As an old advertising jingle – and a song by alternative rockers Weezer – says: “Like a good neighbour….”
That expression also applies to the Friends, in that being a good neighbour is something to the folks at Pelham Friends Church have been since the church – founded by Quakers who came north from Pennsylvania fleeing religious persecution – first opened its doors in 1799, according to Pastor Jon Warner.
“One of the things we really want to do – one of our values – is actually being a good neighbour,” he said.
And it’s something the church has been doing long before he ever arrived at the Haist Street church – hundreds of years in fact.
“There's records of the church community participating in the Underground Railroad as a welcoming home for those who had escaped slavery from the south and made their way north,” Warner said. “And then participated (in the church) and now are buried on site.”
The original wood-framed church was lost to a fire in the 1830s and was replaced by a brick building that still stands to this day as a part of the current church. The legacy of those early Quaker families in the area are reflected in the names of streets, including Quaker Road, and the road on which the church is located – Haist Street.
The modern-day church continues its welcoming others through opening its doors for the community to use, he said.
“We've had birthday parties or anniversaries or family celebrations, people can use the gym.”
There is a small cost though to cover the cost of things such as utilities.
“But we try to be very reasonable and affordable,” he added.
The church has also come to the aid of community groups who have been priced out of the market for renting other facilities.
“We had a paint group that gathered here for two years, and they were at a previous place, and got priced out of it,” Warner said. “So, we were able to provide a home for two years for a group of ladies to come in and paint. They're creating art. There's community, a space for them to belong.”
Additionally, the church partners with local organizations that support the community – organizations like Welland’s Open Arms Mission, and Pelham Cares. The church is actively collecting donations for the former.
“We don't need to recreate the wheel,” Warner said. “We don't need to do things that are already being done well by experts in their field.”
But later this month, the 80-member congregation will be taking time out to celebrate a milestone in the church’s history when it gathers – and invites the community – to celebrate its 225th birthday over three days Oct. 25 to 27.
“It's kind of true to form,” Warner said of the celebration. “We love relationships, we love people, we love conversation, we love laughter, we love storytelling.”
Events over the weekend will include a church service today at 10:30 a.m. led by Warner and featuring some of the church’s one-time Pastors.
“As part of that reflection on the past and reflecting on God's faithfulness in the midst of our congregation over the last 225 years, there will be sort of a pivot point where we start to dream about the future as well,” Warner said.
There will also be a display of church artifacts, newspaper clippings and photographs showing the evolution of the church from its late 18th century beginnings to today.
Sharon Vizbulis, who has been working on putting together the display, said she and others working on the collection have come across some interesting items.
“We found and photos and that someone was buried in the cemetery,” she said. “Now we have another person that wants to find where that tombstone is and mark the tombstones that we can find.”
There are also plans to be worked on possibly to have members of the congregation dressed in period clothing and taking on the role of past church members, based information in the church records, she said.
Pelham Friends Church is located at 940 Haist St. in Fonthill. More information about the church’s anniversary celebrations and a form to order tickets can be found here.
