Oakwood Presbyterian Church

Our history

The Oakwood History

"… I have chosen you and ordained you that you should bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.'' -- From the dedication sermon of Oakwood Avenue Presbyterian Church, July 1, 1868

Oakwood's first members were Troy's most industrious, among them George Ross, the founder of Ross Valve and John Sherry, a wholesale grocer who donated Beman Park.
For 135 years, Oakwood has stayed the course, developing a mission sensibility that has kept it at the forefront of contemporary life in Troy and beyond.
It sent missionaries to Native American reservations, Africa and China.
Oakwood educated neighborhood children before public schools began there.
Oakwood's biggest challenges came in its modern history.
The Oakwood-Liberty merger came at the height of the Civil Rights era in 1963. Five elders resigned and several Oakwood families left during the difficult integration. Contributions dropped 35 percent.
The merger completed, Oakwood pronounced itself "one of the few churches in the nation to act on the belief that character, not color, is the standard of Christian fellowship.''
In 1992, Oakwood again faced down opposition when it decided to host The Damien Center for people with HIV/AIDS.
As its history unfolded, Oakwood came perilously close to extinction.
In 1894, rioters stoned the church after the murder of Robert Ross further fueled class and political tensions. Esek Bussey firefighters stationed across the street extinguished several fires that could have spelled the end of Oakwood.
Today, Oakwood copes, as many urban congregations do, with a dwindling membership and expensive upkeep. Realizing that it must adapt to a changing society, Oakwood and two other churches have joined forces in a larger Presbyterian parish. Oakwood is committed to "staying on the corner.''

Liberty History

"Momentous days lie before us … The whole community will be watching us.'' -- The Rev. Robert M. Marsano, speaking at the last service held at Liberty Presbyterian Church, November 17, 1963.

Liberty Presbyterian Church, Troy's historic black congregation, was entering "uncharted land'' by merging in 1963 with the all-white Oakwood, its last pastor, Delbert Wemple Jr., believed.
But Liberty was founded on uncharted land.
Begun as a school for "Negroes,'' 33 Liberty pioneers began worshiping in the simple wood frame church on Liberty Street in 1840.
Liberty's first pastor would become the congregation's most renowned. Henry Hyland Garnet, himself born a slave, became known as a revolutionary following his 1843 call for slave revolt.
Liberty became part of that revolution.
Under his watch, Liberty hosted the forerunner of the NAACP and, later, Underground Railroad organizers.
Garnet in 1881 became ambassador to Liberia, colonized by former American slaves.
Lasting a century until its Liberty Street church was razed in 1941, the church continued another 22 years at a former Methodist Church at State Street and Fifth Avenue. Faced with the loss of this church to Urban Renewal demolition, Liberty sought the Oakwood merger.
The "quiet integration" had begun.