By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On July 1, the Oran Community Church — located at 8560 Cazenovia Road, Manlius — welcomed Reverend Robert Sherburne as its new pastor.
Originally from Rye, New York, Sherburne spent 30 years in the Southern Tier region and the past 10 years in Central New York.
Prior to joining his current congregation, Sherburne served in the Village of Fayetteville for several years.
After enjoying a single year of retirement, the pastor returned to work and received his appointment to Oran Community Church.
Constructed in 1851, the church building is included on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The local church is affiliated with the United Methodist Church — a Protestant denomination formed in 1968 through the union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church.
According to Sherburne, the congregation operates under the rules and principles of the United Methodist Church.
However, unlike most United Methodist churches, which are owned by the General Conference (the denomination’s primary legislative body), the Oran Community Church building and property are owned by the local church itself.
“It’s a very unusual situation,” Sherburne said.
Appointed to the church by the area bishop, Sherburne looks forward to welcoming new members and to continuing the congregation’s tradition of service and giving.
Although the church has been financially strong for almost 40 years, the congregation has dwindled in size and increased in age throughout the years. Currently, according to Sherburne, the average age of Sunday worshipers is 78 years old.
“The vision is to bring our numbers up so that we can become a truly viable entity,” Sherburne said.
According to Sherburne it is important to have a diverse and vital congregation.
“The senior members provide [critical] support, but we also need people with the energy to go out and do what needs to be done,” he said. “You simply can’t ask most 80-year olds to go out and walk a mile to pick up trash.”
The Oran Community Church is open to everyone.
“It’s truly an inviting congregation,” said Sherburne. “I’ve served at several churches and this is probably the most welcoming of all. You don’t have to be Methodist, you don’t have to be Protestant, just come find out what we are all about and join us if you want to.”
Sunday worship is held at 9:30 a.m.
In addition to a weekly service, the church offers choir, Sunday school and Bible study opportunities.