An outgrowth of the Methodist Church founded in Haverstraw in 1799, we were known as Saint George’s Church of North Haverstraw until Stony Point became a separate township. Then it became St. George’s Methodist Episcopal and eventually the First United Methodist Church. Its nickname, the Creek Church, came from its proximity to Cedar Pond Brook.
The congregation first met in the home of Peter DeNoyelles in Haverstraw. It became an organized church in 1804, and the first meeting after that was in the home of Daniel Phillips. Other members who opened their homes for services were Aaron Decamp, John Thiell, the Babcock family from Willow Grove, and others.
Matthew and Adele Gurnee gave the land for the Church building at the present site in 1833. It had once been the farm and home stead of the family of John De La Montagne. The builders of the original church were S. Springstead, James Rose, J. Shirley and George Phillips. The first trustees were John J. Bulson, Abraham Knapp and William Rose. The church bell was donated by John Gardner. The first pulpit Bible was given to the church by John J. Bulson.
On June 14, 1834, the first worship service and dedication at St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church of North Haverstraw was led by Rev. Manning Force, then the presiding elder.
In 1882, the Church was completely rebuilt to its present size, seen here from the 1880s. At the same time, a split occurred within the congregation. There was a dispute over where to build a new parsonage. The area where FUMC was located, which was known as Antioch, was losing its importance. Stony Point proper was the center of town, and some wished to build the parsoanage there. Since no agreement could be reached, some families left St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church (our church) and proceeded to build a new church “in town” which was named Stony Point Methodist Episcopal church. St. George's was then renamed "First Methodist Episcopal Church in Stony Point." The new church was later renamed Trinity United Methodist Church. (Note: Trinity United Methodist Church permanently closed in 2023.)
In 1909, a fire destroyed the entire interior of the church, including the pipe organ. During the renovation of the church, the stained-glass windows were installed. They were given as memorials by members of the congregation. The Chancel rail in the building was made from the wood of the tree which grew beside the famous George Washington tree, under which the General is said to have paid his troops. This historical tree, a walnut, stood not far off Route 9W just opposite Filors Lane. These two trees are said to have averaged 21’3” in circumference at 1’ above the ground. When the companion tree died, the Waldron family had it felled and drawn to Beebe’s Sawmill. Part of the wood was given to the church.
Between 1925-1936, during the service of Rev. William Aten, many physical improvements were made to the church. Most notably, the area where the present kitchen sits in the basement was dug out by hand. The church edifice was painted several times during this period, with Rev. Aten sustaining serious injuries at one point, having fallen from a ladder.
In 1963, the present parsonage of the FUMC was built largely from donations given by the congregation. Many donated their skills and time. Reverend William Justice was the first minister to occupy the new parsonage. In 1987, the church office was added onto the lecture room. The bathrooms were modernized and the kitchen was enlarged. In 1989, the interior of the church was redone. Seat cushions were installed on the pews, the pews were refinished and new carpeting was installed. Donations were given for new sanctuary carpeting, pew upholesty, a new dossal curtain, cleaning the dossal cross and new tiles for the floors in the narthex and the lecture room and new hymnals. In 1991, significant upgrades were made to our parsonage, including a new roof, new gutters, leaders and soffits, new downstairs flooring and bathroom. Additionally, the first sound system was installed in the sanctuary to modernize the worship experience, and the beautiful large wooden nativity scene that graces our hill each Christmas season was donated.
The Carriage Shed was originally built in 1882 at the same time the church was rebuilt to its present size. The shed, serving as shelter for horse and buggy carriages during the church's earliest days, was restored and renovated in 1991. A new roof, back wall and the enclosed storage bay were added at this time.
71 Ministers have served our church in its rich history. Click below to see the full list of ministers to our church and the years of their service.
Learn about our past anniversary celebrations as covered by the press, and more recently in pictures. Our 40th, 50th, 62nd, 75th, 100th, 125th, 150th, 160th, 175th, 180th and 190th are included.
Several writings have been published over the years by former pastors and members of FUMC, including some very early writings from the 1800s and three cookbooks compiled over the years by our Womens and Craft Groups. They are all available for you to download and enjoy here.
While our original church bell still rings (and often does!), in 1995 a beautiful automated chimes system was added to the church. In addition to serving as our call to worship bell, we chime the hour from 8am - 8pm every day, and play four seasonally-appropriate hymns at 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm. The chimes can be heard from miles away and are an admired feature of our town.
In 2014, the beautiful metal and glass front doors that we now have were donated, and new lightweight tables and chairs were purchased for throughout the building. In 2016, a new roof was placed on the Lecture Room. In 2022, the interior of the entire church was refreshed with new paint throughout the building, updated lighting throughout the building, new flooring in Memorial floor and refurbished altar chairs. We decorated our lecture room with 17 pieces of historic artwork donated to FUMC over the years, and we held a special fundraiser to purchase 20 pieces of brand-new colorful artwork for Memorial Hall.
The life of the church is a blessing in many aspects. Newcomers speak of its warmth, love and hospitality they felt when they entered into our church. We are indeed a community church who welcomes everyone in our midst. We have grown because we have vision (Proverbs 28:18). We are moving into a new millennium with great excitement and a strong faith. We gladly invite you to become part of our promising journey.