Fairfield Presbyterian Church in Cumberland County, New Jersey
As we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America, may we remember those who came before. They were the people who became the foundational stones of our nation. And many in the nation's earliest years came for one reason: religious freedom. That was the case of the Puritans, who first arrived in Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, in 1620. As the Puritan movement grew, they explored new territory in which to live in worship. One group of Puritans made their way from Fairfield, Connecticut, to southern New Jersey.
There, along the Cohansey River in Fairton, New Jersey, in 1680, the settlers built a log cabin that served as the Puritans’ meeting house. It was first called “Christ’s Church of Fairfield” or “Old New England Town Church.” By 1708, the members no longer considered themselves Congregationalists, but embraced Presbyterianism, instead.
With changes occurring in the colonies, changes also occurred at Fairfield Presbyterian Church. Due to deterioration, the first church was torn down and replaced by a New England-style frame building sometime between 1713 and 1715. The second building needed to be torn down in 1775. A major problem ensued. The American Revolution was in full swing.
The tenth pastor of Fairfield Presbyterian Church – William Hollingshead – led the congregation during those uncertain times during the birth of a nation. He faced one major problem. He had the congregation; the church was in possession of 800 feet of lumber and 200 loads of stone at the building site – a mere mile east of the original log church. But the members of the congregation had no building in which they could meet.
Then, the British Army confiscated their building materials to erect a wharf. They decided to set up a pulpit and pews under an oak tree near the site of the original church. In the midst of fighting between Patriots and Tories during the Revolutionary War, Reverend Hollingshead led weekly services under the old oak tree until 1780, when British troops moved farther south. In 1780, a new building was erected, later known as “The Old Stone Church,” north of Cedarville on Route 553.
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In 1850, more changes occurred for the Presbyterian charge. The congregants moved from The Old Stone Church and erected the building that Fairfield Presbyterian Church has used to this day. It is currently led by Pastor Christopher Mark O’Brien, the 44th minister to act as shepherd for the congregation. Fairfield Presbyterian Church is considered the oldest existing congregation in the Presbyterian Church of America, since joining in 1980. Prior to 1980, the church was independent for ten years following its departure from the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1970.
The Old Stone Church, built in 1780, no longer functions as a meeting place for the members of the Fairfield Presbyterian Church, but it is featured on the “Explore Cumberland County HEAR HERE Podcast Series.” When you arrive at the church, there will be a sign with a QR code you can scan, then listen to more information. Local historical societies offer tours of the building on special occasions. It is also on the National Registry of Historic Places. Special services are held once or twice a year, there, due to a lack of electricity, plumbing, or heating in the building.
The Fairfield Presbyterian Church has stood strong during the winds of change for over 350 years. It welcomes anyone who wants to worship with them on Sunday, starting at 10 am. Sunday School is at 11:20 AM, and Sunday evening worship begins at 6 pm. They also offer Tuesday Women’s Bible Study, Wednesday Tabletalk Study and Prayer, Friday Men’s Prayer Group, and Saturday Men’s Study Group.
