Here's to 150 years


 


PINE PLAINS — A 150th anniversary is an impressive milestone, and the Church of the Regeneration in Pine Plains went the extra mile to make sure its celebration included the community.

Guests included Bishop Mark Sisk and Canon Andrew Dietsche. A service at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, was followed by a procession to the Stissing House, where an anniversary brunch was served to members of the Church of the Regeneration as well as members of other churches in the area.

The celebration took several months of planning. A history of the church was compiled in an informational booklet distributed and edited by Wolcott Dunham Jr. and Mary Netter Phillips. Special banners were made by the Sunday school students, who wore special T-shirts in honor of the occasion.

The brunch was "not simply about the Church of Regeneration," Father Michael Shafer said, "but about the churches of Pine Plains and the surrounding churches as well."

Shafer then introduced each of the heads of the churches in attendance who commended the Church of the Regeneration on its longevity in the community.

Town Supervisor Gregg Pulver pointed out that from the Church of the Regeneration building on Pine Street, the group traveled to the Stissing House, another storied building in town that was also used as a place of religious worship.

"One hundred and fifty years is amazing," he told the guests gathered. "It’s proven that you’ve been successful and are a great community amongst yourselves. We also hope that the church will go on, hopefully forever. It’s not one church or pastor. It’s the community as a whole."

Pastor Carol Miller of the Presbyterian Church in town said that her grandfather was a member of the Church of the Regeneration.

"What a great joy it is for all of our Christian churches to be able to work together," she said.

Shafer has been priest-in-charge of the Church of the Regeneration since March 2000. The church recently opened a thrift shop on the property, and it also has a sister diocese in India, which has sent parishioners to visit and has received visitors from here as well.

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