Presbytery of Newton

The Presbytery of Newton is a regional governing body for Presbyterian congregations located in northwestern New Jersey and affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Established in 1817 to oversee congregations in northwestern New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania, the Presbytery of Newton currently includes 59 member churches located in the counties of Sussex, Morris, Warren and Hunterdon. The Presbytery of Newton is one of 22 presbyteries that comprise the Synod of the Northeast, which oversees 1,130 churches in New Jersey, New York, and the New England states.

The First Presbyterian Church in Newton, New Jersey, built 1869-1871. The Presbytery of Newton administers Presbyterian Church affairs for 59 congregations in Northwestern New Jersey. Today its offices are located in Randolph Township, New Jersey.

A presbytery is a confederation of congregations united and accountable for management of church affairs in local region. It makes decisions regarding these affairs often as a quasi-representative body, or committee, with members representing each congregation—typically the minister and an elder 'commissioned' from each parish. This body often includes additional representatives that include other clergy not affiliated with a congregation such as theological college professors, chaplains, and retired ministers.

Aside from these 59 member churches and the presbytery's various mission projects (domestic and overseas), the Presbytery of Newton is also connected to the Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center in Johnsonburg, New Jersey, and a private preparatory school, Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.[1] Its offices are located on State Route 10 in Randolph Township, New Jersey.[2]

History

The Presbytery of Newton was created in October 1817 during a convention of the Synod of New York and New Jersey in October 1817.[3]^:p.13 It was decided to divide the northern territory of the Presbytery of New Brunswick into a new presbytery.[3]^:p.13 The original boundary of the Presbytery of Newton was determined to run from the Delaware River north of Lambertville, New Jersey, including all of Hunterdon, Morris and Sussex Counties (which then included present-day Warren County and stretched west to the ridge of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania including most of Northampton and Monroe counties.[3]^:p.15–16 At that time, the Presbytery of Newton included 24 churches—in New Jersey the congregations at Knowlton, Hardwick, Marksboro, Newton, Hackettstown, German Valley, Fox Hill, Lamington, Baskingridge, Bethlehem, Kingwood, Alexandria, Greenwich, Harmony, Oxford, Mansfield, Pleasant Grove, Flemington, Amwell 1st and 2nd; and in Pennsylvania 4 congregations at Easton, Lower Mount bethel, Upper Mount Bethel and Smithfield. These 24 congregations shared 9 full-time pastors.[3]^:p.18–19 Several of the congregations stemmed from ethnic German congregations, including German Valley and Knowlton—communities that were first settled by Palatine Germans and affiliated with either the German Reformed or Lutheran faiths. In 1823, a German and Dutch Reformed congregation at Stillwater (founded in 1769) was received by the Presbytery.[3]^:p.19

Member churches

As of 2013, the following 59 church congregation are overseen by the Presbytery of Newton.[4]

Hunterdon County Bloomsbury: First Presbyterian Church of Bloomsbury Califon: Fairmount Presbyterian Church Califon: Lower Valley Presbyterian Church Hampton: Musconetcong Valley Presbyterian Church Morris County Boonton: First Presbyterian Church of Boonton Cedar Knolls: Hildale Park Presbyterian Church Chatham: Ogden Memorial Presbyterian Church Chatham: Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township Chester: Community Presbyterian Church Denville: Union Hill Presbyterian Church Dover: First Memorial Presbyterian Church East Hanover: First Church of Hanover East Hanover: Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian Church Flanders: United Presbyterian Church, Flanders Florham Park: Calvary Presbyterian Church Gilette: Meyersville Presbyterian Church Long Valley: Long Valley Presbyterian Church Madison: Presbyterian Church of Madison Mendham: First Presbyterian Church of Mendham Mine Hill: Mine Hill Presbyterian Church Morris Plains: Presbyterian Church of Morris Plains Morristown: Presbyterian Church in Morristown Mount Freedom: Mount Freedom Presbyterian Church New Vernon: First Presbyterian Church of New Vernon Parsippany: Parsippany Presbyterian Church Rockaway: First Presbyterian Church of Rockaway Schooley's Mountain: Highlands Presbyterian Church Stirling: First Presbyterian Church, Stirling Succasunna: First Presbyterian Church of Succasunna Wharton: First Presbyterian Church of Berkshire Valley Wharton: Hungarian Presbyterian Church of Wharton Wharton: Wharton United Community Church Whippany: First Presbyterian Church of Whippany

Sussex County Andover: Andover Presbyterian Church Branchville: First Presbyterian Church of Branchville Franklin: First Presbyterian Church of Franklin Fredon: Yellow Frame Presbyterian Church Newton: First Presbyterian Church of Newton Ogdensburg: First Presbyterian Church of Ogdensburg Sparta: First Presbyterian Church of Sparta Stanhope: First Presbyterian Church of Stanhope Stillwater: Stillwater Presbyterian Church Sussex: First Presbyterian Church of Sussex Wantage: Beemerville Presbyterian Church Warren County Allamuchy: Panther Valley Ecumenical Church Alpha: United Presbyterian Church of Alpha Belvidere: United Presbyterian Church in Belvidere Blairstown: First Presbyterian church of Blairstown Delaware: Delaware Presbyterian Church Hackettstown: First Presbyterian Church of Hackettstown Hazen: First Presbyterian Church of Oxford at Hazen Oxford: Oxford Second Presbyterian Church Phillipsburg: Presbyterian Church in Harmony Phillipsburg: Pilgrim Presbyterian Church Phillipsburg: Westminster Presbyterian Church Port Murray: Rockport Presbyterian Church Stewartsville: Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church Stewartsville: Stewartsville Presbyterian Church Washington: First Presbyterian Church of Washington

Defunct churches

• Hamburg: First Presbyterian Church of Hamburg
• Hardyston: North Hardyston Church
• Marksboro: Marksboro Presbyterian Church

References

1. Presbytery of Newton. "Who we are". Retrieved 30 April 2013.
2. 390 Route 10 West, Randolph, New Jersey 07869 according to Presbytery of Newton. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
3. Presbytery of Newton. Proceedings of the Convention at Washington, New Jersey, November 20th, 1867, to celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Organization of the Presbytery of Newton at the Mansfield Church, November 20th, 1817. (New York: Charles Scribner & Co. 1868).
4. Presbytery of Newton. "The Presbytery of Newton Encompasses Churches in Four Counties of New Jersey". Retrieved 30 April 2013.

External links

• Presbytery of Newton (website)