Bethany Lutheran Church - Exterior
Photo: C. Karnoutsos 2008
Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church of modified Swedish castle-style design is at the southeast corner of the New Jersey City University campus on Kennedy Boulevard. It was founded with the merger of the Swedish Lutheran Ebenezer Church with the Swedish Lutheran Bethel Church on July 15, 1943.
The Swedish Lutheran congregation dates back to 1884 when a minister from Brooklyn, NY, came to Jersey City to hold services for the newly-arrived immigrants. They met in a private home at 400 Tonnelle Avenue and then in the basement of St. Paul's German Lutheran Church. In 1890, they founded Ebenezer Church on Palisade Avenue, which relocated across the street to make way for the construction of Dickinson High School in 1906. The church's stained-glass windows were blown out from the Black Tom explosion in 1916. The congregation remained at Palisade Avenue until 1942 when the church was razed for public housing.
In 1923, the Bethel Church was founded for Swedish-speaking Finn immigrants on Armstrong Avenue between Bergen and Jackson avenues in Greenville.
By 1943, the two Lutheran churches shared the same pastor. This development led to a decision to join the congregations and to hold religious services in Greenville church members lived. They met at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Stegman Street before purchasing land for a church at the corner of Bergen and Grant avenues. World War II scrapped the plan when building materials were prioritized for the war effort.
After the war, the congregation almost disbanded. It had lost its pastor and temporary meeting place on Bergen Avenue. The arrival of the Rev. H. Allison Linne in 1950 revitalized the community. It grew from 170 to over 300 members of different ethnic groups. They sold the Bergen Avenue property and bought its present site on the corner of Kennedy (then Hudson) Boulevard. The cornerstone was laid in 1951, and the church was dedicated the following year.
Upon entering Bethany church, one is drawn to the stunning stained glass "Resurrection" window that rises from the floor to the ceiling. The five luminous glass panels in an open fan-like design depict scenes from the New Testament. They were designed and installed by the famed J & R Lamb Studios of Clifton, NJ, founded in 1857, one of the oldest firms working in the medium. The Grace Lutheran Church, 982 Summit Avenue, and the Evangelismos Greek Orthodox Church, 661 Montgomery Street, also have stained glass windows by the Lamb Studio. The bell in the church tower, from the ferry slip at Cortlandt Street in New York City, was donated by a construction company that dismantled the bell.
Today, Bethany Church sponsors outreach programs for the community--Headstart, a children's summer bible program, and Narcotics Anonymous.
Anderson, Arthur G. "Fifty years of Ministry." ts. 1993.
Seely, Barea Lamb. "Lamb Studio" in Encyclopedia of New Jersey by Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen. New Brunswick, NJ: 2004: 452-453.
