Gilead Presbyterian Church : About Us

About Gilead Presbyterian Church:

Snapshot of Gilead Presbyterian Church

At Gilead, we believe that all of our members are our ministers. This is a picture of who we are:

Gilead Presbyterian Church is one of the fastest-growing church in the Hudson River Presbytery. While the reasons for this are numerous, a major contributing factor is the fact that Gilead is open and welcoming to families of all sizes, configurations, ages, and income levels.

We are young families with 2.3 children, a dog, and a minivan.

We are senior citizens.

We are single mothers.

We are teenagers.

We are "empty-nesters".

We are Generation X'ers.

We are Baby-Boomers.

We are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters.

We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

We are cancer survivors.

Some of us trace our families back to the Mayflower. Others arrived on these shores only last year.

Some of us grew up right here in Carmel. Others were raised in New York City. Still others come from New England, from the midwest, from California and from North Carolina.

Some of us came here from Germany, Mexico, Australia, China, Venezuela, Scotland and Puerto Rico.

Gilead members fought for others' freedom in the US Civil War, on the beaches of Normandy in 1944, and in the deserts of Kuwait in 1990.

Some of us love to play basketball, golf, softball, hockey, tennis, and bridge.

Some of us love to fish or to fix old cars. Others of us wonder how anyone could enjoy such a thing.

Some of us can sing like angels. Some can play a musical instrument. Some just listen politely.

Some of us have enough money. Some of us do not.

Members of Gilead are schoolteachers, carpenters, doctors, actors, engineers, police officers, executives, cashiers and construction workers.

One member of Gilead was entrusted with the President's life, every single day.

We are every color in the beautiful human spectrum.

The one thing that we all have in common is that each of us is a beloved child of God.

All are invited to join with us as we seek to serve the Lord, whether it be through our ministry of education, the celebration of music, or the feeding of the needy. While we are a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), over half of our members have joined us from other traditions. No matter what your religious background may be, if you are looking for a new spiritual home and community, please come pay us a visit.
We'll save a seat for you.

A Brief History of Gilead Presbyterian Church

Gilead Presbyterian Church was first known as the West Church of Christ in Philips Patent, with Elisha Kent as Pastor. Its first house of worship was a log structure that was built in 1743 in the area now known as Tilly Foster. From 1755 to 1834, Gilead worshipped in a building atop Seminary Hill in Carmel. The old Gilead Burying Ground is still located there, and is final resting place to patriot spy Enoch Crosby. Crosby was listed as one of the elected trustees when the congregation was incorporated in 1803 as the Second Presbyterian Congregation and Society of Carmel. In 1773, while the church was on this second site, a portion of the congregation migrated to found the present Baptist Church of Millerton, which still retains possession of Gilead's original record book.

In 1836, the church moved to "Center City" (present-day Carmel) on the shore of "Shaw's Pond" (now called Lake Gleneida). The congregation was later incorporated in 1893 as the Gilead Presbyterian Church and Society of Carmel. The name "Gilead" appears to have been associated with the church as well as with the nearby Lake Gilead from the time of Elnathan Gregory, who in 1760 preached with great effect on Jeremiah 8:22. From church records, it appears that a formal Presbyterian relationship dates from the enrollment of the church in the Presbytery of Bedford in 1835.
The present edifice was dedicated on January 31, 1924. It is Gilead's fifth house of worship and is the third on the current site, replacing an 1894 structure that was lost to fire in 1922. The existing building is substantially a replica of its 1894 predecessor. A modern school wing was added in 1958 and it houses the Gilead Church School as well as Carmel Nursery School (founded in 1949).

Since 1743, Gilead Presbyterian Church has had 48 pastorates, and over 100 men and women have served the community as Elders and Deacons.

A more detailed history of the church and genealogical information is available.