The first worship service was in a log cabin
Hillsborough Presbyterian Church celebrated its 50th anniversary with a party at the church on Sept. 21.
The celebration included current members, former members and 10 charter members gathering for dinner and a sharing of memories.
In 1961, Rev. Dr. Orion Hopper conducted a canvass of the Hillsborough community, visiting 450 homes and finding 188 to be interested in attending a Presbyterian church. (The Reformed Church and The Presbyterian Church had entered into an agreement 175 years earlier that no Presbyterian churches would be organized between Princeton and Pluckemin).
After negotiations with the NJ Council of Churches and Hillsborough Township, the church began meeting in what is now Hillsborough Elementary School.
The Presbytery later purchased nine acres of land at the corner of Route 206 and Homestead Road from a company that sold equipment to summer camps. On the property, there was a display sample of the cabins that the company sold. The company agreed to sell the land with the condition that a log cabin also be included in the sale.
So, on May 12, 1963, the Hillsborough Presbyterian Church held its first worship service in the log cabin and became affectionately known by the community as the log cabin church. Before long, the building was bursting at the seams with parishioners, so the log cabin was sold and moved. A new building was constructed and it has been home to the church since 1967.
Throughout the years, the church has been an integral part of the community in worship and church school opportunities, but also in giving back. It has held winter craft festivals, provided meals for SHIP for many years, donated to the Hillsborough food bank, raised money through the CROP walk, donated school supplies to shelters, sponsored a needy family in Guatemala and provided food and gifts to shelters at Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas.
This spring, the church began a community garden on its grounds, and dedicates four of the plots to growing fresh food for the food bank. The church provides meeting space for local AA groups, as well as a divorce and grief support groups, and also shares its space with the All Nations Church of God.
The church is located at the corner of Route 206 and Homestead Road and holds worship services Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Sunday school is available during worship for kids through 6th grade. Adult education follows worship at 11 a.m. and is currently focusing on a progressive Christianity study called “Living the Questions.”
For information on the church phone 908-359-3768, email [email protected], or view www.hpcnj.net.