The Reformed Church of Freehold: Serving Community, Maintaining Faith

was established in 1842 and is still an influential member of the Freehold Borough community.

According to its mission statement, the Reformed Church of Freehold is here to demonstrate God’s reconciling love to all.

“We’ve been around for a long time and certainly try to leave our positive mark on the community,” said Reformed Church Pastor Christopher Jacobsen. “We pride ourselves on helping others and maintaining faith. We want everyone that interacts with us and steps into this church to feel welcome.”

The Reformed Church holds numerous events including two yearly roast beef dinners, where families from all over New Jersey gather. The church’s 50th dinner for its 25th anniversary will be held later this year.

Most notably, the Reformed Church’s congregation possesses a great sense of of its past thanks to the church’s historian, Deacon Madeline Jacobus.

“It’s important to never forget where you came from,” said Jacobus, a resident of Millstone for 55 years. “Outside of a few renovations, we’ve made sure to preserve quite a bit of the church. We’re not a registered historical landmark, so we don’t have to go through the town during renovations, but we certainly take it upon ourselves to keep everything intact and preserved.”

Deacon Jacobus says her favorite part of the Reformed Church is its multicolored and religiously-symbolic windows.

“I’ve been to churches all over the world, and I still think our windows are the most beautiful,” Jacobus said with a smile on her face. “Maybe I’m a little biased.”

When asked about any social issues plaguing the community, without much hesitation, Jacobsen responded “homelessness.”

“I feel like homelessness is a bit of an overlooked problem here in the borough, especially during this tough economy,” Jacobsen said. “It’s not that there are not places for the homeless here. We take in many people year-round, particularly in the winter time. Unfortunately, with the great loss of jobs, I feel as though there needs to be more shelters for the homeless to go. It’s not as easy of a problem for one to overcome as some think.”

In addition to community service, the Reformed Church of Freehold is also home to the , a Christian nursery school that serves children two to six years old. Registration is still open for September.

“I’ve been teaching kids at Sunshine for 27 years,” Lois Furlong said. “We get a lot of families that want their kids to have individual attention. We believe in quality over quantity, so we keep our classes small and personable."

Furlong said she enjoys seeing families grow and thrive in the borough.

"The best parts of the job are serving kids of parents we taught years ago and working with such a great church," Furlong said. "There’s a positive vibe you get coming here. It’s great I can close my eyes at night and know we’ve touched so many families lives.”

Jacobus summed up the passion of the Reformed Church’s staff and congregation with one simple line: “We love our church.”

For more information on the Reformed Church of Freehold, visit the Web site or call 732-462-1717.