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History of Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Amwell
Religious life in central New Jersey’s Amwell Valley was deeply affected by the ministry of evangelist George Whitfield and the revival in the 1730s and 40s known as the “Great Awakening.” A congregation descended from that revival found its quiet life shaken by disruption nearly two centuries later; in 1936 a doctrinal struggle within Presbyterianism led to the ejection of ministers, ruling elders and congregations from their places of worship.
The issues of a great debate were to arise from the testimony of the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Many local congregations affirmed the scriptures to be the Word of God, and they were convinced that its truths were most perfectly summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and its Catechisms. Would those embracing the historic doctrines prevail? Would the Church embrace the Scriptures’ divine origin and authority; would she affirm Christ’s virgin birth, his substitutionary atonement, bodily resurrection, and miracles? Although the denomination’s 1910, 1916 and 1923 General Assemblies embraced the “fundamentals,” nearly 1300 ministers and elders accounted those matters to be merely “theories” and not a test of one’s orthodoxy, or fitness for ordination in the 1924 “Auburn Affirmation.”
Though efforts were made to resist the church’s broadening by the change of her historic doctrinal position, it was not long before her theological institutions and mission organizations were reorganized to reflect these changing views. Some who objected to the denominational foreign missions policies and personnel appointments supported the Independent Board For Presbyterian Foreign Missions and were disciplined after the 1936 General Assembly. Independent Board ministerial supporters were denied their pulpits; congregations lost their properties. Reacting to the mandate of the Presbytery of New Brunswick, on September 10, 1936 the dissenting pastor and congregants from the Larison’s Corner Presbyterian Church embarked on a course of separation; meeting in local homes until January 24, 1937, the newly formed Calvary Presbyterian Church of Amwell moved to its present location and became a part of the Presbyterian Church of America (later named the Orthodox Presbyterian Church).
Copyright 2000 - Calvary OPC, Ringoes, NJ - Page Updated on 04/23/07
| Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Amwell, 24 Highway 202, Ringoes, NJ 08551 (908) 788-3840 |