January 1, 1996, was the beginning of the seventh full year of Pastor Paul’s ministry in Manlius. In his report for 1996 he addressed a significant worship change, the Church’s decision to return to a single 10:45 A.M. Sunday Service in September 1996. Pastor Paul stated that the change was made not because of the exhaustion of the clergy (himself) and staff but for the reason that three seasons of double services had not increased attendance. Pastor Paul noted that by the end of 1995 with one service a full sanctuary was again a common occurrence.
Seven years of service in some professional circles earns the employee the right to a sabbatical leave (according to the dictionary a period of rest.) Pastor Paul, on June 6, 1996, wrote a letter to the Congregation asking the Ministry Support Committee, the Diaconate Board and the Board of Trustees for a leave of absence from his Pastoral Duties from June 20 to August 10, 1996 (three weeks vacation, four weeks unpaid leave.) He compared his life to a lamp whose oil is running out and whose wick is burned dry.
He felt that his more than sixteen years of ministry (seven with the First Baptist Church of Manlius) had reached a point where he was emotionally, physically and spiritually exhausted. It would “restore unto me the joy of God’s salvation” as our 1996 theme declared and ensure that he would return refreshed and more clearly focused on our ministry together. The Congregation met on June 9, 1996, overwhelmingly agreed to Pastor Paul’s request and voted to give him a seven week leave with pay.
The leave of absence was apparently very helpful for Pastor Paul. He described the time away as his most remarkable personal event, “the summer that saved my soul. It allowed me to reconnect with God and my call to the ministry.”
There were changes in the Church Staff in 1996. Cathi Payne-Ferris became the Director of Music starting in September, 1996, replacing Suzi Harriff, who left to become an Associate Pastor at Andrews Memorial United Methodist Church. In December 1996 Andy Carlsen resigned as the Minister of Youth, but he and is wife Jen volunteered in the program as helpers when needed. Shirley Mapstone’s retirement, fortunately for the Church, was short-lived. In 1996 she started a new children’s choir called Joyful Sounds. Shirley and the children left the Sunday service before the Pastor’s sermon to rehearse. They sang for the Congregation monthly and on special occasions.
The Associate Pastor Search Committee wrote a job description which was presented to and approved by the Congregation. Their job then was to find a worthy replacement for Gary Baker, a hard act to follow. Their advertisements in newspapers resulted in responses from several interested persons. Four were selected for interviews by the Search Committee. However, the Committee felt that it had not been led by God to offer the position to any of the candidates. Because Pastor Bailey was taking a leave of absence and they would need his approval of a choice, the Committee decided to put the search on hold. No further action was taken in 1996 by the Search Committee: Murray Chesebro, Chair, Nancy Albanese, Pastor Bailey, Kathy Clements, JoAnn Mostar, Gordon Noble, Kathy Shevchuk, Leah Stark.
We lost two very special Church members in May 1996. Howard F. Eckerlin died on May 21, 1996. As his family and friends were gathered at his funeral at the Church to mourn his passing and celebrate his life, shocking and unexpected news was passed along that another well known and staunch supporter of the Church, Gamble Huffaker, had died while in the hospital for an operation. Howard was in the construction business and his expertise was instrumental in keeping the church in good repair. He directed the replacement of the deteriorating pillars in front of the church. He trained our treasurer in the use of the computer for keeping accounts. Gamble was a long time member of the Board of Deacons and assisted greatly with their programs. He, too, was a very “handy” person and was always willing to help in the upkeep of the church. He was a member of the Church Choir and Men’s Chorus when they were an important weekly part of our Church Services. Although Howard and Gamble could no longer champion the cause of church accessibility in person, gifts that were generously given in memoriam and part of the legacy of the Howard Eckerlin estate (10%) were the impressive beginnings of an Elevator Building Fund, which on December 31, 1996, contained $25,176.70.
The Trustees had a very busy year, in part because they wanted the Church to look its best for the 200th Year Celebration in 1997. The renovation of the kitchen was completed as was the insulation of the educational wing. The kitchen renovation was paid for by funds raised by the Women’s Fellowship. A carpet was laid in the hallway leading to the sanctuary and the gymnasium. A project to replace the carpet in the Sanctuary was initiated and people were asked to donate by pledging $25.00 per square yard. The carpet was installed in the Spring of 1997. The steeple was repaired, washed with water from a high pressure hose, and painted by the R. L. Gaut Corporation for $5020.00 with a “cherry picker” used to eliminate the need for scaffolding. Other maintenance included removing a tree felled in the Labor Day storm, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, filling ruts in the parking lot, fixing lights, adding railings to stairways, replacing rusted door frames, repairing crumbling sidewalks. The shed in the playground was repaired, painted and the roof reshingled. John Day, our custodian, helped in many of these projects. He also installed a 3 1/2” board on the balcony railing to prevent Bibles and hymnals from falling on people’s heads in the seats below. Two workdays were held, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. The Trustees were grateful for the help in getting projects completed.
