POMPTON REFORMED CHURCH

50 Hamburg Turnpike Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442

WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE WORK...

The purpose of Pompton Reformed Church is to make faith-filled disciples who know Christ intimately and willingly share His love and grace with others, drawing them to Him.
 

We accomplish this through many forms of ministry:

THE ROOTS OF POMPTON REFORMED CHURCH

In 1812, as Congress declared war on England, men in a peaceful country village decided they should have a church of their own. Hence on February 20, 1812, the first written record of the organization of PRC was penned. Previously, the organizers of the new church attended the Pompton Plains Church.

Over the next two years, the new church was to be built with 20,000 bricks at a total cost of $5,943.12 for the building. It was dedicated on October 16, 1814. At the first Consistory meeting held on June 24, 1815, a call was extended to the Reverend Jacob Ten Eyck Field, who resigned his charge at Pompton Plains to become the first pastor of the new congregation. There were twenty-four members in 1816 . . . and the church grew in numbers and faith.

In 1850, the Sanctuary was a rectangular room with white walls and a paneled gallery around three sides. Boxlike pews were entered by opening a small door at either end. The windows were small panes of clear glass and the woodwork was white with mahogany top rails. The pulpit was on a platform in center front until 1860 when the north wall was broken out to permit the building of a recess for the pulpit. The choir sat at the back in the gallery over the center door, and was accompanied by the music of a melodeon. In the 1880s the church acquired a hand-pumped organ. The pulpit furniture was mahogany in the Empire Period Style. Heat was provided by two wood-burning stoves until 1871, when coal was purchased. In July 1884, the women of PRC pledged $500 as an initial contribution for a chapel. By 1911, an additional room was added to the rear. A larger extension was again added to the rear of the chapel in 1928. As the suburbs grew, needed classrooms and an auditorium were build under the original chapel in 1950. Soon plans were made for the eventual replacement of the educational facilities. Finally in 1974, the two-level modern brick structure was completed and named the Gerrit Heemstra Memorial Building ... a tribute to the late pastor who served PRC for thirty-four years. And PRC continues to grow in faith and vision . . .