The Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, with a 307-year-old institution, welcomed the community on Sunday with a celebration of the township’s rich history.
By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
The Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church has had a history of connecting with the community at large in Lawrence over the past 307 years since the congregation’s founding and Sunday’s "Festival of the Town" was one more effort strengthen those ties.
Congregants and non-congregants gathered Sunday morning after worship services to view exhibits set up in the church’s social hall by community groups and institutions, including The Lawrenceville School, the Lawrence Historical Society and the Lawrenceville Fire Co. The church also set up a booth.
Visitors could view old photographs of The Lawrenceville School campus. The Lawrence Historical Society had an exhibit case that contained an old button, the bowl of a clay pipe and an English coin that were uncovered during archeological digs at the township-owned Brearley House.
Congregant Gary Hullfish set up a display of postcards that featured scenes of the township dating to the early 1900s. Fred Bentley Jr., a former fire chief at the Lawrenceville Fire Co. and a Congregant, brought along two firemen’s helmets and photographs of the fire company’s current and past firetrucks.
The Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church displayed a 19th-century foot-warmer, plus a silver tankard donated to the church by a township resident in 1811. A plaque listed the names of church members and relatives of church members who served in the military in World War II.
The idea for the "Festival of the Town" originated with the Rev. Jeffrey Vamos, who has served as pastor at the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church since April. He replaced the Rev. H. Dana Fearon III, who retired in 2002.
"As a newcomer, I get this sense of an incredibly rich history," the Rev. Vamos said. "To celebrate it is one way for me to get a sense of this place. I want the church to be seen as an open door an open gate to the whole community. We are not a comfortable fortress unto ourselves."
But the church is more than bricks and mortar. It is made up of people who can contribute to the community.
"I think, too, that people like Gary Hullfish and Fred Bentley are such wonderful resources that we should appreciate them and use them as well as other people to celebrate our history," the Rev. Vamos said.
The Rev. Vamos said Oct. 30 was chosen as the date because it is close to Nov. 1, which is All Saints Day. It is a time when the congregation can remember the people who have "gone before us the living stones that are part of the community and the church," he said.
Rev. Vamos said he was pleased with the turnout, which included "a fair number" of people from the community. He said he "loves" to see people who enjoy sharing with the community the things that are important to them and the church is a place where they can share that sense of history.
Mayor Pam Mount and Township Historian Robert Immordino stopped by to attend the "Festival of the Town."

