In 1773 a new church building was erected in the second cemetery,
which had been opened in 1738, on the southwest corner of Vroom
street and Bergen avenue. It fronted Bergen avenue, about the center
of the east side of the lot. The stone above the door of the first
church was placed above the door of the second building with a stone
beneath with the inscription: "Her bowt in Het yaer 1773." Both are
now over the door on the south side of the present church building
on Bergen and Highland avenues of which the corner stone was laid
August 26th, 1841. This site is part of the land originally reserved
for the pastor's use. In the walls of the present church are many of
the sand stone blocks from glacial bowlders that were formerly built
into the walls of the earlier church buildings. The third church was
dedicated July 14th, 1842. The dedication sermon was preached in
Dutch and understood by many of the congregation. Mr. Versteeg, in
his translation of the Church Records states that Dutch ceased to
be the language of the pulpit and of the church records May 26th,
1793, when Mr. John Cornelison was ordained and installed as pastor,
although in some instances English and Dutch were used alternately
in the records as late as 1805. Old residents tell me that they have
heard occasional sermons in Dutch at a very much later date. In "The
Annals of the Classis and Township of Bergen," Domine Taylor states
that "singing in Dutch was discontinued about 1809, but preaching in
Dutch continued for some time later." Two of the hymns sung at the
dedication of the new church were composed by Mrs. Anna R. Taylor,
wife of the pastor, the Rev. Benjamin C. Taylor. In the early days the
Bergen Reformed Church required of the applicants for membership a very
rigid examination before the minister and consistory in Bible history,
evidences of the truths of Christianity, and the Doctrines of the
Church as set forth in the Heidelburgh Catechism. The young people went
at least once a week to "Catechism" to the pastor, the Voorleezer or an
elder, until perfectly familiar with the Catechism.
In the early Dutch Churches on Long Island there was an officer
called Krank besoecker--Sick Visitor, also sometimes called
Zieck-trooster--the Sick Consoler, or Comforter; undoubtedly the same
office existed in the early Bergen Church, but if so whether it was
filled by the Voorleezer or some other member of the congregation I
cannot say. The name of "Sick Consoler" is very suggestive of kindly
brotherhood, expressing much more than the modern name of the same
office.