No. 16 Vol. 8
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August 2018
Randolph Church Marks 185th Anniversary
O
By Elsie Walker ne might call the Millbrook United Methodist Church in Randolph, “the little church that could.” In a short history of the church, Pat Briant of Randolph, the church’s Administrative Council chair, shared that the church’s roots are in a group of Methodists who were first recorded as worshipping together in 1799. Looking for a place of their own in which to worship, the search took them to various locations, even at one point, sharing their services for years with the animals in a barn. However, in 1833, the group finally got its own church, and last month Millbrook United Methodist Church marked its 185th anniversary by remembering its roots, and celebrating its history and current role in the community. Bruce Buzalski is a 50 year member of the church and the chair of its Staff-Parish Relations Committee. Buzalski now lives in Pemberton, but joined the church when he lived in Denville. Reflecting on the church’s history, he shares an incident which shows just how determined the early worshippers were to have a church building of their own. “When this building was first being constructed and the wood was brought in by horse and wagon from Pennsylvania, a
The Millbrook United Methodist Church was dedicated in July 1833.
fire was built to dry the wood before construction could start. The man assigned to watch the fire fell asleep, the wood caught fire and the whole shipment was lost. That didn’t stop the determined congregation who managed to acquire more wood and build the structure that still stands today.” Within that structure is a congregation, which with its pastor, the Rev. Dr. Nick Petrov, reaches out to the community and continued on page 2
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