Bellvale United Methodist Church marks its 200th anniversary

Dedication and perseverance are cornerstones of church’s existence BELLVALE — The Bellvale United Methodist Church, a well-known landmark in the Warwick and surrounding areas, celebrated its 200th anniversary of the beginning of Methodism in Bellvale. The two-day event was held Sept. 13 and 14, as members, former members and former clergy gathered for a dinner at the church to reminisce about memories of past years and meet and greet old friends and new acquaintances. Bishop Jeremiah Parks of the New York Annual Conference presided at the Sept. 13 service, and was joined by the congregation of the Sugar Loaf United Methodist Church. The service was followed by a coffee reception with the bishop and an afternoon carnival Adults visited with old friends as the children played games. In 1809, a Methodist class was organized in Bellvale, only 24 years after the Methodist Episcopal Church of America was founded. Services were held in the homes of some members and then in the Bellvale School House until 1853, when a church building was erected. This church was dedicated in 1854. On Jan. 17, 1940, the church burned to the ground. The following Sunday, the congregation vowed to rebuild it. That same year, the congregation of the Spring Glen, N.Y. Methodist Church found that it could no longer maintain a church building and sold the building, furnishings, organ, stain glass windows and pews to Bellvale for only $1. The new church in Bellvale was dedicated on July 28, the same year the original building had been destroyed. Officials said this dedication and perseverance has been cornerstone of the Bellvale United Methodist Church for 200 years. The New York Annual Conference has honored it for three consecutive years as an “official Welcoming Congregation.” The church is located at 41 Bellvale Lakes Rd. with a Sunday 9:15 a.m. service, officiated by the Rev. Lynne Severance, with Sunday school taking place during that time. For more information, call 986-1603 or visit the church’s website at www.gbgm-umc.org/Bellvale.