HISTORY - continued

Reformed Church in America

The roots of the Reformed Church in America lie primarily in the Netherlands but also extend to Germany, Hungary and, to a smaller degree, France. The Reformed movement originated in Switzerland under John Calvin. The churches from this branch of the Reformation are called Reformed in Switzerland, Holland and Germany, Presbyterian in England and Scotland, and Huguenots in France.

The church came to America with the early Dutch settlers in New York. As early as 1614, what is now known as the Reformed Church in America had an unorganized membership along the upper reaches of the Hudson River near present day Albany, New York. By 1628 the Dutch in New Amsterdam had an organized church, the oldest church in the middle colonies and the oldest church in America with an uninterrupted ministry. By the time the English took possession of New York in 1664, there were already a half dozen Dutch churches thriving in what they called New Amsterdam (New York City).

When immigration from Holland ceased, it became imperative to educate and ordain ministers in the new country. A college and seminary were built in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The New Brunswick Theological Seminary, the first seminary in this country, is now known as Rutgers University.

In 1819 the church was incorporated as the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church. In 1867 it became the Reformed Church in America. A second emigration from the Netherlands began in the middle of the nineteenth century. The two largest settlements were in Holland, Michigan and Pella, Iowa. In the 1850’s both groups were integrated into the Reformed Church in America.