The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-10-28
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Boys Brigade and Boys Club, and will
De nlted up with a gymnasium on a small
scale; There has been q COMPANY Of the
Boys.Brigade formed in the South Der.
gen Reformed Church for some time, but
they have not been able to do nue. be-
cause or the lack of a place to drill.
In the cellar of the church proper be-
meath the pulpit there is to be a kitchen
so that In fhe event Of q fair or q supper
the cooking can be done In tine building.
The building is heated throughout by
steam. The furnace is placed under the
tower.
A BIT OF HISTORY.
The history OF the South Bergen Re.
formed Church only extends back to the
year 1874. 1t was on January 90 of that
year that q meeting was held by the pso-
pie of South Bergen to discuss the found
ing of a Reformed Church in that locality.
The Following Is a copy OF The minutes
OF the first meeting:-
Meeting held at the house Of the Rev.
zimmerman to get the views of people living
west of Commu nipaw avenue in regard to
breaking ground for the starting of a Reformed
Church and Sabbath school.
Present.. the Rev. zimmerman. the Rev.W w.
Hallaway u, Rev William r, Daryes. +. I
Tours and c.. V. Il. Post.
TIE Rev. zimmerman was called to the chair
and CV.H-Post appointed secretary. A motion
made by the Rev. William R. Duryee that a
COMMITTEES of three be appointed to confer with
families that are likely to be interested In start
Ing Sabbath School aud a new Reform Church
enterprise. and to give power to COMMITTEES TO
select q place for Sabbath school and to report
at meeting to be held February 8.
Committee-E L. Nichols. @, V, H, Post and
a. q. Tours.
Adjourned to meet at house Of G. v. H. Post,
Tuesday, February 8. 1874.
Prayer by Rev.W. R, Duryee.
Jan. q. 1874.
A hall occupied by the G. A. r. at Ber-
gen and Communipaw avenues was
leased for Sundays and the neighborhood
was canvassed for pupils and teachers for
the Sunday school. 1t WAS started on
February 10 with nineteen scholars and
fifteen teachers in attendance. At the
meeting on February II the officers were
elected rs follows:-E. L Nichols, Super
i%ntendent; N. g. Vreeland. Secretary and
Treasurer and Z. W. Vreelaud Librari IN.
The Sunday school pros aered, and in the
meantime an offer of land from Garrett
Vreeland had been acce pied and a lutte
building was built at Bergen aud Nir-
ginia avenues. A petition was drawn up
and presented to the South Chassis OF
Bergen, asking permission to organize n
church of the reformed denomination.
This was sigued by over a hundred citi-
zsns in the neighborhood aud presented,
with the result that in May, 1874. the
south Bergen Reformed Church
was organized. and held their first
meeting gin their own building
on Virginia avenue, giving up the hall
they had hired temporarily. The con-
gregation was composed for the most
part of reople who belonged tt the La
fayette aud Bergen Reformed churches.
and who found the di-tance to those
churches too great. There were in all
twenty.one families in the chnrch at its
inception most of whom are still active
workers in it. The new churc was sucn
a success that in May, 1873 they were able
to secure a pastor. Their first pastor was
the Rev. Isaac Brokaw. In spite
of many difficulties and discou fragments.
Mr.. Brokaw did good work in building
up the new organization. Rea! estate IN
South Bergen was being doomed con-
siderably ABOUT this time, and the local
ity In which the church was situated
was rapidly building up. The crash
followed the boom, however. q it afs
fected the new church 80 that 1t was
nearly stranded. Mr.. Brokaw stuck to
it and worked hard. however, untit AN
uary, 1879, when he resigned to accep5 a
call from the Second Reformed Church
OF Freehold. A great deal had been ac-
complished uuder his able management.
A building site had been purchased at
| Bergen avenue and Union street. and an
attractive church edifice that cost be-
tween three and four thousand dollsrs,
had beeu erected. In May, 1879, the Rev.
Henry NJ. Cox accepted a call to the
church. The Church revived COZ
siderably while he way pastor,
uiuety-eight members being added to
the communion roll. making 127 mem
bers in all. In June. 1882. he left TO go
| to High Bridge. n. Y. Another pastor
was not secured until June, 1888. When
the Rev. William Vaughan. who had but
re- entity graduated from the New Bruins
wick Seminrry. tooK he leadership of
the flock. aud continued there until De-
| cemner, 1883 He left to take charge OF
the Knox Memorial Chapel OF the Col
legiate Reformed Church, Nav YORK
City. Under his administration the com-
muuion roll was increased 60 249, an In
crease of 122. Besides this a mortgage
OF {, 500 on the church property was SET
tied. and III riga which cost $500, was
purchased. The church was, therefore,
in q prosperous condition when the pres
emit pastor, the Rev. William d. Grant,
from the Broom Street Tabernacle. New
York CITY, in May, 1889, accepted a call
to and took charge OF 1t.
DIR. GRANTS GOOD wOKK.
1t is under Dir. Grants management
that their present mag fifcent church
has been erected. The nuro was free
| from debt when he assumed its charge
and as their little building was getting
too small for the rapidly increasing con-
| gregation, he set to work at ouce to lay
plans for u larger %eAifce. III May, 1890.
I'll ey were enabled to purchase the prop
cry at Bergen aud Boyd avenuea for
81, 200. In 1892 they borrowed $3.50 at 8
per cent. from the Provident Savings
Bank, with which 10 begin the erection
OF a church. They gave as security q
first mortgage on the building:
THE FINANCIAL SITUATION.
Plans were drawn mp and the contract
made with a builder to build the church
they wanted for $25, 600. The groupd
was broken early iu August, 1892, and,
the cornerstone was LAID OF OCTOBER Is.
The building has been going on ever
since. and now almost completed 1t
severance of O little congregation of
has been able 60 erect one of the hand
soonest churches in the city. Most OF the
money outside of the SIS, 900 has been
raised by subscriptions, fairs. entertain
ments and lectures. $3.6 600 more was
realized by the sale of the old church to
Mr.. Matthew Foster. The people OF the
church, who have been working untir-
in9ly and increasingly for the past two
years, are o more than repaid
by the handsome home they have secured
by their efforts.
THE FAITHFUL PASTOR.
Following is u short sketch of The nan
to whom,i In a great measure, the success of
the enterprise Is due who has watched
the building rise stoue bv stone with
feelings of pride and mas constantly been
on rand to offer suggestions of change
and iaa p~rovement. He denied him selr a
vacation this year that he might be hare
to superintend the flushing OF it The