Roots of Peoples United Methodist Church
Part 66 Year of Celebration
The year was 2003 and it was time to experience the life of Peoples United Methodist Church. The roots of Peoples predates the celebration that was experienced in 2003
As you have read in the earliest of chapters in this history of Peoples the first Methodist group meeting for our predecessor began in 1839 in what would today be called Willard Square. The area was then known as Point Village. The village was surrounded by farms and looked over Simonton’s Cove. The village church divided its membership and one congregation developed on the Bowery Beach Road. Today this would be on the way to Two Lights on Route 77. The other congregation, odgkinH
150 years ago in 1853, opened the doors for the first time to a Methodist Episcopal Church in the section of Cape Elizabeth that was labeled and known as Cape Elizabeth Ferry Village. Both are important dates in looking at the overall history of Peoples, but it was 1853 that began a long and continuous relationship of the church with Ferry Village. As you have also found out the name, Peoples, was not added to the name of the church until a vote took place on that matter in 1888. All of that information is recorded in more detail in some of the earlier chapters or episodes that have been written within this history.
The doors to the Ferry Village church opened officially on January 26, 1853 even though construction was not yet complete. It was appropriate that we launched our Sesquicentennial Celebration on Sunday, January 26, 2003. A year in the planning, money was raised primarily from selling a church cookbook titled, Fruits of the Spirit.
The recipes included were collected and ordered by committee members Rosemary Herd and Cynthia Beddie. Kevin Malcolm through his Circle of Friends program had also collected a number of the recipes included. Many other parishioners also contributed their favorites. In time all of the books printed were sold and the legacy of Peoples cooks lives on.
Members of the committee all contributed to the success of each event that took place during the year. It is important in my estimation to list those dedicated parishioners and thank them for their efforts in showing that Peoples can be a close and friendly place to call our spiritual and sometimes social home. Reverend William Beddie and his wife Cynthia were integral to the success of the celebration. Also contributing were Christopher Brann, Carol Darling Campbell, Malcolm and Hillie Cass, Mike and Robyn Gray, Belle Graney, Joanne and Chuck Kamilewicz, Brad and Betsy Morrison, Danielle Seidl, Sally and Betty Smith, Becky Snoddy, Kevin Malcom, Max Brown, Doreen Gay, Rosemary Herd, Marlene and Art Tordoff and Chris Ward.
Invitations had been printed through Max Brown and were sent out to all parishioners and former parishioners. Former pastors who were still living and their families were also invited. Bishop Susan Hassinger and District Superintendent Gary Shaw were invited and did participate in the gala celebration. Interestingly on the very same day, First United Methodist Church, from which Peoples roots developed was celebrating their 200th Anniversary.
A souvenir booklet was put together by Art Tordoff and with the computer expertise of Pastor Bill Beddie. The cover showed pictures of the church as it was in 1853 and as it was changed around 1928 on the corner of High and School Streets. Two pictures of the present structure at 310 Broadway complemented the other two. A brief history of the church and its parishioners was the first item included in the booklet. This was followed by a Sesquicentennial Minute prepared by Art Tordoff as if it were Steven Hubbard, the master builder of the church’s Sunday school program. During the church service, printed in the booklet, many of the songs sung and elements of the church service mirrored what likely took place 150 years ago. A call to worship prepared by Pastor William Wood for the 75th anniversary was also used. Pastor Bill attired in an outfit emblematic of 1853 preachers gave the sermon as if playing the role of Uriel Rideout who served as Pastor at the time the new church was opened. Many people participated in the service as ushers, greeters, scripture readers and singers. Dr. Malcolm Cass as he had for many years arranged the music, led the choir and played the organ. The Grace Notes and Witness, two musical groups from the recent past were reunited as groups and sang during the service and at the celebration that followed.
Many folks that had moved distances from the church and had taken up residence in other communities returned to share in the celebration. A beautiful late winter day made the driving easier for these folks to come from distant homes and return safely.
Brad Morrison with the assistance of Chris Ward, Rosemary Herd and others prepared a meal of Seafood and Corn Chowder along with Anadama and White rolls with a variety of crackers. The meal prepared was also an adventure in history as those items would have been among items served at the church in 1853.
The program that followed included a discussion by Uriel Rideout, Steven Hubbard and Mrs. Jeremiah C. York and musical presentations by the Gracenotes and Witness. A skit by Sally Smith called, "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie" had the attendees in stitches. Those who knew the songs sang some patriotic songs from past variety/minstrel shows. Bishop Hassinger gave a brief message before moving on to her next appointment at First Methodist Church. Another highlight relative to local church history was the panel of elder members of the church that told about some of their recollections of the past. Belle Graney, Betty McGouldrick and Dr.Malcom Cass and Hillie regaled us with stories that many of us had never heard before. Before the celebration was closed with an old fashioned hymn sing, several former pastors in attendance came forward to answer as a panel the question." What role has life related to Peoples Church played in your spiritual and social journey?"
