During the summer of 1955, local residents became concerned

about the churchless community of Brielle in which they lived.

Mr. William W. Ragsdale, long an admirer of The Rev. Dr.

Norman Vincent Peale, wrote to Dr. Peale about the possibility

of converting the Frazer mansion at the top of the hill on Rankin

Road to a Peale Memorial Church. Mr. Eugene Rathjen, owner

of that property, had most generously offered to lend it to a

church group for a trial period prior to purchase.Dr. Peale

declined the honor, but contacted the New Jersey Council of

Churches and found that The Reformed Church in America

would be interested in helping to found a church in Brielle. A

survey was taken of about 250 homes in Brielle by Rev. Irving

H. Decker, Rev. Harold F. Schadewald and Rev. Robert G.

Dickson and the results of the survey were presented at a

public meeting held in the Borough Hall (which is now the

firehouse on Longstreet Avenue), sometime shortly after the

New Year, 1956.Representatives of other local churches were

contacted and all endorsed the selection of The Reformed

Church in America as a sponsor of a church in Brielle.

A Steering Committee was formed with Co-Chairmen Mr.

Myron L. Taylor and Mr. William G. Rodgers. The first meeting

of this committee was held March 23, 1956, at the Taylor home

with the addition of Mr. John M. Smith as Treasurer and Mrs.

Allan L. Dunn as Secretary. Other members of this original

steering committee present were Mrs. Myron L. Taylor, Mrs.

William G. Rodgers, Mr. Allan L. Dunn, Mrs. John M. Smith,

Mrs. Darcy Scudder, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Shotwell, Mr. & Mrs.

Harry Speicher and Mr. & Mrs. William A. Statesir. This

committee served until the formal organization of the church on

March 3, 1957, when a Consistory was selected and a Service

of Organization for The Church in Brielle was held in the school

by the Committee of Organization of the Classis of New

Brunswick with 53 charter members representing seven

denominations. At this service, the nomination and election of

Elders and Deacons for the first Consistory was held. Those

nominated were for Elders - Allan L. Dunn, William A. Statesir,

and Myron L. Taylor; for Deacons - Alstyn F. Randolph, Robert

A. Shotwell, and John M. Smith.

The History of The Church inBrielle

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On April 27, 1957 land consisting of over an acre of ground

at the corner of Riverview Drive and Rankin Road was

purchased from the Richmond Holding Company as the

church site. An extension of the parking lot at the rear of the

property was donated to the church by Jesse Ware who

lived next door on Rankin Road.

On June 7, 1957 the Building Committee held its first

meeting with Myron L. Taylor as Chairman. That same

month, John Dodd was retained as architect and was

instructed to develop plans emphasizing the beauty of

simplicity as in early New England church buildings.

In September 1957, the first full-time minister, the Rev. Lynn

T. Joosten, was installed. He had been serving as associate

pastor of Bellevue Reformed Church in Schenectady, New

York. He and his new bride, Shirley, moved into the

newly-acquired parsonage at 519 Borrie Avenue, Brielle.

On December 1, 1957, Mr. Jesse Ware was the successful

bidder to build the new church, and on December 24 the

ground-breaking for the church took place. By August of

1958, the first portion of the building project was completed,

and services were transferred from the public school. An

event of historic importance took place in Brielle in May,

1958, when the first church spire was placed atop The

Church in Brielle. This spire was a FIRST because it was

made of fiberglass - the first one known to be so constructed

and to be put into place by a crane. It was constructed at

Forsberg's Boat Works on Beaver Dam Road, Pt. Pleasant,

N.J. Another FIRST was that "Music from the Spire" was

played each evening during Christmas week 1958 at 7 p.m.

This was the first Christmas season that Brielle residents

heard music from a church steeple in the borough.

The Service of Dedication of the completion of the first unit

of the church was held in three services. The Laying of the

Cornerstone was held on Friday, October 3, 1958; the

Dedication Service was held on Sunday, October 5, 1958;

and the service for the Dedication of Memorial Gifts was

held on Sunday, October 12, 1958

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On December 30, 1960 a farewell reception for

Rev. and Mrs. Joosten was held and on January

8, 1961 The Rev. Randall B. Bosch preached as a

candidate and was given a unanimous call to

serve as minister of The Church in Brielle. On

February 19, Rev. Bosch preached his first

sermon and was installed on March 19, 1961.

Continuing the original desire to have The Church

in Brielle known as a friendly church, Mr. Bosch

sent out a letter to all members with a request that

each one

1. Introduce yourself to those around you whom you do not know, even if

you have seen them in church before.

