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HISTORY
OF PREAKNESS CHURCH
"Lord you have been our dwelling place in
all generations." Psalm 90:1
The nation was deep within the great
depression. Challenges surrounded the
lives of the people in Wayne, a small town made up of a seasonal riverfront
community, a newly formed lake community, powder works and brick manufacturers,
and at its core a network of active farms. A place far different from the one we see today. According to the 1930 United States Census,
only 4,469 people claimed Wayne
as their hometown. But within this town,
nestled in the Valley between the recently established Packanack
Lake community and the bustle of Paterson lay a patchwork
of farms owned and run by hardworking families. A handful of these Christian families banded together, and on March 30,
1933 they established a new church in the community. Preakness Valley United Reformed Church began
as The Christian Reformed Church at Preakness in 1933 in Wayne Township’s
rural countryside. In a garage next to
the Rosendale Dairy Farm on Ratzer Road services were begun by families with
the names Faber and Feenstra, Fiekens and Hardenberg, Huizinga and Kuiken and
Lindstra and Meyer, Oskamp, and Rosendale, Sikkema and Siersma and Schouten and
Youngsman. Including their children
there were 97 of the Lord’s faithful who agreed to gather in worship in a
garage each Sunday. Above the garage was
an apartment in which the pastor and his wife could live. And they called upon Jacob Van Bruggen to be
their pastor. In his letter of
acceptance to Preakness, Reverend Van Bruggen wrote,
I have received the call extended to me by your
congregation and hereby wish to express my gratitude therefore. Due to the uniqueness of the situation I
shall not postpone my decision but accept it herewith. It is my earnest hope and prayer that the God
of all comforts may truly bless my labors as your pastor and that together we
may be united in faith.
Sadie Rosendale, in
writing for an earlier anniversary described this humble sanctuary recalling,
Some chairs were bought from a movie house in Passaic and we would have
been quite comfortable, only the garage had two large doors which made it very
cold every time someone opened it to come in. A large pot bellied stove was donated but was not capable of taking care
of all the cold blasts that came in. The
chairs were removed after the evening service so Rev. Van Bruggen could put his
car in. Sometimes the ladies coats hung
in the grease, but this all was taken good naturedly.
And all this was the church’s to use for
$32.00 a month. But there were also
definite advantages to worshipping in a garage on a farm. Al Siersma, just a young boy in the 1930’s
recalled during the 65th anniversary that after Sunday School let
out he and his buddies would take some time to ride the various farm animals in
the adjacent fields!
With an increase in membership, and an
increase in rent to $64.00 a month, in 1936, these faithful families moved
their worship place to a house owned by Larry Langford, located at the corner of
Weinmann's Boulevard and Tosch
Lane, just down the street from the Kuiken
farm. Herm Kuiken recalled his Sunday
School class being taught by Mrs. Hardenburgh in the kitchen of this
house. As class would progress each
Sunday Mrs. Van Bruggen had to keep coming in to check the stove as she was
preparing Sunday dinner for her and her husband.
During the years while services were being
held in the Langford house this young congregation began envisioning a new
home, a proper church building. In 1937 Wayne Township
had just opened the Anthony Wayne High School
on the site of today’s Sienna
Village. Down the road was the Berry brothers farm and across the street
from that was a small parcel of land that would become our home. In the heart of the Valley at the
intersection of Preakness Avenue
and Valley Road
a church building was constructed. It
was known in the township as "the little white church," but at the
time it must have felt huge! On its
cornerstone was the Bible verse 1 Kings 8:29, “that thy eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place
of which thou hast said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that thou mayest hearken to
the prayer which thy servant offers toward this place.” In February of 1937 the church was dedicated. Our new church home would provide sufficient
room for our services as well as times of Bible Study, fellowship, and youth
group activities. It also, for a few
years, served as a home for the pastor and his family as they took up residence
in the basement.
Rev. Van Bruggen left in 1939 and in 1940
Rev. Peter De Jong, still a student at seminary, agreed to be the new pastor at
this Christian Reformed Church located in a community of 6,868. The membership of our church had now nearly doubled
to number 32 families. Welcoming the new pastor was another addition to the
church, a new parsonage that was built next door to the little white church
building. The 1940’s was a time when a
war, a great war would be fought in far off lands and many of the children who
had grown up in this church and so recently enjoyed the activities of the youth
group, were called to serve in countries that had, a few years earlier, been
known simply as names on a map. These
Christian soldiers, farmboys from a town that had just 9 policemen, went off to
war. The congregation prayed for them
and continued, under the leadership of Rev. De Jong and the church council, to
worship and serve the Lord with the freedom they were fighting to
preserve. Rev. De Jong left Preakness in
1942 to complete his doctorate. In 1943
Rev. Daane accepted a call to be the new pastor. He stayed on as our pastor through 1945, but
at the close of the war years he felt a calling to accept a position in another
church. Rev. George Stob filled the
pulpit beginning in 1946 after accepting an appointment as stated supply. He stayed on with us through 1947.
