Ebenezer United Church of Christ to Kick Off 150th Anniversary Celebration | Community Spirit

Ebenezer United Church of Christ will kick off its 150th anniversary celebration with a worship service and open house on Sunday, Oct. 7.

All community members are invited to attend the service, from 10 to 11 a.m., which will feature guest music performances.

The open house will immediately follow in the Christian Education auditorium, where cake and refreshments will be served. Many EUCC groups and community organizations that use the church’s space will be on hand to provide information on their work. A slideshow of photos from the church’s history will be shown in the sanctuary.  In addition, church members will open a time capsule from more than 50 years ago.

EUCC’s roots began in 1863 when German immigrants met in private homes to worship and discuss plans of ultimately building a church. They recruited Rev. Kniest, the pastor of Zion Evangelical Church of Buffalo, to lead their worship and officially organized as a church on Oct. 1, 1863. These early settlers had sowed the seed for what would become the third oldest continuously serving church in the Town of West Seneca.

Throughout the sesquicentennial year, EUCC will host a variety of free public events to commemorate the church’s 150th anniversary.

The church Stewardship Committee will host a soup fest on Sunday, Nov. 18 and will collect 150 turkeys to donate to the West Seneca Food Pantry later in the month.

 December activities include a children’s Advent Night on Saturday, Dec. 1, Vespers Christmas Concert on Sunday, Dec. 9, Living Nativity on Sunday, Dec. 16 and Christmas play on Sunday, Dec. 23, as well as traditional Christmas Eve services.

 In 2013, a Taste of EUCC will take place Saturday, Jan. 26, and in February, couples will be invited to renew their marriage vows in Sunday, Feb. 10.  The church’s roast beef dinner will be held on Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 12, and an organ recital highlighting the instrument’s history will round out the month on Sunday, Feb. 24.

The West Seneca Community of Churches’ annual Lenten Journey will take place throughout February and March, with EUCC hosting one of the ecumenical services. A children’s “Eggstravaganza” will also be held in March to celebrate Easter.

 A Taize Prayer healing service will be offered in April, and in May, special Mother’s Day and Confirmation services will take place, along with the annual rummage sale and car wash.

Summer events will include a strawberry social on Tuesday, June 18, participation in the Community Days parade and National Night Out, and EUCC night at a Bisons’ game.

 A Rally Day cookout celebration on Sunday, Sept. 8 will be open to the public.

The yearlong celebration will culminate with a banquet on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Kotecki’s and Homecoming festivities on Sunday, Oct. 6 at the church.

Throughout the year, a timeline depicting EUCC’s 150-year history will be on display in the church. People will be able to add their own photos and memories to the timeline. Commemorative items will also be sold.

For more information on the Oct. 7 open house or any of the anniversary plans, contact Rev. Ralph Anderson or Rev. Gary Gossel at 674-4566.

To learn more about the history of EUCC, visit www.eucc.org.