Brief History in Corning

AGNES FLOOD. On June 23, 1972 Hurricane Agnes poured out her fury over the hills of northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. The Chemung River overflowed, causing the loss of 23 lives in Corning and millions of dollars worth of property damage in Corning and neighboring Elmira.

A few days later the first of hundreds of Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers from Canada and many states of the U.S. began to appear. By December, MDS workers had put in 9,600 volunteer hours in cleanup and repair in the Corning-Painted Post area. MDS continued working in Corning through 1974.

CHURCH EMERGES. The volunteer work led to interviews and publicity items in the local news media and to conversations with persons in the community. MDS workers and an increasing number from the community began meeting in the community room of the Erwin Bank.

In 1974 the emerging church chose their first pastor and held their first baptism.

In January 1978 the fellowship, which was meeting mid-way between Corning and Elmira, "multiplied" and formed two congregations--one of which was Community Mennonite Fellowship - Corning.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE. In 1974 a Voluntary Service unit began at 269 West Pulteney Street, a building that had housed MDS workers. Over the next two decades, until June 1994, more than a hundred volunteers resided there for one or two years, sharing talents and energy with people in need in the Corning community.

They served as childcare workers at the Stewart Park Community Center, as aides at Pathways and the Corning Hospital and Founders Pavilion. They did mini-home repair and cleaning for elderly and others on fixed income; they were visiting friends to shut-ins and the elderly. The last years many worked at HelpLine and the Institute for Human Services and at the Corning Youth Center.

FACILITY BUILT. In 1981 local businessman John Eberenz donated property on Park Avenue to the fellowship. Clayton Tuttle, church trustee who approached Eberenz, quoted him as saying, "After the flood every Mennonite this side of the Mississippi was here to help us out. You people should have a place to work from so you can do more now."

In November 1986 Community Mennonite Fellowship had a service of celebration and thanks to God for their new building at 290 Park Avenue.