Ridgefield Park RPC

Location: Ridgefield Park, N. J.

Presbytery: Atlantic

Organized: 1797

Membership: 30 communicant; 6 baptized

Pastor: J. Bruce Martin

Website: www.rpcnj.org

History

The Ridgefield Park congregation had its beginning in 1797 in New York City, where many Covenanters from Scotland and Ireland settled during the great migrations to the New World. The First New York Reformed Presbyterian Church was organized in the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Agnew.

This group called Alexander McLeod, from Scotland, who came to pastor this church and the congregation that had been established in Coldenham to the north. He agreed to come only after the members agreed to free all the slaves they had.

For the next century the New York City congregations moved uptown where they occupied a series of locations as the city grew. Immigrants kept coming from Northern Ireland and establishing other congregations, notably the Second Church (1830), the Third Church (1848), the Fourth Church, and one in Brooklyn.

For 181 years these five congregations ministered to the ever-changing New York City region, finally merging into one congregation by 1944. When urban decay prevented our multiethnic ministry from continuing in the Bronx, we formed a committee to move the congregation to New Jersey, and we invited the Montclair congregation to join us when we found a place to worship. We searched and searched, but no church buildings were available.

In 1978 I phoned a real estate company, to be met by laughter from a young salesman. “Churches don’t come on the market; they’re always sold privately, by word of mouth.” What could we do? I could only pray.

On Friday that same salesman phoned me. “I can hardly believe it. A church just came on the market. Would you like to see it?” He took me to a Christian Science building in Ridgefield Park. It looked just right, but perhaps a bit large for us. I thanked the Lord for His guidance.

The price was not too high for us, and the salesman told us to offer less than the asking price. We prayed about it, and then voted to buy it. To my shock, the Christian Science group accepted our offer because they were so glad that their building would not become doctors’ offices.

But then I looked at the walls of the sanctuary and read the quotations from Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy. After the purchase of the building was completed, I took a ladder and pried off the four-inch letters of two quotations on the walls. I left the Bible quotation, “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” What a wonderful quotation to have over the pulpit!

Ministry

The Lord has slowly built up our ministry in northern New Jersey. We have quite a few visitors here, either people who know us or those who see our sign and agree with the Reformed part. More and more people are learning about us through our web site. New members have come from the Philippines, from Roman Catholicism, from just coming in and meeting us.

A few have come from the neighborhood, and for them we are doubly grateful. Ringing doorbells has not been as fruitful as we had hoped. But our telephone marathon using four separate lines has received God’s blessing. We are also thankful that Jim Pellegrini joined us and grew in grace and decided to attend our seminary. He has graduated and is now working with us in this neighborhood for a year’s internship.

We are easy to get to, being located at the intersection of Interstates 80 and 95. Our front door serves as a bus stop for busses to and from New York City. Please pray that the congregation may be able to get back into New York. We would like to start a Bible study in the city, but we first need someone who is willing to host us.