March 2024
Anna Louise Bates, Church Historian
I am writing this piece on International Women’s Day, and I decided to honor the efforts of a remarkable group of senior women in our congregation. The Seekers was organized in 1922 from an Adult Women’s Sunday School class, while the church was in its former location on Church Street. The Seekers comprised a service and study group that epitomized Methodist ideals of education and service.
Articles from the New Paltz Times attest to this group’s tireless activity over the years. Besides study groups featuring books on religious topics, the Seekers served the church in multiple ways, organizing dinners for the church community, baptisms, and weddings, complete with reception festivities. They presented entertainment programs aimed at fundraising during the 1930s. A program in November 1938 included a piano selection by Miss Margaret Newton, a reading “Oh It’s Just the Little Things” by Mrs. Adam Koenig and a play entitled “The Dear, Dear Children,” that had a list of more than twenty players! (New Paltz Methodist Parish Annual Report, 1938, New Paltz Times, November 15, 1938)
By the 1960s, the Seekers consisted “largely of the senior ladies of the church,” and had approximately 30 members. Mrs. Abel Quick reports that the class used the book, Lands and People of the Living Bible by Bernard Youngman for collaborative readings in their education meetings. A Sunshine Committee sent flowers and cards to people who needed sympathy and words of cheer. They packed and delivered boxes to ”shut-ins” during holiday seasons, and sponsored the church’s Cradle Roll program, in addition to a list of missions and community programs. (Seekers club minutes, 1966)
In 1967, the club celebrated its 45th year. President Mrs. J. Christensen reported that the group met for “devotions, business, and study.” “Being interested in both foreign and home missions, each year we send a check to India to aid in the work at the Lee Memorial Mission in Calcutta.” They also supplied the church with Poinsettias at Christmas and lilies at Easter. (Seekers club minutes, 1967)
In 2024, the New Paltz United Methodist Church fills its pews each Sunday with a small number of dedicated Methodists, while a dozen or so join virtually. We have some amazing women in our congregation, all involved in various community programs and mission activities. Sadly, we no longer have the Seekers Club. This year, to commemorate Women’s History Month, let us pause to appreciate the efforts of those dedicated and hardworking Methodist women. May they inspire us to follow in their footsteps, seeking knowledge through education in our faith, which we put into action with our service to the church, our community, and the world. Let it be so.
