I caught the tail end of a service here once. The very tail end - they were singing the final…read morehymns, so I really had no opportunity to judge the actual service.
This church shares a minister with the United Methodist Church in Garrison, N.Y., and the congregation to which she ministers - the pastor was a woman, although I don't know if she is still serving either congregation - is very small, and definitely older. When I arrived, everyone was singing hymns as one, and the minister was leading them very vocally in song. She seemed nice and cheerful, and the congregants, who probably numbered around 20 or so, appeared to like her.
The layout of this church was a little confusing for me. The church looks grand and imposing from the outside, but when you walk into the vestibule, you immediately realize that the sanctuary is not straight ahead, as one would assume, but upstairs. That's right - you have to take the stairs. If you walk straight ahead, you end up in the community room, also known as the place where Cold Springers vote on any election day. Choose either the sweeping wooden staircase to the left or to the right and make your way to the upstairs hallway, where you can walk through one of the doors and enter the sanctuary.
I found the sanctuary a tad small given the apparent size of the church, and it is dominated by a massive pipe organ that was really belting it out when I arrived. The organ is at the front of the church, and three sections of pews (note: there is no center aisle here) face it. The windows are plain stained glass, which lets in a great deal of sunshine, and the only ornamentation that I could see was a framed picture of Christ in the Garden on one wall. That's it. It's a Protestant church, after all - the lack of ornamentation is, I am sure, standard.
As I was leaving, one of the older congregants approached me, said hello and made it known that I was welcome back any time. He was very nice. It certainly seems like a nice country church. For those who would like to grace the doors of Cold Spring United Methodist, the sole Sunday service starts at 9 or 10 a.m., I believe, so get there in plenty of time to hear the service (unlike me).
Note: Prior to attending the (end) of a service here, I drove past once and saw a wedding party gathered on the steps for pictures. So for anyone looking for a church in which to celebrate their wedding, they might be worth a look, although I am not sure if you have to be a member in order to use the building.
