Thirty years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on February 10, 1746, King George II of England authorized by direct royal grant a charter to Church groups in Newark, Second River (now Belleville), New Barbados (West Hudson), and Acquackanonk Landing (Passaic). Christ Church, Belleville, was thus given status as a part of Trinity Church, Newark -- not as a mission, but for the purpose of worshipping under a common grant.
This charter called for a warden and five vestrymen. The earliest record of proceedings is dated Easter Monday (April 20), 1778. At this meeting, the officers were chosen as provided in the charter. William Kingsland was elected Warden and William Dow, Arent Schuyler, William Sandford, Edmund Leslie, and Henry Kingsland were named to the vestry. The names of some of our earliest parishoners are still evident in the area (Kingsland Avenue in Nutley, Schuyler Avenue in Lyndhurst and the towns of Rutherford and East Rutherford).
The congregation began to grow steadily and according to an account in the "Annals of the Classis and Township of Bergen", its advancement was helped in no small measure by a quarrel, in 1752, between one Col. John Schuyler and his fellow members of the Dutch Church. The English congregation had been meeting in the Dutch Church under what was known as the "Note of Toleration." When Schuyler attempted to convoke the congregation without the consent of the Consistors of the Church, this body demanded the return of the "Note of Toleration" and the discontinuance of services. Schuyler became a member of the English Church in 1754 and at his own expense had the Book of Common Prayer printed in both English and Dutch as many settlers still spoke their mother tongue.
For many years the Belleville congregation met in a grain storehouse of a grist mill on the river bank, but the group later obtained an old house known as the Academy, following an unsuccessful attempt to raise funds for a church building by holding a lottery. According to the Rector of Trinity Church, the Rev. Isaac Browne, this would be a more suitable place to celebrate the Holy Communion, to say nothing of the fact that the open storehouse was "a great detriment to my health and no small regret to the congregation."
On November 18, 1835, a meeting of the congregation was called for the purpose of incorporation. The Rev. Robert Davies, who came to the church in 1834, served as chairman and John Rutherford, Jr. was secretary. At the meeting, the group chose Henry and Joseph Kingsland to serve as Wardens and appointed Vestrymen Augustus Van Horn, Daniel Fox, George Kingsland, John Grice, Samuel Lewis, Mellevill Curtis, Arent H. Schuyler, John Rutherford, William Gwynn, and George Byrd.
Almost immediately, the task of building a church was undertaken and on July 11, 1836, the cornerstone was laid on the Main Street property by the Rt. Rev. G.W. Doane. The "new" church was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, Esq. and was built for "about $9,000."
The church was duly completed, but less than
a year after its beginning, on the night of June 24, 1837, it
was consumed by fire. The church's bell, imported from England,
as well as the altar vessels, were disfigured by the heat. These
were melted and recast into a new bell, which served the second
church and now hangs in the bell tower of the present parish house.
In
1839, work began to rebuild the church on the foundation of the
original structure and a new stone church was completed in 1841.
The church was a good example of early Georgian Gothic architecture
with a Norman Fortress tower which contained the church bell.
The church was consecrated by Bishop Doane in June of 1842.
The Rev. Dr. George Chapman served as supply minister until 1842 when the Rev. Samuel L. Southard was called to take charge of the parish. He resigned in 1844 and was succeeded by the Rev. Henry Beers Sherman, who served until 1862.
During his term, The Rev. Mr. Sherman started services in Bloomfield; the mission grew to become Christ Church, Bloomfield-Glen Ridge. Christ Church, Harrison was also connected with the Belleville congregation. As the membership of the Parish originally consisted of the area embracing both sides of the river from Newark to Passaic, all of the present parishes in this area are in a sense children of the original Christ Church.
During the Civil War period, some parishioners had flown the Stars and Stripes from the church tower without the formal permission of the Rector and Vestry. As a result, Mr. Sherman submitted his resignation in 1862. It is not clear whether he left because of sympathy for the secessionists or because of the insubordination on the part of the members of the congregation.
The Rev. John Falkner Blake succeeded Mr. Sherman and served until 1863, when he resigned to assume Rectorship of a church in Connecticut. For the next twelve years, the Rev. Samuel W. Sayres was rector of the Parish. He was followed by the Rev. C.S. Abbot (1876-1911).
The Church on Main Street was once the focal center of the township, convenient to water and road transportation, but it grew inadequate as environmental and Parish needs changed with the times. In 1908, the property on Washington Avenue was purchased and the Parish House was erected.
Under the Rev. Charles S. Popham (1911-1924), the church on Main Street was closed in 1912, and until 1959, services were held in the hall on the second floor of the Parish House. Our present-day Rectory was added to the Washington Avenue site in 1914.
Under The Rev. Peter R. Deckenbach (1924-1958), the Parish continued to expand, and in 1928 a movement was begun to raise funds for a new church building. In September, a campaign was begun to raise $50,000 was instituted.
The original plan was to build on the corner of Washington Avenue and Essex Street. However, a survey showed it to be more advantageous to erect the church closer to the center of the Parish. As a result, property was purchased at Van Reyper Place, the intention being to build the church there and to sell or lease the Washington Avenue property. However, the Depression was then at its greatest depth and not only could the property on Washington not be sold, but neither could a tenant be found to rent it. The Vestry sold the Van Reyper property in 1936.
On May 20, 1949. William J. Beer, Junior Warden, was delegated to head a committee to inquire into the feasibility of erecting a new church. In 1954, following a survey to ascertain the cost of adding a larger kitchen to the existing parish house, it was voted to build a new church which would include a full-scale commercial kitchen and an undercroft large enough to have events for many people.
At a religious service held on Sunday, April 15, 1956, a groundbreaking ceremony was held with the venerable Rev. Peter Deckenbach taking out the first shovelful of dirt. The present church was consecrated by Bishop Leland Stark in March, 1959.
Rev. Deckbach retired in 1958, replaced by the Rev. Dr. Frederick L. Long, who served the parish until 1990. The Rev. Carolyn Lumbard (1992-1997) and finally by our current Vicar, the Rev. Paul E. Walker, who was called here in 1999. Fr. Paul found a congregation that had dwindled to under fifty people, reflecting widespread American disenfranchisement with organized religions which failed to adapt to a changing population.
Christ Church Today
Under the leadership of Rev. Walker and our Parish Administrator and Director of Music, Randy Lee Webster, the congregation has once again begun to grow not only in size, but in the scope of lifestyles and backgrounds represented. There is no "typical" Christ Church member, as we each bring a different set of experiences to the table.
We have emerged as a center for support and enrichment in the community. Various outreach programs offer services to the disadvantaged, and cultural events help to enrich the lives of those around us, leading to recognition by the national church in 2000 as a "Jubilee Center". This celebration of this event was greatly enhanced by a visit by our Bishop, the Right Reverend John Palmer Croneburger. His Grace knocked ceremoniously on the newly-adorned "Jubilee Doors" and was joyously admitted to a service of joy and thanksgiving.
On September 11th, 2001, we worked with the Red Cross, the school system and the police and fire departments to help the area cope with the overwhelming tragedy that engulfed the New York area. We served as a collection point for relief supplies, and participated in various memorial events in the area. A year later, nearly 200 people from the community gathered at Christ Church to remember those lost and look to the future together.
We are also home to two other religious groups who meet weekly in our facilities, as well as a day care center, a dancing school, and several Alcoholics Anonymous groups. The township WIC office is located in our undercroft.
We feel that we have a future as rich as our history and we enter the new millennium renewed and restored, prepared to serve where needed.
