USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > The North Reformed Church, Newark, New Jersey : the addresses delivered in connection with the observance of the fiftieth anniversary, Dec. 10-17, 1906 > Part 7
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These friendships, I know, have outlasted even death in these later years. I cannot expose the privacy of those blessed fellowships. I received the confession of the children trained in these splendid schools, prepared to take the place of the fathers when they should drop by the way.
So the Church grew until it had doubled its membership by the very law of heredity, estab- lishing a continuity which ensured its stability and power. The continuous pastorate of a decade and a half-fourteen years-brought us to the
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
close of the first quarter, when my failing strength required a surrender into stronger, abler and worthier hands, of this strong, great and powerful body, under which its power and ability for good should be fully developed.
-
I interpret the significance of this blessed min- istry to me-the significance as designed for the preservation of the band in its integrity; of its consolidation ; of its preparation for the splendid ministries which were to follow and crown the semi-centennial.
Though I closed my ministry I did not sever my connection with this Church; I only passed from its pulpit to its chair in the college, which has been so largely from the beginning the trust of this church, represented in the most generous, loyal, intelligent and faithful members of the Board-a chair created by this Church upon a foundation furnished by the lady whose resources enriched it and whose counsel and interest it was my pleasure to direct in the close of my min- istry.
1
When seated in the Professor's stall in the chapel of the College I have turned to the walls, covered with the portraits of its distinguished men, and I have seen faces which looked out from these pews upon me as I preached, and I have felt that as I sat there I was still in this dear old church enjoying a living fellowship with its members. Right over my chair was the por-
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REV. PETER K. HAGEMAN, Present Assistant Minister, 1905-
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ADDRESSES
trait of Peter S. Duryee, a face that brought up in its vivacity the faces of others ; and I have sat under that face for twenty-six years and have felt it all the time.
Now after a lapse of twenty-five years I return to these scenes, after a life of seclusion. It is the same Church, the same old church edifice, and the enrichments and adornments do not conceal the beauty which it always possessed for me. But I look in vain for many faces which I knew so well -faces of those who constituted the support and strength of my ministry. A few still linger. One has gone whose life began with the beginning of this church, one who filled it with great modesty, and great power, who filled its life with his sweetness and gentleness and goodness and be- nevolence, now translated to a higher sphere. But it is the same church, though these faces have passed from view; it is the same Church, for I see in these pews here and there the chil- dren of those devoted men and women who pre- serve the heredity and continuity and identity of this body and constitute its unity and strength, joined by an increasing multitude, a multitude which has not in a sense obliterated what was characteristic and noble in its character and life, but in its additions have assimilated that charac- ter, which, after all, constitutes the greatness of this Church.
I rejoice in the record of their most unex-
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
ampled activities in response to the eloquence and power and devotion of these faithful and able ser- vants whose ministry is crowned at this semi- centennial with glory and honor.
I enter into the feeling of the founder of this Church and of others who followed him, in the same spirit and the same feeling of rejoicing and gladness as Dr. Polhemus when in his death he exclaimed, "I see Jesus and my soul is ravished by the sight," and here proclaimed his faith that "this church will be erected; souls shall there be converted to Christ and I shall rejoice over them in Heaven."
I believe the results here achieved have ex- ceeded the lofty aspirations and expectations of that servant of God, and I cannot but believe at this point in entering upon this second semi-cen- tennial that the power and spirit in which this church started exists, and exists in still greater power, like the life of the three knights in their struggles. When one fell his soul passed to the second, and when the second fell the two souls passed into the third, so that in the third soul we have the concentrated power which gained the victory.
May God give such a future to this beloved Church and to His beloved servant.
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ADDRESS
BY
THE REV'D DONALD SAGE MACKAY, D. D.
