A History of the

Suffern Presbyterian Church

By Rev. Rudolph Herr Wissler

Excerpted from "The Parish Crier" and the "Midweek Reminder" (March-September 1976)

            Up to this point the information you have received was compiled and written by Gardner F. Watts, at present the Chairman of the Suffern Bi-Centennial Committee, and son of Rev. Henry Watts.  This information was printed in a small booklet for our 50^th Anniversary in 1953.  The rest of our history is being written by Mr. Wissler.

            Mr. Wisslers coming to the church happened in this way.  He was invited to be a speaker at a Lenten Supper and it being war years, and a scarcity of many things, there was a large attendance.  In the basement under the chapel, there were folding doors between that room and the cement basement.  Those doors were made into a solid wall in 1965 and 1966.  But in those days they could be opened and at that particular dinner there was 150 people.  It was shortly after that, that a committee consisting of Ira Wickes, Sr., Mrs. Orin Tuttle and others came to Florida, NY to hear Mr. Wissler preach, whereupon he was invited to become Pastor of the Suffern Presbyterian Church.  He was told that the congregation wished him to concern himself only with the spiritual life of the church and with being liaison with the community organizations, and that the church itself would take care of all financial matters.

When Mr. Wissler arrived, there was a single pulpit in the middle of the chancel and below it on the floor sat the Communion Table.  However, at the close of World War II, it was decided to purchase new furniture for the chancel, for the Communion Table had become rather small for the growing congregation.  The pulpit furniture was ordered from J.P. Reddington, Co., Scranton, PA, and consisted of a lectern and chair, the Communion Table, and pulpit and chair.  This is the furniture that you now see in the Sanctuary.  Upon the death of Mrs. John Chilson in about 1974, the floor pedestals were added as a memorial to her.  The Kneeling Benches were also bought to match the rest of the furniture in the pulpit area to be used at weddings, and were bought in memory of Miss Beulah Daum by her sister, Mrs. Angeline Kraft, and friends.  As for the other furniture in the Sanctuary, the large table in the rear of the Sanctuary was given by Mrs. Schwartz from her home on Pine Tree Farms and is of beautifully carved solid wood.  The emblem of the Presbyterian Church, which hangs above the doorway as you enter the Blue Room, was given in memory of Sarah Campbell, the sister of Walter Campbell, and was given by Ethel and Walter Campbell and family.

            Upon Mr. Wisslers arrival at the church on July 1, 1944, to assume his Pastorate, there were approximately 250 members in the church.  His salary was set at $2500, which the congregation frankly did not know whether they could succeed in paying.  Rev. Wissler was told this fact.  The church set out for a budget of $5000 and failed to make it by over $1000.  So that for a few years, the budget really failed being met by at least $2000.  However, through various gifts and fund raising activities, the budget and the salary were always made.

During these early years, Mrs. Alta Hunter served as the first secretary that the church had.  However, on one Stewardship Sunday morning, Mr. and Mrs. Van Alan Clark approached the Pastor after the service and suggested that they sponsor a secretary for the Pastor at the rate of $1000 a year.  They noted that they had had experience with volunteer secretaries and that they knew such an arrangement was a difficult one to maintain.  Mr. Wissler agreed to the gift of $1000 providing the Clarks would decrease that amount my $200 a year so that the church might gradually back up the sum necessary to have a church secretary.  This the church did in due course and there has been continual secretarial service supported by the church until the present.

At another time, Mr. and Mrs. Clark approached the Pastor and suggested that they would give $5000 to move the Manse from its position five feet away from the church to a location approximately 75 feet to the south of the church building.  The closeness of the Manse to the church had resulted from the fact that in 1920 the Sanctuary had been built between the tower, which was at the south end of the original church, and the Manse.  All the buildings were therefore in a crowded position.

