A Friendly Cornerstone on Seventh Avenue
First Presbyterian Church of Haddon Heights stands at the corner of Green Street and Seventh Avenue in a quiet residential section of Haddon Heights, New Jersey. From its sanctuary steps to the long-running Sunday School wing along Green Street, the congregation has been a steady presence in the borough for more than a century, opening its doors to a friendly and diverse membership where everyone is welcome. Sunday worship begins at 10:30 AM most of the year, slips to 9:30 AM in the summer months from mid-June through Labor Day weekend, and is also broadcast on Facebook Live so that homebound members and friends across the country can take part.
The church's stated mission is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in faith, service, and worship, and to lead people in spiritual growth and development. Beliefs are grounded in the Bible and centered on Jesus Christ, with a commitment to the Reformed tradition through the Presbyterian Church (USA).
From a Front Parlor to a 125-Year Congregation
The story begins in 1900, when two Haddon Heights families, the Gosserts and the Wallaces, gathered to talk about forming a Presbyterian mission in the borough. By November 1901 enough people had come on board that the church was officially incorporated, and the first pastor, J.S. Rusbridge, was installed in 1902. A small, wood-framed, gabled roof chapel went up that same year and was dedicated in May.
Growth came quickly. The chapel was soon too small, and in 1908 a Shingle style church designed by Philadelphia architect Richard Conover Loos was selected. The new building, dedicated in January 1909, included stained glass windows designed and fabricated by German-born artist William Rieth, several of which still mark the sanctuary today. In the 1950s the building was transformed again: the structurally unsound manse porch and Victorian tower were removed, and the Shingle style exterior and interior were re-clad in a brick Georgian Revival look. Ground was broken for the current Christian Education building in 1960.
The church marked its 125th anniversary in 2026, with the Mayor and Council of Haddon Heights presenting Pastor Eliza with a borough proclamation in honor of the milestone. Today the congregation continues to call itself a vital part of both the community and the denomination.
What a First-Time Visitor Finds on Sunday
Sunday morning has a relaxed, come-as-you-are feel. Members dress in a mix of formal and casual clothes, and shorts and t-shirts are common in July and August. The sanctuary, parlor, nursery, and classrooms are all air-conditioned. There are no assigned seats and no kneelers in the pews, so visitors simply sit, stand, and sing along as they are able. No one is asked to stand up and introduce themselves, and visitor name tags are not used. A social hour in the parlor after the service gives newcomers a chance to meet the pastor and members over coffee.
The main entrance is at the top of the steps on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Green Street, though most members use the office and Sunday School entrance on Green Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. A chair lift is available at the Green Street entrance, with a Deacon on hand to operate it, and the building is air-conditioned throughout. A gender-neutral ADA-compliant restroom with a changing table sits off the parlor.
Parking is on the residential streets that surround the church. Green Street, on the side opposite the church, offers plenty of spaces, including handicapped spots for those who need them. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and any baptized Christian is welcome to receive it. Gluten-free wafers are available. The Lord's Prayer is recited in the PC(USA) wording, using "debts" and "debtors," and closing with "for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever."
Children, Sunday School, and the Nursery
Children are woven into the life of the church from the start. Every Sunday, the pastor offers a children's message within the regular worship service. Children in kindergarten and younger may stay with their families, or they may head to the nursery, which is staffed by two adults each week and is located down the hall and to the right from the Green Street entrance. The nursery workers arrive at least fifteen minutes before worship begins, and earlier when Sunday School is in session. Both co-directors, Abby Burrough and Kameron Evans, are First Aid and CPR certified; Kameron is a third-generation member of the congregation.
Sunday School runs from September through early June and meets at 9:30 AM for disciples of all ages. Classes for kids and adults run side by side, and confirmation, baptism, and membership classes are scheduled periodically by the pastor. A Youth Group, led by Laura Masi, gathers teens in grades 6 through 12 for fellowship events and service projects throughout the year. Friends are always welcome to come along.
Music: Choirs for Every Age and Stage
Music is central to worship, and the program is led by Director of Music Dr. Chris Thomas, who came on board in May 2022. The Chancel Choir, open to high-school-age singers and older with no audition required, rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 8:45 PM and usually presents one anthem each Sunday from September through May. The Covenant Ringers, the church's handbell choir, rehearses on Thursdays from 6:45 to 7:30 PM, also September through May.
