Historic Church Celebrates 175 Years

The Dutch Reformed Church of Middletown has a long and abiding history. This year it is celebrating 175 years of ministry on Kings Highway.

Cindy Reya, a 29-year church member, is vice president of its governing board, called the consistory. She is an elder of the consistory made up of deacons and elders. "The minister is usually the president; but we don’t have a full-time minister right now, so I’m kind of filling in," Reya said.

According to Dotti Jones, former elder and the church's public relations contact, the church has 90 parishioners, 11 of whom have been members for 50 years. There are three buildings that comprise the Reformed Church's property: the church itself, the parsonage and the Christian Education Center.

Located in the Middletown Historic District, the Kings Highway church is one of three historic churches in the area. The other two 19th century landmark church edifices in the township are the First Baptist Church and Christ Episcopal Church.

When the church was about to celebrate its 150th anniversary, the minister at the time decided to research historical documents that were in the church archives and how that information related to the history of Middletown. With the help of Reya and two other women, they wrote a comprehensive history of the long-standing church.

The history of the church goes back to May of 1836, when Middletown members of the Reformed Dutch Church, who had been attending services in what is now Holmdel, petitioned for a church of their own in Middletown. The pastor of the Holmdel Church at the time agreed to serve as its minister.

Once approved, plans for the new building moved swiftly. By Dec. 9 of 1836, the new congregation was able to worship in its own building.

There is a model of the original church in the Monmouth County Historical Museum in Freehold.

According to the written history, the church has seen many ministers serving in the pulpit — 27 to be exact — but one of the longest serving was Rev. Alexander G. Millspaugh. He served for twenty four years, from 1841 to 1865, right through a financially difficult period for the church as well as the Civil War that lasted from 1861 to 1865.

It was during this time of political chaos that Rev. George Siebert became pastor of the Middletown Reformed Church. It was 1866 and tensions and tempers were still very high. The President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, had been assassinated just the year before.

Judging by what was recorded, Rev. Seibert was a very wise man. In 1886, he was one of the guest speakers at the 5th Anniversary Jubilee. He said, “I came here and found the teapot at boiling heat. The people were curious to know what I might be politically, and consequently watched me closely. I can never forget the Thanksgiving service in the fall of 1866, which was my first as I came in June of that year. The church was full of people, all inquisitive to what would be said, and more eager to find out my party affiliations than to learn the lessons of the occasion. 

“Well, the upshot of that was that, just as the service closed, one of the most radical Republicans in the congregation came to me and, taking my hand, said '… let me congratulate you. You did give it to them this time.' Scarcely had he left when a radical (Democrat) of the other side stepped up and said, 'That’s the talk I am glad you have the courage to speak your conviction. You gave them a nut to crack this morning.'"

When Rev. Seibert left for another post, in 1873, he was succeeded Rev. Luther Van Doren of Montville. Van Doren requested that a comfortable parsonage be built near the church. The land, purchased from Azariah Conover, was directly across the street from the sanctuary and the parsonage was erected for a total cost of $5,652.50 for the building and grounds.  

In 1881, it was decided to change from the old system of collecting pew rents to the modern method of using offering envelopes. This was deemed a more successful way of raising funds for the church and a growing practice in other churches.

And in 1873, the NJ Legislature passed a special act exempting parsonages from taxation. In 1891, church members realized that they had been paying taxes needlessly for eighteen years.

In the late 1800s, the church obtained a two-manual pipe organ and improvements were made, such as adding circular pews and stained glass windows. Eventually gas and electricity were installed.

The Rev. Jacob J. Sessler, a very popular clergyman, was pastor during the opening years of the Depression, serving from 1929 until 1934.  He wrote a number of books during his lifetime, many of them for children.

Mildred Layton, who became a member in 1930, reported that membership was so low that, at times, only six people would be at the services. Due to lack of funds, the janitor was dismissed and the Ladies Aid would clean the church. 

It was decided on July 4, 1955, just one hundred and nineteen years to the day of the church’s founding, to have the pipe organ rebuilt by the Midner Company for $4,300.

Also in July of 1955, the church obtained the Sulger property for use as a Sunday School. This was a large eleven room house on the hill where the education building now stands.

In January of 1962, it was decided to purchase the large fifteen room house just west of the Church for use as a parsonage and in 1967, another lot on Kings Highway was purchased.

The 1960s was also the era of the Vietnam War. Private Donald Mourtizen, a church member, was killed in battle. On September 21, 1967, the church carillon and flag pole were dedicated in memory of him and any other members of the armed forces.

In 1978 the decision was made to renovate the church basement and provide handicapped accessibility. Following a mortgage burning ceremony in April 1985, more new projects were undertaken. 

It wasn't until the mid 1990s that the church's first female pastor was installed. That was Rev. Jill R. Russell; and she was brought to the church's helm on Nov. 26 of 1995. She served until 1999.

During her ministry, Russell was known for reactivating the youth group and taking a personal interest in the young people of the parish. She utilized the Coventry House for many church activities and meetings, and related particularly well to senior members of the congregation.

Reya said that several new families with small children have joined. "We have a wonderful children’s worship program," she said.

In 2000, Pastor Scott R. Harris became the 25th installed pastor. He also became the chaplain for the Middletown Township Fire Department, the largest all-volunteer department in the nation, and eventually became a fireman himself. 

In 2001, the church was directly affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, with the township losing 37 of its residents. At the time, Pastor Scott led a memorial service and counseled families of the nursery school who lost loved ones. He completed his ministry with the Middletown Reformed Church in 2009.

The current minister, Rev. Eltje Brunemeyer, has been serving the church for two years as an interim minister. Reya said the church is in the process of compiling a questionnaire that will be given to the congregation so that they can explore the type of full-time minister they want, as well as what changes need to be made and what should be kept the same. Then a search committee will form.

The church suffered a tragic loss on Nov. 19, 2005 when 2nd Lt. Dennis Zilinski II, Middletown native and church member, was killed in a roadside bombing in Bayji, Iraq. Along with his family, Dennis had been very active in all aspects of the church throughout his short life.

He bequeathed the church $100,000. According to the history, a portion was used to purchase a new electronic organ which was dedicated in his memory. Donations given by friends and relatives were used to create a memorial and meditation garden in honor of Lt. Zilinski and other members of the armed forces.

As part of the 175th anniversary, historical pictures are on display, a DVD of the church history has been prepared by Dot Bradley, and commemorative T-Shirts and note paper are available.

"We are very proud of our past, excited about our future and look forward to celebrating the 200th anniversary in 2036,” Reya said. "We’re a very small church but we do a lot."