FTER a week of continuous gleaning in the fields of these past fifty years, all that is left, I am afraid, for us who ap- pear on this last evening is a pretty sparce and scanty harvest. With loving hands the sheaves of achievement which these years have ripened have been garnered into the treasure house of memory. For seven nights you have been sing- ing the song of Harvest Home as well as Jubilee, as you have watched the gleanings of half a cen- tury's work for Christ stacked in the homestead of loving remembrance. But to-night, like a be- lated reaper, as the last harvester of all, I am asked once more to traverse these fields of the past and glean a few forgotten ears of the harvest which, in the mercy of God, has been so boun- teous and full.
I must not forget, however, at the outset, that I appear before you this evening in a dual capacity ; officially, I am here as the President of our Gen- eral Synod, to bear to you, Dr. Vance, and to you, my brethren, the hearty greetings and fer- vent God-speed of the entire Reformed Church of America on this most auspicious event in your history ; and personally, I am here as one of your
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
former pastors, who, in the years gone by helped to sow one or two handfuls of seed in the harvest of this Golden Jubilee. As President and Ex- Pastor, therefore, I am here to-night, and in this presence I do not hesitate to say which I think the greater honor. Almost anybody can be Pres- ident of Synod if he wants it, but only three of us can rank as ex-Pastors of the North Reformed Church, and we three here this evening unite in expressing the fervent hope that many a long year will pass before Dr. Vance adds the prefix of "Ex" to his title as minister! Moreover, we unite in this testimony, that amidst the joys and prosperity which other scenes and associations have brought us, no experience lingers more sweetly in remembrance than the years we spent in the service of this beloved church. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," and it is with hearts overflowing with gratitude to God for His loving kindness to us in the min- istry of this church that we veterans of the past come back to these hallowed scenes once more.
True, there is sadness in some of the memories that come crowding upon us out of the past to- night. We cannot, as we look into these once familiar pews, but remember faces of those whose sympathy and friendship meant so much in the past, but who have gone from us and from our ken into the great hereafter of God. How they would have loved to share with us the gladness
148
ADDRESSES
of this celebration! How their presence would have inspired those who recount the struggles and the triumphs of these fifty years, and in which they played a worthy and active part !
What indeed I have to tell of the history of these fifty years is neither much nor great. Not long enough to be impressive, not far enough dis- tant to be touched with glamour, my ministry ranks not largely. Yet we remember Bailey's familiar and oft-quoted lines in his poem "Fes- tus":
"We live in deeds not years; in thoughts not breaths ;
In feelings, not in figures on a dial.
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives,
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best."
With the keenest sense of personal unworthi- ness I, nevertheless, would take these words as in some sort of way descriptive of the influence which these years of my Newark ministry have left in my own life. The years themselves were few, but the experiences they recorded, the joys they brought, the precious memories of friend- ship and love they created, these are things which no future can destroy. They are my personal share in the Harvest of Blessings which you cel-
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
ebrate to-night. You will believe me, my friends, when I say to you from the depths of my heart, that this church will always be to me the church of my love. Again and again I have thanked God that He ever brought us hither, and per- mitted us to serve Him in this great field of op- portunity.
What, then, are some of the impressions con- cerning this church which my ministry gave me? What are some of the distinctive things with which I shall always associate the North Re- formed Church as the result of my experience here? In recording one or two of these impres- sions, it may be that you will find a message for the future as well as a word from the past.
I. The North Church has always been a keenly responsive church. By that I mean that it has been not simply receptive to the message of the pulpit, but quick to translate that message into the activities of Christian service. That, of course, is what makes the work of the Christian ministry a constant joy and inspiration. A min- ister dreams his dreams and sees his visions, but those dreams and visions of larger service await men and women of initiative who have faith enough to embody them in consecrated action. During my service here, every enterprise under- taken received the loyal support alike of young and old, of rich and poor. And that spirit has been very largely the secret of the church's vi-
150
ADDRESSES
tality. It has been ever ready for new oppor- tunities and responsive to meet new demands. Because of that quality in its life it has been in the best sense a hospitable church. It has always had a kindly welcome for the stranger, and it has never forgotten its obligations to the poor. It is true, in doing these things it has not surrendered a certain dignified conservatism which has marked its life from the very first. No one can accuse this church of being gushing or emotional. You have not cheapened the sanctuary in order to attract the mob. You have not degraded your charity into mere almsgiving. In your respon- siveness to real need, you have not permitted any worthy soul to forget his self-respect.