Two children's choirs keep the youngest singers involved. The Calvin Choir, directed by Dr. Thomas, is for second through sixth graders, while the Cherub Choir, directed by Kim Muni, welcomes children ages four through first grade. Both rehearse on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM, on the second through last Sunday of the month, and typically perform in worship on the first Sunday. A Praise Band, led by Pete Johnson and Jeff Moon, leads worship on the second Sunday of each month outside the summer months, with vocal and instrumental music from guitar, drums, keyboard, violin, and percussion.
On summer Sundays and at special times of year, members of the congregation provide special vocal and instrumental music. Michael "Mike" Rugge has been the church's organist and pianist since 2014, accompanying services and the choirs throughout the year. A sermon archive, a children's sermon archive, and a musical performances archive are all kept online for anyone who wants to listen back.
Faith, Beliefs, and the Reformed Tradition
The church is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which means the session, the boards, and the larger life of the church follow the Reformed faith as laid out in the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order. Leadership is shared: every member has a voice and a vote in the decisions of the church, and a team of elected elders, deacons, and trustees carries the work of ministry between Sundays. The current pastor, Rev. Eliza Cramer Jaremko, also serves as Moderator of the Presbytery for Southern New Jersey and is co-chair of the Vital Congregations Initiative.
The church teaches that all people are a valued part of God's creation and that God has a deep desire to be in relationship with every person. Baptism is celebrated as a doorway into the family of faith, and Communion is offered to all baptized Christians. Visitors are welcomed "just as you are," in the words of the church, into a community that walks its faith life together.
A Building That Hosts the Borough
Beyond Sunday worship, the building is in regular use. The Village Playbox, a local community theater, stages its fall, winter, and spring productions in the Social Hall, drawing audiences from Haddon Heights and the surrounding towns. The Social Hall also hosts the Deacons' annual Pancake Breakfast, Mission Sundays where the congregation assembles no-sew blankets, utensil packets, placemats, and centerpieces for Cathedral Kitchen, and a wide range of fellowship gatherings throughout the year.
Outside groups from the Presbytery and the wider community can request use of the building for occasional events. Each request is reviewed by the Session and the Trustees before approval, in keeping with the church's published building use guidelines.
Missions: Local Pantries, Global Partners
Mission is woven into the life of the congregation through the work of the Mission Committee, chaired by Hal Wyckoff. A Mission Cabinet in the parlor and a donation bin outside the Green Street Sunday School doors collect food year-round, with a different target item each month. Through a partnership with Heim's Wholesale Food Distribution, the church periodically purchases $200 of food to deliver to local pantries. Children in worship pass collection baskets after the children's sermon on the second Sunday of each month for the 2 Cents a Meal program, which supports local food pantries.
Seasonal mission projects fill the calendar. In January and February the congregation fills shoeboxes of toiletries for organizations including Your Food Shelf and Mission Teens. Souper Bowl of Caring in February invites everyone to bring cans of soup and donations to fight hunger, with the proceeds going to the local community. In July and August, school supplies are gathered for local schools. October brings the CROP Walk through Audubon and Haddon Heights, with the church providing restrooms, water, and snacks as the route passes by. In December, a peg board Hat and Mitten Tree in the parlor collects new hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves for distribution after the first of the year.
Three PC(USA) special offerings are collected each year. The One Great Hour of Sharing in the spring supports the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self-Development of People, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. The Christmas Joy Offering in the weeks before Christmas funds the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and Presbyterian-related racial-ethnic schools and colleges. The Peace and Global Witness Offering in the fall supports local, presbytery, synod, and national peacemaking work.
The church's annual budget also supports a wide circle of mission partners. Locally that includes Cathedral Kitchen in North Camden, the Interfaith Homeless Outreach Network Hospitality Network, Interfaith Caregivers of Haddonfield and Haddon Heights, Your Food Shelf, and UrbanPromise ministries in Camden - including the Adopt-A-Class partnership with the Camden Forward School. Wider afield, the church supports Alberto and Joann Pagano as they plant Spanish-speaking churches in Vineland and Blackwood, New Jersey; Living Waters, a designated denominational mission connected to Cuba; and Mission Teens, a non-denominational Christian discipleship ministry headquartered in Glendora, New Jersey. The Mission Committee also has begun a new initiative to provide games for students in UrbanPromise's elementary and middle schools.
