Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-03-24
RRlEE HISTORY.
Bethel Methodist EpIseepaIchursh
HURFFyILLE, N. j.,


49,
EBy Rev. J. A Oakes.l
The history of Bethel Methodist EpiscO
pal church leads us back to times prior Il
the organization of the great Methods
Episcopal church in 1874. Then Methodisn
was largely a distinct revival and reform
movement within the church of England
in America as we'll as in England. TIL.
founder and pastor of the original congre
CATION from which Bethel church j,
descended, was Rev. Edward Evans, O
Evens. To MIR. Evans belongs the distinc
tion of having been the first Methods
preacher raised up in America, of having
formed the first Methodist class in New
Jersey, and founded the first Methods
society in the State. And the first church
edifice erected in New Jersey for The
accommodation of Methodist preacher
was built for him in Greenwich Township
Gloucester County, in ITO, at what is now
known as Berkeley, near Clarksboro.
| Joseph Pilmoor, one of the two preacher
| first sent out to America by John Wesley
says in his journal under date of Oct. 26
| 1853: " spent an hour IN the morning very
comfortably with Edward Evans, an ole
disciple of Jesus, and one who has stood
fast in the faith for nearly thirty years.
Evans was converted under the eloquent
George Whitfield and after the arrival OF
Pilmoor and Boardman in 1863. put OF
the Wesleyan armor and with the trump o
the new evangel sounded the battle sigma
| in New Jersey "-Atkias0n AS he fire.
quentl7 went into the Jerseys to preach
the people were exceedingly fond of him
built pretty chapel, and insisted upor
having him for heir minister. "-P ilmoOr',
Journal, Oct 1771. The deed for the hal
acre upon which the church stood was
made Nov. 20. ITO, by Enriah Paul t,
Edward Evens, of the City of Philadelphia
Gent. man, and eleven other Managers,
Evans being named first. Pilmoor preached
Evans funeral sermon in this chapel OF
Oct. Is, l771, at the request of the heads O
of the congregation.
At just this time there was much agi
tation and growing discussions oYel
questions VIII CHI later led to the war fol
independence from Great Britain. In the
midst of this political excitement came
Rev. Robert Blackwell, who had been or
dained by the Bishops OF London in 1772
as missionary " of the church of England
to Gloucester County, in the province O
New jersey" in 1773. Blackwell wa,
chosen manager of the church at Berkeley
April Z, l773, to fill the vacancy due to tbs
death of Evans. Probably it was the yea
of the young missionary that brought the
Board of Managers to decide THAT the
said church be the property of some one
denomination or sect of Christians. Thi;
shows clearly that it was built for the
Methodists. who were not then an organized
~at. i -
the managers affiliated with the church OF
England and determined that it should "be
an established church. Two of the
managers, Joshua Paul and Jeffrey Chew
declined to serve any longer. This actor
on the part of the managers was taker
June 80, 1774, but it was found expedien
to have settlement with $ Mr.. Rankin
superintendent of the Methodist Society in
these parts, and several others prominent
in the same den IMITATION living in Green
wIch, " September 10, 1774.
On March 8, 1775, it was found necessary
to adopt less liberal terms for the repay
ment of their money 10 those who were
dissatisfied and to order that "no person
shall preach in this house, but the clergy o.
the church of England "The fact that
it was decided that there should be nc
private meetings for divine service held in
said church implies the existence of class
and the purpose to prevent the continuance
of its meetings in the church. The society
being thus driven out soon erected small
frame building near by, which after few
years was moved to Clonmell, near Gibbs
town. "-ReU G. r. Snyder. In " The Be
ginnings of the Wesleyan Movement in
America, Atkinson says, Such was the
history of the first preaching house of the
Methodists in New Jersey.
The class formed under the ministry of
the Rev. Edward Evans in 1769-7O was the
origination ard founding of the society
now known as Bethel Methodist Episcopal
church. Hence this was the first class and
the first Methodist society founded in the
state. 1t was at first known as the Sand.
town, Berkeley, or "Old Bethel society
add is noted among the classes on the
Salem circuit as early as May IL, 1888
Many of the resi- dents of Berkeley re.
manned with the church of England, &C
that it is probable that the majority of the
Numbers of Old Bethel church came from
a distance. A class was started at Clonmell
to the west which must have weakened the
mother society, whose renal ming member.
ship was mainly to the east, some as fal
away as what is now TurnerYille To this
locality had the family of Turner's re.
moved from Greenwich Township.
Old Bethel church must have been Of
modest dimensions for well authenticated
tradition says that at later date it was
placed on wagon wheels and carried off to
Clonmell, clandestinely, by Benz. Weather.
by, local deacon. Perhaps it was the
small size of the church, or its removal, il
that had alreads taken p ace which led the
trustees to decide to build new edifice.
Mr.. John G. Turner, now 1888 in his
84th year, and for nearly 80 years mem.
Der and ustee of Bethel, is authority fol
the statement. handed down from the men
/ f that d.y, that the trustees of the So
ciety at Berkeley were about to build new
church when great revival in school
house near the present location of Bethel
led to the building of the church at that
place instead of Sandtown. Mr.. Turner
was in position to get the facts from those
who were actually engaged in the trans.
TurDer, Carpenter so called to distinguish
him from John Turner, farmer, also of
Bethel church, was born in 1774 and was
elected trustee of Bethel in 1915. He
was useful and honored local preacher for
many years. Mr.. Turner's grandfather.
Robert Turner, born not later than 1854
was also local preacher in the old church,
and entered the ranks OF the travelling
preachers in IT'S but died few months
after. John c. Turner has often heard his
father say that he was converted in the
great revival in the school-house when he
was about fourteen (178S) and saw the new
church raised soon after at Bethel. There
were other aged people born in the last
century. and some buried now in Bethel
Cemetery, as we shall see, whom he person
ally knew. Furthermore, the old records
and papers of the church, cOrroborate the
above statements The title to the lot on
which the old church stood at Berkeley
was vested in the Bethel Board of Trustees.
The deed to the new lot at B thel is dated
May IL, 1894. It is for house and lot
OF ground from Aaron Dilkes and wife.
Margaret, to Rev. Bishop Francis Asbury,
Daniel Bates, John Farley, William Dilkes
Andrew Dilkes (1st), John Turner, Joseph
jackson, John Porch, and Benz. Turner.
In 1915 these trustees were succeeded by
Maryali Turner, Edward Turner, Andrew Ware.
John Turner lfarmer), Bartholomew Carter, Jno.
~ u.s. anu dOuu IufltSf tcdE p6ub6Lf. REQ. "a
1919, John Farley and Andrew Dilkes. surviving
trustees OF the old Board decided the property
TO Maryan Turner, Jesse Pratt, Andrew Ware,
Chester bikes, and John Dowas. who procured
the incorporation Of Bethel Methodist Episcopal
church, Feb. 1923, 1919 The succeeding trustees
with the date of election, as far as known, were
1918. Samuel Porch.
1919, Jesse Pratt Chester DiIkes.
1928. Josiah Heritage, Andrew Dilkes (O. Pres.
mul Dilkes
1889, Thos Chew. Elisha D. Chew, Joel Wood.
1850, CHRISTOPHER sickler. J. B. Thompson, John