of us know something of the history of the Holland Michigan area, but few of us know anything about the history of the Reformed Church in New York state which dates back to 1628. It was this area that we decided to focus on. For our first tour, we felt we should exclude New York City and New Jersey and instead concentrate on the beautiful Hudson Valley area.

The dates were set and we began to advertise in Pioneer. We had room for 47 participants, and as the date approached the requests for registrations soon outnumbered available spaces.

Along with the beautiful natural Fall colours, and the church buildings we saw, we also caught a glimpse of the struggles, hard times, perseverance and accomplishments of our Reformed Church forefathers. It was in this setting that we met many of today's members of our Reformed Church family, and we felt a heartwarming friendliness and oneness in our Lord Jesus Christ.

In all we visited just eight of over 240 Reformed Churches in New York State.

We visited eight Reformed Churches in New York state. We started with the biggest and ended with the smallest. These were brief encounters. We heard some phrases repeatedly, "the oldest this" and "the first that" and "the largest so-and-so." We saw too much to get more than a glimpse, and we met too many people to keep straight. We saw beautiful fall colours,- the Catskill Mountains, and the matchless mighty Hudson River,. We got some strong impressions and some warm hospitality, and our view of the Reformed Church will never be the same.

On Friday afternoon (Oct. 20) we saw the First Reformed Church of Schenectady, organized in 1680. Its 1948 building, its sixth, was a large Gothic Revival building sitting right in the middle of the historic "Stockade" section of the city. Its interior was made up of dark wood with a lofty ceiling, just a few windows, but nice ones, and many hanging flags. (This building was on the cover of Words of Hope). This was "the" church in town, attracting some 900 members from all different backgrounds, and having many ministries, especially the "Stephen Ministry."-It was raining so hard we did not get to take our walking tour of the Stockade.

On Friday night we saw the First Church in Albany, organized in 1642. Its big Federal style building dates from 1790, and its twin towers have given it the nickname "Double butch".

Inside were classical motifs, rounded arches and pillars, balconies on three sides, and a large organ in the back. The colour was mostly white with polychrome decorations and with large greenish Tiffany windows. At the front one finds the oldest pulpit still used in North America, imported from Holland in 1650 for the price of thirty beaverskins (Us). Behind that was a lofty rounded arch with gold-leaf decoration, framing a beautiful example of the less Familiar RCA symbol, The Lily Amoniz the Thorns. At coffee downstairs we learned about the city ministry of First Church.

Saturday morning we went to the "Old Dutch" Church in Kingston, founded in 1659. Its building by the architect Minard LeFevre dates from 1852, and as a grand piece of architectural art, it was the finest church we saw. Like First-Albany, it was in the Federal style using classical motifs, with pillars, round arches, and gallery on three sides. But the organ, also in the back, had a finer case. 'Me ceiling was loftier, it had an extra set of windows, and everything was gle"g white. The pulpit was a massive white reading desk with gold-leaf decoration, and up behind it was a magnificent Tiffany window showing Simeon taking Jesus in the temple.

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a cold and windy cruise down the Hudson. We returned to the same Kingston neighbourhood to see the Fair Street Reformed Church, the 1849 daughter of Old Dutch. Here we learned of the struggles of this church's birth, we heard a recital on its large organ, and we saw its archives. From there we headed south for bed and board at the Warwick Conference Center, which is the camp and retreat centre supported by the Particular Synods of the Mid-Atlantics and New York.

Sunday morning we went to Rhinebeck, across the Hudson from Kingston. The congregation dates from 1731, and its building from 1808. We joined them and their Canadian Pastor, "Dominie Keith Geense" for worship. Rhinebeck Church was an ordinary size, but also had a three-sided gallery with everything painted white. The windows were big, clear-glass, and pointed, but the details were quietly classical. Behind the pulpit were the beautiful pipes of the not-large but justly famous Roosevelt organ. The congregation gave us coffee and joined us for lunch.

Sunday afternoon we went to see the New Paltz Reformed Church, established in 1683 in the Huguenot (French Reformed) settlement on the Wallkill Rive'r (Waalse Kill), a US national historic site. We sat in the replica of this congregation's first building, the square French Church of 1717 with its high peaked roof and conch shells. We were taken on tours of some of the old Huguenot houses which still stand in remarkable condition. We finished with a visit to the now quite large congregation's current building, dating from 1839, with the same white pews we'd been seeing since Albany, and with special permanent Elders' benches and the Communion

Sunday evening we gathered at Warwick for a devotional talk by Dr. Howard Hageman on "The Reformed Church, Past Present, and Future," which we all appreciated.

Monday morning found us back in the-Wallkill Valley at the Reformed Dutch Church of New Hurley, organized in 1770, which still used its original building. It was a country church, but with a wide, light, and spacious sanctuary, an organ loft in the back, a big mahogany pulpit up front, lots-of room around the Communion Table, and large and remarkable Victorian stained glass windows. As with Schenectady and Kingston, the congregational historian gave us a lot of background information.

Monday noon brought us to our final stop, the exquisite Reformed Dutch Church of Shawangunk. The setting of this small stone church, its matching parsonage (the oldest pair still used in -the -US), and its church yard were special beyond description, as- it nestled on a ridge beneath the great mass of the Shawangunk Mountain on the West. The congregation was organized in 1753, and two years later it moved into the building that it still uses, though the floor plan and furniture have been rearranged and a balcony inserted (the stairs are outside). This congregation was living and growing, holding two services every Sunday morning (one of them a weekly Lord's Supper).

This capsule report leaves so much out. Clayt Speers, our driver, joined right in-with us and was wonderful. Daniel Meeter provided all the commentary and history, and Bill Snoei did all the background work of organizing everything.

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