In 1948 Rev. Spalink, the grandfather of one
of our beloved missionaries, accepted a call to shepherd our growing
family. With Wayne Township growing to a
population of 11,822, and a bus from Paterson making several stops a day at the
intersection of Valley Road and Ratzer Road, our membership grew during Rev.
Spalink's time at our church. Young
couples and families began moving to still rural Wayne from far off places like
Prospect Park and Wyckoff, Clifton and Passaic!
One young couple who moved to town, at just about the same time Rev.
Spalink came to Preakness, recalled Pastor Spalink coming to their home one
evening a week to teach them the Heidelberg Catechism as they prepared to make
profession of faith. With the churches
love and dedication to newcomers and His word being faithfully preached it was
no wonder our church family grew to 65 families by 1952, the same year that Rev.
Spalink accepted a calling from another congregation.
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Rev. Bruxvoort came to our church in time for
our twentieth anniversary in 1953. The congregation
which just a few years earlier was enjoying their spacious new white church
building, hosted more and more weddings, and welcomed more and more families, and
grew to standing room only as we now were a congregation of 72 families. The
young people of the church were still enjoying their times together, and were
willingly serving his church as well. A
sign, erected in front of our church building, was illuminated thanks to their
hard work and donations. This sign, and
our church itself, was a hallmark in this growing town as during the 50's as this
rural community was beginning to shape into suburbia, a suburbia with its core
forming at the intersection that we occupied. But, this home was in need of more room, and as early as July, 1953 a
bulletin announcement read, “The Building Planning Committee has been working
hard to further possible building expansion. Several parcels of ground have been investigated without definite
results. Some are still being worked
on. If anyone has information regarding
lots or has suggestions please contact the committee secretary.” By 1955 Preakness had a neighbor with the new
Wayne High School constructed in the back
yard! Wayne Township
continued to grow and plans were underway for a new municipal complex, to
complete their vision of a community center at the intersection we had occupied
since 1937. The church was being blessed
daily by our Savior and needed to make big decisions about its facilities. We couldn’t grow in our present building, and
the Little white church that not many years earlier felt huge was now
feeling…little. “I can remember sitting
in the basement of the church because there was no room in the sanctuary
upstairs. So we sat downstairs and
stared at a speaker on the wall through which we’d hear Rev Bruxvoort,”
recalled one member who sat with her brothers and sisters in the overflow area in
the basement during the 1950’s. But the love
and fellowship continued. There were a
lot of picnics out behind the church. And the men would gather and play softball games. But, by the mid-fifties a new parcel of land,
the Harrington property, became available just across the street next to the Anthony Wayne School. That, combined with an offer from the town to
buy Preakness' property to add to their complex, led to a decision being
made. “Property was for sale right
across the street from our church. The 6
and ¾ acre level ground could be had for $20,000.” said Wilbur VanderGoot, when
interviewed for an earlier anniversary. An
architect was selected and with the plans draw and reviewed by the Building
Planning Committee, on Saturday, June 14, 1958 the now 78 families of Preakness
gathered together for a picnic and to break ground on their new building. Work progressed with foundation walls being
built strong and thick and above them walls of concrete and brick. Massive arches were erected and our church
building began taking shape. By October
18, 1958 sufficient progress had been made and after a special church service a
procession of members walked across the street and watched as the cornerstone
for our building was laid. When selecting a passage for the cornerstone
of our new home, a far cry from a garage in 1933, it was decided what better
passage for all to see than that taken from Psalm 84:1 "How lovely is thy
dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!". Work continued with the steeple
being raised into the sky in December of 1958. Walls within the complex were also erected to form the fellowship hall,
the classrooms, and most importantly our sanctuary. “The sanctuary of the Preakness Christian
Reformed Church,” it is written in an early depiction of our church, “is lofty
in concept and combines contemporary architecture with graceful gothic arches
formed of massive laminated trusses. The
raised pulpit is simply adorned with a natural wood cross, flanked on one side
by a choir loft and on the opposite side by an organ console.” The design, by S.E. Greydanus & Son
Architects was masterfully constructed by Bergen Engineering who still notes it
as one of their proud accomplishments…the only church complex they note in a
list of clientele that includes the likes of American Cyanamid, Rutgers and Seton Hall
Universities, Sony
Theaters, the New York Times and The New Jersey Nets. Finishing touches, including our stained
glass windows were installed. “An
