The Real Philosophy of Presbyterianism. By Douglas J. Douma [A speech given Oct 21, 2026 at the Presbyterian Scholars Conference, Harbor House, Wheaton College] What is the real philosophy of Presbyterianism? When we think of Presbyterianism and philosophy we might be led to discussions of Scottish Common Sense Realism, or of Francis Hutcheson’s
Just the other day my Amish friend “John the Baptist” told me that he sang “How Great Thou Art” when he was thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. And that brought back memories because I too had sung that song on my thru-hike, and for the same reason; verse 2. The second verse of the hymn goes
The Wawayanda Patent of March 5, 1703 brought more than 150,000 acres—including the lands of the present day village of Unionville and townships of Minisink, Greenville, and Wawayanda—into the ownership of the Colony of New York. The governor of New York and New Jersey at that time, Lord Cornbury, then granted the land to twelve
I attended the 89th General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church which took place Wednesday August 5th through Friday August 7th of 2026. It was a greatly encouraging time. Here are some highlights of the week. We had excellent attendance at Synod with a high percentage of the denomination’s ministers and elders present. Rev. James
Highlights of my time at the 89th General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church Read More »
My second search for the 41st mile marker of the NY-NJ border was successful! My good friend Matt and I followed the old survey information walking 200 paces south from the now-nonexistent “Clark’s barn” to a site “between two roads” where after a short search we found the boundary marker. This is not the original
I’ve recently been on the hunt for an old rock. Or maybe two rocks. But, probably just one. In 1774 a boundary marker or “milestone” was placed every mile along the New York – New Jersey border from the Hudson River to the Delaware River. Then in 1882 a boundary commission set granite markers at
My Search for the 41st Milestone of the New York – New Jersey Border Read More »
In Ruttenber and Clark’s 1881 “History of Orange County New York” it is noted that “The Methodist Episcopal Church of Greenville executed a certificate of incorporation Dec. 23, 1850.” [The Methodist Episcopal denomination was a forerunner of the United Methodist Church.] Yet, the church is certainly older than that date. The same volume notes “The
What was the date of the founding of the Greenville (NY) United Methodist Church? Read More »
Did you know there is a name for the creek that runs through Unionville? It is a tributary of the Walkill River that was once known by its Lenape name. Here is a list I’ve compiled of the different spellings of the creek’s name: Wokheakon Kill – 1753 in Journal of Richard Gardiner. Wackhehon –
Though the Unionville Presbyterian Church was built in 1825, it was not until 1831 that it was officially recognized as a church by the Hudson Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. The first entry in the minutes of the church lists all the founding members of the church. Unionville Sept
The First Families of Unionville Presbyterian Church Read More »
Below are the notes for a series of 20 lessons on American Presbyterian Church History that I presented at Unionville Presbyterian Church (BPC) in 2025-2026. American Presbyterian Church History – Sunday School
American Presbyterian Church History (20 lessons) Read More »
The question “is there a pastor shortage?” is likely to elicit an emotional response. It is much like the question, “should teachers get paid more?” No doubt, many people, without research or reason would immediately answer “yes” to each of these questions. But understanding is superior to emotion, and we ought to have reasons for
