History of the Church

In his plans for the new town of Vineland, Charles K. Landis included an offer of free land for churches of all denominations. Most of the settlers who came to the new town were from New England, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. They were people whose religious inclinations were to the Church of the Reformation. Therefore, from the beginning there was an interdenomination spirit.

Eager to begin religious services, the people met in Mr Mabbitt’s barn at the corner of Landis Avenue and myrtle Street. Later when the school house was completed, the various denominations met there at successive hours on Sundays.

On July 7, 1863, less than two years after the founding of the town, the First Presbyterian Church was organized and incorporated under the Presbytery of Philadelphia. Twenty-nine members were present at this historic meeting. About a year later seventy-four members joined this small band and very soon the plans for calling a minister and building a church were taking form.

The first communion service ever held in Vineland took place in the school house on December 4 1863. There were sixty people who received communion. A silver communion service was used then. The chalice of that service is still used in communion service at the present time.

In 1863 the Rev. Samuel Loomis accepted the call of the congregation to be the pastor of the newly organized church at an annual salary of $500. Under his leadership plans for building a church were completed. A beautiful white frame edifice was built on the site of the present Vineland Post Office. (Now houses the Municipal Court) It was dedicated on June 6, 1865 with a congregation of 116 members and a Sunday School of 200 members looking on proudly.

In February 1869, the Rev. John Wells succeeded Rev. Loomis. During the ten years that followed the congregation grew as people joined the church in great numbers.

The glass industry brought many German families to Vineland. There was no Lutheran Church, so the people asked to hold services in the Presbyterian Church. After a Lutheran Church was built many German families united with the Presbyterian Church.

At the turn of the century many Protestant Italians came to Vineland. The Rev. Robert Moore, a retired Presbyterian minister, helped to organize and build a church and parsonage at Chrestnut Avenue and Seventh Street. This church, Memorial Presbyterian Church, was dedicated on November 24, 1904. Much of the leadership was given to this mission church by the members of First Presbyterian. Today it is an independent church in West Jersey Presbytery.

After serving the church for twenty-five years, Dr David H. King retired from a pastorate that generated a “spirit of warmth and joyfulness which is a mark of the presence and power of God.”

It was this spirit that gave the people the faith, strength, and leadership to work for a new church building. On July 13, 1913, the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the congregation was celebrated with the laying of the cornerstone of the present church. The Rev. Russell Verbryke spread the mortar over the stone in joy and thanksgiving. The beautiful imposing gray granite church was dedicated on June 27, 1915.

Dr Joseph Conwell obtained contributions for the large center window in memory of the first three pastors. Forty leaded stained glass windows in the church and Sunday School building were in honor of people who worked in the church and Sunday School.

The church was built at a cost of $50,000, but it took twelve years to pay off the indebtedness.

Despite onward and upward growth of the church, there were dark days of economic problems and depression. With spiritual fortitude and endurance the church came through a very difficult time in 1936. A fundamentalist group under the leadership of Dr. Gresham Machem persuaded the Pastor and over two hundred people to leave the church. The remaining congregation confirmed their beliefs in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A and pledged themselves to remain in the church to work for “a happy joyful spirit which is the mark of the presence and power of God.”

The war years came. Rev. T. Layton Frazer met many problems in keeping the church going as usual. Everyone joined together to meet the needs of the brave men who went overseas and the families at home.

Under the leadership of Rev. William V.D. Grosvenor the sanctuary was renovated and enlarged, a fine new organ was installed, and the Church School areas were renovated. New beauty was added to the fine old building.

In 1963 the Rev. Joseph S Donchez became pastor. In that year the interdenominational mission theme centered around Spanish Americans. People of the First Church began to learn to know the Spanish people who had begun a small mission church under the leadership of Mrs. Liria Manzon.

Working together the two groups of people began the “School of Adaptation” for newcomers to this country. They held classes in English and cooking American food.

A very worthwhile and productive project was tutoring children whose lack of English made school difficult for them.

The Migrant Ministry was a most valuable project for it helped these people to become adjusted to the customs and culture of a strange environment. Under the leadership of Rev. Donchez it expanded to include people of other areas until it grew so large it had to be an independent organization under its own administration.

Through the efforts of Mrs. Manzon, Juan Perez, who escaped from a concentration camp in Cuba, became the Pastor of the little church. The relationship between this church and First Presbyterian grew. On May 17, 1975, there were on hundred ten people of the Spanish Church who became members of First Presbyterian.

The church grew and prospered. The Spanish people became an integral part of the community. In 1982 they felt that they had grown to the point where they were ready to become a church of their own. Ninety-two of these people established their own church which is known as La-Iglesia-Presbyteriana Hispana-Bet-el. It is an independent church in West Jersey Presbytery.

The people of First Presbyterian have gone on to seek new ventures in mission. Summer workshops for rebuilding homes, bringing a Polish refugee to America, a project of outreach to the needy of the community, all of these have been quite successful.

First Presbyterian looks to the past with pride and thanksgiving. To the future, the people look with vision.


The late Grace Beckett
Former Elder and Clerk of Session
From the 125th Anniversary Celebration in 1988.