The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-01-06
FORTY YEARS OF WORK
Reviewed by DR.. Van Cleef,
of Wayne Street Re-
formed Church.
MORTGAGE CREMATION AZ ST PAIl'S.
Tie Church is Crowded to Witness
the Ceremony of Rejoicing.

DIR. Paul d. Van Cleef celebrated the
fortieth anniversary Of his pastorate Of
the Wayne Street Reformed Church, one
OF the largest in this city, yesterday.
The church was beautifully decorated
with flowers in honor of the occasion.
The pulpit was banked with lilies and
palms, and tall rubber trees were grouped
at the foot Of the platform and in the
back. On either side of the pulpit made
of immorteIles were the dates 1S50-1S9o.
DR.. Van Cleef preached from the text.
THESE forty years the Lord, thy Gods
has been with thee"
He spoke of how he came to the church
and preached his first sermon there as its
pastor January 2, 1850. He said they were
like the Israelites who have passed
through the wilderness and come 10 the
promised land. There were but two OF
The Israeiites who had come out of Egvpt.
and in the church there were left but two
| OF the members who were there when he
came. DR.. Van Cleef then said that he
had preached during his stay here about
| 4,0OO sermons, besides weekly lectures and
| other addresses. Five hundred and fffrv-
1 two people have been baptized by him
since ne came here, 392 couples married,
and he has received into the communion
of the church 800 persons.
Dr. van Cleef said he had officiated at
142 funerals and presided over 100 COM
munion services.
! Dr. Van Cleef then spoke of the great
changes he had witnessed in this city.
/ When he came here there were no water
works, no gas, no omnibus lines, but one
| public school, and the aristocratic part Of
| the city was in Essex street. At that time
the city had one Presbyterian, two Re
formed. one Baptist, one Methodist, one
Roman Catholic Church, and now has ITO
churches. He told how he had watched
the population Of the city increase from
| IL LOCO to nearly 100000, and how the rail-
roads had increased in number. Then
| but one road had its terminus in the city
and that was permitted to run no trains
on Sunday.
DIR. Van Cleef spoke of the growth Of
the Sunday school and of the Society Of
! Kings Daughters and the Society of
Christian Endeavor and the excellent
work done by them.
| In conclusion he touchingly referred to
those of his church who had died during
| the year.
DIR. Van Cleef has greatly endeared
himself to his people during his stay Mere,
and yesterday morning the church was
| filled with an immense CONGREGATION
made up of both old and young, rich and
Door, all of whom had learned to love and
i venerate him.
When DIR. Van Cleef came to the
Wayne Street Reformed Church he was a
| young man full OF energy and vigor, and
he has retained these qualities though
he is nearly seventy. He had but one
charge before this one, at Coxsackie, on
the Hudson, where he was settled three
and ss 4 as y w.i his
1 ple DR.. Van Cleef is a tall, command
ing man in appearance, and is as straight
| as young man, though his hair is white
/ as snow.
He is favorite with young people and
children, and his Sunday school has al
ways plenty of bright young faces in it
who truly love the pastor DR.. Van Cleef
says that people do not love sermons as
they once did, and the shorter they are
| the better they please
In the evening DR. Chambers, of New
| York, preached a historical sermon. in
which he reviewed the historical events of
| the last fifty years.