HISTORY OF 

BETHEL BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH 

CARNEYS POINT, NJ 08069 

Established 1860

Bethel Bible Baptist Church is the result of the merger of two churches that took place on March 23, 2003.  Below is the history of each church and some comments about the merger.

Two Churches Became One

The History of Bethel Bible Church
 of Penns Grove

The Beginning 

In 1860, Joseph Guest and a number of others withdrew from the Emmanuel Methodist Episcopal Church and decided to organize a society of the Methodist Protestant Church.  Much of their decision to begin this new church was to minister to the mariners who were working along the Delaware River at the time.  These men were very poor, yet they needed to hear about the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Money was very tight, but Joseph Guest was a wealthy man and was determined to see a church established to minister to these fishermen.  In the early days, Mr. Guest was the owner, preacher, and financier of what was then known as Mariner’s Bethel Methodist Protestant Church.

Bethel eventually became a part of the old Bridgeport, Pedricktown, and Penns Grove circuit with Rev. J Wilson being the Pastor.  He took an active role and did much work in building the first church.  Joseph Guest, who owned the ground, became responsible for all material and labor, although considerable material and labor was donated.

The following ministers served this charge while on this circuit:  Rev. J. Wilson, Rev. Thomas B. Applegate, Rev. Heiss, Rev. J. Irwin, Rev. James W. Laughlin, Rev. Louis D. Stultz, and Rev. J. Apgar (part-time).  Preaching services were held on Sunday afternoons, and Sunday School in the morning.  William D. Torton was the first Superintendent.

On January 28, 1868, the trustees bought the ground on which the church stood from Joseph Guest.  The trustees at this time were Joseph Guest, Joseph Munyan, Mahlon Adams, George Whitaker, Theodore B. Paulin, Jeremiah Strimple, and John Q. A. Denny.

In September of 1871, the trustees bought the building and Joseph Guest held the mortgage.  The church at this time had a hard struggle to exist and the future looked dark, but there were a few faithful ones who made many sacrifices, and by their united efforts and the Lord’s faithfulness, the Bethel Church was saved.  These faithful servants have reaped their rewards in Glory. 

The Pastors 

     In 1873, by a vote of the members and the approval of the Annual Conference, Mariners’ Bethel Methodist Protestant Church became a regular station on the plan of appointments, and received its first regular Pastor, Rev. Jacob K. Treed, who served the church two years.  A resident Pastor did much to unite the people and had a good and lasting influence.  He was appointed for two years.  The following are the pastors who have served Bethel Church over the years. 

A New Building 

On March 8, 1886, the trustees bought the lot on Pitman Street for $160.00 from Mrs. Guest, and gave her four feet of the church lot on Harmony Street for her adjoining house.  The parsonage was built under the pastorate of Rev. James W. Grant.

In 1893, the mortgage of the first church was burned.  This was a red-letter day in the history of Bethel.  Several ministers were present on this occasion and made some encouraging remarks.  Brother Belford G. Wood arose and said he would give $500 toward building a new church.  Rev. Daniel Thackera of Woodbury subscribed $100.  William F. Yeager, Superintendent of the Sunday School at this time, said the School would give $300.  All of these promises were kept.

In March 1894, the old church was torn down and the cornerstone was laid in April.  Jesse Claypoole donated this cornerstone, and on August 26, 1894, the second building was dedicated to the service of Almighty God.  Rev. Thomas T. Tagg, D. D. of Baltimore, Maryland preached the dedication sermon to a crowded house.  Rev. James H. Clark was the pastor in charge at this time.

The building committee was Rev. James H. Clarke, chairman, John P Turkelson, secretary, William F. Yeager, financial secretary, and Belford G. Wood, treasurer.  The contract price of the building was $5000.  After the dedication, $3000 was paid on the building, leaving a debt of $2000.   On August 29, 1902, $500 was paid, on April 2, 1913, another $500 was paid, and on January 10, 1924, the $1000 balance was paid.  Hudson S. Titus built the building. 

