MIDDLETOWN — In its 325-year history, Old First Church survived the British assault during the Revolutionary War, two devastating fires and, most recently, superstorm Sandy.
The church, located on Kings Highway in Middletown’s Historic District, celebrated its 325th anniversary, and its history as one of the oldest Baptist churches in New Jersey, on Oct. 6.
“Very few churches make this type of anniversary,” said Elaine S. Lent, moderator and church historian.
“Many have had to close because they aren’t kept up or they are burned down. [Old First Church] has stood here for 325 years, and it’s still here as a church.”
The anniversary celebration began with a worship service, followed by tours led by costumed docents of the church, Patriot graveyard and undercroft.
A candlelight community concert told the story of the lives of early Monmouth County residents.
According to Lent, Old First Church, formerly known as the First Baptist Church of Middletown, was founded in 1886 in Middletown Village, but records show that the members were meeting in homes as early as 1668.
“Of the homes, one was that of Penelope Stout and her husband Richard Stout,” Lent said.
The Stouts were among the original founders, and the church drew people from throughout the area.
“Half of the people who came to New Jersey in the Middletown settlement were Baptists. We know where they lived, and we can point to their properties,” Lent said.
During the Revolutionary War, the church became known as Patriot Church after its pastor, the Rev. Abel Morgan, openly supported the Patriot or “rebel” cause.
Following the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, the British came through Middletown and stayed for three days, taking over the church while they burned and pillaged the town, Lent said. She added that the history is recorded in books that the church has been able to preserve.
“When the British came through, Morgan wrote in the margins of sermons what they did,” she said. “Morgan’s notes are one of the records of eyewitness people that we have.”
Some artifacts were on display on Oct. 6, including Morgan’s steel-rimmed glasses and books purchased in Philadelphia from Benjamin Franklin.
“In the first leaf of the books, Morgan would record the price and whom he bought it from,” Lent said, adding that the church prides itself on preserving its history.
“We try to protect what we have on behalf of the community, because it’s a record of this community. The Revolutionary War records really related to the birth of this nation.”
Some Patriots were laid to rest in the church graveyard, including Joseph Murray, a local hero who was killed by the Tories in 1780.
In addition to the Revolutionary War, members of the church overcame two fires that completely burned the church.
After the second fire, members donated funds, lumber, materials and personal labor in 1832 to build the structure that still stands.
However, the stone foundation is that of the original church, and the undercroft dates back even further.
Over the years, the church underwent renovations and improvements, such as the addition of a social hall in 1921, which was formerly the Middletown Women’s Christian Temperance Union Hall, and an education wing in 1956.
In 1963, the Middletown Baptist Church became dually affiliated with the American Baptist Association and the United Church of Christ, and changed its name to Old First Church.
Today, Old First Church serves approximately 50 to 60 members and has supported the founding of numerous other congregations.
“This church used to have 500-plus members, but what those people did is start other churches,” Lent said. “We are the mother church for 14 other churches.”
Those include Red Bank Baptist Church and New Monmouth Baptist Church.
Despite sustaining damage from superstorm Sandy, the church opened its doors to those seeking shelter. With gas stoves and running water, the church was able to provide the basic necessities to people displaced by the storm.
“Churches are one of the lines of defense in a natural disaster,” Lent said. “When you have people come in for help … how many big spaces are there to house them? We were still able to help other people.”
This past summer, the church was the home for a group of 39 disaster assistance workers from upstate New York, who came to restore homes damaged by Sandy.
In the meantime, the church underwent repairs, including replacement of the roof and gutters, which were damaged in the Oct. 29 storm, as well as restoration of several patriot headstones in the graveyard that toppled over in the storm.
Lent said the church’s history is important to Middletown Township, which will celebrate its 350th anniversary in 2014, as well as to descendants of the church’s early congregants.
“We had a woman from Connecticut who wanted to know if the church had any records of her family from before the Revolutionary War. I was able to go back into the records and find information for her,” she said.
“Our history relates not only to the history of Middletown but also the building of America.”