Susie Doolittle and Rev John Sampson wearing a new rainbow stole presented to him by Doolittle.

The beloved pastor of the Keene Valley Congregational Church, the Rev. John Sampson, will lead his last worship service in the hamlet on Sunday morning. Sampson decided to conclude his service so he could be closer to his family in New Jersey and grow as a pastor.

Sampson has accepted an offer at a larger suburban church, a change that he let the congregation know about two months ago so they could start the process of seeking a new leader. This may include an interim pastor, as they have in the past prior to his joining the Church.

Sampson’s posting in Keene Valley was his first after graduating from seminary. At that time, he was in his forties, having previously had a career on Wall Street before deciding to embark on a major career shift. A career shift was not the only major change; the other was moving from a suburban “bedroom” community and working in Lower Manhattan to living in a tiny hamlet in the middle of the largest protected wilderness in the Continental United States.

“Growing up, I had never heard of Keene Valley or been to the Adirondacks,” said Sampson. “In my final year of seminary, I began looking for a job. I contacted David Guisti, the head of the UCC churches of New York. I asked him if he knew of any churches looking for a minister.”

Guisti knew of two positions, one in Poughkeepsie, and the other in a tiny “gem” of a congregation in the Adirondacks. Following Guisti’s suggestion to reach out, Sampson was intrigued by his initial conversations and agreed to at least visit. He imagined that the congregation was a bit more conservative than he was used to and was unsure about living in a small rural town after living and working in Manhattan. He imagined that Keene was a town filled with farmers.

Thomas Baillargeon and Annie Scavo, Annie is the Vice Chair of the Church Council, Thomas is a member of the Council.

Driving up the Northway, with its endless acres of forests and mountains, gave him pause about the wisdom of his decision, but driving through Chapel Pond left him gobsmacked.

“The mountains, the opening valley, the waterfalls, the river; it was so amazing,” said Sampson. “After lunch at the Noonmark Diner, with its endless stack of pies, I began meeting community members, a group of people that was so different than anything I had assumed, expected, or feared.”

Over the next eight and a half years, the congregation and Sampson challenged and stretched each other, and during that time they and the broader community benefited profoundly on a multitude of levels. As an example, during his ministry, the Church became one of the first Open and Affirming and Creation Justice churches in the state, took over the food pantry for the town, and held two benefits for Ukraine, one raising over $10,000 for the World Food Kitchen’s program in Ukraine and another that sent over 130 sleeping bags and winter gear, plus funding for two generators.

The Church welcomed two refugees from Africa, helping them acquire housing and jobs, enhance their English, and meet all ongoing State Department and New York State obligations.

Recently, as part of their ministry, they became the home for Adirondack Friends of Refugees and Immigrants, held a vigil in Elizabethtown that made national news, established a pollinator garden, and assisted Keene Central School students in developing one at the school.

From left are Alana Both, Elizabeth Derr, the Rev. John Sampson and Dan Plumley.

Becoming an Open & Affirming church illustrates the change during Sampson’s time as a pastor. Prior to him, the Church always prided itself on welcoming all people to the Church in all aspects of its ministry. Yet, when conducting the search that led to Sampson, one consultant they met, a pastor in the Albany area, said she’d never consider the job because KVCC wasn’t Open & Affirming, a term many hadn’t heard before. Thus, they were looking into what that meant and what it would take when John called, and they interviewed him.

“The process of discernment, of reflecting on what it means to be an Open and Affirming church, was an intense experience for me,” said Suzy Doolittle. “It required profound listening as people expressed their personal experiences with bias and prejudice based on their identity or sexual choice. I learned a great deal.”

Doolittle lost friends when she decided to date a woman but had not experienced the profound prejudice that many she and the discernment committee interviewed. They heard how much it would matter if the Church explicitly stated that members of the LBGTQ+ community were welcome, as it now does with its Pride flag out front, though having a table at regional Pride Days and other aspects of its ministry. The discernment process took over a year and involved the entire congregation, which, in the end, voted overwhelmingly in support.

“I am so proud that John led us through and to this decision,” said Doolittle.

“There is so much negativity that comes out of the church universal about this that is important for our small, but strong and prophetic voice to give a different narrative,” said Sampson. “We hear at many events and meetings with people, that flying our (Pride) flag gives so many a sense of hope and welcome. The flag represents what sits in our hearts and our actions. It is a hope of mine that you will all continue to find ways of living more deeply, and that includes more prophetically, more profoundly into this covenant that you have agreed to because these days especially are not happy days for the gay community. This Church is a bright light proclaiming that all of God’s children are sacred.”

Becoming a Creation Justice church also required a deep dive of inquiry, readings in the Bible, discussions, prayer, and another year-long search into how sacred all life is within the natural environment and the ramifications thereof, including those marginalized and abused. On Thursday, April 24, a facilitated discussion with nearly three dozen members of the Church brought forth a deep appreciation and love that highlighted many aspects of Sampson’s ministry, leadership, friendship, and boundless heart.

“I’ll miss the quality of his preaching,” said Martha Swan. “I think, in this moment of transition, of how he led the congregation with such an openness and experimental inquiry. I think this congregation is ready for the next period. I feel that because of this congregation’s many, many gifts and dedication, that John was empowering all along, that there will not be a vacuum of leadership. One of the things he leaves us with is that we will be OK. Even when he was away on sabbatical, people stepped up and took important roles, and we took on major projects and discovered more about one another on individual and collective capacity.”

“The Keene Valley church is a place that I hope people will continue to come to and be together in joy,” said the Rev. Sampson.

Two new people joined the Church on Sunday, April 27, a clear signal that the Keene Valley Congregational Church remains vibrant and welcoming, even in a time of transition.

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)