            The first Manse used by the Church was the old Wanamaker farmhouse for the church property is located on what used to be the Wanamaker farm.  Until 1915, the old farmhouse served as the Manse and then it was moved to what is now 44 Prairie Avenue.  Its exterior at that location is practically unchanged.  The new Manse that was built had 8 rooms: a downstairs study with a fireplace, a living room with a fireplace, a front hall, dining room, and a kitchen.  Upstairs there were four bedrooms and bath.  Every single room in the house was exactly 12 feet by 12 feet.  There was a small room in the attic.  Apparently, the builders in 1915 had expected the pastor to have a servant, because beneath the dining room table was a little square cut out of the floor, which was obviously for a bell whereby one could call a servant.  Between the kitchen and the dining room was a pantry.  This pantry was later remodeled into a downstairs half-bath.

            Mrs. Clark and her husband, having given $5000 to move the Manse to its new location, the church then decided to spend another $5000 on remodeling the living room, the former Pastor, Mr. Jung, having removed the fireplace in the study.  Elwood Blanchard, a local carpenter, was hired to do the remodeling.  The front porch was removed from the Manse and its whole depth was thrown into the living room.  In addition, the front hall was incorporated into the living room and thereby the living room became a room 18 feet by 18 feet with fireplace.  Later the kitchen was remodeled by Donald Blanchard and the side porch by the kitchen included in the kitchen.  It was a most livable and cozy home.  The manse then stood on a piece of property which Mr. Charles Pace, a member of the Suffern Presbyterian Church, and founder of the Pace Institute in New York City, had given to the church in its very early years (that is the northwest corner of Oliver and Washington Avenue).  The Manse stood in that location until the erection of the McConnell Building when, because it could not be moved to another location without some $2000 cost, it was demolished.  The present concrete block piles, which hold up the stage of the McConnell Building, go directly to the concrete floor of the basement of the old Manse, whose concrete floor is their support.

            In the beginning of the church, Mr. David McConnells wife had given to the church a Steinway grand piano.  As it grew older, it was necessary to take parts from the end of the keyboard and place them in the middle of the keyboard in order to keep the piano in operation.  When Mrs. Clark was informed that the piano, which her mother had given, was in need of replacement, she succeeded in gaining from a home in Tuxedo Park the 7-foot grand piano which now stands in the Blue Room.  For this piano Mrs. Clark paid $1750.  It was considered the finest piano in any church in Rockland County.  At the time of its purchase, there being some money left over from Mrs. Clarks gift, Mr. Wissler asked her if he might use some of it to refurbish the so-called Social Room.  She gave him her permission and he purchased lamps and chairs and end table to make the room an acceptable meeting place.  From time to time, persons have contributed couches to that room, and so the room was put in a very lovely condition.  Not until its complete renovation in 1973 by the United Presbyterian Women making it into the Blue Room, has it looked so well as it did in those early years.

            When Mr. Wissler arrived at the Suffern Presbyterian Church, he was really disappointed in the size of the youth group which then only numbered eight members, for he had left a church in which there was a youth group of 25-30.  But the Session assured him that it was absolutely phenomenal to have eight young persons come out to a youth group.  This youth group over the years grew also to number 25-30 young people and remained so until after we began to have student assistants from seminary in 1960.  For about two or three years, it maintained its size and then began to fall away to smaller numbers.

            The youth group was conducted on the basis of each Sunday having two people responsible for a devotional period, two other people of the youth group responsible for a discussion to last at least 45 minutes, followed by refreshments for which two other members were responsible.  These duties were rotated.  Sometimes for refreshments, the youth group went to a restaurant, sometimes they went to a private home, and yearly they went in a body for a weekend retreat to Gilmore-Sloane House or up to Jessup Cottage on the Wheeler Place just outside of Florida, NY.  Mr. Wissler clearly informed the group that if they were going to have some fun times, they must have an equally long time of serious devotion and discussion.

            The youth group also was self-supporting.  In fact, they considered that since the church supplied them with a room and lights, that they had an obligation to the church of $25 a year.  At every meeting, a collection of not less than 25¢ was taken from each of the members and this money was spent for useful objects for the church.  The last object that the youth group bought was our present mimeograph, which cost approximately $450.  They succeeded in raising that money in 18 months.  If they went to summer conferences, the church financed the entire first year, with the exception of the registration fee.  If they went a second year, they paid the registration plus half of the cost of going.  If they proposed to go a third year, they paid the entire cost themselves.

