1920's
September 5th and 13th 1924 - It all began with some meetings held at the home of John F. Niederman on Route 35 to consider the possibilities of establishing a Protestant church in LH.
September 14th, 1924- The very next day after the last meeting, the 1st service was held inside a store at the Laurence Harbor “circle.” 78 people were in attendance. Rev. William M. Field led the service. His first sermon having been, “Whatsoever ye do, do therefore for the glory of God” which was later taken for the church motto. Dr. Field was later described by Ms. Helen McComb as “a small, rather round man; and his wife was a tall angular woman (reminded us of a missionary) and she used to sit up front and point to her watch when he began to run overtime.” (That last bit was not unlike our guest pastor last week. Times don’t change too much it seems.) Shortly after the initial service, an inquiry was made into the purchase of land for a church. Farmland and a golf (or polo?) course were in this area at the time. Property was finally bought on Matawan Road (now Laurence Parkway). The Sunday School was also organized at this time with Ms. Edward Ryan acting as the first superintendent. The average attendance in those days was about 40 to 50 students, in the summers. Church, of course, was held only in the summer as Laurence Harbor in the 20’s was mainly a “summer town.” The people of LH saw a need for a place where all could come together and somehow made it happen.
1925- The following year, the church moved its headquarters to the Boardwalk Casino in LH where it stayed for 2 summer seasons. In a joint statement by Rev. Field and Smith Kagan, the first President of the Board, it was said, “Ministers from Chicago, Detroit, Jersey City, Arlington, Newark, Plainfield, Shrewsbury as well as nearby places such as South Amboy, Keyport, Avenel, Belfort, and New Brunswick officiated. Collections were consistently large and receipts swelled considerably through the efforts of the highly efficient Ladies Aid Society… This society, led by active and interested workers, has proven perhaps the greatest factor in the success of the church financially, socially, and otherwise.” It seems the ladies of the church provide us with another clear example of coming together to energize the community as the church was finding its roots.
1927 - The original church building was finished and services started to be held. The very first service was held on Easter Sunday afternoon. The Children’s day service, June 12th, witnessed the first baptism of a Protestant child in Laurence Harbor, a young boy by the name of Kenneth Bauer. The building was officially dedicated on July 2nd. Rev. Field and Smith Kagan stated at the time, “The portion of a candy stand used as a ‘desk’ in the casino during ‘25 and ‘26 has been replaced by a beautiful pulpit and a most excellent grand piano provides the music.”