It is possible, of course, for a church to over- emphasize the dignity of its position. There is al- ways a danger lest ecclesiastical etiquette should be misconstrued into religious snobbishness. A family church, such as this has always been, tends to become a self-centered institution. That danger must be guarded against, and it can only be overcome by the development of this spirit of responsiveness to the new and enlarging oppor- tunities of service which each year's growth brings with it. The day that a church is content to rest satisfied with past achievements is the day that its decay begins. The marvellous growth with which you have been blessed, in these more recent years especially, is but the pledge of a still
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
mightier increase of spiritual influence, if the hos- pitalities of your hearts are kept fresh and open to the needs of the stranger at your gates.
I am reminded here of a curious and amusing incident which occurred in my own experience just after I had been called to the pastorate here. Before deciding to accept the call, I went to Scot- land. One day, accompanying a Sunday School picnic to a little island on the beautiful Frith of Clyde, I met a man who introduced himself to ine as a Scotchman who had visited America. It turned out that he had lived for some time in this city and had, strangely enough, attended the ser- vices of this church. As the call to be its pastor was still under consideration in my mind, you may imagine my eagerness to find out the impres- sion which the church had left upon him. He was enthusiastic about the services, but when I in- quired what sort of people attended the church, his answer I have never forgotten. In broad, Scotch, he replied, "I did na get much acquent wi' the people, for ye see I aye sat in the gal- lery !" In those days things were different from what they are now,-for you know cream always rises to the top, and I speedily found many of my best and most devoted friends in the galleries,- but it occurred to me then, that evidently there was a work of grace to be done, not alone in the galleries of this church, but elsewhere, along the lines of Christian hospitality. Of course such
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ADDRESSES
incidents will occur in any church, but it is not difficult for a congregation to create a certain definite character, either of warm-heartedness or of indifference, as the case may be, upon those who as strangers occasionally participate in its services. You will, therefore, forbear with me if to-night I plead for a still larger development of this spirit of Christian responsiveness to the needs which surround you.
The North Church has always been notable for the youthfulness of its spirit. It has been pre- eminently rich in the hopefulness and buoyancy of youth. There has been a zest in its manifold enterprises which only youthful ardor can im- part. And that feature of its life has been pro- foundly fostered by the vitality of its Sunday Schools. In every church there is a strategic point of influence at which its energies should fo- cus themselves. This North Church has ever been wise in realizing that its strategic point of opportunity is centered in its Sunday School. No estimate of the growth of influence of these fifty years can be in any sense adequate, without the recognition of what the Sunday Schools have been as elements of power. They have been the church's true recruiting ground. Its social life, and spiritual enthusiasm have grown out of their rich soil. They have imparted a tone and atmo- sphere to the whole life of the congregation, which without them had been impossible.
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
It has been a happy feature in these Jubilee Celebrations that you devoted one night alone to the history of the Sunday Schools, and from no one surely could a more inspiring testimony to their influence have been rendered than by Mr. Frelinghuysen in his address on that occa- sion. These schools have been served by a nota- ble array of cultured men and women. Their teachers have represented the finest qualities of the church membership, and their superinten- dents have been men of capacity and devotion. It would be invidious to mention the names of individuals here, but as the Roll of your Charter Members grows more precious in the passing years, no one will hesitate in joining with me to- night in a tribute of loving gratitude to one, whose name is on that Charter Roll, and whose presence is still with us-the name of Mrs. Rob- ert F. Ballantine, to whose unwearied service of love and personal devotion for more than a gen- eration, in the Sunday School, this congregation owes an imperishable debt of gratitude.