The Trustees were concerned that the expenses of the Church (salaries, heat, telephone bills, repairs, etc.) had exceeded the income for five months (January through May), They blamed higher expenses and lower contributions, “a deadly combination,” and wrote a letter to the Congregation asking for help in keeping expenses down, paying current pledges and considering the possibility of pledge increases. Somebody listened and acted as by the end of the year income had exceeded expenses by $9,357.37.
In 1996 the Growth and Development Committee took on the task of investigating the installation of an elevator in the church, but they felt that the financial problems of the Church warranted that the project be put on temporary hold. Jeff Loope, Chairman, Andy Dudley, Carol Shelby, Murray Chesebro, Rick Heller, Gordon Noble, Erman Ferris and Ron Radell were the Elevator Committee.
In 1996 the Mission Board reported that “through the initiative of Bob Vermilya we participated in Wheels for the World,” a program of SAF Ministries. In 1996 thirty wheel chairs were collected and sent for refurbishing and distribution. Many were sent overseas. A one time gift of $100.00 was also sent. Bob was very active in promoting this very worthy program. When his health would no longer permit his participation Ken Bex carried on.
The American Baptist Women’s Ministries was active as always with special programs for the monthly meetings highlighting home and foreign missions. Love gifts of over $600.00 were sent to our National Headquarters at Valley Forge. The ABW contributed White Cross items to the Dayton Christian Center in Dayton, Ohio and was in charge of promoting Blanket Sunday ($500.00 was raised). The women also raised money for the kitchenette.
The Baptist Youth Fellowship was extremely active in the early years of the Bailey Pastorate. According to the annual report of the group, 1996 was an exciting year of changes and growth with a remarkable number of youth and adults involved in an interesting and varied program, planned and led by the Youth Minister Andy Carlsen, assisted by his wife Jen. Andy averaged six to eight hours per week. He was assisted by a very supportive Youth Leadership Team : Joelle Zimmerman, Kathleen Baier, Faith Binder, Betsy Burt, Ellen Everly, Karry Fairbanks, Kathy Krzykowski, Bill Lyon, Damon Gagnier, Dave and Marge Shephard, Beth and Bob Carr, Suzanne Toole. Judy and Dean Morningstar led the Wednesday Night Live Program for grades five and six. Mark Mapstone was in charge of Thursday evening basketball.
In the Fall a kick-off ice cream social was held at the Zimmerman’s house which was attended by fifty enthusiastic youth and adults. In October a camping event at Beaver Camp in the Adirondacks was led by Andy and Jen Carlsen. In November the group met at the Church for a Harvest Party. The group worked had to raise money for their program and projects. A bake sale raised $300.00 to help support a Compassion International Child from the Dominican Republic, and babysitting for holiday shoppers and another bake sale raised $423.50. The Wednesday Night Group hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner for widows and widowers with special help from Marge Shephard, Betsy Burt and Katherine Loope. Everyone had a wonderful time at what could have been for some of the older people a very lonely occasion.
King’s Kids had a good year in 1996. The King’s Kids Committee has always provided funds for scholarships for needy children. In 1996 they changed the name of the fund to the Sue Crayton Memorial Fund. In the summer the staff enlarged the opportunities for the children by allowing them to participate in parts of the Village Summer Recreation Program. The year was a better year financially than 1995. Losses in 1995 were replaced by a modest surplus in 1996.
Vacation Bible School, held from August 12-16 in 1996, was directed by Marge Shephard. The registration during the week was 94 boys and girls. We continued to welcome children with no church home and children from other denominations: First Baptist-23; other denominations- 36; no church- 35. To carry out the program for these children, Marge had 35 leaders and helpers. Boys and girls were asked to bring school supplies for the Christian Bible School in Haiti and pennies for the needed postage. $360.50 was donated by the children.
Unity Fellowship and Lively Folks both had active programs for their members in 1996. Cub Pack 215, sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Manlius reported a good year, working on projects to help others, like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and having fun with a game show night, a carnival and a “Land of Make-Believe” night. The Music Committee sponsored “A Classical Evening with the St. James Trio” during the summer, refurbished the bells, and arranged for their use throughout the year.
