MATAWAN— The Christmas season at the Second Baptist Church in the borough was filled with a little extra joy this year.
The church, located at 45 Orchard St., celebrated its 120th anniversary in the neighborhood on Dec. 12, marking a milestone of faith, hope and community spirit right in the heart of downtown Matawan.
“It is the second oldest black church in the borough of Matawan,” Jeffrey V. Gray, associateminister of the Second Baptist Church, said in an interview. “The first oldest black church is St. James A.M.E. [African Methodist Episcopal] Zion Church, and we are the second oldest black church in the community.”
The Second Baptist Church was organized in 1889 as Berean Baptist Church when the founding members met in area homes, according to “Matawan and Aberdeen: Of Town and Field” by Helen Henderson, of the Matawan HistoricalAssociation.
In spring 1890 the congregants rented a room in Bissel Hall, which was then situated on Spring Street. The residents later acquired an abandoned skating rink on the corner of Jackson Street and Foundation Avenue and remodeled it for church use, according to the association.
The residents used that space until 1908, when it was destroyed by a fire. In 1913 a new church was constructed on Orchard Street, where 40 parishioners still come to worship.
The church’s current interim pastor is the Rev. Stephen J. Moore, and Sunday morning worship is at 11 a.m.
“Themain goal nowis increasingmembership,” Gray said. “We have been without a pastor for three years, and Reverend Moore is serving in the interim, and he has done a fantastic job. That’s our major goal. Another goal we have is to do more evangelism in the neighborhood. We have people on Orchard Street, and they know that we are there, but people aren’t coming, so we are going to go out and talk to these folks.”
In honor of the 120th anniversary, the church held a special service on Dec. 12 featuring the Rev. Bernadette Glover of Perth Amboy as the guest speaker and an anniversary banquet at the Lakeside Manor in Hazlet featuring The Singing Pastors from Piscataway.
“It was very well attended, and it was a very high-spirited time,” Gray said.
For more information about the Second Baptist Church, call 908-566-9135.