The Fayette County Commissioners signed a proclamation Tuesday encouraging citizens to help observe and celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Bloomingburg Presbyterian Church.
In three articles printed this year, the Record-Herald has reported on the various historical time spans that made the Bloomingburg Presbyterian Church memorable. From the establishment of the church in November of 1817 to the church’s involvement in the Underground Railroad to its current service to the community, the Bloomingburg Presbyterian Church has stood the test of time and settled into the history of Fayette County.
“That church, I think, is the oldest existing church that is still in use today,” Fayette County Commissioner Chairman Dan Dean said. “We signed a proclamation to commemorate the upcoming celebration…200 years is a big event for our community. The county has only been a county since 1809, so the church has been around almost as long as the county itself. We are proud to be a part of it and are proud to recognize the church for this anniversary and its service to the community.”
The event will be held on Sept. 17 and will include music by Anne Droste, the First Presbyterian Church Choir from Washington Court House (under the direction of Richard Glass and accompanied by David Penwell) and more. In a nod to tradition, the guest choir will make its appearance in the sanctuary during the processional hymn “The Church’s One Foundation,” a constant during Bloomingburg Presbyterian’s heyday in the 1950s and 1960s.
Additionally, starting at 1:30 p.m. and again immediately after the 2 p.m. re-dedication service upstairs in the sanctuary, Cassandra Furlong will entertain downstairs in the annex. Furlong will play her keyboard and sing from her extensive 250-song repertoire, ranging from the 1950s to the present and encompassing oldies, country, pop, rock, and of course religious songs. While a student at Miami Trace High School, she accompanied all the school’s choirs and several of the musicals, and won various awards for her classical piano playing.
The 170-year-old church building is located on Wayne Street, just one block to the right (if coming from Washington C.H.) and parallel to Bloomingburg’s Main Street. Refreshments will be available in the annex during the open house.
“From 1 p.m. until the 2 p.m. start of the re-dedication service, you may stroll around and view various photo exhibits,” one of the event organizers, Alice Craig, said recently. “Upon the conclusion of the service upstairs—which will include keynote speaker Paul LaRue discussing this particular church’s significant Underground Railroad activity—an open house featuring refreshments and live music will be based in the downstairs annex.”
The information in this article was provided by Alice Craig and the Bloomingburg Presbyterian Church.
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