Harvey Cedars Bible Conference

contextglobalise(For more old photographs of the old hotel, see Harvey Cedars Hotel and Camp Whelen, since they occupied the same building during different eras.)

History

Harvey Cedars Bible Conference has occupied the former, historic Harvey Cedars Hotel in Harvey Cedars, NJ (on Long Beach Island) 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 1800s to a 2 story. A large renovation, completed in 1903, led to the 3-storey 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/'50, 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 WWII) were used in the new chapel. These windows were, with the exception of 2 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.

Current Ministry

The Bible Conference has a long history of Biblically-oriented ministries and vacations for families and people of all ages and ethnicities.

The summers feature week long Family Weeks and Teen Weeks. The rest of the year is filled with weekend retreats for different organizations, including at least one retreat which brings in hundreds from other countries.

Renovations

Years of neglect to the physical property, and heavy use by thousands of annual vacationers led to decisions to renovate in the '90's, up to the present time.

These renovations to the original hotel have distorted it beyond recognition in some areas. Attention was not paid to the historic fabric of the hotel. Large areas of the hotel have been gutted and renovated to make it appear as a modern hotel, and not the historic hotel it was.

The former bar, (which during the first days of Harvey Cedars Bible Presbyterian Conference served as a lounge, and during the 1980s and 1990's served as the staff lounge, was gutted and rebuilt as office space containing 4 rooms around 1996/'97 (several years later the porch on the north end of the former bar was also torn into for further office space). The decorative steel ceiling may have been removed--it was at least covered by a drop ceiling. This bar originally contained one of a set of matching decorative fireplaces completed in 1903 after the major renovation. This fireplace was defaced and covered by drivewall. The matching decorative fireplace in the former South Lounge was ripped out around 2004 when the South Lounge was completely gutted. The decorative, functional south porches were also removed, on the first floor to extend former South lounge into the modern conference rooms. On the 2nd and 3rd floor, the former porches were replaced mostly by a concrete block fire-proof stairwell.

The former dining room (which has served as the main lounge since the 1940s) has been kept mostly original. All the exterior old windows were replaced, but the decorative embossed-steel walls and ceiling are still present. This room originally had gas light fixtures which were removed long ago. The pocket doors on the south side were covered, but are still in the walls.

Also on the first floor, the former "Woman's Lounge" during the Hotel days (which served as the "Game Room" during the early Harvey Cedar's Bible (Presbyterian) Conference days, followed by living quarters for staff in the 1990s) was gutted and converted into modern bathrooms around 2004.

On the North side of the hotel the old back stairway which extended from the first floor (former kitchen) to the attic was removed. A concrete block fire-proof stairwell was added to the north and south side to adhere to New Jersey fire code.

On the 2nd floor, many guest rooms were gutted and renovated. Some restrooms were also gutted and renovated.

All other historic hotels of the same size located on the island have long since been destroyed.

For more old photographs of the old hotel, see Harvey Cedars Hotel and Camp Whelen as they occupied the same building during different eras.