DID YOU KNOW?

By Priscilla Frisbee -Church Historian

Pastor Herbert B. Roberts’ Sermon Delivered September 4, 1927

at the

Rededication and Two Hundred and Fifteenth Anniversary

of

The Kinderhook Reformed Church

Text: Isaiah 54-2: Lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes.”

We re-enter our beloved church today after a period of seven months in which our beautiful little chapel has nobly endeavored to minister to our need as a house of worship.

Needless to say, we are filled with rejoicing in again being permitted to occupy this worshipful house with its new, safe ceiling, its redecorated walls, its comfortable seats, its soft carpet and it decorative lights.

Truly, God is in this place, and we know it.

It is not my intention to present to you a history of our church at this tune. That was done by Dr. Collier of sainted memory, on the occasion of his fortieth anniversary of his pastorate here on June 5, 1904, but I must remind you that this is the two hundred and fifteenth anniversary of the founding of the church by Rev. Petrus Van Driessen, pastor of the First Reformed church in Albany, in 1712. It is also the two hundredth anniversary of the building of the second edifice, the first one having become too small for the needs of the congregation.

The present building, the fourth, was erected in 1868 on the ruins of the third church which was destroyed by fire in 1867. It therefore lacks one year of being the sixtieth anniversary of the erection of this church. When we consider the number of years this building has stood here, and that it has continued without expensive repairs until now, we are persuaded that the material and workmanship of those days were of the best, and, that the expensive program of repairs which has fallen to our lot is only the natural result of the ravages of time.

EMULATE OUR PREDECESSORS

We should find inspiration and responsiveness to our present obligation in the example set for us by those who built this church, by their generous response to the call of their day.

When the flames destroyed their beautiful church they did not despair, but mounted on the wings of faith and devotion above their consternation and grief and proceeded at once to build anew. And they built better than they knew. They built not only a beautiful structure of material things but a far more enduring structure of religious faith and devotion, of zeal for God’s house and for His kingdom which shall extend to all quarters of the earth.

“The cost of this fourth building originally including the organ and all appointments and furnishings, was about $42,000.” That was considered an excessive price because, being after the close of the Civil War, all commodities were exceedingly high; but when the building was dedicated, there was a debt of only $10,000 which they thought they could not pay at once. But on July 14, 1870, a tornado which demolished “the spire, much higher and more graceful than the present one, breaking large holes in the main building and almost wrecking the chapel,” proved that they could; for they at once raised not only the $6,000 needed for repairs, but the $10,000 debt.”

We should congratulate ourselves that we have not been faced by such a staggering fact as a total destruction of our church but a far less imposing though no less inspiring condition, of maintaining in a suitable manner and quality this sacred place, our heritage.  Or if some of us may not consider it a heritage, at least we must regard it as a valued possession that invites our utmost endeavor and appeals to our organic pride to maintain its ancient glory and support its time honored traditions.

This is not the time for detraction or retraction. We must lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes. If we are possessed of the same faith and devotion that they had who built this church, no doubt we can meet the present obligation as they did. They believed they could and had the will to do. We must believe that we can and have the will to do.

COMPARISON WITH SIXTY YEARS AGO

A comparison of the numerical and contributing strength of the church of that day and this may not be out of place. Before the disaster to the building occurred, our records show that there were 200 families, 329 members, and the contributions for congregational expenses were $2,396, a normal year. After the new church was built, and for four years, the congregational contributions soared to $21,649 in 1869, which may include the insurance of $15,000; $5,477 in 1870; $9,028 in 1871; $12,580 in 1872. But the average for years, before and since, until a few years ago, has been about $3,000. For the past three years we are pleased to note a record much above the average, due to our efforts to put the house of God in repair. With 134 families and 272 members, we have an average for the past three years of over $5,000 per year, apart from interest received from our invested funds; and our contributions to Denominational Benevolent objects of $1,835 is the largest since 1889; and our membership of 272 is the largest since 1900 when it was the same.

