Bill Text: NY J01984 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commemorating the 125th Anniversary of The Lutheran Church of the Epiphany

Spectrum: Broadly Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2024-03-19 - ADOPTED [J01984 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J01984-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 1984

BY: Senator THOMAS

        COMMEMORATING   the   125th   Anniversary  of  The
        Lutheran Church of the Epiphany

  WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social, and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in  the  development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and

  WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and Nation to pay tribute
to  those  institutions  and  individuals  who  have  contributed to the
ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
commemorate the 125th Anniversary of The Lutheran Church of the Epiphany
on October 26, 2023; and

  WHEREAS, On  February  7,  1897,  the  congregation  was  officially
organized,  a  constitution adopted, and a Church Council of six men was
elected; later that month a call was made to Reverend Paul Baehnisch  to
serve as the congregation's first pastor; and

  WHEREAS,  The  church  was  incorporated on October 26, 1898, as the
German Evangelical Lutheran Epiphany Church, and the congregation  voted
to change the name to The Lutheran Church of the Epiphany in 1918; and

  WHEREAS,  The  first  church  structure, an eight-room parsonage and
Sunday School building were dedicated on June 27, 1907; the  ground  was
broken  for  the current location of The Lutheran Church of the Epiphany
on July 19, 1931, and the cornerstone was laid on October 4,  1931;  the
building was ultimately dedicated on June 4, 1932; and

  WHEREAS,  Starting  out,  church  services were held in German, with
English services being permitted occasionally; this changed by the  year
1913  when  weekly  services  and  Sunday School instruction became more
regularly done in English, with German services becoming less  frequent,
but still present to a degree; and

  WHEREAS,  During  the early part of the twentieth century, Hempstead
Village was a town amidst farms and the social and commercial center  of
Nassau  County,  and  Epiphany was the only Lutheran church for miles in
any direction; the congregation flourished  even  as  surrounding  areas
became  more  populated  and  new  Lutheran  churches  were  started  in
neighboring communities, with membership peaking in the early 1960s; and

  WHEREAS, The  demographic,  social,  and  cultural  changes  of  the
subsequent  decades  are  reflected in the faces and worship services of
Epiphany's current parishioners; African American families were welcomed
into the congregation beginning in 1955,  and,  by  2003,  the  church's
congregation  included  Iglesia  Luterana  de  la  Epifania,  a Hispanic
congregation that worships weekly  and  conducts  services  in  Spanish;
joint  bilingual  services  are held for special services throughout the
year; and

  WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church of the Epiphany stands on the threshold
of tomorrow, prepared to meet the challenges of the coming decades while
retaining a spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and

  WHEREAS,  It  is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such  institutions  to  the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate  the  125th  Anniversary  of  The  Lutheran  Church  of  the
Epiphany; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Lutheran Church of the  Epiphany  of  Hempstead,  New
York.