Voorheesville First United Methodist Church

One of my friends got married here, so this review is going to be based on my experiences with the church as it related to her wedding. I didn’t attend services here, so I don’t know what the average Sunday is like at this church.
If you know Voorheesville at all, you know that it’s literally a one-​stoplight town, and First United Methodist sits at what I always mentally referred to as the «center» of town — the point where there are the most buildings. And by buildings I mean a few more churches and some other small structures.
First United Methodist is a historic, pretty building located right next to the road that passes through the town — it’s known as Maple Avenue once you get into the town itself. This church is not anything even close to a modern «megachurch» type place — it’s small and old-​fashioned. However, the parish center/​social hall that is attached to the church itself is updated to fit modern needs — I should know, as this is where the bridal party waited before proceeding to my friend’s wedding. They have a wide variety of rooms for use by the church congregation, although I’m unsure of exactly what kind of programs they have for church members as I didn’t attend a service here. It’s worth noting that they even have a nursery for those congregants who have infants and small children.
The church itself is bright and neatly kept. The pews are handsome, carved wooden structures, and the stained-​glass windows are all done in nice, springlike colors (think light pinks, greens and yellows). There’s definitely a quaint touch about everything here. There is dark green carpeting down the aisle to complement the windows, and this carpeting extends up onto the altar area. First United Methodist lacks the decoration and ornamentation that you’d find in a Catholic church, but this is entirely in keeping with its Protestant heritage. The church itself is so bright and cheerful that I feel it must be a nice place to attend services overall. The minister, Rev. Brian Gould, is a nice if placid guy, and if he leads a congregation the way he led my friend’s wedding, then First United Methodist is probably a pretty good place to be if you’re a Methodist looking for a church in the area.
Since Voorheesville is a small town — the organist for my friend’s wedding was one of her old high school classmates — it’s likely that most of the people who attend this church know each other and have known each other for years. But don’t let that stop you from checking this church out. I think that a bunch of the guests at my friend’s wedding were members of this church and they were all pretty friendly, so you should get a nice welcome if you come here.
It’s also worth noting that they have a pretty good-​sized parking lot for a church of their size. If you come here and don’t find a spot in the paved lot near the front doors, check out the more expansive dirt and gravel lot out back.