Bill Text: NY K00588 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of Tabernacle United Methodist Church of Binghamton

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-31 - adopted [K00588 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-K00588-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 588

BY: M. of A. Lupardo

        COMMEMORATING  the 150th Anniversary of Tabernacle
        United Methodist Church of Binghamton

  WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social, and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in  the  development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who  have  contributed  to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and

  WHEREAS,  On  January  25,  1873,  the founders of Tabernacle United
Methodist Church gave notice to Centenary Church, at that time the  only
Methodist  Church in Binghamton, that they intended to leave and begin a
new church on Binghamton's west side; and

  WHEREAS, An organizational meeting was held on February 10, 1873  at
79  Front  Street where the first Trustees were elected: Nial T. Childs,
Moses T. Winton, Robert B. Watson, Henry W. Horton, and N.H.P.  Barrett;
furthermore,  during this time, two lots were purchased at the corner of
Arthur and Main Streets, where the present church stands; and

  WHEREAS, On March 14, 1873, building began on what was then known as
the Main Street Methodist Episcopal Church; by April of that same  year,
151  full  members and 31 probationers transferred to the new church, as
well as 65 Sunday School students and ten teachers; and

  WHEREAS, At the dedication of the first  small  church  on  May  25,
1873,  the scripture "How amiable are Thy tabernacles" was read, leading
to the renaming of  the  congregation  to  Tabernacle  United  Methodist
Church; and

  WHEREAS,  As  the  years  went  on, the need for a new larger church
became apparent, and the cornerstone of the present church was  laid  on
September 2, 1883; and

  WHEREAS,  In  1923,  a  church fire spread through the church to the
auditorium, but  Tabernacle  United  Methodist  Church  rebuilt  in  six
months; and

  WHEREAS,  During  the  mid-1950s, Tabernacle United Methodist Church
saw the growth of its Sunday service with five choirs and 100 voices; in
addition, during these years there  were  many  groups  that  flourished
within  the church, including the Amici Club, the Red Cross Sewing Club,
the Women's Society of Christian  Service,  the  King's  Daughters,  the
Motet Singers, the Oratorio Society, the Tabernacle Tornadoes basketball
league, and Girl Scouts, amongst others; and

  WHEREAS, In 1988, a two-day conference was held at Tabernacle United
Methodist  Church  with  local government and law enforcement to address
racial issues within the  community;  it  was  unofficially  called  the
Civilian Police Academy; and

  WHEREAS,   With   a  steadfast  and  unwavering  commitment  to  its
community, Tabernacle United Methodist Church began  hosting  Alcoholics
Anonymous  and  Narcotics  Anonymous  in the 1980s; in 1992, a Wednesday
night free meal began to be offered along with a short  worship  service
called Steps in Faith; and

  WHEREAS,   In  2022,  Broome  County's  Meals  on  Wheels  began  to
distribute meals from the church; a large grant was  also  awarded  from
Broome  County to redo the gym floor and start a new afterschool program
called "The Westside Community Gym Afterschool Program" which serves the
neighborhood children; and

  WHEREAS,  A  true  cornerstone  in  the  community  for  150  years,
Tabernacle  United  Methodist  Church  is  a  strong and loving place to
worship, as well as a beacon of light and resilience in  the  Binghamton
community; and

  WHEREAS,  Today,  Tabernacle  United  Methodist Church stands on the
threshold of tomorrow, prepared to meet the  challenges  of  the  coming
decades,   while   retaining   that   spiritual  resolve  which  has  so
characterized its glorious past; and

  WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take  note  of
enduring  religious  institutions  and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commemorate  the 150th Anniversary of Tabernacle United Methodist Church
of Binghamton, New York, confident that this commemoration reflects  the
belief  in  those  values which enhance the dignity and purpose of life;
and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to  Tabernacle  United  Methodist Church of Binghamton, New
York.