The North Church has been, in the truest sense, a Missionary Church. Its missionary character was established from the first. At the close of my second year as pastor, I remember receiving a letter from the late Rev. Dr. Wililam R. Duryee, congratulating this church on the fact which he had noticed in two of its annual reports, that it was giving more to missionary benevolences than
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ADDRESSES
it was spending upon its congregational needs. That feature in the life of the church has been a large part of the secret of its success. While it has been unstinted in its generosity to its minis- ters, it has never forgotten, in generous gifts and in prayerful interests, its obligations to the great world beyond its own gates. So long as it cher- ishes that spirit it will prosper. The church in which obedience to the great Commission is a liv- ing fact, dwells under the constant presence and power of the Holy Ghost.
The North Church, through these years, has been true to the Evangelical gospel. Its loyalty to Jesus Christ as Divine Lord and Saviour has been unquestioned. These fifty years have been a noble testimony of witness-bearing to Jesus Christ. The power of the cross has been manifested here in the salvation of many souls. It is an aspect of our Christian service which was never more needed to be emphasized than to-day. Loyalty to a church, while indifferent in its de- votion to Christ, degenerates into bigotry. Churchianity may develop into a vast organiza- tion, but it never can be a spiritual influence in the world. The pulpit may preach Christianity without Christ, but the pew cannot live Chris- tianity without Christ. In the loyalty of this church to our living Lord, lies the assurance of unbroken influence and inspiring growth for the years to come.
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
Into this harvest of blessing you, my brother, have entered. Right nobly are you realizing your opportunity. In your hands, the harvest of these past years is being transmuted into a nobler springtide for the future. The seeds of blessing which you are sowing here are destined to pro- duce a mightier result fifty years from now, even than we witness to-night. When that Centennial is celebrated on December 17th, 1956, those who gather in this old church that night (as some of our younger friends will gather), will tell of the venerated and venerable Dr. Vance (and he may be still living then) who gave the enthusiasm of youth, the maturity of experience, and finally the mellowed activities of old age to the service of this church. So I say, my brother, with sincere affection-Stand by this old church, and not only will your love to it increase, but its love and loy- alty to you will deepen with every passing year.
And for you my people of olden days, what shall I say? Only this, in the memory of your love to me and mine, on this glad night of sacred memory, I pray for you, that God may have you in His holy keeping, fill your hearts and homes with His love, until, as the years go by, we meet again in the harvest home of Heaven, in the Golden Jubilee of God.
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HYMNS
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HYMN THE "NORTH CHURCH" BY
MISS MARY DRUMMOND CAMPBELL
(Tune "America") Our church we sing to you Naught but our praises true, And of our love. Our fathers too, of old, God-fearing, brave and bold, Of all thy goodness told To Him above.
We praise our God in Heaven Who has so kindly given To us our Church. Long may she ever stand Upon this loved free land, Protected by His Hand The Good Dutch Church.
The twinkling stars at night Cast out a kindly light To lead us home. So, when our way seems dark, And fainting grows our heart, Thy light of love will dart To guide us on.
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
God bless this Church we love, With blessings from above, Her sons keep true. When pride and self assail Let not their arts avail, But may she still prevail This grand old Church.
160
HYMN 1
BY
THOMAS S. WILSON
(To the tune of "Scots wha hae.") ,
Sing a round'elay of praise, To our God an anthem raise, For our Church's length of days, Sing, with fervent zeal. Dedicated to our Lord, By a people in accord, With the glory of His word To Him we appeal.
Riches of redeeming grace, Beam on each uplifted face ; Here, our souls new birth we trace ; Here, we love to dwell. Consecrated once again, By the prayers we entertain, By the blessings we obtain, From our Father, God.
Surely, striving, while we pray, To our God, whom we obey, Through our Saviour's blood-bought way, Christ, our risen Lord. God, bless now our edifice, Saviour breathe Thy sweetest peace ; Holy Spirit, send increase, Fill our hearts with love.
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
Love, to mount on joyous wings ; Love, to sing as seraph sings ; Love, to shout when Jesus brings Weary pilgrims home. Sing a round'elay of praise, To our God, an anthem raise, For our Church's length of days, Sing with fervent zeal.
