Chatham In the summer of 1966 the little white church on the hill, known locally as Long Hill Chapel, was for sale. Members of the Church of Christ, who lived in the area and had been driving to congregations in Westfield or Whippany to worship, met to explore the possibility of starting a new congregation in Chatham.
On October 20, 1966, an agreement was signed with Long Hill Chapel to purchase their church building. After an individual provided a loan, and three families offered to secure the mortgage with their homes as collateral, the bank approved the mortgage.
On Sunday, December 25, 1966, a dream came true when 37 people met to worship at the Chatham Church of Christ.
Because of talent within the congregation from the beginning, the preaching, song leading, and bible class teaching were done by the members. Church members even rotated cleaning the building; this was jokingly called “the passing of the mop.” Building repairs and upkeep work parties were well attended and were frequently capped off with homemade desserts.
The congregation grew and the first full-time minister was hired in July 1968. Larry and Diane Shoe worked hard and faithfully until the end of 1973 when they moved to Missouri. In 1974, Gayle and Lisa Crowe, with their children, Darren and Lauren, began their work; they served with distinction until 1987 when they moved to Indiana. In July 1987, the congregation invited Robert Weber and his family to carry on the ministry. Bob, Janet, and his sons Jeremy and Jonathan (before they grew and moved out) served until Bob retired in August 2018. In October 2018, Jared and Leigann Turbyfill joined the congregation as the minister along with their sons Logan and Patrick.
On July 11, 1982 a mortgage-burning service was held to celebrate the paying off of all debts on the church building and the two houses. Several charter members, who had been transferred or had moved after they retired, came back. The program that day noted, “There are many things that set the Chatham congregation apart—the preaching, the singing, the bible classes. But the aspect that remains in the memories of those touched by Chatham is the loving and caring nature of our Christian family.” As the Chatham Church of Christ prospered, in 1974 the congregation began sponsoring John Chan as a missionary to the Chinese people in New York City. John Chan, who was born in China, his wife and their three small children moved to Queens. In 1980, the Chatham Church and others interested in the Chinese work helped the young congregation buy a Knights of Columbus Hall and helped renovate it for a church building. Today the Chinese Church of Christ, located in the Flushing community of Queens, is fully self-supporting.
The Chatham Church of Christ, now in its fifth decade, has experienced some changes. Several of the long-time families retired and moved in the early 1990’s and only one of the original members still lives locally. But recently the congregation has been blessed with several young families and the future looks promising.