Bay Ridge United Church

Bay Ridge United Church (BRUC) was located on Bay Ridge Parkway (636) in the Bay Ridge Section of Brooklyn, New York. The congregation was a blend of two churches from two similar but different denominations and was a member of both the Reformed Church in AmericaEmail, Russell Gasero, Reformed Church in America, Archivist, April 24, 2013 and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

South Reformed Church

The South Reformed Church, an offshoot of the Old First Reformed Church (Brooklyn, New York) was organized in 1838. Its first building was a plain wooden structure measuring 40 by 55 feet which stood on the corner of 43rd Street and Third Avenue. Mr. George King was the architect, the Messrs. Rhoades, the carpenters, and the Messrs. Buchanan and Van Nostrand the masons, having completed it at a contract price of $1660 on June 23, 1840.Historical Sketch of the South Reformed Dutch Church of the City of Brooklyn, May 1886.

Its first pastor was Rev. Cornelius Cullan Ardsdale. He was succeeded by the Rev. Dr.The New York Times, October 27, 1890 Samuel Merrill Woodbridge who was installed on Dec. 12 in 1841. In 1890 he was Dean of the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey.A History of Long Island, Nathaniel S. Prime, 1845 During his pastorate the consistory bought the building then owned by the Fourth Presbyterian Church (New School) of the City of Brooklyn (Brooklyn Fourth) located on 3rd Avenue between 20th and 21st Street, Brooklyn, which was organized by the Third Presbytery of New York in the Village of Gowanus, in February, 1838. A house of worship was erected soon after, and the Rev. Robert R. Kellogg was installed June 4, 1839, by the Presbytery of Brooklyn. He was dismissed on 7 December following, and the congregation being few, and oppressed with debt, the church was dissolved by the presbytery, May 9, 1842.Inventory of the Church Archives of New York City: Presbyterian Church in the USA (New York, NY: Historical Records Survey, 1940, entry 164) Subsequently, the building was purchased by the Third Dutch church, and for several years services were held alternately in the morning and evening in the two churches. About 1850, the congregation divided into two portions; those worshipping in the 22nd Street church known as the North Gowanus Church moved to Twelfth Street, where they were then known as the Twelfth Street Reformed Church. At the South Reformed Church the Rev. Dr. Woodbridge's pastorate ended on April 29, 1850. He was succeeded by the Rev. Jonathan M. Rowland, who was called from the Presbyterian Church on May 18, 1852, but who died suddenly on Sunday Oct. 2, 1853.

There was an interval of a few years when the church was without a pastor. On July 17, 1854, the Rev. John H. Manning became pastor and continued until June 30, 1873. During his pastorate the church went through a crisis with the yellow fever in July and August 1856. Three of the four members of the church consistory died of the disease and the church membership was decimated. The neighborhood was panic-stricken, but the church bravely kept at its post.

In March 1863, the church building was destroyed by fire. The fire was said to have been caused by a heating stove.Brooklyn Eagle, March 16, 1863, p. 7 After meeting in P.S. 2 at 47th Street and 3rd Avenue, in 1875 the new church edifice at 52nd Street and 3rd Avenue, which had been begun a few years before, was dedicated. It cost about $35,000. The church started with seventeen members and grew to 200 members, with a Sunday school of 325 in 1890."A Church's Half Century," The New York Times (Oct. 27,1890)

Rev. Dr. Henry.V.S. Myers was pastor from Oct. 15, 1874 to May 1, 1882.

The Rev. Alfred DeWitt Mason was pastor from November, 1882 until October 12, 1891. On December 7, 1890, the evening service was occupied in the formal receiving of a baptismal font, communion table, kneeling stool and collection plates given to the church by the members of the Bergen family.

When the church was formed fifty years earlier the territory of Bay Ridge was very sparsely settled and would have discouraged a less hardy class of people. The several branches of Bergens were the real reason for the permanent establishment. While many of the Bergens had left the neighborhood, fifty-one joined in the tribute to the church. Mr. deHart Bergen read the deed of the gift and the list of fifty donors and handed it over to the pastor. Teunis G. Bergen, grandson ofancestry.com Teunis G. Bergen, followed in a very brief address, speaking on behalf of the family. The communion table and chair were massive and made of black walnut.Brooklyn Eagle, Dec. 8, 1890

Rev. John Tallmadge Bergen was pastor from April 26, 1892, to September 2, 1895, and the Rev. Benjamin E. Dickhaut from 1896 to 1903.

As the congregation grew, the church needed to expand to a new location, so they moved to 55th Street and Fourth Avenue. The cornerstone of the church was laid in on Saturday afternoon, September 6, 1902. The pastor presided and a large children's chorus sung under his leadership "Praise Ye the Father" and "The Psalms." He read the contents of the box that was placed in the stone. The church was called the South Reformed Church.Brooklyn Eagle, Sep. 4, 1902 The contents of the box included a photograph of Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, bearing his autograph and sent by himself, copies of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and Brooklyn Daily Times and many church items. The new building was of Gothic architecture and was built by the Church Construction Company of Manhattan. W.L. Spicer was the architect. H.L. Spence was Chair of the Building Committee. The first steps towards securing the property were taken in 1899. The noise of both elevated and trolley along Third Avenue proved too much and the old church was sold to Spence Brothers who razed it and erected flat houses on the site. The old church was sold for $30,000 which went towards the $80,000 for the new building.Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sun., Sep 7, 1902