interesting feature of Preakness is the vertical stained glass window in the
front of the church. The large window,
is a field of lustrous shades of rich color defining an original conception completed
using hand blown glasses. In the lower
portion Biblical illustrations are featured focusing on the text in Matthew
18:20 “Where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” There are also symbols worked into the
design, illustrating the hand of God at the top, descent of the Holy spirit
together with the cross of sacrifice, the candle of study, the crown of reward,
and the open Bible with the letters A and O standing for alpha and omega, the
beginning and the end. The chiro in the
form of P X is shown with the Bible indicating the initials of Christ. There is a quill and ink symbolizing the
writing of the scriptures and the lamp of knowledge is shown at the base. The
window in the tower illustrates a symbol of the anchor of hope. Superimposed on the anchor is the dolphin
symbolizing Our Lord. At the time of the
dedication of the church building on September 2, 1959 our family had grown to
82 families. In a newspaper article
written to commemorate the milestone the consistory wrote,
On September 2, 1959, a new house of worship was
dedicated to God’s glory and to the furtherance of the gospel. In Preakness,
New Jersey, this evening was the
culmination of many things to many people. From an inadequate wooden building with split seating arrangements, the
Lord has seen fit to build unto Himself and His service a new structure. Here the whole congregation could meet
together. Where at first there were
fears and hesitancy as to how such a project could be undertaken and financed,
faith and dedicated giving provided the answer. A former pastor, Dr. George Stob, preached the dedication sermon, “This
House is for God,” in which he reminded the congregation that this was God’s
house, not “our” house.
Before leaving our little white church’s
property we had a few more jobs to accomplish. The first was to move the parsonage across the street into the rear yard
of our new church. The move generated a
lot of interest from curious onlookers who got more of a show than they
expected when, while being moved, the house began to fall into the septic
system that had served it. But, the
mission was, at the end of the day, a success and the parsonage still provides
a warm home for Preakness’ pastor. Finally, with a crowd of onlookers standing by, the garages which stood behind
the vacated church were used by the local fire department for training
exercises. Preakness’ move was complete,
but the blessings would continue.
In 1959 Rev. Bruxvoort left, but shortly
after the dedication of our new building Rev. Farquhar Mc Leod accepted our
call saying,
After much prayer and thought I am glad to say that I
am convinced that it is the Lord’s will that I should serve you as your
minister. The call extended I humbly
accept and pray that, ‘The servant is worthy.’ In our praising God and giving him thanks, let us remember it is He who
has led us hitherto and ask Him to lead us into the future also.
Our church now looked out on the new
municipal complex, also erected in 1959, and Wayne High School
as well as Anthony Wayne Junior High next door. But more importantly, as farmlands were more and more being converted to
developments, and corporate centers and shopping centers popped up throughout
the town, the increasing numbers of those visiting the municipal complex and
attending the town’s schools would look at our home. Membership increased to 100 shortly after the
congregation began getting settled in their new home and by 1965, when Rev. Mc
Leod left our pulpit, the membership had risen to 128 families. Work continued
on the new facility throughout the 1960’s and into the seventies. The youth group installed a sprinkler system
under the front lawn; the sanctuary saw renovations being made to the balcony
to provide more seating. Also, a new
organ and expanded choir loft was later planned and added.
In 1966 Rev. Winston Boelkins
accepted our call. Rev. Boelkins led our church family through our church's 25th
anniversary in 1968, and remained at our pulpit until 1974. Finishing out the 1970’s, Rev. Paul Zylstra
became our next pastor. While Rev. Zylstra was our minister, it was decided
that since we are at the heart of the township, one of our important outreach
moves, the installation of a large, double sided message board in front of our
church, would occur. The thought
provoking insights it provides to passing motorists have, since its
construction and still today, generated comments, inquiries and visits from
those in the community.
And once within the doors, neighbors would
join a church family which was just as active and full of the vitality as there
forefathers had had before them. Throughout Preakness’ history a dedicated council has overseen
fellowship and learning opportunities for those in our congregation. But, living through it, members often did not
recognize just how special the times together have been. In a letter to the congregation, one former member
so clearly put into perspective reflections on 75 years of the fellowship and
love and learning found at Preakness.
I am, she
wrote, grateful for having had the
opportunity to attend Preakness Christian Reformed Church. Through childhood
into young adulthood. Thanks to all those who took the time to teach me
through Word and example in Sunday School, Choir, Youth group, Calvinettes.
