The Federated Church of Livingston

An unusual joining of two local Protestant churches took place in 1976 when Livingston Baptist Church and the Olivet United Church of Christ (Congregational) combined to create The Federated Church of Livingston, located at the corner of West Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Livingston Avenue.

The Federated Church is one of only five dually aligned American Baptist-United Church congregations in New Jersey, maintaining the traditions of both denominations and their similar heritages. Both churches are liberal, choose their own pastors, believe in social justice (in its truest, non-political sense), and cherish flexibility.

Eagerly accepting the call to serve the congregation, new pastor Reverend Leslie E. Martin began serving the church in April, 2007 and was officially installed at a special service on Sunday, September 16, 2007. Presiding was the Reverend Dr. Lee Spitzer, Pastor of the NJ Baptist Conference; the Reverend  Glen Porter, Associate ABC Conference Minster;  the Reverend Heather Cherry,  Moderator of the UCC NJ Association;  and the Reverend  Sherry Taylor, UCC Association Minister.

A graduate civil engineer, Reverend Martin took an early retirement from the NJ Department of Transportation, where he was Section Chief, Long Range Transportation Planning. He entered Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating with a Master of Divinity in May 2000. He has served parishes in New Jersey, Staten Island and Connecticut. He and his wife Linda live in the parsonage on Belmont Avenue.

Livingston Baptist Church dates from 1851. The present church building was erected  in 1853, and is the oldest public building in Livingston . It boasts a Hartman-Beaty pipe organ, one of the few in the area.

Olivet UCC has roots in the New England Congregational tradition and has been in Livingston since 1935. The original building still stands on the southwest corner of Livingston Circle.