Video: The renovated Presbyterian Parish House, by Bruce Frazier
By Kevin Coughlin
Among the $3.2 million of improvements unveiled over the weekend at the Presbyterian Parish House in Morristown were a couple of new names that are priceless:
The refurbished parlor now is the Erdman Room. And the basement Clothing Bank is now Jan’s Closet.
Former Civil War chaplain Albert Erdman, pastor of the South Street Presbyterian Church from 1869 to 1907, was a “passionate abolitionist,” said his great-grandson, David Erdman, a resident of Charlotte, N.C., who did not let Hurricane Matthew stop him from attending Sunday’s dedication in Morristown.
David Erdman quoted an 1865 letter from the Rev. Erdman describing a speaking engagement:
“I spoke decidedly of the duty devolving in the nation to give the Negro the ballot. It’s no use to mince matters, and I didn’t,” the minister wrote.
The Rev. Erdman’s father-in-law, John Brooke Pinney, was the first Presbyterian minister to perform missionary work in Africa.
Albert and Agnes Erdman had eight children. Two became missionaries (in Hawaii and Lebanon), another married a pastor in Saranac Lake, NY (where President Calvin Coolidge attended summer services), and a grandson taught at the Princeton Theological Seminary and became a pastor.
Sunday’s ceremony would have thrilled Pastor Albert Erdman, said David Erdman, a lawyer and avid historian who was joined by his daughter, Emily Erdman Mauney, and her husband, Jon Mauney, of New York City.
“He could not help but be proud and astonished that the building over which he presided is still standing, and is being rejuvenated, with 200 people here today,” said David Erdman, who married into the Baptist faith.
The three-year restoration of the Parish House, which dates to 1878, was “first rate,” he added, admiring the cornice in Sheffield Hall.
A fresh coat of paint and a refinished floor are among the new touches in the rechristened Erdman Room, a parlor that has hosted numerous informal gatherings and seniors exercise programs.
Renovations to the building include air conditioning, fire sprinklers, a new music rehearsal room and transformation of a gym into a performance hall that the church hopes will become a center for community activities. Funded by member donations, these upgrades also will support church events and its burgeoning youth programs.
‘THERE IS A MISSION FOR YOU’
Others traveled from Alaska and Colorado to celebrate the dedication of Jan’s Closet, the new name for a thrift shop that has been providing free, quality garments for the needy every Tuesday morning since moving to the Parish House from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer 20 years ago.
At the time, as a new member of the Presbyterian congregation, Jan Harris was hesitant when the pastor told her: “There is a mission in this church for you.”
“Tom, I am a mom, and I’m not sure this is for me,” she said.
But she agreed, and her “incredible, quiet service” as volunteer coordinator of the Clothing Bank has made a difference in countless lives, said the Rev. Dave Smazik, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown since 2010.
“She has led more than 30 volunteers, knows the clients by name, and is sensitive to meet their individual needs. It may be a jacket, new socks, underwear, toiletries, clothes for a newborn, or a blanket to keep warm. The Clothing Bank is Jan’s personal mission and she serves with sensitivity, compassion and integrity,” according to the church.
Harris is retiring, and family members came from far and wide to salute her and her husband, Bob Harris.
A Saturday ribbon-cutting at the renovated Parish House also drew many well wishers, including Councilwoman Alison Deeb and Alice Cutler of the Trustees of the Morristown Green, the organization that has maintained the historic town square since the Presbyterian Church donated it for public use in 1816.
That bicentennial will be celebrated on Oct. 16, 2016, with special appearances on the Green by actors portraying George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette.
Our thanks to MG contributor Bill Lescohier for his help with this story.
Thank you, Bruce. Nice video!
Great job, Kevin! Really good, well written article. And good photos too!