FPC History: Rev Robert B Berger (1936 - 1949)

In September 1936, when the First Presbyterian Church of Matawan was on Main Street and celebrating its 250th anniversary, the Reverend Robert B Berger was installed as pastor. Rev Berger came to Matawan from the First Presbyterian Church of Kingston in Kingston, New York.

During Rev Berger's tenure, which ran until 1949, there was such church growth that new hymnals had to be ordered. And the size of the Session had to be doubled, from 6 members to 12. The membership nearly doubled, growing from 271 to 490. The number of Sunday School teachers likewise nearly doubled, from 14 to 26 to teach 189 students, when only 110 students had been registered previously.

The church established its first Board of Deacons in 1943. According to Presbyterians Pioneer at Matawan, "These young men supervised ushering at services and, during World War II, prepared packages for men in service overseas."

The Presbyterian Church established the rotary system in 1949. According to the new rule, an Elder was allowed to serve a 3-year term with the option to extend one additional term. James S Brown, Jr, the editor of  Presbyterians Pioneer at Matawan, more than suggests that FPC Matawan had mixed emotions about the General Assembly's decision when he writes, "The wounds made by such a change were shared by the Matawan Church with all churches that were keeping pace with the times by making this adjustment."

The church began to enjoy their new status. A church secretary was hired in 1948. Every member was able to receive a personal copy of Presbyterian Life magazine. A silver communion service was given as a memorial gift. Chimes were donated. A brass altar cross donated in 1937 survived the 1955 fire to be used in the new sanctuary. And, by January 1949, the congregation formed a Building Committee to completely renovate the building and add a separate Sunday School building.

Rev Berger accepted a call to be pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Carthage in Carthage, Missouri. (The church's website is under construction but the church has a very active Facebook site, and the minister, Matthew Roberts, has his own blog.)

Upon his departure, FPC Matawan presented Rev Berger with a scroll, which read:

The First Presbyterian Church of Matawan, New Jersey, has had a blessed era of spiritual and material prosperity under Rev Berger's tireless leadership, and the severance of his ministerial relations leaves us with a deep sense of loss.