Our History
- 125th Anniversary Quilt (1995)
The earliest history of the Newfoundland church is found in a Recording Steward's record book dated March 22, 1851. We know it was part of a circuit that included 19 congregations.
On December 22, 1866, the congregation met in the school house to elect trustees for the purpose of erecting a church building. The church was to be located on the main street in the center of the village of Newfoundland on property donated by Peter Decker. Construction commenced in the Spring of 1867. The building effort got off to a slow start but the people were devoted and the finished building was dedicated free of debt on September 1, 1870. The cost was $2400.00. It was the fruition of the idea of a few and the efforts of many.
Growth followed and a parsonage was erected in 1887 adjacent to the church. This parsonage housed our pastors until 1969. The spirit of fellowship in the church necessitated the building of a Parish House in 1914 to house the many gatherings within the church and the community.
The first records of our Church School go back to 1907 when 74 children were enrolled. They conducted classes wherever they could around the church buildings. But by the 1950's, it was apparent that there were far more children than space. The possibility of an expansion of the classroom facilities became a completed reality in 1954. The necessary land had been donated by Mr. and Mrs. F.A.F. Hogan. This building became debt free in 1958.
By 1964 the over crowded conditions, the lack of parking space, and the encroachment of the widening highway forced the church to consider relocation. A unanimous vote at a Board of Trustees meeting initiated the inevitable move.
Through the generous donation of a parcel of land to the church by Mr. and Mrs. William Dongan and somewhat of a bargaining process with the City of Newark, who owned part of the property, we were able to obtain the property for our new location, and the property was dedicated on October 17, 1965. The land clearing started in the Spring of 1968. The new parsonage was completed in 1969. The church building plans were accepted in June, 1972 and construction of the new sanctuary began in the fall of 1972. In April, 1973, the final service was held in the original building and a "Grand March" occurred from the "old" to the "new."
By 1978, our "happy problem" of inadequate space resurfaced and plans for an expansion of Fellowship Hall and the enlargement of the sanctuary was begun. The sanctuary was enlarged by five rooms on each side of the center aisle, the Narthex was extended as was the Fellowship Hall. The new addition was sixty feet long. Through the generosity of the members, our mortgage to the new sanctuary was paid off in a one-time campaign just 6 1/2 years after its completion and the expansion commenced. It was completed in 1980. The mortgage for the project was burned during the pastorate of Nancy Belsky.
We experienced additional improvements, such as the erection of a storage shed on the northeast side of the Fellowship Hall, railings and stairs were added to the Outdoor Chapel by the Trustees, and permanent benches, which were the result of an Eagle Scout project by Lewis Minella, III. After that, our parking lot was paved, a long awaited and much needed improvement.
In 1999, this church dreamed dreams and saw visions of ministries for Christ that could be undertaken only if there was more room and in June, 2000, this church voted and committed to the building of a new educational wing so we could continue to "Grow For and With God." In the Fall of 2004, the building was dedicated. This fulfilled the dream of a permanent nursery, dedicated youth room, adult meeting space and library, choir rooms, counting room, and Sunday School space to do interactive teaching of the Gospel to our children.
So we have grown in the last 135+ years, from a small congregation of just 8 people to our present number of 372. We have been under construction many times and successfully met the challenges of the debts involved. This family of God has consistently been faithful to the continuity of this church. It stands, as always, a rock in the midst of our community - poised to share its message of faith.