One of the fascinating things that happened during the youth group time under Mr. Wisslers direction, was that one of the members of the group (a member of the football team) had the bone which is immediately under the eye crushed.  The doctors in restoring it did not know whether the eye would drop, impairing vision, or whether the young man would ever have feeling in the cheek again.  The youth group held a prayer meeting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Baird.  One by one they prayed for their fellow member.  It is an actual fact that as they were engrossed in prayer, the young man (who was then in the hospital) suddenly had feeling come into his cheek and into the nerves beneath the eye, which ultimately healed completely.

Another thing that the Sunday Youth Group did was to have a prayer tree.  It happened to be one of those plastic trees on which hostesses used to stick olives, cheese, etc.  Charlotte Couch was the leader in this, and during part of the meeting everybody in the group suggested someone they wished to have prayer for.  Charlotte would write the name on a little card, which was attached to a string, and it was then hung on the tree.  While everyone sat around in chairs or on the floor and after all the names had been given in, everyone closed their eyes and Charlotte took these cards off one by one naming the person.  Then there was quiet for 10 seconds while everyone prayed for the person named.  This was done until the tree was empty of names.

The youth group in those early years was made up of all denominations in town, especially Presbyterian and Episcopal, as there was at that time no youth group in any other Protestant church in the village.

In 1955, it became necessary to repair the pipe organ, which at the time was considered to be worth $25,000.  (Recent estimates of organ companies tell us that it cannot be replaced for less than $75,000.)  It was sent to be repaired at the Tellers Organ Co., in Erie, PA.  A committee consisting of Mr. Joseph Roman and others was chosen to oversee the repairs.  The money for those repairs came to us in a curious way.  When Mr. Wissler arrived at the church, he one day called on Mr. Chatfield and discussed with Mr. Chatfield the fact that the Pastor thought that the Presbyterian Church ought to have an endowment.  He was unaware at the time that Mr. Chatfield was in possession of any fortune.  However, when Mr. Chatfield died, he left $3000 directly to the Sunday School, $6000 to the church, which they were empowered to spend at the rate of $1000 a year, and the residue of his estate, which turned out to be $42,000.  The Pastor had at that, suggested to the Trustees that this money be put in Avon stock, which would of course have made us a multi-million dollar church.  The Trustees considered investment risky and therefore, the money was gradually spent.  $14,000 of it was used to repair the organ.  The organ was dedicated with a concert on Friday evening, May 22, 1959 by Mr. Swann who is now organist at Riverside Church in New York City, where he succeeded Virgil Fox.  The Rockland County Guild of Organists at that time stated that our organ was the finest pipe organ in all of Rockland County.  There was at the time of its repair some consideration given to an electronic organ, but a timely article appeared in a church magazine entitled, Dont Give Up the Pipes which the Pastor mimeographed and sent to the entire committee on repairs and to others.  This article saved us our pipe organ.

It was about this time that a young man by the name of Horton Armond, whose mother lived on Prairie Avenue, died a young victim of TB who had spent many years in Summit Park Sanatorium.  On the passing of his mother, she left $2000 to the church.  This $2000 plus further money from the Chatfield Fund was used to lower the ceiling which covered the basement of the Sanctuary, to put closets around the walls of that room, and to shield the other stone walls with a covering material.  That is why that particular room has in it a plaque calling it the Armond-Chatfield Room.