2. Make an effort to remember their names, and

seek them out the next time you spot them in church again.

3. Give names and, if possible, addresses of new people to me (the

minister) or ask them to sign the guest book.

It was during Rev. Bosch's ministry that a new parsonage was purchased.

In 1968, as a result of a very generous gift to be used for the church's

capital needs and for a community service program, Mr. Stanford M.

Welcker was employed by the Community Project Committee headed by E.

Dayton Jones. Because of his dedication to this work, Mr. Welcker was

ordained on September 26, 1971, by the Classis of New Brunswick under a

special dispensation from the General Synod of The Reformed Church in

America.

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On October 27, 1968 a Service of Dedication was held at

6 p.m. in the newly enlarged church sanctuary. The

speaker for the evening was The Rev. Dr. Norman

Vincent Peale, minister of the Marble Collegiate Church in

New York City. His sermon topic was "Dynamic Faith

Motivates Dynamic Living." There was seating for 300

people in the sanctuary and 300 in Fellowship Hall and in

two rooms in the Christian Education wing. There was

closed circuit television in Fellowship Hall and in the two

rooms. Dr. Peale personally greeted those persons in the

overflow areas. This was a day of rejoicing for all

members of the church - to have completed the three-part

building project and to have a beautiful New England style

church for the benefit of all members and friends in this

community and surrounding areas.

In March, 1969 The Rev. Mr. Bosch resigned as pastor to

take a church in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. A farewell

covered-dish supper was held for Randy and Carol on

Friday, March 21, 1969 and for the next few months, the

interim pastor was The Rev. Harold H. Klein. On June 29,

1969, it was announced that The Rev. William Howard

Jewett had accepted the unanimous call to be pastor of

The Church in Brielle. He assumed his duties on

September 1st, and the installation was held on Sunday,

September 21, 1969.

On November 25th, 1979 a reception was held in

Fellowship Hall for Rev. and Mrs. Welcker to show the

appreciation of the congregation for eleven years of

dedicated service in the Community Project of The Church

in Brielle.

Reverend William H. Jewett served CIB until his

retirement in June 1995. During the 26 years of his

ministry the Church grew, matured, and expanded its

mission and geographical area of influence and

membership. Reverend Jewett was involved in not only

the community but was also active with Classis and Synod

responsibilities. During his era, CIB was blessed with a

minister who shared with us his philosophies and wisdom

with enthusiasm each Sunday morning.

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An additional parsonage next to the church was purchased and the

Reverend Dennis Ferguson was installed as Associate Minister in

1983.

An active support for youth and adult educational and fellowship

programs expanded the church's ministry during Reverend Ferguson's

tenure until 1988. From 1989 until 1993 these programs were

continued and enhanced during the ministry of Ms. Karen Jaharian

Cross as Director of Christian Education and Parish Life. Her

enthusiasm and creativity was instrumental in the growth of programs

and members at The Church in Brielle.

Following the retirement of Rev. Jewett in 1995, Interim Pastor Ronald

Lokhorst led the congregation and nurtured its movement while the

Search Committee looked for a new pastor.

The Consistory called The Reverend Paul J. Walther, a native of

Walkill, NY who, in 1974 was ordained to the Ministry of Word and

Sacrament by the Classis of Orange of the Regional Synod of New

York and accepted the call to the pastorate of the Peapack Reformed

Church where he was installed as the pastor and teacher of that

church by the Classis of Raritan in September of 1974 and continued

in that office until February, 1990. The Classis of Brooklyn of the

Regional Synod of New York called Paul to become the founding

pastor of the New Church Development project in St. Croix, Virgin

Islands in July of 1991 where he served until coming to Brielle. Paul

was installed as the Minister of Word and Sacrament at The Church in

Brielle on October 13, 1996 and continues his ministry to this day.

CIB continues its support of local & global charities including Coastal

Habitat for Humanity, Reformed Church World Service, The Foodbank

of Monmouth & Ocean Counties, C.H.A.N.T. and Interfaith Neighbors

who receives the proceeds from an annual Holiday Concert by The NJ

Chamber Singers. The Church in Brielle Nursery School has its home

within the CIB campus of and has operated continuously since 1958,

soon to be celebrating their 50th anniversary. The education and love

their students receive from their dedicated teachers are unmatched.

The commemoration of 50 years of ministry in 2007 will bring

numerous events and celebrations to the church and to Brielle. CIB

looks forward to the next 50 years with hope, love and the assurance

of God's grace as the Word and Works of Jesus Christ continues to be

spread throughout the area.

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