Harvey Cedars Bible Conference - History

History

Harvey Cedars Bible Conference has occupied the former, historic Harvey Cedars Hotel since the early 1940s (although it was first called Harvey Cedars Presbyterian Bible Conference).

Presbyterian minister Jack Murray purchased the old hotel, which was abandoned for around 10 years, and converted it into Harvey Cedars Presbyterian Bible Conference. After around 10 years of directing the conference, Jack left the operations to Al Oldham. The name was changed to Harvey Cedars Bible Conference by 1949 while Jack Murray was still involved, and was run by Al until the mid-90's when the director position was passed on to his son, Jon Oldham.

Originally a small one story hotel started in the 1830s for fishermen and hunters, it was expanded throughout the 19th century to a two story. A large renovation, completed in 1903, led to the three-story structure which was kept rather similar until the late 1990s when sections of it were gutted and rebuilt, out of style with the original Victorian architecture.

In 1949/1950, a separate chapel was built on the property. Stained glass windows purchased from the Engleside Hotel in Beach Haven (built in the 1870s, and torn down during World War II) were used in the new chapel. These windows were, with the exception of two sashes, completely removed years later after years of damage from the high winds. Two of the old sashes remained in the bookstore, off the chapel, until around 2003 when they were also removed.

The HCBC complex also contains a modern hotel, a 1960s motel-style building, separate dining hall, a dock and elevated bayside deck, tennis courts, an indoor heated swimming pool, an indoor hot tub, a gymnasium, volleyball court, and soccer fields.