Each of those pastors offered prayers for all as this portion of the celebration was closed.
In March the Nurture Committee put together an interesting Family Night that encouraged people to share a meal and baby pictures. Many people submitted pictures and then the game was to guess who’s baby pictures that were submitted went with who in reality were now older. Some of the pictures came from the distant past and others were relatively recent. Again this event proved to be a community builder and we all learned a lot more about some of the folks that we had come to church with every week. Rosemary Herd took the lead on this activity that certainly was a highlight that many would like to repeat in the future.
The next significant event of the year served also as a unique means of celebrating. Through the efforts of Chuck Kamilewicz and Paul Obie we were able to acquire a motorized trolly on April 27, 2003. While initially paid for through monies raised by the sale of the cookbook, a free-will offering collected from those riding the trolly netted enough to pay for the rental. Three separate times were set up for the "Trolly Tour" that visited many locations that had connections to Peoples. We visited homes that were at one time owned by parishioners or served as parsonages for the pastors of the church. We saw locations where parishioners formerly gathered. We visited Point Village and Ferry Village and eventually ended up for refreshments at the home of Doug and Linda Greer where Linda greeted folks as they exited the trolly. Those who stopped for refreshments were able to pick up the trolly for the remainder of their trip back to Ellis Hall. Art Tordoff and Belle Graney gave everyone on board an oral narrative of the Trolly Trip. As a souvenir of this day everyone was able to take home a copy of the booklet that had been prepared by Dorren Gay and Belle Graney. Again the weather was wonderful and nearly 80 folks took advantage of the opportunity to share church history and the day with each other.
In May as part of the continuing celebration a Variety Show was held. Directed and led by Mike Gray and wife Robyn many acts of music, dance and comedy showed the talents that parishioners possessed. Often people may go unnoticed because a performance appears to be out of the character of the person, as we know them. A lot of fun was had in preparing this event and a lot of surprises in performance came from the Pastor, Sally Smith, Jean Swanson and the Ushers simply because their acts were somewhat unexpected. Obviously those with more known talent such as Mike and Robyn and Chris Ward as well as others were perhaps more expected, but certainly entertaining too. Money raised from this helped with the general funs of the church.
In July another event drew the finance committee and sesquicentennial committee together for a two-pronged event simply labeled a Yard Sale and Strawberry Festival. All kinds of parishioners again gathered together to bring all manner of "used thing" and "treasures" together for the perusal of neighbors near and far. Barbara Nelson headed up the Yard Sale. The Sesquicentennial Committee gathered a number of folks together to pick fresh strawberries at Maxwell’s farm. Cenise MacKinnon headed up the picking party and then the women of the church made all manner of "strawberry goodies" for sale and eating. Luscious strawberries, home made biscuits and loads of whipped cream made the day for those who savor the delicacy known as strawberry shortcake. Many other women made cakes and muffins and /or helped to serve. The most significant outcome of this event was the church community building that was a part of the event.
The Sesquicentennial celebration theme continued throughout the remainder of the year. The Sunday School was able to celebrate 150 years of existence at the end of the school year in graduation ceremonies. Likewise the Church Fair in December and the Hanging of the Greens both carried on some of the celebration that had begun in January.
While looking back on the history of the church can be fun, interesting and necessary the true value in looking back is to see what is necessary to carry on and build on the legacy of an institution’s past. Doreen Gay was most responsible for the banner that hangs in the sanctuary that does an excellent job of illustrating Peoples Legacy. We individually need to look at it from time to time and let it lead us to think of where we are going as a church family.
To close out the year of celebration we did have one last gathering associated with the Sesquicentennial and that was to have a church wide afterglow party in January 2004. At this event we used it to get ideas together in a Retreat format to determine where we might use what we had spent a year reviewing and use that to make plans for our future.
