609-654-4220

Senior Pastor - Steven E. Winkler
Associate Pastor - Andrew Cannan

Interim Associate Pastor -
Rev. Dr.Virginia E. Leopold

The Protestant Community Church , often referred to as The Cathedral of the Woods, has its origin in the recognition of the need for a Christian Education Program for children, when Medford Lakes was largely a summer community. The Church came into being in 1928 and was constructed entirely of logs, as were the surrounding summer homes. Indeed, three of the additional buildings acquired to meet the growing need for more classrooms, office space and rooms for social and community activities are also made of logs. The only exception is the two- story Todd Christian Education Building which houses classrooms and a large fellowship room with a kitchen. A courtyard graces the common areas of three of the buildings and a beautiful Memorial Garden provides a quiet, meditative refuge.

Our sanctuary, seating about 260 people, is a peaceful, rustic place of worship with light streaming in through stained glass windows. It is the proud possessor of a cross, made of olive wood, that originally hung in a church in Bethlehem. It contains tiny fragments, behind small glass disks, of the walls of the Church of the Nativity, which is built over the manger where Christ was born. In 1976, a seven rank, 650 pipe Moeller Organ with Chimes, was installed in the sanctuary.

We are an interdenominational congregation! The Protestant Community Church was a forerunner in the ecumenical movement and has been interdenominational since its inception. We joined the International Council of Community Churches in America(ICCC) in 1962 and remain active on the national level. We believe in celebrating our differences and in acknowledging unity in diversity and unity without uniformity. We are as inclusive as the love of God. The Protestant Community Church believes that community means a body of people living and believing in one common idea - that Godís power comes through Christ to each individual.

The members ARE the Church! They count one by one in the Church's life and outreach. A lay Board of Trustees has responsibility for leading members in their spiritual growth by developing programs and in caring for the Churchís life and property. The Church becomes a vital faith community as the members participate and support its services, programs and outreach efforts.