Pennsylvania stake donates old church pews to local church

14 Jan 2009, 12:00 a.m. MST

By Church News Archives

YORK, Pa.

The donation last year of old church pews converted dead wood into new friendships in York, Pa.

The York Pennsylvania Stake donated solid-oak pews and an organ to a local church, the Believers Tabernacle of Faith, in August of 2008. The donation became possible when an LDS chapel in York got slated for a complete remodeling.

This is the newly refurbished Latter-day Saint chapel at 2100 Hollywood Drive. Maroon carpeting on the floors and compatible padding on the seats and backs of the pews add to the beauty and comfort of the chapel for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"When they put in for remodeling our building, our pulpit was over to the one side," Bishop Brandon Bushey of the York 2nd Ward said. "They wanted to reconfigure the front of our church-house and put the pulpit in the center, so the Church actually decided that it was time to update the pews and everything."

Although the oak pews were more than 45 years old, Bishop Bushey thought the furniture could still prove useful to someone.

"(The pews) were still in what I considered pretty nice condition," he said. "I was given the opportunity to go and try to see if I could find a new home for them."

He contacted the York County Council of Churches in hopes of finding a recipient for the benches. Eventually, the council put him in touch with the Believers Tabernacle of Faith and its pastor, Michael Jones.

"(Pastor Jones) and one of his elders from his church came over to look at the furniture that we were going to replace," Bishop Bushey said. "Of course they were a little skeptical because they knew it was original furniture to the church. They said that when people would call them and say they have church furniture that's available, the first thing that goes through your mind is 'old, rickety, bent' and things like that.

"But when they actually came in the building, they could not believe that we were actually going to be willing to give that away free, no charge at all to anyone."

This is the Allen organ donated to the Believers Tabernacle of Faith by the York Wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hollywood Drive.

The pews and organ were moved from the LDS meetinghouse to their new home over three days from Aug. 25-27. Two weeks later Bishop Bushey received a letter from Mr. Jones that read in part: "Our members are quite amazed at the uniqueness and good condition of the furniture, and they are beginning to feel comfortable with their new seating arrangements: so from all of us here at Believers Tabernacle of Faith, we say a heartfelt thank you."

Left to right – Michael A. Friend, LDS Bishop Byron Wilson, LDS Bishop Brandon Bushey, Michael G. Jones, Alexandra Jones, Elder Lester F. Dundore.

On Jan. 3, 2009, Bishop Bushey and Bishop Byron Wilson of the York 1st Ward met with a warm reception upon paying a visit to the Believers Tabernacle of Faith.

"Probably the most rewarding experience that I had was just to see the faces of the members of the Tabernacle of Faith church," Bishop Bushey said. "I mean, they (had been) meeting on chairs. So to have actual pews and pews that actually had padding on them … it was just an awe that we were willing to put our arm forth and give that to them."

jaskar@desnews.com

This is a view of the Believers Tabernacle of Faith on Jan. 3, 2009, with the pews, organ, and curtains donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sylvia Sonneborn contributed to this article.

This is the sign outside the Believers Tabernacle of Faith, inviting all to attend services in the tabernacle.

The York 1st and 2nd Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated its pews to the Believers Tabernacle of Faith Church in York, Pa. This picture is in the chapel of the LDS Church before the pews were removed. The pews had been installed in the Latter-day Saint chapel in 1963.

This is a picture of chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prior to the start of refurbishing. These are the original oak pews installed in 1963 when the Latter-day Saints completed the building of its first chapel in York County on Hollywood Drive.

Four-year-old William Landis of Coeymans Hollow, NY, grandson of Church members Jack and Sylvia Sonneborn, stands on the speaker’s platform after all pews had been removed from the Church chapel in York, Pa.