This episode in the life of Peoples was intended to be the end of a historic journey. It is, however, only fitting to realize first that this is not the end of the journey for Peoples, but just the beginning of a continuing story of service and care to others and to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Since it has taken five years to get to this spot in the journey, the writer will include a few more episodes as epilog in order to show that Peoples still is dynamic and genuine in its love of the Lord and love of our fellow men, women and children.
erd, ette McGouldrick, Marlene hhERDillie and Malcolm Cass, Mike and Robyn Gray
ank Dunn, Merrill Kaiser
Part 66 Year of Celebration
The year was 2003 and it was time to experience the life of Peoples United Methodist Church. The roots of Peoples predates the celebration that was experienced in 2003
As you have read in the earliest of chapters in this history of Peoples the first Methodist group meeting for our predecessor began in 1839 in what would today be called Willard Square. The area was then known as Point Village. The village was surrounded by farms and looked over Simonton’s Cove. The village church divided its membership and one congregation developed on the Bowery Beach Road. Today this would be on the way to Two Lights on Route 77. The other congregation, odgkinH
150 years ago in 1853, opened the doors for the first time to a Methodist Episcopal Church in the section of Cape Elizabeth that was labeled and known as Cape Elizabeth Ferry Village. Both are important dates in looking at the overall history of Peoples, but it was 1853 that began a long and continuous relationship of the church with Ferry Village. As you have also found out the name, Peoples, was not added to the name of the church until a vote took place on that matter in 1888. All of that information is recorded in more detail in some of the earlier chapters or episodes that have been written within this history.
The doors to the Ferry Village church opened officially on January 26, 1853 even though construction was not yet complete. It was appropriate that we launched our Sesquicentennial Celebration on Sunday, January 26, 2003. A year in the planning, money was raised primarily from selling a church cookbook titled, Fruits of the Spirit.
The recipes included were collected and ordered by committee members Rosemary Herd and Cynthia Beddie. Kevin Malcolm through his Circle of Friends program had also collected a number of the recipes included. Many other parishioners also contributed their favorites. In time all of the books printed were sold and the legacy of Peoples cooks lives on.
Members of the committee all contributed to the success of each event that took place during the year. It is important in my estimation to list those dedicated parishioners and thank them for their efforts in showing that Peoples can be a close and friendly place to call our spiritual and sometimes social home. Reverend William Beddie and his wife Cynthia were integral to the success of the celebration. Also contributing were Christopher Brann, Carol Darling Campbell, Malcolm and Hillie Cass, Mike and Robyn Gray, Belle Graney, Joanne and Chuck Kamilewicz, Brad and Betsy Morrison, Danielle Seidl, Sally and Betty Smith, Becky Snoddy, Kevin Malcom, Max Brown, Doreen Gay, Rosemary Herd, Marlene and Art Tordoff and Chris Ward.
Invitations had been printed through Max Brown and were sent out to all parishioners and former parishioners. Former pastors who were still living and their families were also invited. Bishop Susan Hassinger and District Superintendent Gary Shaw were invited and did participate in the gala celebration. Interestingly on the very same day, First United Methodist Church, from which Peoples roots developed was celebrating their 200th Anniversary.
A souvenir booklet was put together by Art Tordoff and with the computer expertise of Pastor Bill Beddie. The cover showed pictures of the church as it was in 1853 and as it was changed around 1928 on the corner of High and School Streets. Two pictures of the present structure at 310 Broadway complemented the other two. A brief history of the church and its parishioners was the first item included in the booklet. This was followed by a Sesquicentennial Minute prepared by Art Tordoff as if it were Steven Hubbard, the master builder of the church’s Sunday school program. During the church service, printed in the booklet, many of the songs sung and elements of the church service mirrored what likely took place 150 years ago. A call to worship prepared by Pastor William Wood for the 75th anniversary was also used. Pastor Bill attired in an outfit emblematic of 1853 preachers gave the sermon as if playing the role of Uriel Rideout who served as Pastor at the time the new church was opened. Many people participated in the service as ushers, greeters, scripture readers and singers. Dr. Malcolm Cass as he had for many years arranged the music, led the choir and played the organ. The Grace Notes and Witness, two musical groups from the recent past were reunited as groups and sang during the service and at the celebration that followed.
Many folks that had moved distances from the church and had taken up residence in other communities returned to share in the celebration. A beautiful late winter day made the driving easier for these folks to come from distant homes and return safely.
Brad Morrison with the assistance of Chris Ward, Rosemary Herd and others prepared a meal of Seafood and Corn Chowder along with Anadama and White rolls with a variety of crackers. The meal prepared was also an adventure in history as those items would have been among items served at the church in 1853.
The program that followed included a discussion by Uriel Rideout, Steven Hubbard and Mrs. Jeremiah C. York and musical presentations by the Gracenotes and Witness. A skit by Sally Smith called, "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie" had the attendees in stitches. Those who knew the songs sang some patriotic songs from past variety/minstrel shows. Bishop Hassinger gave a brief message before moving on to her next appointment at First Methodist Church. Another highlight relative to local church history was the panel of elder members of the church that told about some of their recollections of the past. Belle Graney, Betty McGouldrick and Dr.Malcom Cass and Hillie regaled us with stories that many of us had never heard before. Before the celebration was closed with an old fashioned hymn sing, several former pastors in attendance came forward to answer as a panel the question." What role has life related to Peoples Church played in your spiritual and social journey?"
