First Lutheran Church has stood on North Main Street in the village of Stewartsville, New Jersey, since November 1851, when its current sanctuary was dedicated. A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the New Jersey Synod, the parish approaches 175 years of continuous worship, sharing its pastor with a sister congregation in nearby Washington and keeping both an active Sunday gathering and a livestreamed service for those who join from home.
A Parish Born of the Village
The congregation traces its founding to 1850, when local families came together to build a Lutheran church for the people of Stewartsville and the surrounding Warren County countryside. Within a year the first sanctuary was raised and dedicated, and worship has continued in that same building ever since. The parish's legacy page carries a roster of more than two dozen pastors who have served across the decades, beginning with the Rev. D. M. Henkel in 1854 and including long-tenured leaders such as the Rev. Paul W. Hartline (1950 to 1974) and the Rev. John D. Kleist (1979 to 2021), whose four-decade pastorate was the longest on record. A history book chronicling this long ministry is being assembled to mark the milestone anniversary.
Sunday Worship and the Livestreamed Congregation
Sunday morning worship gathers at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary, with the whole community welcome. During the summer, from mid-June through the end of August, the service moves to 10:30 a.m. to ease the heat of the season. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, with the most recent service posted at the top of the channel and a full archive of previous services available for those who cannot attend in person. The congregation describes itself in classic Lutheran terms: "Rooted in the Gospel, grounded in Scripture, faithful to the Lutheran Confessions, we commit ourselves to constant renewal through the ongoing study and diligent searching of God's Word." Music in worship is led by organist Al Richey, whose playing supports the congregation's song and prayer each Sunday.
A Pastor Shared with Washington
The Rev. Karol Van Wulfen began serving First Lutheran in October 2021 while continuing her long ministry at the parish's sister church, St. Luke's Lutheran in Washington, where she has been called since 2004. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.), the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (S.T.M.), and Rutgers University (M.S.W.), she preaches, leads worship, and oversees the congregation's life and discipleship. She and her husband, Matt, are avid bicyclists who use the road as a way to see the world and make new friends.
Bible Study and Faith in Action
Thursday afternoons bring a Bible study and discussion from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. in the downstairs classroom, with a break over the summer months. Through its Faith in Action ministry, the parish extends Lutheran worship into the wider community with seasonal service collections. Each Lent the congregation takes up a special offering; a recent Lent focused on Heifer International, raising funds to purchase animals for families in need. The Mother's Day collection has gathered donations to provide Spanish-language Bibles for a detention center in Elizabeth, and the Father's Day collection supports Warren County Habitat for Humanity (now part of Habitat for Humanity Northwest NJ), which has finished homes in the Brainard's area of Harmony Township and is moving on to a new build in Washington. An Abuse Prevention Policy, available in full on the church's online presence, governs background checks, training, supervision, and mandatory reporting to keep children and adults safe in all church programming.
Worship in the Park
Each June, First Lutheran joins its sister congregation at Thomas Stewart Park in Stewartsville for an outdoor Worship in the Park, followed by a shared picnic. The outdoor service replaces the usual Sunday gathering that morning and brings both congregations together for a meal on the grounds afterward. The Torch newsletter, archived back through 2025 and 2026, and a monthly calendar published alongside it keep the congregation informed of worship times, special collections, and seasonal services throughout the year.
The Cemetery on the Church Grounds
First Lutheran also maintains the Stewartsville Lutheran Cemetery. Plots are available in one-, two-, four-, or eight-grave sizes, perpetual care is included, and veterans receive a 10 percent discount. Peggy Edmiston handles inquiries about cemetery plots and can be reached at slucemt@gmail.com.
The Sanctuary, the Windows, and the Light
The 1851 sanctuary is the parish's most enduring work. Photo galleries preserve images of the building, the grounds, and the stained glass windows that fill the worship space with colored light on Sunday mornings. Visitors interested in the building's history can step inside at 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday or follow the church's YouTube channel from anywhere in the world. Gifts to support the congregation's ministry can be made online through Tithe.ly, by mail to P.O. Box 86, Stewartsville, NJ 08886, or in person on Sunday mornings at 563 North Main Street.