When Mr. Wissler arrived, the congregation grew at the pace of about 20 members a year for the wave of population coming into the area first was formed in the eastern part of the county.  It did not arrive in the Suffern area until the 1960s.  During the middle years of the 1960s, an average of 60 members was added to the church each year.  But then the wave of population passed beyond us and is now somewhere in Orange County.  About 20 years ago, a survey was made by the Protestant Council of the City of New York in behalf of the Rockland County Ministerial Association, which association has now gone out of existence.  They made this survey at a cost of $2000.  This report indicated that as much of the people moved in from the western Protestant areas of the country, the Protestant population of Rockland County which was at the time of the survey about 505, would probably reach a level of 20%.  If the main movement of the population were from New York City out to Rockland County, the Protestant population would fall to 55.  At the present date of 1976, the Protestant population of the county is 185 and constantly dropping.  Even 20 years ago, the Protestant Council said that only two churches in Rockland County would reach a membership of 1,000 and at the time they suggested that three Protestant churches in the county should be abandoned or closed.  The same Protestant Council has warned the Protestant churches of Westchester County that they cannot depend on Protestant membership coming into that area, but could revive into active membership the so-called inactive members of their present parishes.  This sort of situation is likely to come to Rockland County we have been warned.

The church, at the beginning of Mr. Wisslers ministry, had a cork covering on the center aisle and in the rear of the church.  The pulpit area was covered with beige carpeting.  Back of the Communion Table there hung a velvet drape which was extremely expensive for those days for it cost something like $22 a yard.  However, in approximately 1950, it was decided to carpet the church and again Mrs. Van Allan Clark and her sister, Mrs. Failles (now Mrs. Duberg) were instrumental in having the red carpet, which is now in the Sanctuary installed.  Mrs. Failles had some connection with an interior decorator and the carpet was purchased at a cost of $3300.  The fine quality that this carpet is still evidenced by the fact that though it has been down since 1950, it is still unworn and very presentable.

About 1960, Mr. Wissler wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Van Allen Clark a letter in which he stated what he conceived to be the future of the Suffern Presbyterian Church and its needs.  Among the needs which he mentioned were: an assistant pastor, further facilities for Christian education, lots for off-street parking, and two other objects (which are not at the moment remembered).  In approximately 1963, Mr. Wissler received an invitation from Mr. Clark to have lunch with him in the cafeteria at Avon.  Mr. Alex Douglas was also present at that luncheon and Mr. Wissler was offered $40,000 for a church school addition.  However, when plans were drawn up for a church school building, that sum was found to be inadequate.  Our church has always had a very great friend in Mr. James Collishaw, who was then President of Rockland National Bank (now Empire National Bank).  When it was noted that the $40,000 was not an adequate gift, Mr. Collishaw, who was on the Board of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, discussed the problem with them at one of the board meetings.  The Clarks decided to raise the gift to $80,000, providing the church would raise $40,000, so that the building would ultimately cost $120,000.  It happened that a Mr. Galloway, of the Board of National Mission Fund Raising Committee, lived in Ramsey.  He came to our church and trained a group of 40 men and women to go out on a canvass for this building fund.  To the amazement of many, the campaign raised $104,000.  Mr. Wissler called Mr. and Mrs. Clark in Florida on the evening of the campaign announcing the results.  They were so pleased, that they decided to pay the architect fees, which raised their gift of $80,000 to $88,000.  While the committee was planning the future details of the structure to be built, the money lay in the bank and the gift of the Clarks, because of interest, became $90,300.

When the building of the David H. McConnell Christian Education Building was completed (for it was named for Mrs. Clarks father who had founded Avon Cosmetics) it was found that there was still some $53,000 left and this money was used on a renovation of the main church structure.  New folding doors, supported by a steel beam were purchased and installed on the right hand side of the Sanctuary.  Two baths were installed in the north end of the Chapel Room, and a kitchenette (which had formerly been in the tower of the church) was also built in that area.  There had formerly been in the vestibule of the church a stairway going down into the basement.  That was completely floored over and a doorway was cut into the tower to the Chapel Room.  Interestingly enough, it was found that the original tower of the church had been pierced for a doorway and so no stone cutting was necessary in going from the narthex into the tower and through into the Chapel Room.  The base of the tower was made into a cloakroom.  In the basement of the church, a solid wall was placed between the old dining room and the concrete basement.