The first service was held on March 16, 1904, with the Reverend Dr. William J. MacDonald as its pastor. He served the church from February 11, 1904, to April 19, 1917. In an M. P. Moller ledger book is a handwritten copy of the Letter of Agreement of March 26, 1910, between Möller and the South Reformed Church. Möller agreed to build a two-manual organ with tubular-pneumatic action and casing of quartered oak that would be ready for use on or before the 1st day of September 1910; however, the organ was not shipped until September 3. Möller also replaced the old water motor with a new one. The total cost of the organ was $4,500, less an allowance of $1,000 for the old organ, then in the church, which became the property of Möller.American Guild of Organists, NYC Chapter (http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Bkln/html/SouthRef.html)

In 1915, the Brooklyn Home Talk reported that there were 1500 students in the Sunday School.The South Brooklyn Home Talk, Apr. 14, 1915, p. 1 On its 75th anniversary it was stated that South Reformed was the pioneer church in that section of Brooklyn and was the parent of Greenwood Heights, the Twelfth Street and the Bay Ridge Reformed Churches.Brooklyn Eagle, 1915 Bay Ridge Reformed eventually became the current Union Church of Bay Ridge.

The Rev. Dr. Robert A. Watson was pastor from October, 1917 to December 31, 1927. In 1918 the church had a membership of 1198 with a Sunday school of 1415. $10,560 was raised and the property value was $75,000.Brooklyn Eagle Almanac, 1918, p. 309 Dr. Watson accepted a call to the First Dutch Reformed Church of Jamaica in December, 1927.South Brooklyn Home Talk, December 14, 1927

The Rev. George Steininger was installed as pastor on May 10, 1928, and served until November 1, 1938.Brooklyn Daily Times, March 27, 1928 "The Yearly Report January 1, 1929-1930" reported $11,541 in receipts and disbursements and a Sunday school of 500. In 1940 the church had a membership of 400 with a Sunday School enrollment of 350."Brooklyn Daily Eagle", Mon. Apr. 29, 1940

The Rev. Dr. Leroy C. Brandt was pastor from 1939 to 1942.Centennial Anniversary, South Reformed Church, 1840-1940, Edith Cottrell, Editor On May 5, 1940, the church began the observation of its centenary. A number of special services and other events marked the anniversary. It closed on May 17 with a dinner at the Hotel Bossert.Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mon., Apr 29, 1940

Rev. Frank Curtis Williams was pastor from 1943 until his last service on July 28, 1962. In 1967 Rev. John A. Shope resigned. From January 28, 1968, to June 15. 1969 the Rev. Ronald Maxam was interim pastor. On October 26, 1969, the Rev. H. Lyle Rozeboom was installed.

When the congregation united with Bay Ridge United Presbyterian Church to become Bay Ridge United Church, the Reverend Lyle Rozeboom was the pastor and the Reverend Frank Williams was pastor emeritus. The Reverend Ephraim Felix was the pastor of the Hispanic congregation which was started in 1973.

Bay Ridge United Presbyterian Church The Bay Ridge United Presbyterian Church (BRUPC) came into existence on July 3, 1907, under the name the "Bay Ridge United (Presbyterian) Church."Certificate of Incorporation, Vol. 31, p. 149 This early group met each Sunday under the leadership of the Reverend William J Pinkerton, in a house in Bay Ridge, located on 76th Street near Fifth Avenue.Letter to Ada Fenwick, April 4, 1974, Betty Fox (476 76th StreetDeed, Liber 3465, p. 65) They remained at this location until May, 1912, when "preaching services" were begun in a store at 6811 Fort Hamilton Parkway which the pastor had rented for $12 a month.Session Minutes, May 6, 1912 After eight months, the church headquarters were again transferred to the 76th Street house due to the difficulty heating the store.Session Minutes, May 6, 10912

Under the pastoral guidance of a new minister, the Rev. J.J. Munro, the church moved in November, 1913 to a store at 7302 Sixth Avenue for $22.50 a month.Agreement, Title Guarantee and Trust Co., Oct 29, 1913 Rev. Munro was previously chaplain to the Prison Evangelistic Society of New York. At the time there was some controversy as to location, whether the church was in Bay Ridge or South Brooklyn, and it was finally changed to the "South United Presbyterian Church."

Their first major step under Pastor Munro's leadership was the purchase of the $6000 property on 75th Street, 303.68 feet southeast from 6th Avenue,Deed, Peter S. and Tunis S. Bogart and the South United Presbyterian Church, Feb. 17, 1914 on which to build their own church building. In July, 1914, confident that they were ready to begin construction, the church trustees obtained a loan from the United Presbyterian's Church Extension at Pittsburgh.

The cornerstone was laid at a ceremony on Saturday April 17, 1915. The work progressed so that by July 8, 1915, the building was ready for the first Sunday morning worship service. However, it was not until October 17, 1915, that the building was officially dedicated. Even then the ambition of the members was not fully satisfied. They set forth to increase church membership. In 1918 there were 80 members with 250 in the Sunday School. $2,699 was raised and the property was worth $15,000.Brooklyn Eagle Almanac, 1918, p.310 Pastor Munro continued working for the growth of the church until he answered another call in 1920.

His successor, J.L. McCreight, continued his fine work. McCreight, however, was a trained educator, and within a year he was called to a professorship in a Western Seminary college.