Friendship Circle, Men's Breakfast, and the Wednesday Bible Study
Three adult fellowship groups give members a chance to dig deeper and stay connected. The Friendship Circle, affiliated with Presbyterian Women, meets on the third Tuesday morning of each month from September through June in the parlor. Members share Bible studies drawn from the Presbyterian Women curriculum, support missions around the world, and cultivate friendships. The group has provided more than $9,000 in micro-loans to women in the developing world through Kiva, hosts a Dress-A-Girl workshop for Haiti, sells Mother's Day cards for local charities, hosts a Thanksgiving Coffee Hour, and decorates the parlor's Chrismon Tree each Christmas with ornaments made by women of the church.
The Men's Breakfast Club gathers on the last Wednesday of each month at 9:00 AM in the parlor for a $5 breakfast, a scriptural passage led by a member, and informal fellowship. A new group member or visitor is welcome at any time. On Wednesday mornings at 11:00 AM, an Adult Bible Study meets via Zoom, with members and friends sharing insights on a selected book or video series from home.
A Certified Earth Care Congregation
In 2016, a church member discovered the PC(USA) Earth Care Program and brought it to the Session, which signed the Earth Care Pledge and formed an Earth Care Committee. By 2024 the congregation had reached its seventh year of certification, submitting an annual narrative of its efforts in four areas: worship, education, facilities, and outreach. Highlights include the use of recyclable communion cups, an Earth Care banner displayed in the sanctuary, regular Earth Care articles in the monthly newsletter, LED lighting and motion-sensor upgrades, low-flow faucet aerators, a landscape committee that has planted a new garden to reduce flooding and create wildlife habitat, and a composting partnership with a neighboring township. The Mission Committee collects reusable grocery bags for local food pantries and the Food Bank of South Jersey following New Jersey's phase-two ban on plastic grocery bags. Annual yard sales, finger-food coffee hours, and the Deacons' Pancake Breakfast with reusable plates and cups all help keep waste out of the landfill.
The Ella B. Chase Fund and Other Ministries of Care
The Ella B. Chase Memorial Fund, established in 1957 by Charles H. Chase in memory of his wife Ella B. Chase, is administered by a committee that reviews applications for educational and charitable support. The application is available online and in a printable PDF format. The church also offers a Memorial Brick Form for engraved paving bricks in the Memorial Garden to remember loved ones, though the church is not currently accepting new orders.
A 2026 Per Capita form lets members pay the annual per-capita apportionment that funds the work of the presbytery, synod, and General Assembly. Online giving through PayPal accepts regular tithes and offerings, per-capita contributions, food pantry donations, memorial gifts, and Souper Bowl of Caring donations. Visitors and members are not expected to give financially when they are just getting to know the church.
Staff, Session, Trustees, and Deacons
Rev. Eliza Cramer Jaremko has served as pastor since 2011. A lifelong Presbyterian and native of Pittsburgh, she was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in 2008 in a joint service with her father, Rev. R. Stephen Cramer. She is a graduate of the College of Wooster and Princeton Theological Seminary, a regular contributor to the Presbyterian Outlook's Voices Blog, and a monthly blogger at ReverendMama. She lives in Haddon Heights with her husband Kyle and their two children.
Dr. Chris Thomas has served as Director of Music since 2022. He also serves as Artistic Director of the Greater South Jersey Chorus and Director of Choral Activities at Rowan University, and has served churches in Illinois, Arizona, and New Jersey. Michael "Mike" Rugge, the church's organist and pianist since 2014, is a Rutgers graduate who also works as a supply planner for Campbell Meals and Beverage. Mary Johnson, who has served as administrative assistant since March 2020, keeps the office running Monday through Thursday.
The Session, the church's governing body, is a board of nine elders elected to three-year terms. The Trustees, also nine members elected to three-year terms, represent the corporation of the church and report to the Session on the condition of the building and grounds. The Deacons, elected to three-year terms as well, serve as the caregivers of the congregation. Each board member may serve up to two consecutive terms before rotating off for at least a year.
Joining In
Anyone interested in learning more is welcome to stop by the office on Green Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, or call 856-547-6139. Prayer requests, contact forms, and a Stewardship Pledge Form are all available through the church's online forms, and live Sunday worship can be found on the First Presbyterian Church of Haddon Heights Facebook page.