Our Story

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HOW WE BEGAN

Spirit-led and Built on Prayer

1933 - Church Planting, Teaching, and Evangelism

In the early 1930s the need for a Bible-believing, fundamental work in the City of Trenton was recognized by several born again Christians. Two men, Philip Weiss and Charles Messler, called on Rev. Theodore Elsner, pastor of the Non-Sectarian Christian Association in Philadelphia who recommended Rev. Victor E. Jacobson, a student pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Trenton.  Rev. Jacobson shared this vision for  a fundamental testimony in Trenton. Plans were made for a ministry of tent meetings during the summer of 1933. The first tent accommodated approximately 100 people.  The congregation grew and soon after, they expanded the tent ministry to seat 400 people.  The church was officially incorporated in 1934 as the Non-Sectarian Christian Association of New Jersey.

In September 1935, the expanding church rented the Eastern Star Temple located on the corner of Front and Stockton Streets for Sunday worship. It also marked the beginning of Sunday School and the churches commitment to consistent biblical teaching.  The church also began a live radio evangelism outreach, followed by open air meetings on various corners of Trenton. During the winter months, the largest hotel in Trenton at that time was rented for service as attendance grew to between 600 and 700.  After Rev. Jacobson accepted a call in 1937 to minister to another area, Rev. David D. Allen who was a graduate of Philadelphia School of the Bible accepted the call to pastor the Non-Sectarian Church of New Jersey. It was during his ministry that the name changed to the Church of the Open Bible.

1946 - Continued Growth and Mobilization

On July 15, 1946 while Rev. Virgil Geren was pastoring the now Church of the Open Bible, the congregation decided to purchase the Eastern Star Temple which had been put up for sale.  Another name change occurred in 1957 under the direction of C. Uhle Wagner.  It was decided to change the name of the church to Bible Baptist Church, Independent, to identify the church as Baptist in doctrine and centrally focused on the Bible.

The church continued to expand its reach but it faced a good problem: it was outgrowing its building.  There was insufficient space for and parking for missionary conferences and evangelistic meetings.   As the church leadership decided sought a new location, it considered the development of suburbs around Trenton. 

1962 - Impacting a New Community

After much prayer and seeking the Lord’s will, the church purchase a 3-1/2 acre lot at the corner of White Horse-Mercerville & Klockner Roads in Hamilton. It was ideally situated on one of the main arteries of the township, easily accessible from all areas in the greater Trenton community, and provided substantial potentialities in building and service to the Lord. This projected started in 1962 under Rev. George Crosbie’s pastorate and the building was dedicated on June 16, 1963.  The original mortgage of the building was paid on April 3, 1979.

As Bible Baptist continued to grow in its new community and wanting to expand its emphasis on teaching and develop connections with the area's youth,  the church undertook a large building project to add a Family Life Center, new offices, classrooms, and library.  Pastor Roger Rose dedicated the addition on March 12, 1989.  The building was now able to accommodate a growing church body and ministries.

Early 1990 saw the departure of Rev. and Donna Rose from Bible Baptist and the beginning of Dr. Richard Emmons ministry at Bible Baptist Church.

2009 - A New Name; A Refined Mission

As the church continued to grow and expand into the twenty-first century, it was becoming evident, once again, that the name no longer represented the church. The identification with the Bible Baptist denominations in the Mid-West created confusion so the church changed its name to GraceWay Bible Church to continue to reflect the church doctrine and independent status. 

Ministries that many know today soon started: Camp Mercyville, Push the Rock, and Christmas Live. These expanded the church’s ability to provide the community with biblical teaching, fun, friendship, engaging activities, and lifelong memories. Through these ministries, thousands of children, students, and families have experienced the love of Christ while building meaningful relationships within our church family. What began as a vision to reach our community has become a lasting legacy of lives transformed by the gospel and strengthened through Christian fellowship.

In 2012, through an incredibly generous gift from one of our members, we expanded our building again by constructing a new nursery, a much-needed elevator, a new space for our church library as well as additional facilities to support our ever growing church.

2024 - Expanding to New Missions and Communities

This era saw the greatest expansion of GraceWay's mission to share the Gospel.  We  purchased an adjacent one acre property and former 7-Eleven, converting it into a community outreach center.  This expansions created a food pantry and ESL and GED ministries, as well as much needed classroom space.  Then in 2026, God blessed us with the amazing donation of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church and Preschool.  On this seven acre site, we've planted the Bordentown Campus of Graceway Bible Church as well as started leading our first preschool.

Our story began in the 1930s and continues today.  Our conception was Spirit-led and built on prayer; and it remains today.  No matter the name or location or leadership, we continue to teach and preach the gospel of grace and the central mission of Graceway Bible Church.