Flemington Presbyterian Church has stood on East Main Street in the heart of Flemington, New Jersey, since 1791, when fifty-five men and women asked the Presbytery of New Brunswick for a church of their own. More than two centuries later, the congregation still worships steps from the old Hunterdon County courthouse, in an 1883 Akron Plan sanctuary with Tiffany stained glass, a Celtic cross rising in front of its 1913 Austin pipe organ, and a slate of choirs and bell choirs that fill the room every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. The community that gathers here spans a fifteen-mile radius around Flemington and ranges from singles to multigenerational families, drawn together by a shared desire to teach the holy word, serve their neighbors, and grow in faith. Their motto, "Shine God's Light!," appears on T-shirts worn out of the building and on the lawn during the annual CROP Hunger Walk.
The Akron Plan Sanctuary on East Main Street
The present sanctuary was dedicated on November 1, 1883, the 107th anniversary of the congregation. It was built on the footprint of the second church, which itself had replaced the 1793 meeting house, and it remains an excellent example of the Akron Plan, an architectural style of the era with semicircular pews gathered around a central chancel. The stained glass windows, some designed by Tiffany and given in memory of longtime members, give the room an aura of dignity and reverence. The ornate pulpit on one side of the chancel and the lectern on the other are later arrangements, replacing the original central pulpit and communion table. The Celtic cross floating clear of the organ pipes, twelve feet high and lit from above, was suggested by the seal of the General Assembly as it looked in 1883. The circle behind it signifies the rising sun of Easter.
A particular treasure is the stained glass window inspired by William Hunt's painting The Light of the World. In it, a lantern-carrying Jesus is poised to knock on a door overgrown with foliage. The door has no handle and cannot be opened from the outside; it must be opened from within. The image became the visual anchor of the church's mission to "Shine God's Light," a phrase drawn from Matthew 5:13-16 and recited by members when they explain who they are.
An Austin Pipe Organ with Two Thousand Pipes
The sanctuary's pipe organ was built in 1913 by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut, as Opus 463. Its design was the work of Norman Landis, who served as the church's organist and choirmaster for sixty-one years, from 1896 until his death in 1956. A 1970 renovation under organist John VanSant replaced most of the original pipework and produced a thirty-six-rank instrument; a doppelflöte was added in 1996 and a tuba in 2002. In 2016 a new façade of forty-nine gold speaking pipes, ranging from ten to sixteen feet, was erected on the front wall of the sanctuary, surrounded by quarter-sawn oak woodwork. The original ten-foot Celtic cross remains at the center of the façade. The organ now totals thirty-nine ranks with three manuals and a little over two thousand pipes, ranging in size from sixteen feet down to the size of a pencil.
Music in worship is led by Director of Music and Organist Dr. Carmen Scialla, with Chancel Choir and a roster of guest soloists. Margaret Sheneman directs the handbell program, which includes the adult Memorial Ringers, the Joyful Ringers for students in grades five through twelve, and the Melody Chimes for children in grades two through four. The church owns five octaves of Malmark handbells, and in 2020 five octaves of Malmark handchimes were added for the younger ringers.
From Fifty-Five Petitioners to a 1793 Meeting House
The congregation's roots reach back to November 1, 1791, when fifty-five men and women from Dutch, German, Irish, Scottish, French, and English families petitioned the Presbytery of New Brunswick for a church of their own in Flemington. Some had been traveling six miles to worship at Amwell First in Reaville. The legal name they took, Flemington English Presbyterian Church in Amwell, reflected both the language of worship and the diverse origins of its members. The Presbytery allowed the new congregation to organize but only as a preaching post, sharing the Reverend Thomas Grant with the Amwell churches. The first two elders were elected and ordained in 1797; one of them was Thomas Reading, son of one of New Jersey's last royal governors. In 1810 the congregation completed the interior of its meeting house, sixteen years after the exterior was finished, and in 1811 the Session voted to invite Christians of other denominations in good standing to share the Lord's Supper with them, a decision never rescinded.
By the 1850s the original meeting house was crowded. It was torn down, and a larger church was built on the same site and dedicated on May 14, 1857. The present sanctuary, larger still, was begun in 1882 and dedicated a year later at a cost of thirty-three thousand dollars. The Reverend Dr. Mott, installed in 1869, saw membership grow from 210 to 551 during his twenty-five-year pastorate, and his memorial pulpit and Tiffany windows were given in his memory.
During the Civil War, four men of this small congregation of about two hundred members gave their lives; two of them, Lambert Boemen and Paul Kuhl, are buried in the churchyard along with five Revolutionary War soldiers. The pastor himself, the Reverend John L. Janeway, took leave to serve as chaplain of the local regiment.
Sunday Mornings at 9:30
Sunday worship at Flemington Presbyterian follows the Reformed tradition in a quiet, dignified style. The bulletin lists the day in the liturgical calendar along with two scripture readings, often one from the Hebrew Bible and one from a Gospel, drawn from the lectionary. The service moves through congregational singing, a children's message, prayer, sermon, and the exchange of the peace. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month; those joining online are invited to use bread and a cup from their own homes. Baptism is scheduled upon request throughout the year, and one Sunday each spring is set aside for Confirmation Sunday, when the year's confirmation class leads worship and is received as adult members.
Children remain in worship with their families for the children's message, then are dismissed to Sunday School. During the school year, Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m. for preschool through eighth grade, with classes grouped by age: PreK and kindergarten in Room 13/15, first through third grades in Room 14/16, fourth through sixth grades in the upstairs Youth Room, and seventh and eighth grades in the Parish House. High school students meet the Breakfast Club in Room 22 on the first and third Sundays of the month, also at 9:45. Nursery care for children two and younger is available throughout the morning with caregivers Josefina Mannino and Danche Zhivkovikj.
Worship is also live on the church's Facebook page each Sunday, with the bulletin available to print or download beforehand. For the hard of hearing, personal radio receivers are available from the ushers. Large-print bulletins, Bibles, and hymnals sit on the first pew near the East Main Street entrance.
Shine God's Light: The Mission Statement
"Shine God's Light!" is more than a slogan. As the church explains it, the phrase comes from Matthew 5:13-16: "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid." Members are called to be disciples of Christ who share and rejoice in the warmth of God's love and light by teaching the holy word, serving Christ's community, and growing together in faith. The stained glass of The Light of the World hangs in the sanctuary as a daily reminder: Jesus is always reaching toward us, and the door must be opened from within.
Teaching the holy word is described as the work of the whole church. Ministry, in the Presbyterian understanding, is shared by every member, and learning is intrinsic to teaching. Flemington Presbyterian takes seriously the call to learn throughout life, as children, as adults, and as teachers of one another.
Volunteers in Mission: Forty-Five Summers in Western Maine
The single most visible mission of the congregation is its Volunteers in Mission trip, now forty-five years running. The program's roots go back to 1970, when small health teams spent a summer week in the coal regions of West Virginia and Ohio. Since 1979, between thirty and sixty teens and adults have traveled each summer to a thousand-square-mile area of rural western Maine coordinated by Mission at the Eastward, an organization created in 1954 to help rural churches survive. Volunteers build ramps, roofs, and sheds; insulate, replace siding, windows, and doors; close in porches; add railings; and paint houses. They also run a vacation Bible school for local children, a week those youngsters look forward to every summer and remember for years.
Flemington Presbyterian has completed more than four hundred work sites over the trip's lifetime. Participants, ages thirteen to seventy-five and older, hammer, saw, paint, and sweat for forty-plus hours over the course of a single week. The cost of the trip is offset by donations and two annual all-you-can-eat breakfasts in Fellowship Hall. A multimedia show each fall draws more than 125 people to celebrate the work. The annual July 18-25 trip is open to teens, young adults, and adults, with applications available online.
Members describe the trip as a place where strangers become trusted friends over the course of a week and where the Holy Spirit is palpably at work forming community. Several past participants have joined the church as a result, and many current members trace their closest friendships to VIM summers.
The Wider Mission: Local, National, and International
Beyond VIM, the church supports a wide range of mission partners. Family Promise of Hunterdon County uses the church campus to house homeless women and families for two weeks twice a year, with volunteers preparing meals and providing on-site hospitality. The Hunterdon Interfaith Outreach Council assists with heating oil and security deposits to help clients stay in their homes. The Flemington Food Pantry receives regular donations, and a Little Food Pantry on the property is restocked by volunteers four times a week to support neighbors in temporary housing, hotels, cars, or outdoors. A Prayer Shawl Ministry knits wraps for those who are homebound or grieving.
The congregation collects used bicycles for Pedals for Progress, which ships them to developing countries, and used eyeglasses for Crosslink International in Memphis, a faith-based medical mission that distributes glasses around the world. Members support Urban Promise in Camden, which serves children and young adults through after-school programs, summer camps, two schools, experiential learning, and job training. Heifer International receives annual gifts. During Advent, the Angel Tree in Fellowship Hall is covered with paper angels bearing gift requests shared by local organizations serving those in need.
The church is a designated Matthew 25 congregation in the PCUSA, a commitment to active ministry among those who are hungry, thirsty, lonely, cold, sick, or oppressed. In 2022 the Session voted to focus Mission and Outreach on Welcome, Inclusion, and Connection, voting unanimously to fly pride flags during Pride Month. Members and friends of every background, including LGBTQIA+ people and their allies, are welcomed at the communion table and into the life of the church.
Children, Youth, and Confirmation
Christian Education at FPC extends from preschool through high school. Sunday School uses the Spark curriculum at the elementary level and a chronological Bible study for middle schoolers, with the New Revised Standard Version and Common English Bible used in classrooms. Vacation Bible School runs for a week each summer, with the 2026 program being Snowball Mountain Challenge for children preschool through fourth grade. The annual Blessing of the Animals service in October draws pets and their families to the front lawn.
Confirmation is offered for youth in eighth grade and above, meeting monthly from October through May. The 2023 class had six members; in the following year, seventeen students were enrolled. On Confirmation Sunday the class leads the entire worship service, often including the sermon. Many confirmands also serve during the year as greeters, lay readers, helpers at the Blessing of the Animals, and as servers at church-wide events like the FPP Breakfast with Santa.
Youth Group, coordinated by Jennifer Miller, brings together students in grades four through twelve for service projects, lock-ins, retreats, and Parents' Night Out evenings that double as fundraisers. The Christian Education Committee is the umbrella for all of these programs, while adult volunteers serve as teachers, chaperones, and mentors.
Music That Fills the Sanctuary
Music is a defining feature of Flemington Presbyterian worship. Five choirs rehearse between September and early May. The Chancel Choir sings one or two anthems most Sundays and rehearses on Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. The Memorial Ringers rehearse on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary; the Joyful Ringers, for students in grades five through twelve, rehearse from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays, with pizza served beforehand in Fellowship Hall. The Melody Chimes, for children in grades two through four, rehearse on Sunday mornings during the Sunday School hour on a rotating schedule, and the Sunday School Singers rehearse during Sunday School. Once a year, in May, children in grades one through six present a musical.
During Holy Week, the Chancel Choir sings the anthems of the Tenebrae service, a moving Good Friday observance in which scripture and song depict the final hours of Christ's death as lights are dimmed and candles are extinguished. The Memorial Ringers occasionally participate in community concerts and handbell festivals.
The handbell program is supported in part by the proceeds of ShopRite gift cards sold during fellowship hour. Members can order cards through Margaret Sheneman; the cards never expire and can be replaced if lost.
Stephen Ministry and Pastoral Care
Flemington Presbyterian has a Stephen Ministry program, named for the first lay person called by the early church to assist the apostles in caring for others. Stephen Ministers are members of the congregation who have completed fifty hours of training and minister confidentially to people who are hurting or going through a tough time. The current Stephen Leaders are Kathy Knight, Cindy Hall, and the Reverend Amy Lincoln, with Stephen Ministers Anita Christman, Bob Zeh, Tanya Cleary, Marion Laban, Emily Burghardt, and Gabrielle Winther. Stephen Ministry has touched more than two million people in need through more than one hundred denominations.
The Board of Deacons complements Stephen Ministry with a wide range of congregational care. Each church member is assigned to a Care Group led by a Deacon who coordinates meals, rides to church, and a caring listener during times of need. Deacons visit members who are unable to attend in person, deliver Easter and Christmas flowers to those who are homebound, and operate the video system used to livestream worship each Sunday. The Order of St. Andrew, an Adult Discipleship program, completes the circle of pastoral care offerings.
The Flemington Presbyterian Preschool
Sharing the East Main Street campus is the Flemington Presbyterian Preschool, founded in 1976 as an extension of the church's Christian education mission. FPP is open to children ages two and a half through five, regardless of church membership, and is fully licensed by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Children and Families. Programs include a two-and-a-half-year-old class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., a three-year-old class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 to 12:00 p.m., a four-year-old class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., and a Fours/Fives class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Maximum class size is sixteen.
The curriculum blends phonemic awareness, letter and number recognition, science experiments, music, art, and field trips. Family events through the year include Pumpkin Carving, a Christmas Program, a Special Person's Tea, and Family Fun Night. The staff includes Director Joanna Lentine and teachers Anna Carasio, Mary Jernigan, Sarah Madovoy, Meghan Bruner, Amanda Day, and Diane Hutnick. FPP can be reached at (908) 782-8166 or fppnjinfo@gmail.com.
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year is now open.
The Women's Association and Adult Spiritual Formation
The Women's Association, affiliated with Presbyterian Women, is open to all women of the church and welcomes men and women to its monthly programs. The Coordinating Team includes Jean Mayersky, Kathy Knight, Liz Wettstein, Betty Doby, Barbara Sickles, Marion Laban, Ceil Hopkins, Pam Watkinson, Jean Mansur, Kathy Owens, Jane Sorensen, Emma Hooper, Joyce Freed, and Kathy Finnerty. Programs are usually held in Fellowship Hall on the fourth Tuesday of the month, except in June and December, with a meal and an inspirational speaker.
The Women's Association also oversees the Prayer Shawl Ministry, coordinates baby bottles for the Flemington Food Pantry, and supports Presbyterian mission work around the world. The purpose statement is straightforward: to nurture faith through prayer and Bible study, support the mission of the church worldwide, work for justice and peace, and build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the PCUSA.
Adult Spiritual Formation includes a Thursday morning Lectionary Study on Zoom from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m., the Wednesday Book Group, seasonal adult book studies, and the annual Lenten Retreat, held in Fellowship Hall each spring. The annual Strawberry Festival on the front lawn, with live music, cakes, ice cream, and strawberries, kicks off summer fellowship each June, and the Welcome Back Brunch in September marks the start of the church school year.
Pastor Amy E. S. Lincoln
The Reverend Amy E. S. Lincoln was called as Pastor and Head of Staff of Flemington Presbyterian in November 2018. Before coming to Flemington, she served as pastor of Highlands Presbyterian Church in Long Valley, New Jersey, a congregation formed in 2009 through the unification of three smaller churches, including Schooley's Mountain Presbyterian Church, where she had served as Stated Supply pastor since 2005. Her first call was as Associate Pastor for Family Ministry at the First Presbyterian (Hilltop) Church in Mendham, New Jersey, from 2000 to 2004.
Amy holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she focused on Pastoral Care and Counseling and was ordained in 2000. She earned a BA in English with a minor in Psychology from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, in 1993. A native of Tampa, Florida, with deep ties to Montreat, North Carolina, she is married to Jeffery and has two daughters, Zoe and Cassie, and a rescue pup named Livvy. Her blog, Rev. Amy's Blog, is updated regularly.
Pastor Amy is supported by a staff that includes Director of Music and Organist Dr. Carmen Scialla, Director of Handbells Margaret Sheneman, Youth Coordinator Jennifer Miller, Office Manager Cindy Hall, and Sunday Sexton Marion Barry. The Session, the governing body of the church, is currently composed of Pastor Amy and Elders Laura Flessner, Chris Rowland, Ceil Hopkins, Joe Denney, Barb Sickles, Jamie Evans, Rob Sheneman, Ellie Hilgen, Anita Christman, Dan Basile, Mindy D'Amico, Kristin Hoff, and Bill Thomson.
Becoming a Member
Visitors who want to explore membership are invited to attend a New Member Class, usually held on a Sunday morning after worship in the Parish House. Topics include the Presbyterian Church USA, what it means to be a member, the Flemington Presbyterian community, the church's structure and leadership, and the many ways to become involved. Childcare is available with advance notice.
Members of FPC promise to worship regularly, to serve others with their time, talents, and treasure, and to grow continually as disciples. New members are received by the Session, often during a Sunday morning worship service. Those interested can speak with the pastor or contact the Membership Committee at membership@flemingtonpres.org.
Visiting Flemington Presbyterian
The church building and Parish House are located at 10 East Main Street, Flemington, NJ 08822. Parking is available in the lot behind the building and on East Main Street. Accessible parking is available in both the church parking lot and on East Main Street, with ramp access to the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall on East Main Street and ramp access to the Parish House off the rear parking lot. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and can be reached at (908) 782-3227.
Worship takes place in the sanctuary each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and is also live on Facebook. Sunday School for preschool through eighth grade and the high school Breakfast Club begin at 9:45 a.m. The Annual Easter Sunrise Service is held in the parking lot behind the Parish House; the Good Friday Tenebrae and Maundy Thursday services take place in the sanctuary each spring. Christmas Eve includes a pageant and candlelight services. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, and baptisms are scheduled upon request throughout the year.
To arrange a baptism, wedding, or funeral, contact the pastor at pastor@flemingtonpres.org. To make arrangements for pastoral visits at home or in the hospital, call the church office at (908) 782-3227, ext. 11. To request a Stephen Minister, contact the pastor or one of the Stephen Ministers directly.
An Invitation to Shine God's Light
Flemington Presbyterian Church has been part of this Hunterdon County town for more than two hundred and thirty years. Members believe that what has kept the congregation going across generations is a willingness to do the next faithful thing: build a new sanctuary when the old one is full, send youth and adults into the world each summer to hammer nails on behalf of strangers, restock the Little Food Pantry four times a week, fly pride flags during Pride Month, and open the doors of the church for Family Promise guests twice a year. The motto - "Shine God's Light!" - is not a marketing slogan but a working theology. It is what the stained glass above the chancel points toward, what the bell choirs ring out on Thursday evenings, what the children carry with them after Vacation Bible School each summer, and what the volunteers in Maine carry back home with blisters on their hands and gratitude in their hearts. Whether one comes as a visitor, a seeker, a newcomer to the area, or someone looking for a church home, the door on East Main Street is open every Sunday at 9:30 a.m., and all are welcome.