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amilies filled the pews, joined in readings and sang familiar hymns as Beaverkill Community Church welcomed locals for its annual Family Day celebration on July 19.

The small, community-owned church near the Beaverkill Covered Bridge used the service to celebrate the relationships that have sustained it across generations and to encourage younger families to become part of its future.

Dr. Norris Chumley, who became the church’s pastor last year, said the congregation has grown and more families have begun attending.

“This is very much a family church,” Chumley said.

Family Day included children reading passages, music, a message on connectedness, homemade refreshments and activities following the service. Chumley said about 10 people helped organize this year’s event, making it a broader community effort than in previous years.

“This is the best one we’ve ever done,” he said, “More people were involved.”

The church is officially non-denominational, although its services loosely follow a Methodist format. The building was once operated by the Methodist Church before local residents raised money to purchase it and place it under the ownership of church trustees.

Mary Hall, who served as the church’s lay minister before Chumley, recalled the point when the congregation chose to take responsibility for the building itself.

“Eventually, we just said, ‘You should take care of the other churches. We’ll take care of this one,’” Hall said. “We finally bought it from the Methodist Church. The community did.”

Several speakers described the church as part of a larger effort to preserve the character of the Beaverkill Valley.

John Conolly, president of the church board, said preserving the community means more than caring for its natural surroundings.

“It’s not just the trees, rivers and mountains,” Conolly said. “It’s the people who have lived in them.”

He said many longtime members are now grandparents and great-grandparents who want younger families to carry on the church’s traditions.

“This specific day is tied to keeping that tradition going by bringing the younger generation into the fold,” Conolly said.

That theme also ran through a message delivered by Siobhan “Sam” Bennett, a church trustee and president of the Friends of the Beaverkill Community.

Bennett spoke about her family’s long relationship with the church and recalled how her grandfather would invite campers from the nearby campground to attend services before bringing them home for pancake breakfasts.

“This church has meant so much to my family over the years,” Bennett said.

Her message focused on the way differences strengthen a community, drawing examples from the plants, wildlife and waterways of the Beaverkill Valley.

“The difference of each of us together is what makes us strong,” Bennett said.

The service reflected that outlook. Along with Christian scripture, Bennett included references to Buddhism, Islam and Confucian thought as part of a broader discussion of human connection.

Violet Adams, a younger member of the congregation who has attended since childhood, said that openness is one of the things that makes the church distinctive.

“We introduce speakers who have something to say regardless of their background or religion, because it’s about bringing people together,” Adams said. “It’s rooted in Christianity.”

Ethan Clark, a Sullivan West senior who has attended the church for about three years, said the gathering reinforced the sense of belonging he has found there.

“There’s just a huge sense of community coming here,” Clark said.

Chumley first became involved with the church a decade ago, and began singing in its choir for five or six years before becoming the pastor.

He holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate focused on theology and early Christianity from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary. He is also a filmmaker and author whose work includes “Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer.”

Chumley said his films and other media projects allow him to reach large audiences, but the church gives him something those projects cannot.

“I can speak to tens of millions of people, but I never meet them,” he said. “There’s nothing like a really wonderful live community church like this.”

The church remains seasonal because the historic building lacks heat, bathrooms, internet access and reliable cell service. During the months it is open, members said it remains a regular gathering place for worship, music and fellowship.

Chumley said that direct connection is what gives the church its purpose.

“We’re a community because everyone is together,” he said. “It’s very much about togetherness.”