The Providence Baptist Church has served the Cliffwood community since its founding in 1927 by the Reverend and Mrs. Smith. Before that, parishioners had to travel to Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Cliffwood Beach.For some years after the building was erected, congregants had to bring chairs from home because the church had no pews. And a pot-bellied stove burned coal or old wood to keep folks warm during services.
The congregation was led for nearly thirty years (1958-1987) by the late Reverend J. L. Dargon, who is credited with edifying both the physical structure and spiritual life of the church.
The Reverend Amelda L. Lee had been associate pastor for thirteen years and active in the church for over forty years when she became the church's first female pastor in 2007. She had retired from a career in the federal government and returned to school, receiving her doctorate from Andersonville Theological Seminary in 2005. Her previous experience as superintendent of the Sunday School and director of the youth choir made her particularly well suited to the task of leading the congregation. Her work in prison ministries gave her a mission focus that would invigorate the membership's spirit of service.
The church building is located at 49 Kennedy Avenue. Sunday School begins at 9:30 am, followed by worship at 10:30 am. Its food pantry, which is open every third Saturday and is available in emergencies, is part of the Statewide Emergency Food and Anti-Hunger Network (SEFAN).
For further information, call the church at 732-566-4430. You can also learn more about the congregation from some of the sources I used for this article:
- Providence Church Plans Community Crusade 2000, Bayshore Independent, 12 July 2000
- Sing a Song, Bayshore Independent, 26 July 2000
- Cliffwood Church to Celebrate 75 Years, by Josh Davidson, Bayshore Independent, 4 September 2002
- New Pastor Fulfilling Her Mission, by Kevin Penton, Asbury Park Press, 11 January 2007
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