162
THE CONSISTORY
The Rev'd James I. Vance, D. D., Minister. The Rev'd Peter K. Hageman, Asst. Minister. Frederick Frelinghuysen, Clerk of Elders. J. Henry Lindeburg, Treasurer. George Alexander, Secretary.
ELDERS
Frederick Frelinghuysen
Peter Campbell
George Cooper
George S. Hobart
Dr. Sidney A. Twinch Anson A. Carter D. Henry Merritt John Allison Charles Witheridge
James S. Polhemus George Alexander Cornelius H. Vanderhoof
Theodore H. Sterling Thomas J. Thompson
DEACONS
J. William Clark James H. Abercrombie J. Henry Lindeburg James Flockhart 163
THE CONSISTORY
Edwin E. Dent
Frederick Gassert
James A. Williamson John Monteith
Chester G. Warriner James Ness J. Jacob Schaeffer
Henry S. Squier
John J. Wright Clark
Frederick H. Douglas
164
NORTH REFORMED CHURCH FINANCIAL REPORT FOR YEAR 1906. CHURCH ACCOUNT. INCOME.
To Balance, 1905
$
201 89
Balance Repairs
298 91
$500 80
Sabbath Collections, ordinary
$3,497 77
Envelopes
4,976 71
Pew Rents
7,088 85
Subscriptions
1,200 00
Subscriptions for repairs .
9,754 00
Rent, East Newark Chapel.
72 00
Subscriptions, Anniversary
Fund
750 00
Special Offering (Missions)
8,161 56
35,500 89
$36,001 69
EXPENDITURES.
By Pulpit Supply and Prayer
Meetings
$ 231 00
Salaries
9,800 00
Music
2,513 26
Care of Organ
100 00
Classis Assessment
100 98
Church Notices, Calendars, Printing
543 13
Electric Light and Power, Gas
632 53
Coal and Wood
377 50
Sundries
385 34
Repairs (sundry)
282 79
Repairs (special)
10,250 OI
Water
26 38
Manse (repairs) .
107 13
Manse Taxes, 1906
292 84
Insurance, Church, one year.
280 18
165
GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
Insurance, Manse, three years 40 00
Bridge St. Lot, Taxes 1905. . 35 87
Telephone 50 91
Anniversary expenses
384 50
Sunday Schools
926 78
East Newark Mission
199 82
Missions
8,050 56
35,61I 51
Credit Balance Church ...
24 68
Credit Balance Anniver-
sary Fund 365 50
$36,001 69
CLARK MEMORIAL FUND.
INCOME.
To Balance, 1905
$1,164 41
Interest to Sept. 15, 1906 300 00
$1,464 4I
EXPENDITURES.
By Expenses Sunday School
Anniversary
$ 21 36
Poor Fund
250 00
271 36
Credit Balance
1,193 05
$1,464 41
SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
INCOME.
To Christmas Offering for En-
tertainment $ III 00 Clark Memorial Fund 21 36
Church account
815 78
$948 14
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FINANCIAL REPORT OF 1906
EXPENDITURES.
By Christmas Entertainment. $ 450 39
Anniversary
21 36
Periodicals
162 50
Board of Publication (les-
son books) 218 29
Primary Department Sup-
plies
52 85
Printing and Sundries
42 75
$948 14
CRANE TRUST FUND.
INCOME.
To Balance, 1906
$159 07
Rent of Sparta Property to
July, 1906
90 00
$249 07
EXPENDITURES.
By Taxes, 1906, Sparta Prop-
erty
$IO 68
Credit Balance
238 39
$249 07
POOR FUND.
INCOME.
To Clark Memorial Fund $250 00
Special Collections 228 00
$478 00
EXPENDITURES.
By Edwin E. Dent, Treasurer. .
$478 00
EAST NEWARK MISSION.
INCOME.
To Collections and Donations .. $195 70
Rent
72 00
Church Account 172 82
$395 52
167
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GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
EXPENDITURES.
By Salaries
$75 00
Gas
30 70
Water
Coal and Wood 3 00
38 25
Repairs
14 25
Insurance (3 years)
38 62
Expenditures per T. J.