It was planned to lay a driveway entirely across the rear of the church property and to make the main entrance of the church the small room on the southwest corner of the church.  For this reason, racks were put up for coats and one could leave their coat there and proceed either into the Sanctuary or through the breezeway into the McConnell Building.  But after some consideration that it might be dangerous to have that driveway back of the church and that it might get too much public use, the driveway idea was abandoned.  Therefore, this new entrance to the church building never materialized.

The committee in charge of all this construction had as its chairman, Dr. Lester E. Rounds, and as its secretary, Mrs. Harold Gallup.  Dr. Herald Cox was the treasurer.  A complete file of the workings of this committee is to be found in the church archives.  Mr. Marvin Barnum also gave $10,000 in I.B.M. stock.  In three years the project was completely paid for.  Structural changes alone in the original church cost $27,000 out of the $53,000 spent on its renovation.  In regard to the construction of the McConnell Building, other gifts were made which among many others may be mentioned.  Mrs. James (Grace) Peebles contributed 20 shares of Avon stock.  There being enough cash on hand, it was decided not to use this stock, but allow it to accumulate.  It soon grew to be 60 shares.  Other gifts of stock were also given which, on the advice of Dr. Herald Cox, were retained.  Mrs. Lester (Claire) Peebles was the last on the list of calls that Dr. Royal Sengstacken made on the day of the canvass for the new building.  She said, I have waited all day for you to come.  I want to give you $1000 in memory of our infant son.  There is a plaque noting this gift in the Christian Education Building.  Mrs. Elizabeth (Stewart) Perkins, the only living charter member, gave $3000.  The gift of Wilbur W. Ward was the excavating and later the filling in about the foundations.

The architects on the building were Rudolph G. Bolling and Willard B. Rhodes.  Dr. Herald Cox and Wilbur E. Kettel were co-treasurers of the Building Fund.  The construction company for the McConnell Building was McEntegart-Melehan, Inc. of Park Ridge, NJ.  The total cost of the Christian Education Building including furnishings was $128,480.73 according to the records of the Building Committee.  The Building Committee members were: Dr. Lester Round, chairman, Mrs. Harold Gallup, secretary, Dr. Herald Cox, Mrs. Herald (Marion) Cox, Mrs. Armour (Maida) Galbraith, Mr. Stephen Rose, Mr. Reese May, Mr. James Van Brown, Mr. James Brown, Mr. William Kinneman, Mr. Ralph Dikeman, Mr. Robert Buehler, Mr. Ira Wickes, Jr., Mr. Charles Stewart, and Mr. William Rhoades.

The Books of Common Worship, which are now found in the pews, were purchased in 1960.  The original number of them was given in memory of Miss Eleanor J. Ehni who was the sister of Mrs. Ralph (Lillian) Sutherland.  The purchase of these books was made possible by a gift of money from the friends and associates of Miss Ehni and the New York Life Insurance Co.  Later, we discussed the fact that we did not have sufficient of these books.  The Pastor, chatting with Miss Hazel Baines one day in the Social Room, took her into the Sanctuary and noted to her the need for additional Books of Common Worship which she then gave to the church.

In the late 1960s, it was decided by the Session that we should have new hymnbooks to replace the green ones, which had been in the Sanctuary, called The Hymnal.  The book chosen was The Hymnbook, now in the Sanctuary, which was published for the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (which is the southern Presbyterian Church), and the Reformed Church in America.  A committee was appointed to select the hymnbooks and purchase them.  The chairman of that committee was Dr. Demarest Beers.  When it was announced on a Sunday morning that it was intended to purchase new hymnals as memorials to members of the congregation and the congregation was asked to contribute memorial hymnals, there was a fine response.  However, when Dr. Beers reached his house, Miss Hazel Baines called him and said she would like to purchase all the hymnals for the church.  But Dr. Beers suggested to her that it would be wise to allow individual members of the congregation to purchase memorial hymnals and should there be insufficient hymnals, Miss Baines could be the person.  In all, 300 hymnals were given by members and Miss Baines.  It is interesting to note since the Pastor keeps record of all hymns sung on each Sunday, what hymns were used when the books were dedicated.  At this particular time we were having a 9:30 and an 11:00 service.  The following hymns were sung by the congregation: #25 O Worship the King, All Glorious Above, #104 The Lord Is My Shepherd, #358 God of Grace and God of Glory, #376 Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross, #379 Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and #460 I Think When I Read that Sweet Story of Old.  The anthems on that Sunday were hymns also: #44 Come, My Soul, Thou Must Be Waking, #138 Light of the World We Hail Thee, and #209 Thine Is the Glory, Risen, Conquering Son.  The dedication of the hymnals took place on Sunday, March 12, 1961.

