5 /5 Mr Randall: Upon returning to WNY after college to begin my career, I joined the United Church in a neighboring community, a community where I made my home & about 30-miles from the United Church I was raised in.
Then relocating to NYs Adirondacks in 99 my fiancƩe & I attended multiple churches in Clinton County and the PUMC became the church that most reminded me of my WNY United church. Through the focus on children, family, the local community & the congregation l, Pastor Dave made us feel at home along with our new church family. The following spring we were married by Pastor Dave and continued to feel at home here.
The following year we (the congregation) were blessed with the arrival of a new pastor from VT I believe. Pastor Clark Calendar & his wife Lucy were an answer to prayer. They had a daughter, son in-law & grandchild in nearby Stowe, VT, where they planned to retire eventually.
Through the guidance & leadership of Pastor Calendar, my wife & I became more active in our church. Joining the choir, & I being asked to join the Leadership Council added to the strength of our love of the PUMC. Feeling part of the church & building brotherly & sisterly bonds within the congregation we looked forward to weekly choir practice and seasonal traditions the church had been cerebrating for decades in addition to pastor Calendars weekly sermon.
From the annual strawberry festival to the annual chicken BBQ my childhood church memories were once again alive & well but with new faces & a new location.
As we were settling in and celebrating our love of the Lord I became ill due to a genetic degenerative bone disease requiring daily 6-hr infusions. This followed by a bad infection due to a port that failed required surgery & infusions of an antibiotic every 12hrs. Once home my body reacted to the antibiotic causing admission to the ICU. I ended up spending the next 5-mos in the hospital.
During this time, the church members shared an outpouring of love & support to my family. Visits by Pastor Clark, often daily were high points as he had a bond with me similar to that of a father & grandfather all in one. I recall a time when I mentioned thinking I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel only to have pastor Clark remind me that it could also be another train coming. That reminded me of my grandfathers couscous & conservative outlook of being prepared.
During my recovery it was shared that pastor Clark was ill & was stepping down. Retirement after decades of leading & teaching. Fortunately the Calendars had bought property near their daughter in VT where they would spend their retirement years. There will rarely be another Clark & Lucy Calendar as our new pastor Marion & her husband had mighty shoes to fill.
After pastor Marion left, the church continued experiencing additional changes with members of the congregation moving, changing employers, etc.
I miss pastor Dave & pastor Clark & Lucy. We have a wonderful pastor now but with the limitations from Covid19 & its affect on gatherings we live challenged, but with a little creativity and a loyal congregation, plus recent news of successful 3rd stage vaccine trials, I expect the PUMC & surrounding community churches will be able to return to services in the Lord through historical tradition of gathering each congregation together and to worship our God as I have for my last 50+yrs together in the church with my fellow brothers & sisters in Christ.
