The First Presbyterian Church of Newton (or Newton Presbyterian Church) is a Christian house of worship located in the Town of Newton in Sussex County, New Jersey. This congregation, established in 1786, is a congregation of the Presbytery of the Highlands of New Jersey and the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The first church building was erected in the 1786 at the time Rev. Ira Condit, a 1784 graduate of Princeton University was installed as the congregation's first pastor. This first edifice was razed for a larger, second building at the site, erected 1828-1829. The third and present edifice was built in 1869–1872 of native blue limestone and described as being "plain but beautiful...in its simple style of architecture."New Jersey Herald (26 August 1869).United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. (filed 1 October 1992, approved 12 November 1992), Section 7, pages 34-40. NRIS Reference Number 92001521. Retrieved 16 July 2013. While described as simple, the building is a combination of architectural styles that is chiefly Italianate and Renaissance Revival architecture but incorporates elements associated with the Classical Revival and Romanesque Revival styles. The church was damaged in an 1893 fire, and restored with funds from parishioners, including Newton industrialist Henry W. Merriam (1828–1900). At this time, Merriam donated several stained glass windows, including one over the altar depicting Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.
On 26 October 1979, the First Presbyterian Church of Newton was placed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Historic Preservation Office. New Jersey Register of Historic Places-Sussex County . SHPO ID#2611. Retrieved 16 July 2013.Harold E. Pellow & Associates, Inc. Town of Newton Master Plan August 2008 (professional paper/public document), 66, 69. Retrieved 16 July 2013. It is also included as part of the Newton Town Plot Historic District which was approved and entered on the National Register of Historic Places on 12 November 1992.
Food Programs During the winter of 1987, the congregation's Board of Deacons proposed establishing an ecumenical soup kitchen. In the following three decades, Manna House's operations and reach expanded to include over two dozen worshipping communities in addition to paid staff.
Through Manna House and Bread of Life Newton, free, hot meals are provided six days a week to members of the wider community experiencing food insecurity.
Nonprofit Involvement The First Presbyterian Church of Newton houses the Sussex County branch of Literacy New Jersey, which provides English as a second or foreign language classes, American Civics Test preparation, and literacy programs.
Family Promise of Sussex County, which provides a range of services including housing stabilization and eviction diversion, is headquartered in the church's Spurgeon House at 19 Church Street.
See also Christ Church, Newton Newton Cemetery (Newton, New Jersey) Old Newton Burial Ground
References
External links
Presbytery of the Highlands Manna House