news article
Passing the cup: How one communion tray continues to serve
August 12, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
As the saying goes, “when one door closes, a window opens.”
In Fall 2023, Morrisonville UMC made the difficult decision to close. When a church officially closes, church leaders are required to surrender all official and legal papers, including contents of the cornerstone to the district superintendent as stated in ¶ 2549. Disposition of Property of a Closed Local Church in the Book of Discipline.
Items from the now closed Morrisonville UMC are housed in the UNY Archives and History at the United Methodist Center in Liverpool. When the doors closed for the last time at Morrisonville UMC, a window opened nearly 150 miles away for the congregation at Omar-Fishers Landing UMC.
In June 2024, Omar-Fishers Landings lay member, Tim Baty, called the UNY Archives asking if there were any serving trays. At the time, there was nothing available. Two weeks later, a trustee dropped off files and items that once belonged to Morrisonville UMC. One of the items was a communion tray. It was the exact tray Tim had inquired about.
Built in 1898, the 126-year-old Fishers Landing Methodist Church was originally built for the small community of mostly summer vacationing families at Fishers Landing. (It is listed on the state and national registry of historic places). The church is only occupied in the summer months as it has no heat, water, or bathrooms.
In the 1980s, the church was on the verge of collapse. It was deteriorating rapidly and required extensive renovations. Originally held up by 20 piers, only four piers remained in place. The church was sagging, and the floors were uneven throughout.
Following a fundraising campaign that netted $5,000 and with the help of dedicated church volunteers, restoration work began and continued for the next 17 years. Because most of this time-consuming work would have had to be done in warm weather, most of the interior furnishings were housed in individual homes for safe- keeping due to lack of storage. One of those items is believed to have been a communion tray. The original communion set was either damaged, broken, or lost and never resurfaced.
Over the years and as work continued the piers were repaired. The lower exterior was vinyl sided and the upper multi-patterned saw-toothed shingles were repainted. The patterned pressed tin wall coverings were scraped and painted inside and the window exteriors were covered with Plexiglass. The pews, alter railing, window moldings, and tables were stripped and refinished.
In about 1940, Fishers Landing merged with Omar. As one church, the congregation works to share the love of Jesus Christ with others through its ministries and community outreach in conjunction with the Town of Orleans and the Council of Churches, including interfacing with the Methodist, Nazarene, Catholic, Agape House, and Evangelical Lutheran churches in the area.
The communion tray that once belonged to Morrisonville now has a new life at Fishers Landing-Omar UMC. The United Methodist Connection helped fulfill a need so now others can experience and participate in communion to be reminded of the presence, power, and grace of Jesus Christ.
The UNY Archives has other communion items from Morrisonville UMC, including a ceramic set. To inquire, email archives@unyumc.org.