300 Years: Still Strong
Celebration Events for 2026
January
Kick-off Brunch
February 1st @ 10 am in the Auditorium
February
A timeline of the Church’s history is now on display in the hallway.
NWPC Historical Timeline 1726-2026
May
In celebration of our 300‑year anniversary, our goal is to collect 300 books! Please ensure donations arrive by May 29 so the books are ready for summer reading. Search the Amazon Gift Registry for “NWPC Book Drive” to view the book list and make your selection. The church address is pre-entered for direct shipping. Monetary donations are also welcome, and books will be selected on your behalf.
UPDATE!
What a joyful witness of God’s love through this congregation! Together, we exceeded our goal and collected more than 300 books to share with youth at Oxford Circle, Crossroads, and West Kensington Ministry. Because of your generous response, each ministry will receive more than 100 new books to encourage learning, spark imagination, and bless young hearts.
Thank you for helping us share Christ’s love so joyfully – one book at a time. “Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
June
Family Ice Cream Social
Celebration is part of our heritage — and this year we have even more to celebrate! Join us for an old-fashioned Picnic & Ice Cream Social as we commemorate our 300th anniversary and celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday & Flag Day, June 14th 4-6 p.m. Enjoy a light picnic supper, intergenerational games, delicious ice cream, and a few special surprises along the way. This will be a wonderful opportunity to gather with friends old and new, share memories, and celebrate the spirit of our congregation together.
UPDATE!
On June 14 an old-fashioned picnic with games and an ice cream social were held at the church. There were approximately 100 people enjoying themselves and having fun. Some features included outdoor and indoor games, a photo booth and an ice cream social. Feedback said that everyone enjoyed it. The food was great, the games fun, and a lot of laughter was heard! .
November
300th Celebration – November 8th
Stay tuned for more details!
ALL ARE WELCOME!
MOMENTS IN HISTORY
Mid 1790’s
Around this time a sexton was employed at eight dollars a year, “plus for every large corpse he should bury 10 shillings or $1.33 and in proportion for those that were less.” A short time later the sexton was paid an additional $2 for “cutting and splitting the stove wood.”
Late 1790’s
Rev Irwin took an interest in county politics. He was instrumental in moving the county seat from Newtown to the more central Doylestown. He also played a role in establishing the “county Almshouse” now Neshaminy Manor where he performed the first wedding. During Rev Irwin’s tenure the original church, which had been abandoned and in decay, was torn down. The stones were used to repair the graveyard wall.
1793
The Presbytery of Philadelphia met at Neshaminy and a committee was appointed to provide for their accommodations. It is recorded one committee member was to provide “cold collation” (a light informal meal) and “cyder” while another made provisions for their horses.
1812
Rev Irwin died and was buried at the spot in the cemetery over which the pulpit in the original church had once stood. The funeral procession of carriages extended all the way from his house on Easton Road to the church, a distance of 1.5 miles.
1813
The congregation voted to call Rev Robert Belville. He was a principal at an academy in Wilmington. One of the job requirements was that the principal open the exercises each day with prayer. Realizing his deficiencies he began studying theology and then entered the ministry.
1814
Lacking a regular pastor for eighteen months the congregation had dropped to about fifty; however, with Rev Belville’s “graceful eloquence, pleasant manners and social qualities” member numbers soon increased. With his salary of $600 a year and no housing, he supplemented his income by building a school house on his property starting with eleven boarders and gradually added day students.
1816
The church was in dire need of a new roof. One of the parishioners, Henry Jamison, bequeathed $500 toward the roof after winning a lottery.
1824
The early history of the church was inseparable from that of schools in the area. A schoolhouse, also constructed of logs, was built just outside the cemetery walls not long after Log College closed. It was replaced by a stone building in 1824 and used by the township for one of the early public schools.
1838
Rev Belville suffered a condition that affected his voice and was unable to preach for over a year so he resigned after twenty-five years of service.
1839
Choosing Rev Belville’s successor led to another split in the church membership. James Wilson was nominated by a thin majority; however, the Presbytery considered this an inadequate call and decided to appoint substitutes until the dispute could be settled. One group led by the Trustees supported Wilson and the other group led by the Elders opposed him. One wintry Sunday the sexton having the only key was instructed by the Trustees to open only for Wilson who strode in and took the minister’s chair. The appointee sent by Presbytery subsequently appeared. When Wilson didn’t leave the chancel, the appointee invited all who sympathized with the Elders to withdraw to the schoolhouse in the cemetery to hold services there
1842
After the split in church membership the break-away group built a new stone sanctuary about half a mile away on the Old York Road in Hartsville. It was called Neshaminy Church in Warminster to distinguish from Neshaminy Church in Warwick. The meeting house in Warwick was renovated with new stained-glass windows, a vestibule and new pews. After the church was renovated Rev Wilson moved in his own pipe organ, which Mrs. Wilson played each Sunday
1840s The church flourished under Wilson’s ministry. According to records he baptized 75 adults and 196 infants. In 1847 Rev Wilson tendered his resignation when he was asked to be the president of the College of Delaware. Substitutes again filled the pulpit, one of which was “an Indian Chief of the Cipaway tribe.”
1849
With the help of generous contributions from the Ladies Society, holding fairs to raise money, a stone building, the Neshaminy Lecture Room, was erected on the present site of the fire company. This building was the social center of the community. With high ceilings and good acoustics, many musical performances and singing classes were held here. During the Civil War members met here to pack boxes for the soldiers.
1850
A large white building called the Tennent School was erected across Meetinghouse Road. This building housed thirty boys from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware. One of its most well-known pupils was Dr. Henry Chapman Mercer of Doylestown (who later built Mercer Museum).
1853
A new pipe organ was purchased to replace the one Rev Wilson took with him when he resigned. It was the sexton’s job to pump the air for the organ, steadily raising and lowering the wooden handle that projected from the rear. An organist during this time recalled the sexton was prone to mild but frequent epileptic attacks. When this occurred, the organ would go mute; the choir would continue acapella until the sexton recovered.
1850s, 1860s & 1870s
A number of improvements were made to the sanctuary including carpeting (70 yards for $54), shades on the windows ($11), a new slate roof ($200), a new picket fence surrounded the property, six sheds for horses and carriages were built ($29.05 each), a brick platform and a covered porch by the front door.