January 1, 2000, was the beginning of a new century and the eleventh year of Reverend Paul Bailey’s ministry to the First Baptist Church of Manlius. Although we did not know it at the time, the year 2000 would also be the last full year of Pastor Bailey’s long and successful ministry to the members of the Church. While 1999 had been designated “The Year of the Bible”, the Diaconate and Pastor Bailey chose for the Church in the year 2000 four general areas in which they would like to measure significant progress:
While the Church seemed to be progressing in each of these categories, the result of updating the Church Member list was disappointing and a cause for concern. The established list of 250 members was found to include 47 names of people no longer attending church services for reasons known and unknown. Seven members had moved away and properly transferred their memberships to churches in their new locations; nine members had sadly, in Pastor Paul’s words, been “lost to eternity ( Jack and Norma Dougherty, Lloyd Slentz, Gertrude Mawson, Lora Shanahan, Edward Doubleday, Donna Foote, Rita Anderson and John Everingham).
Membership and attendance figures for 1998 and 1999 were reported in the 1999 First Baptist Church Annual Report:
| Year | Members | Yearly Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 12/31/98 | 242 | 8255 |
| 12/31/99 | 250 | 7622 |
| 12/31/00 | 193 | 7387 |
The Church needed to be concerned with the loss in membership and the accompanying drop in yearly attendance.
The weekend of June 17 -18, 2000, was a special one for Reverend John Baker and the Manlius Baptist Congregation. He was honored by the Church on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of his ordination to the Baptist Ministry. He wrote a thank you note to the Church members: “The weekend of June 17-18, 2000, was one of everlasting memory for me. You were so generous and loving. For that I am eternally grateful. Much love to all. John J. Baker.”
The years most notable Church event will always be remembered as the installation of the elevator,. The years of building, whether it was a new church or expansion of an older church, have always been remembered as some of the most important and memorable times in Church history. The importance was not so much in the building as in the fact that needs of a growing or changing congregation were recognized and being met.
We built two churches and added a large educational wing to the present church because of the growth in our congregation and Sunday School. Our latest project, the installation of an elevator, was built because of the age and lack of mobility of some of the people in our church and the community in which we serve. We also hoped that an elevator would make it easier for youth with mobility problems to participate more easily in our youth programs; i.e. King’s Kids, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Playschool. In 2000 a Rise Up Reach Out Campaign Committee led by Bob Mapstone, with the approval of the congregation, hired Ron Valet , Minister of Stewardship and Mission Support for the American Baptist Churches of New York State, to head a very successful financial campaign.)
The Board of Trustees reported a good financial year in 2000 with a starting balance in the treasury of $10, 697.00, income of $149,742 (above the anticipated $140,955), expenditures of $130,851 (below budget) and a end of year balance of $29,691.00. On Custodian Recognition Day, Sunday, May 25th, John Day was recognized for years of faithful service. George Caldwell, our interim custodian for six months, was also honored. Mike McCartney was hired as our new custodian; in 2009 Mike is still filling that position. The Church has been very fortunate in having been able to depend on his excellent service for all of those years. Betsy Miller was hired as secretary for the summer.
The Trustees decided to carpet the hallway floor from Sanctuary to the Educational Wing ($2000.00) and to replace the leaking vinyl-lined 35 year-old baptismal pool with a new fiberglass one with a water heater and pump. Hayner Hoyt, contractor for the elevator, did that installation for a total cost of approximately $10,500. Both installations were paid for from the Capital Fund.
The new elevator and its building enclosure were dedicated on April 1, 2001- a beautiful Spring day, during the Sunday morning Church Service. On April 8, 2001, the following Sunday, a public ceremony was shared with officials from the village of Manlius, including the outgoing mayor and his newly elected successor, representatives from neighboring Baptist Churches, and the participating architects and contractors from the builders, Hayner and Hoyt. The story of the building of a new elevator addition and its financing came to a happy conclusion on December 31, 2002. A balance of $513.00 remaining after all expenses were paid was transferred to the Paving of the Parking Lot Fund, the next major project. The story of planning for the elevator, structurally and financially, is told in “Elevator History,” an addition to the history of Rev. Paul Bailey’s Pastorate in Manlius.
A welcome addition made possible by the construction required to house the elevator was the installation of two beautiful stained glass windows in the new entrance way to the church. They were given as a memorial to Jack and Norma Dougherty by their children Peter and Robin. A committee of Gail Carlsen, Margaret Vermilya and Jill Doss worked with Don Henry of Sullivan Studios in Chittenango to design the windows.
Vacation Bible School, with 98 boys and girls in attendance from August 14-18 from 9A.M till noon, was held in spite of the noise and turmoil of the elevator construction,. The theme was a Son-Zone Discovery Adventure, led by Shirley Mapstone, supported by 35 teachers and helpers. Their projects were to collect food items for the Manlius Mission and to support the Children of the Congo Program with $155.26 for their health and education needs.
The Baptist Youth Fellowship was active in the year 2000 and led by Kathie and Pete Shevchuk. The group net monthly for a variety of activities. The goal of the leaders was to provide one monthly activity to which members could bring friends if they wanted to and have fun. Some of the activities involved were volleyball, a Frisbee golf tournament, a Christian concert, a party at the Zieglers with sledding, pizza and games.
Pastor Paul planned a somewhat different schedule for the summer of 2000, because of the “noisy mess” in the church office due to the elevator building construction:
The Congregational support of the American Baptist Mission in 1999 was recognized as “outstanding.” Three certificates for the categories of top giving church, increase in giving over the previous year and per capita giving were given to the Church on July 4th by Dr. Ronald Vallet, minister for Stewardship and Mission Support for the American Baptist Churches of New York State.
In 2000 the Music Committee, wanting to give the Church and Community opportunities to hear “wonderful” music and to benefit the Church Scholarship Fund, presented a Master Concert Series featuring the Syracuse University Brass Ensemble, Hobart and William Smith College Chorale and the Fayetteville-Manlius Swing Sixteen.
Bruce Campbell, a well-known local musician, music teacher and music director, agreed to act as interim Choir Director and to help us find a permanent director. His love for music and singing “has proved to be contagious and he has signed on new singers every week.”
The American Baptist Women’s Ministries’ president, Shirley Mapstone, reported an active year. They completed a project of paying for the handicapped bathroom, sent White Cross items to the Dayton Christian Center in Ohio and much more.
Unity Fellowship met eleven times this year. Exceptional potluck dinners were followed by various programs including a Barbershop Chorus and Quartet, slides from 1950-1960 with John and Wanda Baker as guests, slides from the Newsom’s trip to Europe and a Puppy-in-Training Program. The Unity Fellowship continued its interest in and support for Bob Reed’s Prison Ministry with a $400 donation.