A cookbook was issued by the churchwomen of Circle V.  This is noted in the record for Wednesday, November 15, 1961.  A picture appeared in the paper on that day showing the Association President, Mrs. Thomas (Lois) Seabury, along with Mrs. Daniel J. (Grace) Hopkins and Mrs. James J. (Jane) Brown.  Two hundred of these cookbooks were issued and every cover of each book was different being made of washable contact paper.  There were 135 recipes collected and complied during a five-month period and these were divided into six categories.  The women contributed their favorite recipes.

The Board of Deacons has not always existed in our church.  From time to time they have been reconstituted when there seemed to be a need for such a board.  They have not been in continuous service for several years.  The first Board of Deacons as they now exist, had on it several promising young men who decided that the windows above the choir could be opened.  From very early in the history of the church, they had been sealed closed, boarded up on the outside, and painted on the inside.  These clearstory windows, upon removal of the paint, were discovered to be the same brown glass of the main church windows.  It should be stated here that the process used in making this glass used in the church windows is no longer used, and therefore, the glass of our church windows is irreplaceable.  However, at this particular time of the restoration of the windows above the choir, one company in Jersey was found to possess one sheet of this glass.  This was used to repair one or two broken panes.  We have remaining in the possession of the church, a very few small pieces of this same type of glass for further repair.  These pieces remained over from what was used in repairing the church windows.  The Deacons have since found many duties in the life of the church, among them the duty of ushering, of delivering flowers from the altar to sick and shut-ins after the service, arranging and conducting the Coffee Hours, putting out a church directory, and other activities which pertain to the fellowship and good will in the church.

The obtaining of the Manse at the southwest corner of Oliver and Washington is a very interesting story.  It was necessary to obtain a new manse because the original manse was torn down so that the McConnell Building might be erected.  One or two years before it became necessary to tear down the old manse, there had been a rumor in the village that only off-street parking would be allowed.  At that time, the church Boards had contemplated the purchase of the four properties to the west of the church as a possible parking area.  For this cause, Miss Hazel Baines gave to the church 237 shares of Avon stock.  One day, as the Pastor was in the old Manse, Miss Baines called him.  She said that a rumor had reached her that the church was dissipating her 237 shares of stock for the general running expenses of the church.  He assured her that this was not so.  It was then that Miss Baines asked the Pastor if the house across the street was still for sale.  The Pastor said he knew that Dr. Sperling wanted $60,000 for it.  She remarked that that was a great deal of money.  However, she kept Pastor on the phone for a considerable length of time about the house.  He finally said to her, Hazel, would you like to have James Van Brown, Sr. look into the situation for you?  She said she thought that would be a fine idea.  So Pastor went to James Van Brown of J.J. Brown, Inc. and told him of her wishes.

