May – 100 years ago
The present sanctuary of Fairview UMC in Altoona was dedicated on Sunday, May 13, 1923. In 1890, members of the First and Chestnut Avenue Methodist Episcopal congregations living in the Fairview area organized and erected a 32 x 50 frame structure at 22nd Avenue and Fifth Street. In 1906, a 32 x 50 addition was built and the original building was refinished. By 1923 the congregation had outgrown its facilities and the present brick structure was erected a block away at 23rd Avenue and Fifth Street – despite warning that the property was unsuitable for building because it was over a spring. By 1951 the underlying water problems could no longer be ignored and, at great expense and commitment, the facility was completely renovated.
Fairview has seen two of its members become ordained ministers, each of whom served congregations in the Central Pennsylvania Conference and had extensive broader ministries: Charles C. Cole (1890-1984) who was instrumental in forming what is now the National Council of Churches, and Judith (DeStefano) Coleman (1942-2005) who was reportedly the second clergywoman in history to be guest chaplain of the United States Senate.
June – 50 years ago
On June 9, 1973, at its annual session meeting in Scranton, the Wyoming Conference officially closed the historic but barely viable Lanesboro church in Susquehanna County. When the Presbyterian congregation in nearby Susquehanna lost their building by fire, it was agreed to join the congregations – with all assets going to the Lanesboro Community Church as a United Presbyterian congregation, which continues to this day.
Lanesboro was once a major transportation hub – boasting one of the few area bridges across the Susquehanna, that stood from 1837 until it washed away in the flood of 1859. The Lanesboro class was formed in 1812, and the church building was complete and occupied in the latter part of 1837, the same year the bridge was erected. Pew rents were charged until 1880, when it was resolved that all seats in the church be free. Lanesboro became a separate charge in 1855 that for many years included Susquehanna County’s nearby Bethel Hill (abandoned in 1991) and Stevens Point (abandoned in 2008) appointments.