The Fire

On March 2, 1932, a blacksmith shop in Penns Grove caught on fire.  Due to high winds on this day, the fire rapidly spread to other nearby buildings.  The Bethel Church was totally destroyed.  About all that was saved was the pulpit, some hymn books, the church bell, and several other pieces of furniture.  Only $4,000 of insurance had been carried, which was paid in full, but this would not cover the cost of rebuilding.  However, the members set to work, zealously soliciting friends and others, and by the Lord’s help about $5,000 was collected that year, which happened to be one of the worst years of the Great Depression.  Plans for a new building got under way at once.  The new structure was brick veneer and construction was started during the summer of 1932.  The cornerstone was laid in September, and the building was finished in January of 1933 at a cost of about $11,500.  In addition to cash donations, much donated labor was given in lathing, painting, cementing, and other skilled labor.  During construction, meetings were conducted in Odd Fellows’ Hall.  Rev. James C. Cody, the pastor, served as the chairman of the building committee.  Other members of the committee were  H. C. Buler, F. R. Coney, George F. Cook, Robert W. Sylvester, and William F. Yeager. 

The new church was dedicated on January 22, 1933.  Rev. George C. Jones of Ventnor, New Jersey, and President of the Conference preached the sermon.  This was another great day in the history of Bethel.  A number of members had left during the building project, and others lost interest.  The future of the church looked rather uncertain, but God was faithful, and with the completion of the new building, fresh interest was awakened and the church began to experience growth.  The day after the dedication, our total debt was $1,900.  There was $1,400 owed on the church building, and $500 owed on the parsonage.  This debt was reduced yearly until 1937 when the total debt was only $575.  A gift of $500 was received in 1936 from Mr. Powell Craig in memory of his wife, Lois.

The Walkout 

In 1939, there was a split in the Methodist Protestant Church.  A decision had been made to merge with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.  This new Methodist Church (now the United Methodist Church) was very liberal in their doctrine and practice.  Bethel had a strong belief in the inspiration of the Scriptures, and consequently, could not be a part of the Methodist merger.  Thirty-four churches, Bethel being one of them, chose not to take part in this merger.  During the Annual Conference in September of that year, these thirty-four churches walked out of the Conference in Atlantic City, and continued their meeting in Scullville.    Following some litigation, legal assistance was given by Judge S. Rusling Leap of Woodstown. 

The Bethel Methodist Protestant Church, along with other separated churches established a new Conference called the Bible Protestant Church.  At the time of legal guidance by Judge Leap, the Methodist Conference decided to permit Bethel to retain the church property if the name “Methodist” were no longer included as a part of the church name.  The name of the church was officially changed to Bethel Bible Protestant Church. 

More recently, the Bible Protestant Church changed its name to the Fellowship of Fundamental Bible Churches to better reflect its beliefs.  The name of our church was changed shortly thereafter to Bethel Bible Church. 

Bethel continues to stand upon the Scriptures as the authority for all that we believe.  We hold to the historic fundamentals of the faith, and stand without apology against all worldliness and apostasy. 

History of First Baptist Church
of Carneys Point

The Beginning 

     The First Baptist Church of Penns Grove was organized on June 10, 1892 with nine members.  The first place of meeting was in the business establishment of Thomas J. White on Main Street and later the meeting place was changed to Turner’s Hall on West Hamony Street.  This was the fruition of the mission services conducted by Rev. Jacob C. Stump while Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pedricktown.

Chapel Erected

The little band of believers was recognized as a regular Baptist Church on August 25, 1892 and on March 30, 1894 erected a chapel 20’ by 30’ on State Street at a cost of $652.48

First New Building

Sufficient growth now required a new church building which was erected and dedicated November 14, 1907 under the ministry of Rev. H.S. Kidd.  The adjacent chapel was known as the lecture room, and to this an addition was made 14’ by 26’ in July of 1911.  The enlarged lecture room was rented to the Public School System for a primary department for several years after which it became the Parsonage.