The owner of the Burgert house at this time was Dr. Glassman.  Mr. Brown called him and Dr. Glassman made three visits to Mr. Browns office.  On the third visit Mr. Brown said to him, Dr. Glassman, I know what you paid for the house, I know what your mortgage is, and I do not want you to return to my office unless you can present the figure at which you will sell the property.  On Dr. Glassmans fourth visit, he said he would sell the house and property for $55,000.  This having happened, Mr. Brown met with Mr. James Collishaw, the president of Rockland National Bank (now Empire National Bank) and also Senior Warden of Christ Episcopal Church, and with Miss Baines.  Mr. Collishaw pointed out to Miss Baines how she could save on her income tax and other expenses by giving this gift to the church.  Miss Baines left to consider the project and to make up her mind.  Now it happened that Larry Burgert had had an only daughter who died quite young.  The window in the vestibule of our church is in memory of that daughter.  It happened also that the daughter was the chief friend of Miss Baines.  Miss Baines, it seems, traveled by the house after talking with Mr. Brown and Mr. Collishaw and later appeared in Mr. Browns office with tears in her eyes and said, I will buy the house for the church.  I never thought that I would be in a position to purchase for my church the home of my best friend.  It was thus that in 1964 the Pastor and the family moved into the Burgert house, and the doctors offices were converted to office space for church use.  When Miss Baines died, her nephew who inherited her estate found that she had left no money to the church.  He therefore gave to the church $5000 with the stipulation that one half of it be used in the interior of the Manse and one half be used to replace the shrubbery which was then around the Manse.  Miss Baines gave, in addition to the 237 shares formerly mentioned, two more gifts of varying amounts of Avon stock, all of which so increased in value that the entire Manse could be painted inside and a new roof put on.  Miss Baines death occurred four months following her last gift for the purchase of the Manse.

A dedication service was held shortly thereafter for the new Manse.  The church service began in the Sanctuary of the church and about 15 minutes before the close, was adjourned to the Manse.  The choir stood on the stairway and sang Bless This House.  Mr. Wissler made a speech of acceptance for the house to Miss Baines.  The service was closed with a prayer and benediction, and a reception was held in the Manse for the 150 people who were present.

One of the outstanding events of our church year is the Art Show, which occurs on the first weekend of May.  Mr. Wissler had visited Scarsdale Church and found the halls of the Sunday School and the Sunday School rooms themselves filled with beautiful art reproductions, particularly of Old Masters on religious subjects.  He found that the Pastor of that church had been given $1500 to purchase whatever pictures he chose for the purpose of decorating the buildings and also to be helpful in teaching spiritual faith and life to the children of the Sunday School.  Mr. Wissler brought this idea with him to the Session of the Suffern Presbyterian Church, whereupon an art committee was formed, the chairman of which was Mr. Robert Purnell, who then chose a committee from our church which has varied from time to time of persons with artistic ability.  This committee has held an art show annually, has charged people for space to exhibit, and has received a percentage of all pictures sold so that it has been possible in recent years to spend as much as $300 to $500 in the purchase of paintings for the McConnell Building and for the various rooms of the church proper.  The committee decided not to purchase Old Masters, but to acquire modern and meaningful paintings to decorate the walls, all of which are original art.  It is hoped that as the art shows continue, that all blank spaces on the walls of the church needing some sort of inspirational décor will be hung with paintings.  At present in 1976, many of these paintings can be found in the McConnell Building and in the Blue Room of the church.

The church school has been very well managed since 1953 as it was in the past.  For several years, the church school was run by persons who devoted year after year to teaching.  Among these persons most mentioned, Mrs. Lee Gallup and Mrs. Marion Cox who have taught for approximately 18 to 20 years each, and Misses Helen and Eleanor Bierling whose record of teaching was something in the neighborhood of 35 years each.  In modern times when the population of Suffern has shifted and there has been mobility in the congregation and our community so that people have moved from place to place, it has been found necessary to have commitments to teaching for perhaps only half a year or a year and yet the church school has continued very efficiently under various leaderships.

