The Brighton Reformed Church history begins in August 1886, when 26 members of First Reformed Church met and established the Second Reformed Church. Both churches were located in the city of Rochester. However, this expansion was not sufficient to serve Hollanders in the outlying areas of Brighton Village (east of the city). For some time the two Reformed ministers brought the Gospel to the Brighton people, meeting in private homes every other Sunday and using their native Holland language. This only temporarily answered the needs of the people who yearned for a building of their own and a church school where their children could be educated in the Reformed Church tradition.
On December 16, 1890, Domine DeBruyn, pastor of First Reformed Church, formally brought the matter of a new church before his consistory. They discussed at great length the question of how to secure ground and a building. They prayed and the Lord opened a way for them through two men (Doyle and Hirshberger) whose names did not reflect a Holland background. The two men were instrumental in getting the new church out of the ‘vision stage,’ because they saw the potential value of property east of the city and purchased tracts of land. They leveled the land around Elm Park and Birch Terrace (now Arbordale Avenue and Heather Street). The men also gave one lot of their new acquisition to the Brighton Hollanders for the purpose of erecting a chapel, plus $100 to get it started.
Rev. John VanWestenberg joined us in 1891, the year our corner-stone was laid for the Chapel. He preached in Dutch at the morning worship services and in English at the evening. In 1894, the congregation began to plan building expansion. The Board of Domestic Missions of the Reformed Church offered a loan to purchase the lot next to the Chapel, and for a building addition. Shortly after the completion of the new building program, Rev. VanWestenberg accepted a call to an Albany church.
The young flock was without a pastor for nearly a year before the Rev. D. Laurence Betten was installed in September 1897. He rapidly brought new life to the congregation. With the help of faithful Elders, visitation increased, youth groups were revived, the Women’s Missionary Society grew steadily, and Sunday School flourished. In 1905, the city of Rochester annexed the area of Brighton where BRC was located. In August 1910, Rev. Betten resigned to accept a call from the First Reformed Church of Marion, New York.
The third minister, the Rev. Andrew Stegenga came in 1911, to lead a ministry marked throughout by the struggle between English and Dutch. His ministry was one of reconciliation. He left in 1919 to accept a call in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
At the end of World War I, BRC called Henry C. Jacobs as minister. Under his direction, weekday religious education classes began as part of a citywide program directed by the Rochester Federation of Churches. Interest in music grew and a large Moller pipe organ was installed. Rev. Jacobs was well-liked and attracted the attention of other Reformed churches. He received two calls, but declined both. He resigned in May 1927 to accept a call to a church in Iowa.
The Rev. Richard Blocker was called by Consistory to be the fifth minister of the church. He began his ministry in September 1927. Frequent visits from old friends in his former church and pressure to come back to them, evidently led to his decision to go back. He resigned in May 1929. His was the shortest pastorate in our history.
The Rev. Anthony Luidens was BRC’s sixth minister. It was said that Dr. Luidens was standing looking into a jewelry store window when a young street urchin stared at the domines’ reflection in the glass. After a moment the lad touched the man’s arm and asked beguilingly, “Mister, are you God?” This is the highest compliment that can be paid a Christian, for his serene countenance and loving expression to identify him with the Lord he serves and loves. BRC had this type of leadership from 1930 through 1954. These were depression years, difficult times for families and businesses, but a time of bustling activity for the church, for Sunday School enrollment exceeded 500 adults and children.
In the early 1940s Mrs. Guenther, a neighbor, wrote to the BRC Consistory as follows: “for many years I have been watching the changes and growth in your church and the hard conscientious hours given to it by your minister...I have wished so often that I might do something for you... Now I would like to transfer my property to your church to be used as you see fit for Christian work.” After a series of fund-raisers, the first building constructed on this land was Fellowship lodge.
Our seventh minister was the Rev. William C. Hillegonds. People living on Arbordale Avenue could almost set their watches by his tuneful walk down to the old church study and back to the parsonage for lunch. His contributions to BRC are still evident, as it was under his leadership that plans were accelerated for building a new church. Ground was broken in April 1958 and two months later the cornerstone was laid. It contained church documents, Sunday School material, newspapers, the Brightoner, and several documents transferred from the old cornerstone of July 1892. Our new church home was completed and furnished by the spring of 1959, and the dedication took place on May 17, 1959.
The Rev. Gordon Curtis was our next minister, shepherding us from 1960 to 1974. Some highlights of Rev. Curtis’ tenure include: installing seven memorial stained glass windows in our sanctuary, purchasing our original handbells, providing assistance for victims of the 1972 flood in Corning, NY, and being instrumental in the formation of the Blossom Seniors (an ecumenical neighborhood association for area seniors.)
The Rev. Russell Pater was our ninth minister. His qualities of compassion, organization, dedication and untiring faithful effort were exceptional. Rev Pater’s efforts in local mission were exemplary, including his service as first chairman of a committee to establish a Hispanic Church within the Rochester Classis and his efforts to establish a Taiwanese Ministry within our own church. Our remodeled chancel and new pipe organ serve as reminders of his motivating effectiveness. Rev. Pater retired in 1995 but he and his wife remained active members of the congregation until his passing in 2009.
The Rev. Dr. Eugene Roberts became our tenth and most recent pastor in 1996. Rev. Roberts was a very well-read, scholarly person who brought to his sermons and adult Christian Living classes, a deep knowledge of scripture and a clear understanding of where the general church is in the 21st century. He introduced several innovations in our worship - an Ash Wednesday service and a once a month healing service. Rev. Roberts completed his Doctor of Ministry program, mentored by Dr. Walter Bruggemann, one of the most knowledgeable Biblical scholars of modern times. During his tenure, the building was modernized, not only becoming completely handicapped-accessible, but also making the entrance more appealing and providing a larger gathering space for “after-worship” fellowship. We have welcomed into membership several handicapped individuals who live in area group homes. We became a part of RAIHN (Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network) a ministry to Rochester families temporarily without housing. The Taiwanese community has become an integral part of our membership and the ministry of Brighton Reformed church. We are a multi-ethnic community of faith, with people from several other nationalities worshiping with us. Rev. Roberts began an early retirement in April 2008.
June 2010 opens a new chapter in the history of Brighton Reformed Church as we welcome out 11th minister. Rev. David Ryder will begin shepherding the flock on Blossom Road as of Sunday, June 27, 2010. Rev. Ryder graduated from Western Seminary in May of 2010 and Brighton Reformed is his first church and very excited to welcome him!
Brighton Reformed Church has been blessed with great stability. We have had only eleven ministers and two buildings in over 100 years of ministry, and we are proud of this tradition.
