Old Yellow Meeting House celebrates 85th reunion
By: Julie Gartland
As you pass through the iron fence to the gravel driveway, the solemnity of the burial grounds introduces you to the rich history of the site. A couple of Civil War generals are buried there, with the oldest gravestone dating back to 1723.
On a bright sunny day in late July the glare from the aged white marble gravestones forces you to bow your head.
Beyond the burial site, visible from the road, is a polished yellow building. Although the signs of age are no longer readily apparent, it is the oldest Baptist church still standing in New Jersey and is thought to be the third oldest in the nation.
The Old Yellow Meeting House still stands today, restored to its original beauty, mainly through the efforts of an organization established in 1975 known as The Friends of the Old Yellow Meeting House Inc.
A local group of interested and concerned people decided to band together 25 years ago to restore and preserve the building. The group, spearheaded by Liz Meirs, raised funds and received endowments to refurbish the church, which had fallen on some hard times.
On July 30, the Friends of The Old Yellow Meeting House celebrated its 25th year by honoring its charter members at the business meeting. The Old Yellow Meeting House also celebrated the 85th annual reunion picnic, which strives to bring people back together to the original historic site.
Members of the organization are delighted to tell you of specific dates and restoration efforts:
– In 1737 the Old Yellow Meeting House was built. It is believed an original building was a few miles away but burned down in 1720.
– In 1975 Friends of the Old Yellow Meeting House Inc. was chartered as a nonprofit corporation.
– In 1978 stage one of the restoration project for the meeting house was completed.
– In 1985 the parsonage, beyond restoration, was torn down and rebuilt on the site and renovated as a residence for an onsite caretaker.
– 1999 saw extensive maintenance on the exterior of the meeting house, including fixing some of the siding and shutters, hand-brush painting the exterior and repairing the parsonage chimneys.
– In 2000 a new sign was erected to signify that the grounds are maintained by Upper Freehold Baptist Church and The Friends of the Old Yellow Meeting House Inc.
Ms. Meirs, heralded as the driving force behind the organization, is all too happy to share the story of the "exhausting and exhilarating process of the past 25 years." She begins her history lesson at the business meeting:
"I’m interested to see that one policy that goes on forever is that most people want to sit by the window," she says as her voice floats across the humid air.
"This is a beautiful site, a lovely, serene, tranquil setting and 25 years ago this building was in dire need of restoration," said Betsy Poinsett, vice chairman of the Friends organization and co-chairman of the 85th annual reunion picnic luncheon.
Current membership in the organization, which is a nondenominational group, is between 120 and 150, said Bob Haver, chairman of the group.
Although worship services are not held in the meeting house regularly since the Upper Freehold Baptist Church now is located in Imlaystown, members have had wedding services there. In addition to opening the church up for the annual reunion picnic, they’ve begun to hold Thanksgiving Eve services there, which has been very successful, said Mr. Haver.
Mr. Haver said they would like to broaden the use of the facility in an appropriate manner and in its appropriate time.
Liz Dey, one of the original charter members, is not surprised that the Friends organization is still around.
"It’s had really good leadership all these years, with Liz Meirs being the major support behind it," she said.
The 85th annual reunion worship service was officiated by Bill Weintzen, former minister of the Emleys Hill Church, with choral selections sung by the choir of the First Baptist Church of Allentown.
Byron Lovell of Pennington was introduced to the annual picnic by the Monmouth County Historical Society a few years ago. He and his wife return every year for the reunion luncheon.
"I would say that this event is something that a lot of people would travel from here to, say, New England to see a quaint little community church service. To witness something like this … and here it is in your own backyard," said Mr. Lovell.
The building is owned by the Upper Freehold Baptist Church and maintained by the Friends of the Old Yellow Meeting House organization, primarily financed by membership dues and other contributions.
"Primary benefit of the membership in the organization is contributing to the preservation of the historic site. The fringe benefit is self-gratification of knowing that the site is being maintained," said Mr. Haver.
"The reunion luncheon was originally put on by the Upper Freehold Baptist Church," continued Mr. Haver. "Unfortunately, their membership has been declining so the Friends of the Old Yellow Meeting House has taken over the responsibility for the luncheon. The church still participates in the preparations of the luncheon and supplies the baked goods and desserts."
"This Friends of the Old Yellow Meeting House has been a rewarding experience for me and the volunteers," said Ms. Meirs, addressing the attendees of the business meeting. "Let us continue to serve together here with energy, intelligence, imagination and love."
As old and new friends gathered together under the yellow tent sipping lemonade and iced tea, they shared stories of their lives and carried on the tradition of community and friendship amid the beautiful setting, taking their place in the faith and life of successive generations.