The First Presbyterian Church of Newton (or Newton Presbyterian Church) is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

house of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is s ...

located in the Town of Newton in

Sussex County, New Jersey Sussex County () is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton.Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...

. The first church building was erected in the 1786 at the time Rev. Ira Condit, a 1784 graduate of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

was installed as the congregation's first pastor. This first edifice was razed for a larger, second building at the site, erected 1828-1829. The third and present edifice was built in 1869–1872 of native blue limestone and described as being "plain but beautiful...in its simple style of architecture."United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. (filed 1 October 1992, approved 12 November 1992), Section 7, pages 34-40. NRIS Reference Number 92001521. Retrieved 16 July 2013. While described as simple, the building is a combination of architectural styles that is chiefly

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

and

Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

but incorporates elements associated with the

Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

and

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

styles. The church was damaged in an 1893 fire, and restored with funds from parishioners, including Newton industrialist Henry W. Merriam (1828–1900). At this time, Merriam donated several

stained glass windows Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

, including one over the altar depicting

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

in the

Garden of Gethsemane Gethsemane ( ) is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus Christ underwent the Agony in the Garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. The garden is ...

. On 26 October 1979, the First Presbyterian Church of Newton was placed on the

New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office wit ...

. It is also included as part of the Newton Town Plot Historic District which was approved and entered on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on 12 November 1992.

Food Programs

During the winter of 1987, the congregation's Board of Deacons proposed establishing an ecumenical soup kitchen. In the following three decades, Manna House's operations and reach expanded to include over two dozen worshipping communities in addition to paid staff. Through Manna House and Bread of Life Newton, free, hot meals are provided six days a week to members of the wider community experiencing food insecurity.

Nonprofit Involvement

The First Presbyterian Church of Newton houses the Sussex County branch of Literacy New Jersey, which provides

English as a second or foreign language English as a second or foreign language refers to the use of English by individuals whose native language is different, commonly among students learning to speak and write English. Variably known as English as a foreign language (EFL), Engli ...

classes,

American Civics Test The American Civics Test (also known as the American Citizenship Test, U.S. Civics Test, U.S Citizenship Test, and U.S. Naturalization Test) is an oral examination that is administered to immigrants who are applying for Citizenship of the United ...

preparation, and literacy programs. Family Promise of Sussex County, which provides a range of services including housing stabilization and eviction diversion, is headquartered in the church's Spurgeon House at 19 Church Street.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.fpcnewtonnj.org/
Presbytery of the Highlands

Manna House
Newton, New Jersey Presbytery of Newton Churches in Sussex County, New Jersey Presbyterian churches in New Jersey Churches completed in 1872 History of Sussex County, New Jersey Italianate architecture in New Jersey Renaissance Revival architecture in New Jersey Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey 1786 establishments in New Jersey Italianate church buildings in the United States

Food Programs

Nonprofit Involvement

See also

References

External links