For a time there was a Christian Education Director, Mrs. Bruce McElroy.  When Mrs. McElroy moved to Butler, PA, the running of the church school came under the direction of Mrs. William Petty, who is now Church School Superintendent, with Mrs. Leah Schultz and Mrs. Kathy Benjamin as assistants and Mrs. Frieda Marquart as secretary.  The whole program is directed by an efficient Christian Education Chairman, always headed by a member of the Session.  Direction is given to this Christian Education Committee and to the teachers by Rev. Ernest Olsen who maintains a Christian education consulting service, which includes at least one dozen churches in the area of the Presbytery of Hudson River.  Mr. Olsen is also director of youth work in the Suffern Presbyterian Church.  Under Mr. Wissler, the youth work consisted of regular meetings, brief retreats at New York University Camp on Lake Sebago, at the Pierson Jessup Cottage at Florida, NY, and the Gilmore-Sloane House.  Delegates also went to summer conference at Camp Westminster and Denton Lake, which are still used.  An annual trip was also enjoyed by the youth group to see the various large churches of New York City.  Following this for about 10 years, the youth work was directed by students from Princeton Theological Seminary.  For a time, the guidance was given by Mrs. McElroy, assisted by Mr. Fuchs and Mr. Robert Goetschius.  At present, Mr. Ernest Olsen conducts evening meetings with the PYF (Presbyterian Youth Fellowship), taking them on recreational opportunities and other activities.

The present Blue Room of our church has had an interesting history.  It has always been used as a lounge for our church and a meeting place for the Womens Association.  But it has many times fallen into great need of repair.  The last renovation of the Social Room, renamed the Blue Room, was begun in the 1970s.  Through the years, the Womens Association had been saving from their income, dollar by dollar, approximately $250 a year.  While they had spent on mission giving each year at least two-thirds of their income and apportioned their other income to the upkeep of the kitchen of the church, there was still this sum saved each year for future work.  The sum came to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $5000.  It was decided by vote of the United Presbyterian Womens Council to renovate the Blue Room as it now appears.  They put on the floor a blue carpet, purchased three sofas, a buffet, and several incidental chairs and lamps.  A new fire screen for the fireplace was added and pictures hung.  The vase of flowers, painted by Dolores Miclo, above the fireplace is a memorial to Mrs. Grace Peebles and Mrs. Elizabeth Perkins.  The small picture in the gold frame with the shepherd and the Star of Bethlehem is the original watercolor for an Avon Christmas ad, framed and given to us by Mrs. Emily Wiegand.  The carved kneeling figure of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane was presented to the church by Dr. Russell Suffern upon return from the Passion Play at Oberammergau in 1930.  It is understood that the carving was made by the man who that year played the person of Christ in the Passion Play.  The other pictures in the room are purchases of the Art Committee.  The cups and saucers in the cabinet in the room are the gifts of various members of the congregation.  The grand piano is the gift of Mrs. Van Alan Clark.

Enthusiasm for erecting the McConnell Building was aroused among the women by the fact that they would have a new kitchen with modern equipment with which to work in preparing suppers and conducting other church activities.  The men were excited about the new building because there would be a new stage in place of the very small one, which had been in the north end of the Chapel Room.  That was where the men of the church gave a series of comedy skits called, The Spring Frolics.  After the building was built and the stage completed, Mrs. Janice Gay suggested that we give Jesus Christ Superstar before it had been released for public presentation in the United States.  She wrote to the person in New York who was responsible for Jesus Christ Superstar in the U.S. and he gave her permission to produce it.  Somewhat later, it came out that Jesus Christ Superstar could not be given in the U.S. because of an upcoming Broadway production.  However, the New York manager, having given permission prior to this, allowed Mrs. Gay to continue.  She collected a cast from all over Rockland County as well as from the Suffern Presbyterian Church.  It included several clergymen of the Suffern area.  Her husband, Bill Gay, did much of the extra stage construction, which was necessary to place in front of the present stage.  Lighting and sound effects were adequately accomplished and many exhausting rehearsals.  It was given on four different evenings and the demand for tickets was such that we could have produced it for a number of evenings.  Later, a group of the church cast went to see Jesus Christ Superstar in New York City.  When the stage production in NYC was completed, someone about four rows back of where the Pastor sat said, I saw it done better out in the country.  The Pastor turned around and asked him, Where did you see it? and the strangers response was, In Suffern, at the Presbyterian Church.

For the present, this is the conclusion of our history.  There will be additions from time to time as the need arises.