Each of those pastors offered prayers for all as this portion of the celebration was closed.
In March the Nurture Committee put together an interesting Family Night that encouraged people to share a meal and baby pictures. Many people submitted pictures and then the game was to guess who’s baby pictures that were submitted went with who in reality were now older. Some of the pictures came from the distant past and others were relatively recent. Again this event proved to be a community builder and we all learned a lot more about some of the folks that we had come to church with every week. Rosemary Herd took the lead on this activity that certainly was a highlight that many would like to repeat in the future.
The next significant event of the year served also as a unique means of celebrating. Through the efforts of Chuck Kamilewicz and Paul Obie we were able to acquire a motorized trolly on April 27, 2003. While initially paid for through monies raised by the sale of the cookbook, a free-will offering collected from those riding the trolly netted enough to pay for the rental. Three separate times were set up for the "Trolly Tour" that visited many locations that had connections to Peoples. We visited homes that were at one time owned by parishioners or served as parsonages for the pastors of the church. We saw locations where parishioners formerly gathered. We visited Point Village and Ferry Village and eventually ended up for refreshments at the home of Doug and Linda Greer where Linda greeted folks as they exited the trolly. Those who stopped for refreshments were able to pick up the trolly for the remainder of their trip back to Ellis Hall. Art Tordoff and Belle Graney gave everyone on board an oral narrative of the Trolly Trip. As a souvenir of this day everyone was able to take home a copy of the booklet that had been prepared by Dorren Gay and Belle Graney. Again the weather was wonderful and nearly 80 folks took advantage of the opportunity to share church history and the day with each other.
In May as part of the continuing celebration a Variety Show was held. Directed and led by Mike Gray and wife Robyn many acts of music, dance and comedy showed the talents that parishioners possessed. Often people may go unnoticed because a performance appears to be out of the character of the person, as we know them. A lot of fun was had in preparing this event and a lot of surprises in performance came from the Pastor, Sally Smith, Jean Swanson and the Ushers simply because their acts were somewhat unexpected. Obviously those with more known talent such as Mike and Robyn and Chris Ward as well as others were perhaps more expected, but certainly entertaining too. Money raised from this helped with the general funs of the church.
In July another event drew the finance committee and sesquicentennial committee together for a two-pronged event simply labeled a Yard Sale and Strawberry Festival. All kinds of parishioners again gathered together to bring all manner of "used thing" and "treasures" together for the perusal of neighbors near and far. Barbara Nelson headed up the Yard Sale. The Sesquicentennial Committee gathered a number of folks together to pick fresh strawberries at Maxwell’s farm. Cenise MacKinnon headed up the picking party and then the women of the church made all manner of "strawberry goodies" for sale and eating. Luscious strawberries, home made biscuits and loads of whipped cream made the day for those who savor the delicacy known as strawberry shortcake. Many other women made cakes and muffins and /or helped to serve. The most significant outcome of this event was the church community building that was a part of the event.
The Sesquicentennial celebration theme continued throughout the remainder of the year. The Sunday School was able to celebrate 150 years of existence at the end of the school year in graduation ceremonies. Likewise the Church Fair in December and the Hanging of the Greens both carried on some of the celebration that had begun in January.
While looking back on the history of the church can be fun, interesting and necessary the true value in looking back is to see what is necessary to carry on and build on the legacy of an institution’s past. Doreen Gay was most responsible for the banner that hangs in the sanctuary that does an excellent job of illustrating Peoples Legacy. We individually need to look at it from time to time and let it lead us to think of where we are going as a church family.
To close out the year of celebration we did have one last gathering associated with the Sesquicentennial and that was to have a church wide afterglow party in January 2004. At this event we used it to get ideas together in a Retreat format to determine where we might use what we had spent a year reviewing and use that to make plans for our future.
This episode in the life of Peoples was intended to be the end of a historic journey. It is, however, only fitting to realize first that this is not the end of the journey for Peoples, but just the beginning of a continuing story of service and care to others and to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Since it has taken five years to get to this spot in the journey, the writer will include a few more episodes as epilog in order to show that Peoples still is dynamic and genuine in its love of the Lord and love of our fellow men, women and children.
erd, ette McGouldrick, Marlene hhERDillie and Malcolm Cass, Mike and Robyn Gray
ank Dunn, Merrill Kaiser
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