“…the congregation is trying to preserve its right to worship and minister on the property granted it by the Jermain family.”

Pledging not to give up the fight for their church’s life, some members of Jermain Memorial Presbyterian Church in Watervliet, N.Y., are eagerly awaiting word from the secular court system to decide their fate.

At the same time, the group now in charge of the historic church property has completely shut down some of the essential services Jermain Memorial once hosted or provided. The presbytery carried out its promise to close the church after the Synod of the Northeast’s Permanent Judicial Committee denied its requested pardon from a presbytery-imposed death sentence.

On July 17, Jermain Memorial had its final worship service and most of the outreaches it once offered have ceased. But those who want to carry on the Jermain Memorial name and tradition are making plans to minister in Watervliet regardless of what happens in secular or church courts.

A mission field closer to home
Jermain Memorial Elder Ed Dombrowski was a little disheartened when members of his now “dissolved” Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation received correspondence from the denomination asking for money to start churches overseas through missionaries.

He was upset because he’s aware of a village – not in a faraway foreign land – but in his own community, that’s in need of missionaries. The need has grown tremendously in recent weeks as the outreach once offered by Jermain Memorial has faded into history.

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