Additions 

     The next step of progress was recorded in 1920 when the baptistery and three classrooms were added to the church building.  Rev. Fred J. Peters was Pastor when these improvements were made.  On Feb. 28, 1950 due to crammed quarters, it was decided to utilize the existing Parsonage, and to purchase a new Parsonage, keeping in mind the need for additional expansion in the near future.

Second New Building

The need for expansion, the acute parking problem on State Street, and the costly repairs needed on the old church building caused the congregation on January 27, 1954, to proceed with the proposed Building Program.   This decision called for an expenditure of approximately $70,000, the selection of an appropriate site, and the disposition of the three properties owned by the church.   After discouraging delays, ground-breaking ceremonies were held on the new Elmwood Avenue site on April 22, 1956.  Through the weeks and months following, the members gave themselves to the gigantic task of erecting their own church building which was finally finished and dedicated to the glory of God on Sunday, June 16, 1957.

Pastors

 

A Modern Miracle

When we think of God accomplishing miracles, we often think of the crossing of the Red Sea, the Burning Bush, the walls of Jericho coming down or other events that cannot be explained.  We simply know that God did it and we praise Him for His glory.

Often God does miracles in our lives, yet they may come a little more subtly then the miracles we have seen in the Old  Testament.  We know that every birth is a miracle and every salvation is as well, but since we see these things with relative frequency, we generally do not think of them as miracles. However, this past year, our church experienced a miracle of God firsthand.

In a quick, yet definitive way, God brought two churches that were each well over 100 years old and merged them into one new body.  To be honest, most of us were fearful of this new venture.  What if it does  not work out?  What if there is a clash of personalities?  There were hundreds of  “what if” questions.  We could not answer all of these questions, and it seemed as if each question seemed to raise an additional one.  The only question that really mattered is, “What does God want us to do?” 

Both churches in overwhelming fashion, voted on March 23rd that God was in the merger.  When we stepped out in faith, we experienced the miracle of the waters parting just like Moses did.  The details went smoothly and the transition to a new building for most of us has been a lot easier than we thought it would be.  Yes, God is working and all the glory goes to Him.

God enjoys doing modern miracles in our lives.  He likes to put us in impossible situations, tell us to trust Him and follow Him, and then He works a miracle in proportion to our faith.  As a corporate body we have seen a miracle, and may we never forget God’s goodness to us.  Yet as individual homes, God also wants “ to show Himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him”  (II Chron. 16:9).  When God sees your heart, is He excited about your strong faith, or is He disappointed by your lack of faith? 

Our Desire 

Our greatest desire is that you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.  Everyone knows that there was an historical person named Jesus who died on the cross.  Unfortunately, many people, even those who attend church, do not know Jesus Christ in a personal way.  Because man is born with a sin nature, he is incapable of gaining favor with God.  The natural man is destined to spend an eternity in a literal hell separated from God.  Man cannot be good enough to save himself.  By the grace of God, man does have a way to be saved.  God sent His Son, Jesus, to come to the earth to solve our problem. 

Jesus was not just a good man, or a prophet; He was and is God.  He took upon Himself human flesh for the purpose of becoming a man so that He could die for our sins.  Following His death, Jesus was placed in a tomb where He stayed until the third day.  On this day, He rose again and continues in His resurrected state.  He conquered both death and sin.  He then made it possible for you to do the same by trusting in Him alone. 

You must realize that you cannot save yourself and without the help of God, you will spend eternity in hell.  You must understand that you are deserving of hell because of your sin nature within you that continually leads you astray.  You must then repent of your sin, which will lead to a change in your actions, and you will invite Christ to come into your life. 

Christ must not be in addition to your religion or good works; He must completely replace everything else that you are trusting in to save you.  Only then can you truly be saved and have the assurance of an eternal home in heaven.  Our great desire here at Bethel is for you to know Christ as Savior, and then to glorify Him with your life.

 

For more information, please contact us:

Bethel Bible Baptist Church

20 Elmwood Avenue

Carneys Point, NJ 08069

(856) 299-3307

(856) 299-5116

Bethel.Bible@juno.com