Our Local History
Church History
Consecration of the Education Building in 1966
| |
|
The excerpt below is from the program entitled "The Consecration: The Educational Building: Sunday, January 9, 1966" (Click on the title for a .pdf file of the original program.)
Historical Word:
The Reverend George Whitefield preached in New Brunswick in 1739. Sixty years later on June 14, 1798, Bishop Francis Asbury drew up a subscription list marking the beginning of Methodism here. Trustees purchased ground in 1803 from Queens College although the Meeting House was not built until 1811. The Society incorporated this year taking the name, The Methodist Episcopal Church, Shiloh. The corporate name was changed in 1912 to The First Methodist Episcopal Church.
From the former First Church had been organized two other Methodist churches, the Church in Militown in 1844, and the Church in Highland Park in 1924.
On October 1, 1961 the three Methodist churches in New Brunswick merged: The First, The Pitman (org. 1851) and Saint James (org. 1858).
The new corporation uses the present Sanctuary erected in 1876 to which a “Chapel” was added in 1885 and the tower in 1896.
The “Chapel” was replaced in 1965 with a modern Educational Building now being consecrated. This is the first unit in the rebuilding plan.