LOSSES

Within the last twenty years an unusual number of our prominent and liberal members have been called to the church triumphant, some of whom manifested their love and devotion to this church by leaving something that would continue their material ministrations after they were no longer able to dispense them in person. These funds we consider a sacred trust to be sedulously guarded. These gifts were supposedly given against the time when circumstances outside of the control of the people might, as in the case of many formerly strong village churches, reduce its income far below its requirement. Then the interest from these funds would not be only an easement, but a real benefit. But that condition has by no means been reached yet.

SEVENTEEN MINISTERS IN 215 YEARS

Two hundred and fifteen years of continuous activity is something to be proud of and to cherish. For a great many years after its founding, this church was the only one between Albany and Kingston, according to a statement by Dr. Collier and “in order of organization, Kingston, New Paltz, Tappen, Tarrytown, and Rochester, (Ulster Co.), are the only older Dutch churches between New York and Albany”.  Just two hundred years ago its first pastor, Rev. Johannes Van Driessen, a brother of Petrus Van Driessen, who organized the church, was installed and he remained eight years, or until 1835.  He also ministered to the church at Claverack but after one year that church withdrew from its contract.

Beginning with Johannes Van Driessen, there have been seventeen pastors. They are: second, Johannes Casparus Freyenmoet, who remained 21 years, (1756-77), third, Johannes Ritzema, 10 years (1779-89); fourth, Isaac Labagh, 12 years (1789-1801); fifth, Jacob Sickles, 34 years  (1801-35); sixth, Enoch Van Aken, associate pastor, 1 year (1834-35); seventh, Henry Heermance, whose health caused him to resign before one year was completed (1835-36); eighth, John C. Van Dervoort, 5 years (1837-42); ninth, Benjamin Van Zandt, 10 years (1842-52); tenth, Oliver Bronson, whose poor health shortened his pastorate to three years (1854-57); eleventh, James Romeyn Berry, 6 years (1857-63; twelfth, Edward A. Collier, 43 years (1864-1907); after which he was Pastor Emeritus for thirteen years until his departure in 1920, thus fulfilling a most unusual term of 56 years in that dual capacity; thirteenth, Charles W. Burrowes, 6 years (1908-14); fourteenth, Arthur M. Ellis, less than two years (1915-17); fifteenth, Eldred C. Vanderlaan, 3years (1917-20); sixteenth, William L. Robinson, 2 years (1921-23); seventeenth, Herbert , Roberts, your present pastor (1923- -). Of these seventeen pastors, six in a large sense, are still with us; one, Johannes Freyenmoet, lies beneath this very building which rests on what was originally a burying ground. Johannes Ritzima, Jacob Sickles, Henry Heermance, John C. Vandervoort, and Edward A. Collier lie in our church cemetery. Only three ex-pastors are living; one in California, one in South Carolina and one in Massachusetts.

STRONG CHURCH ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

It was during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Sickles, one hundred years ago, that the congregation was the largest in the history of the church, there being 568 members reported to Classis; and the services of an assistant were necessary. Rev. Enoch Van Aken was his colleague. According to a statement by Dr. Collier, “There are now twelve or more Protestant churches within the territory within which this church stood alone during the thirty-four years of his pastorate. At least six of these churches drew their original membership wholly or in part from this church.” It was in the days of his pastorate, 1827, that the Stuyvesant Reformed Church was organized, taking about sixty-five of our members, and it was is 1834, on account of an unpleasant difference of opinion with his assistant, Rev. Mr. Cushing, that, under the leadership of Mr. Cushing, the Second Reformed Church of Kinderhook, now the Presbyterian Church of Valatie, was organized. Since then the number has been reduced by several other severances.

THE NEED OF REPAIRS

For many years there seems to have been no extensive repairs to the building. Naturally the time came when something more than temporary repairs became absolutely necessary. The exterior was in a sad condition owing to the ravages of the weather, and the interior was showing the effects of wear and tear. At a congregational meeting held in May, 1924, a program of repairs was adopted and a financial campaign was inaugurated to finance the program. Pledges to the amount of about $4,000 were made, and other efforts secured additional funds so that from a small beginning by the young people in 1922, we have raised for this purpose, to August 1, something over $6,000.

