Who We Are

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
- 1 Peter 2: 9-10

First Presbyterian Church of Dunellen

God has called us to be a place of hope in the middle of NJ, helping people know Jesus and become more like Him. This is not just a slogan for us. We mean it. We have found hope in the good news that Jesus is Lord. In His life Jesus established God’s Kingdom here and invited us to surrender to God and be a part of it. On the cross Jesus died our death and put down the rebellion of sin. God raised Jesus to life and He is the King. Trusting our lives to the Lord Jesus has set us free to become the men and women God created us to be. He sent His Holy Spirit to fill us with His life. In Him we experience real grace, love, peace, hope, power, joy and confidence in the goodness and greatness of God. This is the hope that makes us who we are. This is the hope we love to share.

A Place of Hope
All Church Bilingual Service

We are one church, in two languages & three different styles of worship

We are one church, in two languages and three different styles of worship. We are a multi-cultural, multiethnic, multilingual, multigenerational congregation led by both men and women serving together. Our services and ministries are offered in English, in Spanish and some are bilingual. Our worship styles range from traditional to contemporary to blended. Yet whether we are loud or contemplative, speaking in Spanish or English, dancing or still, clapping, kneeling, seated, raising hands or standing we share this in common: we love to worship Jesus and celebrate the goodness of God together! Whatever your language, background, nationality or worship style there is a place for you here. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who makes us one.

We are a people who love God’s word

We are a people who love God’s word. We love to read it, pray it, sing it and hear it taught. We come to church every week excited to learn what God will teach us through his word to strengthen, encourage, remodel and restore us. We are serious about bible study because we consider ourselves life long learners of Jesus. Obeying the Bible is essential in all we do because it is God’s unique and authoritative word to His people. Our congregation is also deeply committed to prayer. It’s how we connect with the Lord, how we hear God’s voice and how God uses us to bear good fruit in our life together, in the community and in the world. We rely on the Holy Spirit to transform us, fill us, lead us, empower us, direct us, gift us, and equip us to be a place of hope in the middle of NJ. We are people who have been served by the living God and we respond to His love for us by serving one another and caring for our community. In Christ God has re-created each of us to do good work that He prepared for us. We would love the opportunity to serve you, to help you know Jesus and become more like him and to equip you to serve others. 

Prayer at the Rock
First Presbyterian Church of Dunellen

We are a Presbyterian Church

Last but not least, we are a Presbyterian Church. We were founded by 15 people in 1870 when Dunellen was still a village in Piscataway. The oldest parts of our church building on Dunellen Avenue were completed in 1872 and we have been blessed to serve in the heart of Dunellen ever since. We love central New Jersey and believe that God has a great hope and an amazing future for our beloved state. As a Presbyterian church we trace our heritage back to the protestant reformers and we utilize a presbyterian leadership structure led by elders elected to the session and our pastors called by the congregation. The First Presbyterian Church of Dunellen is a church member of the denomination ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. We love ECO and invite you to learn more about this movement of God. If you would like to see a full explanation of our beliefs please read ECO’s Essential Tenets. Thanks so much for taking the time to learn about who we are and who God is causing us to become. God bless you!

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

1 Peter 2:9–10