Celebrating a 150-year-old Theological Library

Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2025 Blog #42

October 27, 2025

Celebrating a 150-year-old Theological Library

I finally got out on Friday evening. This fall I have had some substantial health issues, and I haven’t gotten out much. The event that I attended was the 150th Anniversary of the Garner Sage Library at New Brunswick Theological Seminary and I was very pleased to attend.  It was good to have an evening out of the house, and it was great to see fellow alumni of the seminary and fellow Alumni board members.

New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a rather small seminary that is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, one of the smaller Protestant denominations in this nation. The seminary was founded in 1784 and is considered one of the oldest protestant seminaries in the country. The library, funded by a Christian gentleman, Garner Sage, and many other donors, was built in 1875. According to the library website, it was built to provide, “a suitable environment for the contemplation of God.”

It has grown over those years with an annex added in 1929 and a major renovation in 1983. It has had a few unusual moments of fame also. This library was used in the filming of the movie, “The Bell Jar” in 1979. It also was the venue for a reception for Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in June of 1982. She came to the seminary as part of a larger trip to the United States celebrating the Dutch heritage of the Reformed Church in America. But these events are not the real joy and value of the library.

The knowledge and manuscripts that are contained in the library are the real gems. It holds 160,000 bound volumes and 300 current periodical titles. This library also houses the archives of the Reformed Church in America.

Of course, much of the library is now available online and it is not necessary to walk into the building, but anyone using the library online is missing a treat by not being there in person. The building is beautiful and there is something sacred and awe inspiring about walking into the edifice and being surrounded by such a volume of academic works.

I have no idea how many thousands of students preparing for ministry sat in that sacred space accessing and absorbing theological knowledge. As this seminary sits in the middle of Rutgers University, many Rutgers students may also use this space as a study hall.

It is a building and an institution that is worth celebrating. It has been an academic blessing to many and began because a gentleman had a vision of what could be, and faithful Christians were willing to fund this vision. Do we have such vision today and are we willing to keep less of our money for ourselves and give more to worthy causes?

I wonder if many of our faith communities today suffer from lack of vision among the faithful, and a reluctance to tithe our personal money toward such visions. Garner Sage library, and other great institutions of faith, are the results of vision as well as faithful donations. If we want to build our faith communities for the future, we require vision and faithful funding. Are we willing to do this? The future of faith communities depends on us.

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