The Very Begining

From about 1745 through about 1751 the Toms River area was served by the Rev. Thomas Thompson, an English missionary from the English Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. His assigned territories included the vast stretches of pine forest which would later become Ocean County as well as parishes in Middletown, Freehold and Allentown.

Between 1751 and the mid 1800’s, there is a gap in ministry here which needs some explanation. While the original Diocese of New Jersey (which included the whole state) dates back to 1785, the Episcopal Church suffered great setbacks during and after the Revolutionary War due to its association with the English monarchy. It wasn’t until mid 1832 that parish life began anew.

The Early Diocese

Under the Episcopacy of George Washington Doane (1832-1859) the Diocese of New Jersey grew from 27 parishes and missions to 85. Under his successor, William Henry Odenheimer (1859-1874) the Toms River missions began. (As a footnote, under his episcopacy the diocese’s growth continued so rapidly that in 1874 it became necessary to divide the diocese into two parts, the Diocese of Trenton and the Diocese of Newark). The first mention of Toms River in the Diocesan Journals occurs in 1861: "Toms River Ocean Co. Mission 1860. Church Building 0, Parsonage 0, School House 0, {signed} Rev. W. Forgus."

The Rev. Mr. Forgus worked out of Grace Church in Pemberton and may have reported that the Toms River area deserved more attention than he could offer, for in 1863 the Rev. Thomas J.Taylor began officiating in Toms River and the surrounding area.

Founding of the Parish

While the exact date is unclear, we use the date 1865 as the date of our parish’s founding. The congregation met at different times in Cowperthwait’s Exchange, a small local hotel, and a school house. Christ Church officially incorporated on February 18, 1871 as "Christ’s Church," and in 1882 a church building was constructed on Washington Street; to replace the original school/mission building on Hooper Avenue. (This building still stands today on Washington Street and is on loan to the Ocean Christian Community as their church.) Construction of a Rectory followed and over the next 75 years the congregation of Christ Church grew. In 1948, the church’s name was officially changed to "Christ Church."

The Golf Course

Christ Church may be the only parish in the Episcopal Church to have run a golf course. In 1929, the vestry sold over 55 acres of land south of Washington Street to the Cranmoor Country Club. When the club’s mortgage was foreclosed the church was forced to take over part of the operation of the golf course, and wound up running a 9-hole golf course until 1937 when the land was sold.

Growth

By 1960, the existing church building could not accommodate its 450 members and the parish voted to build a new church. Gifts from former parishioners John Peter Haines and his sister Emily Sommers Haines, allowed ample land. A new building was completed and dedicated on June 9, 1962. A new rectory was built in 1982 on the site of the original manor House of the Haines’ Cranmoor Farm, and in 1990 the office area and the Disciples Hall additions were completed. The building’s campaign theme, "For Generations to Come" reflects the care and commitment of our members for the life and work of Christ Church.

The Mortgage is Burned

 

The Parish Today

Over 360 households comprise our congregation. Our ministries are many and varied within the parish, the surrounding community, and the diocese. More than 130 years of witnessing God’s love strengthens our presence in Toms River and we look forward to our future life together as a Christian community, witnessing to God’s truth as revealed in Jesus Christ.