History

On December 29th, 1806 seventeen men and women began meeting to organize the first church in Pittstown with assistance from Rev. Aaron Collins.  This church would be called the Second Congregational Church of Pittstown.  Following the Revolutionary War the area near Hemlock Lake was known as Pittstown.   Less than thirty years before 1806, this entire area was under the complete domination of the Seneca Indians.

The first settlers, who began coming in the 1790's, traveled either by horseback or by oxcart over Indian trails through solid forest.   Most came from Western New England, often taking weeks and enduring great hardships to negotiate the distance that can now be flown in a few hours.   By 1806, a few rough roads had been built but traveling was still extremely difficult.  A score of years later, farms could carry their produce to Pittsford where it could be shipped on the newly constructed Erie Canal.  The railroad would arrive the in area for 50 more years.

In 1813, the Ontario Association of Congregational Churches was dissolved.  Following the general trend, the Presbyterian form of government was adopted and the church became associated with the Geneva Presbytery under the name of The First Presbyterian Church of Livonia, the name which it still bears.  In 1817 it was transferred to the newly formed Ontario Presbytery with which it was connected until 1870.  At this time the church was transferred to the then named Rochester Presbytery, which is now the Presbytery of the Genesee Valley. 

By 1814, the church had grown to thirty-five members and decided it was time to build a permanent sanctuary.  Orange Woodruff donated the land for a "green" and "meeting house" and was placed southwest of the present building, just across from the store.  The building cost over $3,000 and was financed by selling stock and later by auctioning the pews.  The green was used for general military training.

In 1828, two stoves were installed in the church despite much opposition lest they cause the loss of the building by fire.  On December 19, 1832 the church was completely destroyed by fire started not from the stoves inside but from embers from a store across the way.

In a little over a year, a new and more comfortable church was built and dedicated on February 13th, 1834.  The builder was Moses Fellows, a local carpenter and was dedicated free of debt.  In the next six or seven years, about a hundred people joined the church.

The ministry of music has always been an important part of our worship.   In the early days, a tuning fork was used to set the pitch for the choir.  A little later a bass viola, violins and other instruments accompanied the singing.  Not until the mid-1900's was the first organ procured.  Also there was a men's quartet in the early 1900's.  Today, we enjoy much of our music via an electric piano, which has worked wonderfully for the choir.

Over the years, our church has had a history of the pulpit being supplied by student pastors with many from Colgate Divinity School.  

We have celebrated several church anniversaries - in 1906, a centennial; in 1956, a sesquicentennial; and in 2006 our bicentennial.

Several major building projects have occurred over the last few years:  1992 our steeple was painted and repaired; 1999 a new Fellowship Hall addition was completed; in 2011 our dug basement was replaced with a full basement and sill plates; in 2018 Fellowship Hall's roof was replaced,the steeple was painted and the front steps were replaced, in 2021 the church is re-sided and gutters are replaced.