Thompson
195 70
$395 52
PARISH HOUSE FUND.
INCOME.
To Balance, 1906
Donations
126 00
Interest to December I,
1906
47 34
173 34
EXPENDITURES.
None.
Credit Balance
$1,583 52
Pledges, $4,056.00.
MISSIONARY ACCOUNT.
INCOME.
To Balance, 1905-
Clark Memorial Fund
$1,164 41
Ladies' B. and M. Society ..
159 24
Crane Trust Fund
159 07
$1,482 72
Special Collections and Do- nations
$15,605 16
Clark Memorial Fund 300 00
Ladies' B. and M. Society.
2,387 60
Crane Trust Fund
90 00
Young Woman's Guild 76 00
Y. P. S. C. E.
214 50
Sunday Schools 1,543 21
East Newark Mission
267 70
$21,966 89
I68
$1,410 18
$1,583 52
FINANCIAL REPORT OF 1906
EXPENDITURES.
By Board of Domestic Missions-
Church
$1,492 60
Church (Christ . Refd. Ch. Bldg. Fund)
6,500 00
Ladies B. and M. Society ..
632 35
Sunday Schools 524 13
Y. P. S. C. E. 154 50
$9,303 58
Board of Foreign Missions-
Church
$4,089 00
Ladies' B. and M. Society ..
633 25
Sunday Schools
624 70
Y. P. S. C. E.
30 00
Young Woman's Guild
10 00
5,386 95
Disabled Ministers' and
Widows' Funds
514 15
Board of Education ,R. C.A.
71 50
Church Building Fund .
69 75
Theological Seminary
at
New Brunswick
250 00
Western Theological nary
Sem-
400 00
Board of Publication
25 00
Poor Fund
478 00
Essex County Bible Society
300 00
Hampton Normal & Agri- cultural Institute
60 00
Evangelistic Committee,
Tent Work
15 00
San Francisco Relief Fund ..
340 00
Newark Christian Mission to Jews
9 16
Church at Blowing Rock,
N. C. .
21 00
Young Woman's Christian Association
30 00
J. C. French Industrial Home Bureau of Associated Charities
30 00
30 40
Bureau of Association Char- ities, Work Room, (L. B. & M. Soc.)
20 00
169
GOLDEN JUBILEE-NORTH REFORMED CHURCH
Church Nurse (L. B, & M. Soc.)
750 00
Missionary Boxes to Califor-
nia and Michigan (L. B. & M. Soc.)
Sunday Schools
948 14
Sparta Property
IO 68
East Newark Mission
395 52
Volunteers of America.
75 00
Christmas Box Vance S. S. (S. S.)
26 05
American S. S. Union ($100 Vance Church) (S. S). ...
135 00
Essex County S. S. Union (S .S.) .
45 00
Fresh Air Work (S. S.) ....
15 00
Various Charities (S. S.) .... Lees-McRae Institute (Y.
I73 33
W. Guild)
56 00
Fresh Air Work (Y. W. Guild)
10 00
Various Charities (Y. P. S. C. E.)
30 00
$20,344 71
Credit Balances-
Clark Memorial Fund
$1,193 05
Ladies' B. and M. Society ..
190 74
Crane Trust Fund
238 39
$21,966 89
ABSTRACT OF CONTRIBUTIONS .
Church
$17,585 33
Missions
$14,661 56
Ladies' B. and M. Society 2,387 60
Sunday Schools
1,543 2I
Young Women's Guild
76 00
Y. P. S. C. E.
214 50
East Newark Mission
267 70
Clark Memorial Fund
300 00
Crane Trust Fund
90 00
Sent direct by Members to Mis-
sion Boards
3,574 25
23,114 82
I70
320 50
FINANCIAL REPORT OF 1906
Special Repairs 9,754 00
$50,454 15
J. HENRY LINDEBURG, Treasurer.
Audited and found correct, ANSON A. CARTER, FREDERICK H. DOUGLAS, Auditors.
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