Presbytery of Newton

Last updated
The First Presbyterian Church in Newton, New Jersey, built 1869-1871. The former Presbytery of Newton administered Presbyterian Church affairs for 59 congregations in Northwestern New Jersey. Newton First Presbyterian Church.jpeg
The First Presbyterian Church in Newton, New Jersey, built 1869–1871. The former Presbytery of Newton administered Presbyterian Church affairs for 59 congregations in Northwestern New Jersey.

The former Presbytery of Newton is now part of the Presbytery of the Highlands of New Jersey as of March 1, 2021. [1] [2]

Contents

The Presbytery of Newton was 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 included 59 member churches located in the counties of Sussex, Morris, Warren and Hunterdon. The Presbytery of Newton was part of the Synod of the Northeast, which oversees churches in New Jersey, New York, and the New England states.

Aside from these 59 member churches and the presbytery's various mission projects (domestic and overseas), the Presbytery of Newton was also connected to the Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center in Johnsonburg, New Jersey, and a private preparatory school, Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren County, New Jersey</span> County in northwestern New Jersey, United States

Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. According to the 2020 census, the county was the state's 19th-most populous county, with a population of 109,632, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 940 (+0.9%) from the 2010 census count of 108,692, which in turn reflected an increase of 6,255 (+6.1%) from 102,437 counted at the 2000 census. The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sussex County, New Jersey</span> County in New Jersey, United States

Sussex County is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton. It is part of the New York metropolitan area and is part of New Jersey's Skylands Region. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 17th-most-populous county, with a population of 144,221, a decrease of 5,044 (−3.4%) from the 2010 census count of 149,265, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,099 (+3.5%) over the 144,166 persons at the 2000 census. Based on 2020 census data, Vernon Township was the county's largest in both population and area, with a population of 22,358 and covering an area of 70.59 square miles (182.8 km2). The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Presbyterian Church</span> Presbyterian denomination

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2019, it had 65,087 members and 673 congregations, of which 51 were located outside of the United States. The word Cumberland comes from the Cumberland River valley where the church was founded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pequest River</span> River in United States of America

The Pequest River is a 35.7-mile-long (57.5 km) tributary of the Delaware River in the Skylands Region in northwestern New Jersey in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulins Kill</span> River in New Jersey, United States

The Paulins Kill is a 41.6-mile (66.9 km) tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey in the United States. With a long-term median flow rate of 76 cubic feet of water per second (2.15 m³/s), it is New Jersey's third-largest contributor to the Delaware River, behind the Musconetcong River and Maurice River. The river drains an area of 176.85 square miles (458.0 km2) across portions of Sussex and Warren counties and 11 municipalities. It flows north from its source near Newton, and then turns southwest. The river sits in the Ridge and Valley geophysical province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skylands Region</span> Region of New Jersey, US

The Skylands Region is a region of New Jersey located in the northern and central parts of the state. It is one of six tourism regions established by the New Jersey State Department of Tourism; the others are Gateway Region, Greater Atlantic City Region, the Southern Shore Region, the Delaware River Region, and the Shore Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnsonburg, New Jersey</span> Populated place in Warren County, New Jersey, US

Johnsonburg is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Frelinghuysen Township in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that was created as part of the 2010 United States Census. As of the 2020 Census, the CDP's population was 381, up from 101 in the 2010 Census.

The Stillwater Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in the village of Stillwater in Stillwater Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, in the United States. It is a member of the Presbytery of the Highlands. Founded in 1769 as a union church shared by members of the Reformed and Lutheran faiths, the parish, now Presbyterian, closed in 2019.

Washington Presbytery, of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is the association of PCUSA churches in Washington and Greene counties in Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synod of the Trinity</span>

Synod of the Trinity is an upper judicatory of the Presbyterian Church headquartered in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The synod oversees sixteen presbyteries covering all of Pennsylvania, most of West Virginia, and a portion of eastern Ohio.

The former Presbytery of New Brunswick is now part of the Coastlands Presbytery as of March 1, 2021

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairmount Historic District (Califon, New Jersey)</span> Historic district in New Jersey, United States

The Fairmount Historic District is a 409-acre (166 ha) historic district located along County Route 517 in the Fairmount section of Tewksbury Township, near Califon, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 1996 for its significance in architecture, exploration/settlement, and industry. The district includes 72 contributing buildings that were deemed to be contributing to the historic character of the area, plus five contributing structures, nine contributing sites, and one contributing object. One contributing building is located in Washington Township, Morris County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Freedom Presbyterian Church</span> Historic church in New Jersey, United States

Mount Freedom Presbyterian Church is a historic Christian house of worship affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and located at the intersection of Sussex Turnpike and Church Road in the Mount Freedom section of Randolph Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. This congregation was overseen by the Presbytery of Newton. This church was closed for a few years. It is now Faithfulness Church, a Chinese Protestant Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Church in Singapore</span>

The Presbyterian Church in Singapore is a Presbyterian Reformed church. The current moderator is the Rt Rev Keith Lai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Church (Newton, New Jersey)</span> Historic church in New Jersey, United States

The First Presbyterian Church of Newton is a Christian house of worship affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in the Town of Newton in Sussex County, New Jersey. This congregation, established in the 1780s, is overseen by the Highlands Presbytery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbytery of Philadelphia</span>

The Presbytery of Philadelphia, known during its early years simply as the Presbytery or the General Presbytery, is a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It was the first organized presbytery in what was to become the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterianism in the United States</span> History of the Protestant denomination in the U.S.

Presbyterianism has had a presence in the United States since colonial times and has exerted an important influence over broader American religion and culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethel Presbyterian Church (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania)</span> Church in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania US

Bethel Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Church located in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. It operates under the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. denomination under the Synod of the Trinity and the Pittsburgh Presbytery. The adjacent cemetery holds the remains of 14 Revolutionary War soldiers from the area. The municipality of Bethel Park was named after the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church, Newton</span> Historic church in New Jersey, United States

Christ Church, also known as Christ Episcopal Church, is a Christian house of worship located on the corner of Church Street and Main Street in Newton, New Jersey. It is a parish overseen by the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The congregation first met on 28 December 1769 and was granted a charter by New Jersey's last Royal Governor William Franklin on behalf of Britain's King George III. Christ Church is the oldest church in Newton and the third oldest parish in the Diocese of Newark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbytery of Boston</span> Religious association

The Presbytery of Boston is the regional governing body for congregations located in the Greater Boston area affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Established in 1745 and with an office in Clinton, Massachusetts, the Presbytery of Boston currently includes 20 member churches located in Worcester, Norfolk, and Suffolk counties, and parts of Essex County. The Presbytery of Boston is one of 19 presbyteries that comprise the Synod of the Northeast, which oversees churches in New Jersey, New York, and the New England states.

References

  1. https://www.synodne.org/blog/2021/4/1/new-jersey-presbyteries-born-anew
  2. https://digital.history.pcusa.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A130024
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 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).