Steeple restored to 'God's outpost in Sea Bright'

A crane lifts the steeple into place atop the Sea Bright First United Methodist Church. SEA BRIGHT — A new steeple was raised into place atop the First United Methodist Church of Sea Bright on Dec. 13.

"The steeple is up on the roof now [and we've gotten] positive comments from people in town. [We're] thrilled to have it back up. It's been a real positive boost for the church," said the Rev. Rob Long.

The previous steeple was damaged by weather conditions in late 2004, and the church undertook a capital campaign to replace the steeple.

According to a press release from the church, from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 2004, Sea Bright experienced a series of severe windstorms.

Long said that during the storms, he noticed the church's steeple swaying in the wind.

"The police and local volunteer fire departments were called in, and with some additional help from supportive neighbors, the steeple was seemingly resecured to the bell tower," the release states. "On [Dec. 1], returning high winds exacerbated previously undetected structural damage to the roof of the bell tower on which the steeple was secured."

The storms damaged the steeple beyond repair, and the bell tower also sustained substantial damage.

A capital campaign was started in the summer of 2005 to raise the money needed to repair the bell tower and replace the steeple.

In a press release about the raising of the new steeple, Long said, "Our church family likes to think of ourselves as God's outpost in Sea Bright. Four years ago, members of the community helped take down our wind-damaged steeple. They've been helping us get to this point ever since. This is a day Sea Bright has been waiting for."

The First United Methodist Church is more than 140 years old and is the borough's only church. According to the release, the original church building was constructed on the current site in 1869. It was designed by William B. Bigelow and built by A.P. Cubberly, a Long Branch builder.

"This structure burned down in the June 1891 fire that destroyed most of downtown Sea Bright. In 1892, Bigelow and Cubberly collaborated to rebuild the existing church and parsonage," it states.

Residents of Sea Bright and its community at large, the borough's businesses, and donors from as far away as Connecticut contributed close to 50 percent of the $130,000 in repairs and restoration that have been completed.

Stephen Cashmore, trustee chair, capital projects at the First United Methodist, said the fundraising was done in three phases.

"We started out by sending letters to local business people, and I believe we included some mailings to people within Sea Bright and the surrounding area, letting them know we were undergoing a project to renovate the facility at the building," Cashmore said.

Architect Robert Nott, from Sea Bright, volunteered to help complete the project, using church history to design the bell tower.

"He donated his services to design the new bell tower and steeple," Cashmore said.

"Nott used pictures from the original construction of the church and steeple, and then the board members approved the design after they completed it," he said.