History of the Panther Valley Ecumenical Church
The Panther Valley Ecumenical
Church was created to meet
the spiritual needs of residents moving into Panther Valley, a development begun in the
late 1960's in Allamuchy, NJ. As there were no churches in Allamuchy, the developer,
Philip Bowers 2nd, himself a Roman Catholic, thought that one
church instead
of several would provide a place nearby where the residents of Panther Valley could
worship. The New Jersey Council of Churches was consulted and the concept of an
ecumenical church was born. Representatives of the
Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church,
and the Presbyterian Church, USA, formed a committee to explore the concept
of a community church which would accommodate the needs of a variety of
denominations.
The members of the committee realized that a church
encompassing four denominations served by one minister would need a dynamic
and committed leader. They found that person in the Rev. Dr. William
McGregor, a graduate of McCormick Theological Seminary and Princeton
Theological Seminary. Dr. McGregor and his wife Marilyn along with
their six children moved into Panther Valley after only a few homes had been
built, and on November 1, 1969 he began calling on families in the
development.
The first service of worship was celebrated on
December 21, 1969 in the Conference Center of the Panther Valley Mall. Through the
courtesy of Panther Valley, Inc. a Church office was also provided. After much
preparation, the Panther Valley Ecumenical Church was officially accepted and
incorporated by the four denominations on May 4, 1975.
Realizing that down the line the Conference Center
space would have to be vacated, in 1973 five acres of land were purchased so that a church
building site would be available when needed. After 8 1/2 years we were notified
that we would have to move out of the Conference Center. As the church building was
not yet ready for occupancy, we rented the Seventh Day Adventist Church for nine months.
Finally, on Easter Sunday in April of 1979, the
first service was held in the sanctuary of their church. The lights hadn't been
turned on yet and the parking lot hadn't been paved but they had over 300 people at that
service. With the building, in many ways the life of the
church changed. We could now plan
our own activities without regard for someone
else’s calendar. We increased
our program's and the congregation grew.
Although the church was originally intended to serve the needs of Panther Valley, it has
attracted members from Warren, Sussex, Hunterdon, and Morris counties. This can be
attributed to a concerted effort to not limit membership to Panther Valley by purchasing
land and building the church outside the gate of Panther Valley. In 1985 an attached
education wing was added to provide rooms for church school classes and to meet other
needs. In 1988, after 19 years of service, Dr. McGregor
resigned from Panther Valley Ecumenical Church.
As had been decided at the time of
incorporation, the next minister would be from the United Methodist denomination and the
Rev. Emil Augustine was appointed by the United Methodist Bishop to be the new
minister.
Rev. Augustine, a graduate of Luther
Northwestern Theological Seminary and Drew University,
came with his wife Cosette and their two children Jill and Scott.
The church
has continued to grow. There is an active church program in place including
family fellowships, adult education programs, youth fellowships, choral
choirs, a prayer group, mission projects and two active Bell Ringer choirs.
All denominational patterns are honored bearing witness to their
ecumenicity. As we gathered to celebrate a successful 25 years of ecumenism
it was hoped that throughout the world a similar spirit would enable peoples
of all religious traditions to live, work, and worship together in
cooperation, harmony and peace so that Christ’s wish might be fulfilled that
“We May All Be One.”
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In 2001 Rev. Augustine retired and the Rev. Keith
Jones, a United Church of Christ minister and a Harvard Theological Seminary graduate came
to PVEC as an Interim Minister. A Search Committee is in place at the present time
to seek and present to the congregation, according to the By Laws, a United Church of
Christ minister to continue the work in this community.
In 2001 Rev.
Augustine retired and the Rev. Keith Jones, a United Church of Christ
minister and a Harvard Theological Seminary graduate, came to PVEC as an
Interim Minister. A Search Committee was appointed to seek and present to
the congregation, according to the By Laws, a United Church of Christ
minister to continue the work in this community.
During Lent, 2002, Dr. McGregor was invited to lead a two-weekend retreat
for the entire PVEC congregation. “After 33 Years What Now?” was the
prevailing subject about which workshops were centered. It was exciting to
ascertain the goals and objectives for different areas of the ministry as
seen by the congregation.
The Rev. Dr. Harry
Taylor, a United Church of Christ minister, came in 2002 as an Interim
Minister. Dr. Taylor, who has a BA from the University, an
M. Div. from Union Theological Seminary, and a
Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary led the
congregation until the Search Committee and the congregation voted to call
Dr. Howson.
The
Rev. Dr. Mary Lou Howson, with her husband Jim, arrived as the new
minister on Sunday July 4, 2004. With a BA from
Mount Holyoke College, M.Ed. from Wesleyan University, an M. Div. From Yale
Divinity School, a Doctor in Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary (PCUSA)
plus over twenty years in the ministry she is well qualified to lead this
congregation.
Unique Experiment
at Panther Valley Ecumenical Church
Rev. Bill McGregor's account of a unique experiment in
ecumenicity. An article written in the Hanoverian of
Hanover College, November 1970.
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