First Presbyterian Church Liberty NY

Mission Statement

We, the members of the First Presbyterian Congregation Society of Liberty, Inc., are a congregation called by God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. As those whom God has gathered to His side forever, in loving gratitude, we solemnly endeavor to manifest His unmerited favor through common life together in Christ Jesus. We Earnestly desire that everything we say and do, individually and as a congregation, might bear witness to others, of the love of God in Christ Jesus the Lord.

We invite the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and be our guide in everything we do. We have a sincere desire to grown in the Lord, and a desire to reach out to our community so that those who do not know Jesus as their savior would hear the good news.

 

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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)  

https://www.fpclibertyny.org/  

 

 

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The First Presbyterian Church Liberty, New York was founded in the year 1809 and became part of the Presbytery of Hudson on September 6, 1810. The first Location of our church was on South Main Street in Liberty, with a manse located nearby. The building was built in 1812, a tower and bell were added in 1827 and the entire building was remodeled in 1849.

The church was moved to the present location in 1870 having been placed on skids resting on logs. It was then drawn up Main street by four teams of oxen. The move cost $1250, including costs for the new foundation and painting. The land was donated by John A. Clements.

In 1901, at the cost of $4000, a pipe organ and metal ceiling were added to the sanctuary. Also added was a finished basement used for Sunday School. In later years it was also used for church activities such as youth fellowship and "The EverReady Club."

The first deacons and trustees committees were started in 1907. The first Session was formed in 1810, with only men allowed to serve. Women were allowed to join both the session and trustees in 1964. The first female deacons were called deaconess when they were formed in 1907and formally became deacons in 1951. **(The current [2016] committee of deacons consists entirely of women, and the session is composed of approximately 70% women)

In 1924, a clock was donated by Roscoe Crary (whose family still attends the church today) and placed in the Belfry; and was then rebuilt and electrified in 1976 and 1994 respectfully -- This was dedicated to the memory of the Freer family. In 1958 a large addition known as Westminster Hall was added to the property. It gave the congregation the opportunity to hold community dinners and gather together to enjoy the company of our neighbors. More Sunday School rooms were added as our membership grew in number. In 1963, the sanctuary was remodeled and remains in that configuration today with minor changes.

Over the years, we have had four separate Manses (house provided for Presiding clergy). The third manse had been "on property" and was torn down to make room for Westminster Hall. The fourth manse, built in 1956, was donated by Stephen W. Royce, a member of the church for many years, in memory of his mother, Louise Clements Royce; thus the name "Royce Cottage" as it is still called today.

2016 saw a lot of changes to our building. First, in 2015 we had an Efficiency Audit performed on the church, and have made efforts to achieve a higher status of sustainability. Our nearly 60 year old blown air furnace was replaced in Summer 2016 with two smaller units that combined take up roughly 1/4 of the space of the old unit while achieving an efficiency status that is night and day compared to the old unit. New Insulation has been installed over the sanctuary replacing decades old fiberglass insulation that had lost all it's loft. New windows were installed in the offices of Westminster Hall keeping the interior temperature from leaking out. and as of December, the entire interior paint of the building has been renewed, leaving the dated green walls in the past where they belong.

Many Traditions have remained with us throughout the years. When communion was first celebrated in 1810 it was held on the first Sunday of the month as it is today. We continue to celebrate and enjoy our annual Chicken Barbecue on the First Saturday of June each year with 2016 being the 58th celebration of the event. We are a congregation of people who hold history, tradition, and the future in our hands, and we pray we can carry out God's work to the best of our ability.