A community for 110 years Top; Members of the Nederland Community Presbyterian Church gather around a cake baked by Christian Education Elder Cinda Kochen (front right) as part of the month-long celebration of the church’s 110th Anniversary. The celebration continued through the month of August. Bottom, left; Ned Pres Minister Zachary Hancock with his wife Lydia and their children Henry and Frances. PHOTOS BY MARGIE YANSURA[/caption]

Call it Nederland Community Presbyterian Church, Ned Pres or The Little Brown Church with a Bell – the congregation of the church at 210 N. Jefferson Street in Nederland celebrated its 110th anniversary this summer.

Each Sunday during August, the congregation took time to remember the past of the church and to look forward to continuing its mission in this community and beyond.

To kick off the celebration Christian Education Elder and longtime member Cinda Kochen made a delicious cake which was enjoyed by all during fellowship hour. The cake was decorated with a picture of the church’s beautiful Guyer Garden, which was enjoyed by all during fellowship hour.

The following Sunday an updated history of the church, compiled by Margie Yansura, was distributed to all who were present and is posted on the church website at www.nederlandcpc.org.

Another part of the celebration included interesting historical facts about the church posted on chairs decorated with helium-filled balloons throughout the fellowship room. Church members quizzed each other to see if they knew the answers and many discovered information about the church’s history that they had not known before.

Some of these facts included:

The Nederland Presbyterian Church was formally organized on August 19, 1912 with 17 members.

The first pastor was a ministerial student at McCormick Seminary whose name was Wayne Shoddy. It is hoped that his service and sermons did not correlate with his name.

To raise funds to complete the church, the church pews were rented out to miners nightly for a safe and warm place to sleep. During the “hippie” era in the 1960s the pews were also used for overnight lodging for those without a place to sleep.

The Boulder City Council, at the urging of Rev. Currens, donated the church bell. It had been used by the Boulder Fire Department to warn the public of prairie fires and other emergencies, but sirens replaced the bells so it found another use in Nederland.

The bell remains atop the church to this day and is rung 10 times each Sunday at the beginning of the 10 a.m. service, giving the church the moniker, “The Little Brown Church with a Bell.” Kids in the congregation take turns ringing the bell each Sunday.

Two important local organizations that originated at the church are the Nederland Food Pantry and the affiliated Clothing Closet, which continue to serve those in need today.

There are two doors side by side leading into the church from Jefferson Street. This is due to the fact that the door on the left led to a back area behind the sanctuary that housed a small cold-water kitchen and was used for Sunday School classes and fellowship. Folding doors separated this area from the sanctuary, which was accessed from the outside by the other door to the right. Once the Fellowship Hall was added to the church, the partition was removed and additional pews and the pastor’s office, which once housed the church furnace, were added.

For many years, Christian Women in Service (comprised of women from the three churches in Nederland) purchased small gifts, along with nuts and candy, and delivered them to each child in town at Christmas. This was especially welcome during hard times experienced during the Depression and the closing of mines and mills.

Funds were raised for the church’s grand piano through a series of benefit concerts organized by Rev. Don Dexter featuring talented musicians from the University of Colorado Music Department.

The beautiful stained-glass windows that flank each side of the sanctuary and depict the four seasons in the mountains, were designed by Larry Cox in memory of his wife Marge. Church members participated in placing each of the cut pieces to form the images in the windows. Recently the designs for the remaining two windows were discovered and members hope to be able to complete those windows as a special community project.

The Guyer Garden, at the rear of the church facing Jefferson Street, was named in honor of Brownlee and Lois Guyer who helped design and fund it. The garden is maintained by church members and always open for the public to enjoy. The graceful foot bridge at the rear of the garden was installed over Delonde Creek in 2007, connecting the rear parking lot with the rest of the church property.

The month-long commemoration of the church’s 110th Anniversary culminated with members taping brief video-taped statements about what the church means to them. Daniel Herman, who has filled the church services with beautiful music playing the grand piano for the past 10 years, recorded and edited the statements into brief videos that will be posted to the church Facebook page and church website.

The church’s new minister, Zach Hancock, commented on the welcoming approach of the diverse congregation: “At Ned Community Church we are about helping people on their spiritual path, whatever that path might be. And as we help others we are helped. We are convinced that God is a word none of us really understand and is far bigger than any one of us including our traditions! We try to meet the needs of the world in creative and inspiring ways and we like to throw parties that everyone is invited to. The church has a Presbyterian affiliation but does not subscribe to any particular dogma (dogs, however, are always welcome!) Our purpose is to endeavor to make meaning of our lives, build bonds of community, sing beautiful songs, learn from one another, figure out how we can help our neighbors, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s that simple. All are always welcome.”

Services are held each Sunday at 10 a.m. The service is family-friendly with a Children’s Message and Sunday School for kids. A fellowship time follows the service.

For more information visit www.nederlandcpc.org or contact Rev. Zach Hancock at ncpcpastor@gmail.com.