Catechism, etc. I confess that I may not always have been an enthusiastic
listener in catechism and probably never understood as a child the depth
of your commitment and service. I certainly do now. Through all of
you, God blessed me spiritually and I am grateful… We can still feel your
love and caring. Most of all, I ‘d like to thank the congregation of Preakness
today for being the hands and feet of Christ to my parents through cards,
meals, phone calls, visits and words of encouragement. Your love for them
means all the more now that I have moved to Maryland. My present pastor always
says, “God’s plan A is that we are God’s hands and feet in this world and THERE
IS NO PLAN B!.” You have all graciously and abundantly been His hands and
feet to my parents. God bless you for such awesome kindness!
Still part of your family in Christ,
Linda (Jellema) Bruins
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In 1981 Rev. Zylstra accepted the calling of
another church family and in 1982 Rev. Thomas Draayer accepted the call to fill
the recently vacated pulpit. During Rev. Draayer's relationship with Preakness,
the congregation, in 1983, celebrated their 50th anniversary. The following year on September 30, 1984,
after the morning service, the congregation witnessed the ground breaking
ceremony for a new addition to the left side of the church building. In 1985 work was complete and the new wing to
the church facilities was dedicated. The addition provided additional
classrooms, council and pastor's studies, and a large church parlor and
library. Now, as first envisioned by the
church complex planners the building itself would, if viewed from above, be
seen to form the shape of a cross. Rev.
Draayer remained with Preakness until 1988.
In 1990 Rev. Leroy Christoffels accepted a
call to come to Preakness as pastor. Pastor Lee, a strong advocate of
congregational education, faithfully led the congregation with teachings on Christian
doctrine, Christian history, and Christian living. He also started the church congregation's
annual "Reading
through the Bible in One Year" program. Before leaving Preakness in 1998 Pastor Lee helped the congregation as
they had to make a major decision when the council approached them at a meeting
held January 12, 1998 with a motion to leave the Christian Reformed Church and
to join the United Reformed Churches in North America,
a new federation of churches which had formed in 1996. The congregation approved
this motion by a vote of over 90 percent.
In June of that same year Pastor Lee accepted
a call to tend a congregation in Worthington,
Minnesota and in July, Adrian
Korevaar, a student in seminary, began serving as a summer intern. In August he
accepted a call to become the next pastor at Preakness Valley.
He was officially ordained and installed in the fall of 1998. Rev. Korevaar
accepted another call in August of 2000.
In November of 2001 Rev. Norman Brower
accepted a call to serve as Preakness
Valley church's interim
pulpit supply. In March of 2002, Rev. Brower accepted our call to serve as
minister to our congregation. A pastor since 1967, Rev. Brower came to Preakness
after having successfully planted and nurtured churches throughout New England
and Virginia.
In the spring of 2003 the congregation of the
Franklin Lakes Reformed Bible Church in neighboring Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
was facing the approaching departure of their pastor of nearly 20 years, Rev.
Daniel Bratt. After considering several options, their congregation and
the congregation of Preakness Valley agreed to welcome the members of Franklin Lakes into our family through a merger
agreement. The membership of Franklin
Lakes began worshipping at
Preakness in July of 2003.
In
1988 Pastor Lee penned the following words which sum up Preakness’ history
quite well,
Obviously much has changed
since that original meeting place in a rented garage. Our present building is a truly beautiful and
suitable place for worship, a convenient place for conducting the ministry of
the gospel. The size of the congregation
has also fluctuated. Even the name and
denominational affiliation of our church has changed.
But the essential things have not
changed. We are the same people. We stand for and proclaim the same
truth. We are still committed to the
faith that has been delivered once-for-all- to the saints (Jude 4). This eternal and timeless truth does not
change while circumstances do. We are
heirs of the Reformation and of the catholic church of all ages. We are the beneficiaries of countless
generations of those who proclaimed the biblical truth, often at great personal
cost. We are also the beneficiaries of our
forebears at Preakness who wanted to establish a church committed to orthodox
and biblical truth in this valley. Along
the way the vision of the church was focused on bringing the riches of this
gospel to our own neighborhood and to people from many walks of life. That as not changed either. Our goal is still to share the wealth of
biblical truth and life with our friends and neighbors.
This can be illustrated if you compare
the living church
of Jesus Christ to a
building. Its foundation is secure and
strong. Our Creeds and Confessions are
solidly biblical and for that reason we treasure them. The structure on that foundation may at times
receive a facelift. New rooms and new
windows may be added and reinforcements of certain beams in the structure may
need to be given from time to time. But
the building is the same. Throughout
history, many congregations that have remained committed to their Creeds and
Confessions have even moved from one denomination to another. They may be much older than the church body
to which they belong. They have changed
in order to remain the same. These
Christians want to remain firmly established on the same foundation that was
first built.
As Preakness moves through 75 year of
service and into the 50 year in our current sanctuary let us remember
our past as we look forward to continued praising to our Lord for his blessings
upon us as we continue to move forward in our commitment as a church that
exists to unite God and people.
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