Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Meg Hagerty, Special to The Chronicle
After 45 years running Hudson Falls’s Hilltop Construction Company, Tom Albrecht, 66, retired and swapped his title of CEO/President for Pastor of 147-year-old First United Methodist Church on Montcalm Street in Lake George.
Mr. Albrecht says he’s answering a call “placed on his heart by God.”
Hilltop, now led by his son, daughter and son-in-law, is known for building Stewart’s Shops, stores, offices, warehouses, restaurants and homes.
Mr. Albrecht said the business set the stage for his becoming a pastor. “I looked at Hilltop as the mission field to serve people, to build their dreams, to provide them with a tremendous amount of satisfaction,” he said. “It’s to care about people, don’t cheat people, give them more than they expect.”
Mr. Albrecht is a Hudson Falls native who long worshipped at Hudson Falls United Methodist. He and his wife Cindy were married there, and Mr. Albrecht served as lay leader for 25 years, helping with youth programs, leading the local CROP Walk and heading fundraisers.
Three-and-a-half years ago he says he felt “nudged” to move on but that he wasn’t sure what it meant. He said he visited several denominations to get an idea of what pastors were preaching and realized God was calling him out of Hudson Falls and into the ministry.
He said he spoke with the District Superintendent of the Upper New York Conference of the United Methodist Church and offered to serve as a substitute for other pastors to make sure this wasn’t a whim. He ultimately accepted an appointment as a lay minister at Lake George United Methodist — average attendance of six — at the start of the pandemic.
Rebuilding a house of worship
Mr. Albrecht said he set out to make the church a place people wanted to spend time in. The quaint church had fallen on hard times. The congregation couldn’t afford a full-time pastor, the in-house clothing ministry was all that helped pay the bills and the building was in disrepair.
Mr. Albrecht termed it a “drive-by building….It had a metal door on the front that looked like it was falling off, the paint was peeling extensively. It literally was in shambles.”
Mr. Albrecht structured renovations in two phases, beginning in the sanctuary.
Improvements included stripping down the pews, refinishing floors, installing fresh carpet on the altar, improving the sound system, putting in a new communion rail, building a front and back porch, re-siding the exterior with insulation, building a rear addition, adding a solid wood front door and, most recently, creating a hospitality area with a few tables and chairs for after-worship fellowship.
Mr. Albrecht declined to say whether he is being paid a salary to serve the church. He wouldn’t disclose the exact cost for the extensive renovations but he said he called in his long-standing business connections to help. “We could have spent three times the amount if we didn’t have those connections,” he said. “It’s the message people need to hear that all things are possible through Christ…but you have to trust in it first.”
Reaching out: New initiatives
Mr. Albrecht is trying to connect with his flock by acknowledging the people in the pews. The congregation hosted a surprise graduation reception for an 18-year-old and celebrated a life service for the oldest member of his church, Jean O’Dell, who’s attended since 1958.
“I started thinking, why do we wait until someone dies to have a celebration of life for them?” Mr. Albrecht said. “That Sunday there were more than 45 in the pews, it was absolutely marvelous.”
He said they’ve instituted a “prayer and praise” session on Tuesday nights for a half hour to 45 minutes, and a parishioner is beginning a Bible study.
Bill and Marianne Perry of Lake George have attended services regularly since last October. Mr. Perry said Mr. Albrecht did repairs on his house several years ago but that he wasn’t aware until seeing a Facebook post from a mutual friend that Mr. Albrecht had become a pastor.
Mr. Perry said he appreciates Mr. Albrecht’s “down to earth” delivery. “He brings real life experiences to the pulpit and tells it like it is.”
Mrs. Perry said Mr. Albrecht listens as much as he talks. “He is a light for the church and our whole town. He can jest with you but he prays with you.”
Mr. Albrecht said he completed his course of study in the spring and is now a licensed pastor, and that attendance is averaging about 18 people on a Sunday.
They have gone from “trying to keep the doors open” to talking about how to increase awareness of their presence. He wants to continue to shepherd his congregation and “meet them where they’re at.”
“I want every person that comes in here to be treated with hospitality, love and care. I want something to stay with them Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday rather than just being filled on Sunday,” he said. “I want people to come here to feel refreshed, renewed. There is life, there is a spirit here.”
On Friday, Aug. 12, from 4 to 5 p.m. the Lake George Chamber of Commerce will do a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new look and let the church thank the businesses and volunteers who worked on the renovations. Mr. Albrecht cited specifically Dan Ryan P.E., Greg Bennett Excavating, FW Webb, Curtis Lumber, Bergman Laminates, Hank’s Flooring, Rick Willard, Precise Painting, Better Than New Painting, Barlow Electric, Tom Sengraph, Bob Schmidt, Kamco Supply, Hilltop Construction Co., DE Contracting, Curb Appeal, Lowe’s and volunteers Troy LaBelle, Jacob Burns, Dan Humphrey and Matt Walden.
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