Fairfield Presbyterian Church is a historic
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...
congregation in the
Fairton section of
Fairfield Township in
Cumberland County, New Jersey.
It was founded in 1680 when a log church was built on the banks of the Cohansey Creek, and it is the oldest existing congregation currently within the
PCA (which it joined in 1980 after leaving the
UPCUSA in 1971). This log church was replaced by a New England style frame building sometime between 1713 and 1715.
In 1780, the Old Stone Church was built, which still exists a mile and half to the south of Fairton, and north of
Cedarville, on
County Route 553. The stone church was in use until 1850, when the present building in Fairton was completed. It was documented by the
Historic American Buildings Survey
Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
in 1936. The Old Stone Church has been preserved and was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on May 12, 1977, for its significance in architecture.
[ With ]
In 2006 the church celebrated its 325th anniversary. The church subscribes to the
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" ...
. The current senior pastor is Rev. Michael Schuelke, who has served the congregation since 1992.
Pastors
*M. Bradnor (1680-1695)
*Thomas Bridges (1695-1702)
*Joseph Smith (1709-1711)
*Samuel Exell (1712-1712)
*Howell A.P. Howell (1715-1717)
*Henry Hook (1718-1722)
*Noyes Parris (1724-1729)
*Daniel Elmer (1729-1755)
*William Ramsey (1756-1771)
*William Hollingshead (1773-1783)
*Ethan Osborn (1789-1844)
*David McKee (1836-1838)
*Beriah B. Hotchckin (1845-1850)
*David C. Meeker (1851-1855)
*James Boggs (1857-1866)
*Hiram E. Johnson (1866-1869)
*Samuel R. Jones (1869-1874)
*Samuel R. Anderson (1875-1883)
*Henry Reeves (1883-1885)
*Frank R. Symmes (1886-1890)
*Thomas W. Pulham (1891-1893)
*George Warrington (1894-1897)
*J.N. Wagenhurst (1897-1900)
*John Bamford (1901-1903)
*W.J. Trimble (1903-1906)
*William Bullock (1907-1908)
*Nelson B. Kline (1909-1910)
*William M. Seel (1912-1914)
*Franklin Weatherwax (1914-1917)
*Nelson B. Kline (1918-1922)
*Jacob Dyke (1922-1923)
*J. Howard Douglas (1923-1928)
*Clinton Cook (1929-1941)
*Arthur Haverly (1942-1945)
*John Taxis (1945-1947)
*Paul Stauning (1947-1951)
*Ralph Tamaccio (1951-1954)
*Lincoln Griswold (1955-1958)
*Allen Ackley (1960-1964)
*Vaughn Thurman (1965-1967)
*Charles Dennison (1972-1976)
*Lawrence C. Roff (1977-1984)
*Allan Story (1985-1992)
*Michael Schuelke (1992–present)
Source:
Notes
See also
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*
Old Broad Street Presbyterian Church and Cemetery
Old Broad Street Presbyterian Church and Cemetery is a historic church on Broad ( New Jersey Route 49) and Lawrence Streets in Bridgeton, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It was built in 1792 and added to the National Register of H ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Authority control
Presbyterian Church in America churches in New Jersey
Religious organizations established in 1680
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Georgian architecture in New Jersey
Churches completed in 1780
Churches in Cumberland County, New Jersey
Stone churches in New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey
18th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States
1680 establishments in New Jersey
Fairfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey