Stone Hill Church | |
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Stone Hill Church of Princeton | |
40°23′1.6″N 74°38′51.1″W / 40.383778°N 74.647528°WCoordinates: 40°23′1.6″N 74°38′51.1″W / 40.383778°N 74.647528°W | |
Location | Princeton, New Jersey |
Country | United States |
Denomination | Nondenominational |
Churchmanship | Evangelical |
Weekly attendance | 600 |
Website | stonehillprinceton |
History | |
Former name(s) | Westerly Road Church |
Founder(s) | Helen, Dorothy, and W. Butler Harris |
Dedicated | November 25, 1956 (Westerly), March 9, 2014 (Stone Hill) |
Associated people | Elmer William Engstrom, John Frame, Donald B. Fullerton |
Clergy | |
Senior pastor(s) | Matthew P. Ristuccia |
Stone Hill Church of Princeton is an evangelical, nondenominational church in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The church was founded in 1956 as Westerly Road Church at the intersection of Westerly and Wilson Roads. In 2013 it constructed a new facility and relocated to 1025 Bunn Drive and changed its name to Stone Hill Church of Princeton. The Rev. Dr. Matthew P. Ristuccia, a member of the Princeton University class of 1975, has served as senior pastor since 1985.
Westerly Road Church was founded at the initiative of two sisters, Helen and Dorothy Harris, with the support of their brother W. Butler Harris, on land along Westerly Road which they donated to the church. The Harris siblings were the children of noted Princeton Professor Walter Butler Harris, and grandchildren of the Rev. William Harris, a treasurer of Princeton University. The Harris siblings, along with many of the early members of Westerly Road, including Elmer Engstrom, were previously communicants of First Presbyterian Church but were dissatisfied with its theological direction under the Rev. Dr. John R. Bodo. Their intention was to have a church where Biblical teaching and missionary activity were emphasized. The original structure cost $30,000, raised by the 22 charter members, and was bought pre-fabricated from U.S. Steel Homes Inc. The sanctuary arrived via train at the Princeton Junction Train Station and was trucked to the site at Westerly and Wilson Roads on the border of the former Princeton Borough and Princeton Township. At the time of construction, the roads were not yet put through and there was no opposition to the church's request for a zoning variance to allow for a religious use in a residential zone. The Harris siblings arranged to call the Rev. Edward H. Morgan of Roanoke, VA, their cousin, as the first pastor, a position which he would hold until his retirement in 1980. The parsonage was built at 25 Westerly Road, which would later serve as the church offices until the relocation to 1025 Bunn Drive. The first services were held on November 25, 1956 with 100 in attendance at the morning service and 30 at the evening.