Ashland Daily Independent
October, 1970
Community Presbyterian Church Observes
Anniversary
Church To
By REV. WILLIAM E. GARDA
Sunday, the Community Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the erection of the sanctuary building. This was the first building for the congregation and was an achievement that showed the church in Bellefonte was indeed a fact. The story of the beginning of the congregation of the church up to the present is an interesting one.
In February of 1952 a small group of people started to survey Bellefonte to see if there was an interest in having a church in the midst of the community. Following the survey a meeting was conducted to help found the church. Two families attended this first meeting, the James Dobbins and the Glenn Hoffmans. The James Dobbins family is still active in the congregation.
On Palm Sunday, April 6 of that year, the first church school service was conducted. The Rev. Walter K. Maude, executive-secretary of the presbytery, conducted the first actual worship service following the church school meeting.
An Ashlander, who was a student in Princeton Theological Seminary, David Rule, served the young flock during the summer of 1952. The annual Vacation Church School was begun by Mr. Rule.
The presbytery purchased a manse (the name used by Presbyterians for the house in which the minister lives) at 119 Caroline Drive. Also plans were being made to organize the “Bellefonte Community Church” during October.
On November 16th the church was formally organized. Charter members were received and numbered twenty-four. Ruling elders elected by the Congregation were James Dobbins and Robert Thornley. Deacons elected were R. Glenn Hoffman, Emmett Perry and F. K. Sutphen.
During the spring of 1953 the Women of the Church were organized. The Rev. Mr. Don Kramer was the “Home Missions Pastor” from the fall of 1952 until June 1953.
In November of 1953, the Rev. William E. Garda, who was serving at Alderson, W. Va. came to see the field. At that meeting there were eight people who were still striving to keep the church alive in Bellefonte. Mr. Garda was invited by the congregation to become their new minister. He accepted in January and came on the field on Feb. 14, 1954. The family lived at 119 Caroline Drive.
In August of 1954 the first members were received by the young church since those joined in the founding of the church in 1952. A long and hard struggle was now showing that God was blessing the efforts.
In September the ways and means committee was appointed by the session to set in motion the construction of a church building. During the summer of 1953 a 3.4 acre tract of land had been secured which was the former casting floor of the old Bellefonte Furnace.
Many people wanted to know “How in the world are you going to build a church on that unsightly piece of land that will look like something?” The reply was always the same—“Come dream with us.”
In October the building committee was elected by the congregation and an effort was begun in earnest to build the building. The congregation pledged $10,000 over a period of three years. There were now thirty-four members and they borrowed $35,000. With mission monies, and what they borrowed and pledged, they looked hopefully for the event of the building.
On March 13, 1955 the congregation conducted a ground breaking ceremony at the site and all members of the congregation and church school members took turns using the shovel to turn a bit of the hard and frozen ground.
On Sept. 11, the congregation moved to the lower level of the new church sanctuary building. The church school and morning worship services were conducted in the new Fellowship Hall during September.
On Oct. 9, the first worship service was conducted in the new sanctuary. On October 23, at four o’clock in the afternoon the building was dedicated. Prior to that great event in the life of the young church, the presbytery was entertained at its stated fall meeting. October was a month of firsts indeed to this congregation.
In 1964, all indebtedness on the sanctuary building was paid off and the congregation had a “mortgage burning ceremony.” Then the congregation turned its attention to building a Christian Education Building.
Under the guidance of Ruling Elder Willis Winters, the financial campaign was begun and carried to a successful conclusion. Borrowing the money from local sources, the congregation did begin to erect the building for Christian education.
On The Rev. Mr. Garda’s 10th anniversary in 1964, the cornerstone for the new building was presented to him as a gift to commemorate this milestone. He was surprised to find it read “William E. Garda Education Building.” There was no date on the cornerstone.
On October 23, 1966, the William E. Garda Christian building was dedicated—twelve years to the day of the dedication of the sanctuary building. An open house followed the service.
The church property now contains, beside the two buildings, an outdoor chapel, a campfire circle, a picnic area, playgrounds and the lovely “Memorial and Meditation Garden,” located between the two buildings in front of the breezeway. This garden was built with the brains and brawn of the men of the church.
The manse was sold in 1957 and the minister moved much nearer the church to 702 Bellefonte-Princess Road.
Boy Scout Troop 154 is one of the most honored troops in America. Troop 154 has received more citations and ribbons and honors than any troop in the Tri-State Area Council in its 17 year history.
Troop 154 was the first troop to receive the Presidential Citation. This award had not been given to any troop for several years. Just two years ago the troop was honored as the first “perfect inspection troop” in history at Arrowhead Scout Camp. The men who have played such a large part in making this troop possible belong to one family—Carl Vernon Curnutte, Sr., better known as “Dads;” Carl Curnutte, Jr. who is now the scoutmaster, and Mark Curnutte, who has assisted in the years he has been associated with his family.