Senate Resolution No. 1870
BY: Senator AKSHAR
COMMEMORATING the 200th Anniversary of Union
Presbyterian Church of Endicott, New York, on June
9, 2019
WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and
WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body takes pleasure in commemorating the
200th Anniversary of Union Presbyterian Church of Endicott, New York;
and
WHEREAS, Under the motto, "Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow," this auspicious occasion will be celebrated with a
myriad of events throughout the year; the highlight of which will be a
special Mass held on Pentecost Sunday, June 9, 2019, followed by an
Anniversary Dinner at Riverdale Banquet Hall in Endwell, New York; and
WHEREAS, Joshua and John Mersereau, spies for General George
Washington during the Revolutionary War, helped form the Dutch Reformed
Church in the Town of Union in 1791; after a period of illness and death
in the congregation, the log cabin church went mostly unused until the
Mersereau brothers and a dozen others formed what they called "The First
Presbyterian Society in the Town of Union" on Wednesday, March 10, 1819;
later, it was renamed Union Presbyterian Church; and
WHEREAS, Today, under the luminous leadership of Reverend Patricia
J. Raube, Union Presbyterian Church is a place of faithfulness,
hospitality, action, tender-hearted generosity, energy, intelligence,
imagination and love; and
WHEREAS, For 200 years, this open-minded congregation has lived to
serve their Lord, their congregation, their community, and their world;
and
WHEREAS, The Union Presbyterian Church stands on the threshold of
tomorrow, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming decades while
retaining that spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Union Presbyterian Church of
Endicott, New York, on June 9, 2019, fully confident that this
commemoration reflects the belief in those values which enhance the
dignity and purpose of life; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Reverend Patricia Raube, Union Presbyterian Church of
Endicott, New York.