We had our beginnings as a church at the turn of the last century, in the 1890s and 1900s when silver, gold and tungsten mines were booming in the mountains along the continental divide. Through the up times and the down in the town of Nederland, the Nederland Community Presybterian Church has been a steady and solid partner in this mountain life.
Life in the mountains is not for everyone. Those of us who choose to live here thrive on the challenges of the weather, savor the silences of the forests, soar at the sight of the sheltering mountains. What we lack in amenities we make up for in a slower, more deliberate lifestyle that keeps us in touch with God's unfolding plan.
The ardors of mountain living keep our population small, much to the joy of those of us who elect to live here. For better or worse, it also means a small, friendly church with limited resources. We consider small a blessing, giving us as a church community a strong sense of extended family. If we want large and busy, we visit one of the neighboring metropolitan area churches.
We are working and we are retired, we are bigger and we are smaller, we are younger and we are older. Some of us attend services as the Spirit calls us, others of us find the regularity of attendance and involvement enriching for where we are in our present journey.
Wherever we find each other along the path of life, we accept one another just as we are. We learn to accommodate and often celebrate our differences, meeting the challenges of life's demands as a group. In spite of our varying passions for independence and time for a solitary life--mountain folk are not known for being social butterflies, to be honest--we learn to rely on each other.
As Presbyterians we elect each year the members who will serve as a coordinating group to oversee the management our affairs--our Session.
We choose from the congregation a group of members--Deacons--who agree to be available for serving those in our church and those in our community who have special needs, are sick or convalescing or encountering financial or other stresses.
As a church we invite a professional pastor to serve as our leader, our preacher and the coordinating center of our daily operations.
Our pastor manages a professional staff, some paid and many more on a volunteer basis, to accompish the countless tasks of keeping a busy church community going.
We're not a church with Programs and Directors. Across the mountain, forests and streams that separate our living spaces, we reach out for each other, honoring our many individual strengths and accepting our personal limitations. And thanking God each day for the gift of living in with kind friends in a soul-nourishing place.
Our doors are open and welcoming, hoping for guests and new members to join us in our journey.
Our minds are open and eager to grow and learn.
Our hearts are open and ready to receive the gifts God has waiting for us.
Our minds are open and eager to grow and learn.
Our hearts are open and ready to receive the gifts God has waiting for us.
