More than a hundred years ago, some members of a downtown Schenectady church began to hold Bible study classes nearer their farm community, Brewer's Corners.
Folks around here were mostly farm families who went to a downtown church, a long wagon ride. Whether it was a journey all the way downtown and back up the hill or a midweek prayer service, it seemed logical to find a place that was a shorter wagon ride, or even a walk, for the cluster of families.
When they decided to organize formally as a church, they took a neighborhood survey before proceeding with plans. Since then, the little chapel has been replaced by a church. Building was stalled by the Great Depression, and ground was broken for the building in the 1950s. A tour of the stained glass windows in the sanctuary tells us who the founding families were.
The surrounding neighborhood was new, too, growing with the success of GE and American Locomotive. The street called Eastern Parkway was in a rural area being developed as a new housing development, heading east from downtown.
In the bungalows and two-family houses, the families grew. The church added an education wing to accommodate the Christian Education program.
Over the years the building has been renovated and modernized, but the echoes of those founding families are still in the air, welcoming visitors to our friendly church.
For a visual overview of the church's history, watch this slideshow.