As always, when we begin to repair a building, unforeseen conditions are destined to arise. The roof had been patched repeatedly, but none of us realized its true condition until a thorough examination revealed the leaks. The ceiling had suffered from the leaky condition of the roof but none of us were prepared for the alarmingly unsafe state of the sixty-year-old plaster until a large section fell and thus gave warning of the grave danger that threatened from every section.

We have now made this beautiful House of God safe for His worship and it is now our sacred obligation and privilege to emulate those of a former day who solemnly determined not to allow a debt to cast a lengthening shadow over our fine old historic organization.

URGENCY OF COMPLETING THE PROGRAM

We expected to continue our repair program in accord with our financial program, but these unexpected developments made it imperative that we complete the repair program irrespective of our financial program. Therefore, we have lengthened our cords and strengthened our stakes by increasing our obligations and strengthening our interest and devotion; for it is in proportion to what we put into our church organization of our substance and our effort that we love and cherish and wish and pray for the success of our beloved church. We have endeavored to emulate those of other days in adorning the House of God, believing that the best is none too good for Him. We believe we have here made a presentable offering to Him. We ourselves will be the better able, among these beautiful surroundings, to offer our reverent worship and praise. We will have the

satisfaction of the reflection that the ensuing generation will take some inspiration from our appreciation of the devotion of our predecessors, and will, in their turn, “carry on” as we have endeavored to do.

THE LATTER HOUSE

It certainly will not be said of us as it was said of ancient Israel by the Prophet Haggai when they returned to Jerusalem after the captivity and restored the wall of Jerusalem and built their houses, but left the temple unrestored; “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses and this house lie waste?” We have not allowed this house to “lie waste.” And we hope we may have the same promise to us that was made to them, “The glory off his latter house shall be greater than the former, saith the Lord of Hosts, and i, this place will I give peace.” With Cowper we will say of  “THE HOUSE OF PRAYER”:

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“Jesus, where e’er thy people meet,

There they behold Thy mercy seat:

Where e’er they seek, There Thou art found,

And every place is holy ground.

Here may we prove the power of prayer,

To strengthen faith and sweeten care;

To teach our faint desires to rise

And bring all Heaven before our eyes

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Lord, we are few, but Thou art near;

Nor short Thine arm, nor deaf Thine ear,

Oh, rend the Heavens, come quickly down

And make a thousand hearts Thine own.”

MEMORIAL LIGHTS

And now I have a very pleasant duty to perform in presenting these beautiful memorial lights. Among those who were staunch pillars of this church in past years, and there have been many, one, yes two, are to be memorialized today by these beautiful, ornate, and ecclesiastical lights which illume our worshipful sanctuary.

They are a worthy tribute to Mr. and Mrs. J. Spencer Hosford, who for fifty years and twenty-eight years respectively, were faithful and devout worshippers in this church.

Mr. Hosford and his wife came to this church from another church and immediately entered into all its activities with an enthusiasm that never failed until he was called to a higher service. He was a member of the consistory as deacon and elder, with the exception of two years, for forty-nine years. He served as clerk and treasurer.   He was an elder for thirty consecutive years and  treasurer for sixteen consecutive years. During all this time, our records show that he rarely missed a meeting of the consistory, and we may safely assume that he was just as faithful in his attendance at the services of the sanctuary and other meetings, as well as the Sunday school of which he was, for many years, the superintendent.

Truly, he let his light shine before men, and there could be no more fitting memorial of such a devoted life than these symbolic luminaries presented in loving memory by his children.

In your name and in behalf of the consistory, I accept their gift and express to them our sincere appreciation; and take this opportunity to congratulate them on the happy thought that prompted them and on their willingness to embrace this occasion to thus express their devotion; and also to congratulate them on having such exemplary and devout parents thus to honor.