The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-09
TO BOLD new CHURCH
The Summit Avenue Pres
byterians Propose Nov
ing to the Bou-
ward.
VERY PROSPEROUS SOCIETY
Present Quarters Too Small
For the Rapidly Growing
Congregation.

leYarQ. somewhere south OF MoI&So1nSi
street. The exact location for the new
church has not yet been decided upon.
The plot of ground on which the present
church stands is 100 feet SQUARE. 1t Is Oh
the southeast corner of Montgomery
street and Summit avenue. and is q very
desirable property. An offer of $500 was
made for the corner lot alone several
years ago. The congregation asks
$l0.0 900 for the four lots with the building.
A purchaser has not yet been found, bull
negotiations are pending with several per-
sons. The most favorable offer has been
received from Manager Stoeckel. OF the
New York Condensed Milk Company. The
Office and stables of the company occupy
the entire block with the exception OF the
church property. The usine OF re
concern has Increased so in the last few
years that much more stable room IS
needed. The church property, If Sc
cured. would give the company the entire
block. enabling it to erect one of the larg-
est stables in the city. 1t is probable that
the Condensed Milk Company will pur-
chase the property.
Another possible purchaser thinks of
turning the main floor of the church into
a hall for meetings and receptions, and
convert the first floor into lodge rooms.
If that were done there would still be
two lots left to build on. The property
has just been placed on the market. It
is not likely that it will be long before
it is disposed of. The Rev. Arney s.
Biddle, pastor of the church. has great
plans for it's future. He propose to Sc
cure for his congregation one of the
handsomest churches in the city, which
shall be located in a section that is de-
veloping rapidly and is as yet unprovided
with any church of a Protestant de-
nomination.
.Our church and our Sunday-school.
especially the latter" said Mr.. Biddle,
last night, have. grown so that our pres
ent quarters are not large enough. Our
original intention when we located on
the present site was to some day build
a larger church right there and erect a
parsonage beside it. Things have chang
cd since then. however, and we now find
that the largest part of our congrega-
ton comes from the west side Of the
IIiIl, principally from the Johnstown and
Marion sections. 1t is essential, there
fare. that we build in that neighbor-
hood. A meeting of the congregation
was held and the matter was fully dis
cussed. 1t was unanimously decided to
sell the church we now worship in, and
look for a site for a new church in the
entity of Montgomery street and the
Mz@aleyard. Our idea is to secure a cor
ner and erect a two-story stone church
of Gothic design, with a square corner
tower. somewhat after the style of the
North Baptist Church. The new build
- --rr L. - H., <ho.F civ fr-fUa hU
seyeatv-fye feet. Our present quarters
are scarcely large enough to accommo-
date our ,Sunday-school, which has Z a
membership of nearly 500. We have TO
= pews upstairs. The present arrangement
is anything but satisfactory, as the emil
dren ruin the cushions. misplace the
books and do other things calculated 10
annoy the pewholders.
IF the old building can be moved we
Will have it put back of the new building,
where 1t can be used Tor many purposes.
I imagine. however. that 1t would pc a
. many trolley, telephone and telegraph
wires that would be in the way, IL
If Mr.. Bid6ie carries OUT his plans No
will erect a building of stone two stories
IN height. with a rectangular dome, and
#ghteen feet in width. The building will
IS by 10 feet. The pulpit will be placed
the centre of the long side and the
Tvs will be placed in a semi-circle. Inc
Edows will be SO placed that no matter
hi part of the church a person sits in
Light will fall over his shoulders. The
rcn will be built on a corner, a squaiv
Yer beingferected at the junction OF the
reefs. There will be four entrances to
he church, two in the tower ana one at
each of the other corners. The main as
eembly room, or church proper, Will be
on the second floor. The ground moor
will be used for Sunday School rooms and
IT will be used as a large assembly room
or can be divided into a numper OF
smaller rooms by. means OF toldlnG doors.
The Summit Avenue United Prespy-
terrain Church is at present in a prosper
Gus condition. 1t is growing In member
ship and influence almost weekly. Its
largest Presbyterian Sunday school in the
city-that of the First Presbyterian
Church ranking first. 1t was soieiy
through the efforts of the Rev. Mr.. Blddie
that the Summit Avenue United PresDy-
terrain Church was organized and it has
been through his efforts and those OF his
excellent wife that the church has been
built up to its present strength ana cen -
: dition ST prosperity. 1t was in April, 1851,
thai Mr.. Biddle, who was then pastor or
the First United Presbyterian Church on
Mercer street. hired Paramount Hall. at
Bergen and Paramount avenues. at his
own expense and held Sunday evening
services. The services were so successful
that it was decided to form a congrega-
ton. providing the sanction of the New
York Presbytery could be obtained. The
Presbytery was divided at that time on
the music question, one portion being OPP
posed to organs in the churches. 1t was
proposed to nave an organ and music in
the new church. The result was that the
anti-organ member of P~resbytery voted
against the organization of the new con-
gregation and the resolution was carried
by a bare majority of one.
The congregation was organized IN May
1882. with Is communicates. The follow
ing officers were elected:-Elders, Hamil-
ton McCaw, James. Huggans and THOMAS
Stewart. Trustees, Kenne Dingwall.
President; H. F. Burlew, Secretary,
Huggans. Thomas Stewart, Hamilton
McCaw and A. G Booth.
Mr.. Biddle who had resigned from the
First Church, was installed as pastor HIS
salary was small. and part of It was paid
by the, Board of Home Missions. Not
long after the church Tas organized
three lots were purchased en- Summit ave-
nue.. near Montgomery street, and a bull +
ing was put up as a total cost for ground
and building of $4,000, $1,000 of which was
paid by che Board of Church Extension:
The first commission was held IN the
building in February, 1888 The church
financial resources steadily improved, The
congregation soon became self~sustaln1ng.
In 1892 the congregation became so pros
porous that it was able to purchase rne
present site. The church building was
moved across the street and placed where
it is at present.
MI. Biddle, pastor of this enterprising
church, was born In Mercer county, fa-,
June u. 1S4S. He studied theology in the
theological seminaries of Monmouth, New
burgh and Allegheny, and was licensed