Our History
A Church Is Born (1864–1868)
The story of First Presbyterian Church of South Amboy began during the Civil War. In 1864, a group of Presbyterian believers living in a growing railroad town along the Raritan Bay petitioned the Presbytery of New Brunswick to organize a church in South Amboy. On December 14, 1864, the congregation was formally organized in the home of A.H. Van Cleve, who became the church's first ruling elder.
The church's earliest worship services were held in a local schoolhouse. On January 29, 1865, the congregation celebrated the Lord's Supper for the first time with fifteen members. Within months, additional families joined, and plans were underway for a permanent home.
God graciously provided for the young congregation. Land was donated by the Camden and Amboy Railroad, and several railroad directors contributed generously toward the construction of the church building. On August 16, 1866, the cornerstone was laid, and in February 1868 the sanctuary was completed and dedicated to the worship of God.
More than 160 years later, that same sanctuary still stands on North Broadway as a testimony to God's faithfulness.
Growing with South Amboy (1868–1918)
As South Amboy grew, so did the church. The congregation steadily expanded through preaching, worship, Christian education, and evangelistic outreach. A thriving Sunday School became a central ministry of the church, and membership increased year after year. By the turn of the twentieth century, plans were made to build a manse for the pastor's family, which was completed in 1897.
The church became deeply woven into the life of the community. Generations of families worshiped together, children were taught the Scriptures, missionaries were supported, and the gospel was proclaimed throughout the region.
By 1917, membership had reached the highest level in the church's history to that point. The congregation had grown from a small gathering in a private home into a vibrant and established witness for Christ in South Amboy.
Yet the years ahead would test the church in ways no one could have anticipated.
In the spring of 1896 it was decided that a frame building would be erected for a Manse (cost $2,186.79). The Manse was completed in 1897 and rented for $15.00 a month.
Faithfulness Through Trial (1918–1950)
The church endured some of the most difficult events in South Amboy's history.
In October 1918, the Morgan Explosion devastated the surrounding area, damaging the church building and disrupting life throughout the community. Almost immediately afterward, influenza and pneumonia swept through the region. In response, the church building was turned over to the American Red Cross and used as an emergency hospital to care for the sick.
A decade later, in 1928, a fire damaged the sanctuary and required extensive restoration. During the years of the Great Depression, faithful members and church organizations worked tirelessly to sustain the ministry and maintain the property despite economic hardship.
The congregation continued to persevere.
Then, in May 1950, disaster struck again when barges and freight cars loaded with dynamite exploded along the South Amboy waterfront. The blast caused significant damage throughout the city, including the church and manse.
Yet one of the most remarkable moments in the church's history followed. Because the congregation carried adequate insurance coverage while many neighboring churches did not, the church voted to share a portion of its insurance proceeds with other congregations that were struggling to rebuild. Even in the midst of hardship, the people of First Presbyterian sought to serve others before themselves.
Through explosions, epidemics, fires, economic uncertainty, and world wars, God faithfully preserved His church.
Serving Future Generations (1950–Present)
The decades following the waterfront explosion brought growth, renewal, and expanded ministry.
As the congregation grew during the 1950s, new educational facilities became necessary. A Christian education annex was dedicated in 1956, and in the years that followed Westminster Hall was constructed to provide additional space for discipleship, fellowship, and ministry to children and families.
Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, the church continued its commitment to biblical preaching, missions, Christian education, and community outreach. Membership reached more than four hundred people during the 1960s, and generations of believers were baptized, discipled, married, and sent out to serve Christ.
The church celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1964 and its 125th anniversary in 1989, using both occasions not merely to remember the past but to give thanks for God's continued faithfulness.
In the twenty-first century, First Presbyterian Church continued serving South Amboy through worship, discipleship, mercy ministry, and outreach. Ministries such as the food pantry became tangible expressions of Christ's love within the community, while the congregation continued to proclaim the gospel from the same sanctuary that had stood for generations.
The years surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be another season of testing and reflection. Like churches across the nation, First Presbyterian faced difficult challenges as public worship was temporarily suspended and long-standing assumptions about ministry and denominational life were reconsidered. Yet through those challenges, the congregation emerged with renewed clarity regarding its identity and mission.
As church leaders wrestled with the direction of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), they became increasingly convinced that faithfulness to Scripture, the lordship of Jesus Christ, and the historic doctrines of the Christian faith required a new path forward. What began as conversations among elders grew into years of prayer, study, correspondence, and congregational discernment.
The journey was neither quick nor easy. It required patience, perseverance, and a deep commitment to Christian charity. Yet throughout the process, the congregation remained united by a shared desire to preserve a clear gospel witness for future generations.
In November 2025, after years of prayerful consideration, the congregation voted to affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Later that month, First Presbyterian Church was graciously dismissed from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and officially received into the Presbytery of the East of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
For many members, this transition represented not a departure from the church's heritage but a continuation of it. The congregation's commitment to biblical authority, Reformed theology, evangelism, and discipleship remained unchanged. The move simply placed the church within a denominational home that more closely reflected those historic convictions.
On March 14, 2026, representatives of the Presbytery of the East gathered with the congregation for a commissioning service, formally welcoming First Presbyterian Church into the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and marking the beginning of a new chapter in the church's history.
Today, First Presbyterian Church is experiencing a season of renewal and revitalization. While we give thanks for the generations who faithfully built and sustained this congregation, our confidence rests not in the past but in the Lord who has guided His church through every season. The same God who sustained a small gathering in a schoolhouse, preserved a congregation through explosions and epidemics, and blessed generations of ministry in South Amboy continues to lead us today.
More than 160 years after its founding, First Presbyterian Church remains committed to proclaiming Christ, making disciples, and serving South Amboy for the glory of God.