On Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, The First Presbyterian Church in Cazenovia will celebrate the 502nd anniversary of the Reformation. Jack Heims will play the bagpipes, and plaid tartan ribbons will be handed out in honor of the church’s Scottish heritage.
Morning worship begins at 10 a.m. A fully-equipped and staffed nursery is available for infants and toddlers. School-aged children are dismissed to a special Sunday school mid-way through the service.
Heims started piping at the age of 15. He played with all the bands in the Central New York area, until he formed his own Pipe Band in 2003, called the City of Syracuse Highland Pipes and Drums. The Highlanders perform at parades, sporting events, music in the parks events, fundraisers for various events, etc. During the weekends, you will find him performing at weddings, funerals, parties, etc., in and around Central New York. If Heims is not performing in a church, you might just find him playing the pipes at Lafayette Apple Festival, Skaneateles Dickens Days, Sept. 11, 2001, ceremonies all across Central New York, Relays for Life, Shamrock Run/Walk, Paige’s Butterfly Run/Walk and many others.
Following the morning worship service, there will be a pancake brunch with all the trimmings: sausage, scrambled eggs, special breakfast cakes, fruit salad and assorted beverages. The breakfast is free and open to the public.
The Presbyterian Church celebrates Reformation Sunday on the last Sunday of October, commemorating a significant event in the history of the Reformed tradition. It was on Oct. 31, 1517, that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther was protesting against the corruption of the Church in Rome and the great abuses attending the sale of indulgences. Luther, a German priest and professor, is credited with starting the movement known as the Protestant Reformation.
Some 20 years later, a French/Swiss theologian, John Calvin further refined the reformers’ new way of thinking about the nature of God and God’s relationship with humanity in what came to be known as Reformed Theology. This theology proved to be the driving force of the Reformation, particularly in Germany, France, the Netherlands, England and Scotland.
John Knox, a Scotsman who studied with Calvin in Geneva, took Calvin’s teachings back to Scotland. The Presbyterian Church traces its ancestry back primarily to Knox in Scotland and to England. The First Presbyterian Church is Cazenovia was started in 1799.
If you are looking for an open and friendly place to celebrate Sunday morning worship, the Cazenovia Presbyterian Church welcomes you. Child Care and Sunday school are available during the service. For more information, call 315.655.3191 or visit cazpres.org.