George Young, pictured here with his wife Sylvia at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1956, was deacon at the then-closed York Street Baptist Church in 1940 when Rev. Robert Tonnesen arrived in York and sought permission to reopen the church. Young gave the keys to Tonnesen, and went on to help in the rebirth of the church.
Photo courtesy of York Street Baptist Church.
Photos by Tori Rasche
YORK VILLAGE - 200 years ago, on May 13, 1808, a small group gathered in the home of John Tenney, professing to be simply "Christians," and taking the New Testament as their only rule of faith.
Known today as the York Street Baptist Church, the ancestral and spiritual descendants of those first worshipers will gather this weekend for their 200th anniversary on May 17 and 18, to celebrate their past and welcome in their future.
As part of the celebration the church will be holding a special Saturday evening service on May 17, in addition to normal Sunday worship, which will feature music and talks by former missionaries and pastors and their families.
Debbie Adams, a member of the church's 200th Anniversary Committee, said that the weekend's celebration services are open to all those with family or historical connections with the church, and also to all members of the community who would like to share in the occasion.
Originally united with 26 members - 13 men and 13 women - the church's membership has varied through the years as the nation itself moved through its own periods of spirituality, as detailed in the "History of York Street Baptist Church" compiled by the 200th Anniversary Committee. The church presently has a regular attendance of 130 to 150 committed members. The church, by its bylaws, does not include inactive members in its stated numbers.
The present landmark church, located at the corner of York Street and Organug Road, was dedicated on May 13, 1891. At the dedication service given by Rev. E.A. Haines of Haverhill, Mass., it was reported that the entire building cost had been fully paid, and that the total building cost was $10,000, according to the church's history.
Over the next 40 years the church struggled to bring in new members to replace the vital group that had built the York Street church and, in April of 1931, the church's doors were closed.
But nine years later, in the early spring of 1940, the Rev. Robert Tonnesen moved to York, and the task of rebuilding the church's membership began. Seeing the closed church and feeling himself called to it, Tonnesen went to the home of Deacon George Young and made a request for the key to the church so that he might reopen it.
His request granted, the doors reopened shortly thereafter with 14 members present. Sunday night services were added in October of 1941, and weekly prayer meetings in the church basement began in 1946.
"I remember the pastor that came and opened the church, because the church had been closed until the 1940s," said Marvin Swain, who grew up attending York Street Baptist Church with his family and remains an active member of the church to this day. "He was a really hard working man. He didn't wait for other people to do things. He just took right a hold and did things himself."
At present, Swain said the search is ongoing for the church's next permanent pastor to replace Rev. Val Vigue, whom Swain described as a remarkable man of faith.
"We're anxious to bring somebody here and see what God has got in store for us for the next few years," said Swain.
The 200th Anniversary Celebration is a special milestone for Swain and his sister, Debbie Adams, he said, as they both participated in the 150th anniversary as children, performing on musical instruments.
Swain and fellow long-time church member Carl Beane both described the church as an extended family.
"When you work with people and you pray with people and you endure the hard times with people and you laugh with them, you are like a family," said Swain.
Beane, who joined the church with his wife Karen, back in 1969, has similar recollections.
"We've been members ever since (moving home to York). Our children were brought up in the church, and it's a good heritage there. It means a lot to them," he said.
Beane's daughter was married in the church, and his wife, Karen, is the church's organist.
Beane explained that he and his wife, whom he met in Australia while serving in the Army, were looking for a church when they settled in York, but as he was busy working his family's farm, he needed a church with an evening service, such as the one then being held regularly on Sunday evenings at the York Street Baptist Church.
That was what initially brought Beane and his wife to the church, said Beane, and they have never left.
"When we first went in, there were a lot of townspeople I knew there," he said, explaining that he had met many of the church's members during his years growing up in York.
These days, Beane says simply of the membership at the church, "They are our family."
An extended part of the church's family exists in the heavy commitment of the church to missionary work throughout the world.
Evidence of this commitment will be on hand during the celebration services when Rich Long, a former missionary to Latin America who was supported by the church, will speak regarding his experiences.
And next month, missionaries Phil and Sue Burns, members of York Street Baptist Church, will return from the Philippines for a year of home service after having spent the past 18 years there serving their call. The couple has been supported throughout their work abroad by the members of the York Street Baptist Church.
While the weekend celebration will look to the church's past, its members also remain optimistic about the role of the church in the town's future.
"I've been going there as long as I can remember," said Swain. "We've met an awful lot of nice people. It's a really friendly church. That's the way it's supposed to be. ... A lot of the older people are now gone, but their families and new people have come and carried on the work there. The church is still vibrant and relevant to today's issues."
While people may spend years choosing not to attend church, Swain said, "It still stands there ready for them when they have a need, and that's unique among organizations in America."
Those interested in finding out more about the York Street Baptist Church or this weekend's events may contact the church office at 363-2177.
This report draws upon information compiled by the York Street Baptist Church 200th Anniversary Committee in its history of the church.
