St. Dunstan's was started by a group of concerned Episcopalians in November, 1963 who felt the need for a new church to service the rapidly growing western Morris and Eastern Warren counties at the crossroads of state Highway 10,15,46 and 206 and the recently completed sections of interstate Highway 80. Located just one hour from the Newark and Jersey City population centers and little more than an hour and fifteen minutes from New York City, the area was prime for suburban development of the previously rural locale. Some 20 founding families, some of whom are still attending the parish, started meeting at the local high school. They bonded together under the guidance of our first Vicar, the Reverend Thomas Henry (1963-1967) who began his career as a lay minister at St. Dunstan's and was ordained as a priest in the church. Thus, the mission of Saint Dunstan's was formed.

The congregation, themselves, working together in the dead of winter, hand built a "temporary kit building" in which to worship. The congregation moved into this building during the winter of 1964 and still worships there. The building, many times remodeled, forms the sanctuary, the Parish Hall and the kitchen today. In short order the active Sunday School outgrew the hall and a new building needed to be erected behind the existing structure. By mid 1967 this building stood as a shell, but needed completion for the large Sunday School.

At this point, our second Vicar, Bob Mason, appeared and helped complete this building and in the fall of 1967 the Educational Building was in use. For 29 years (1967-1996) this priest continued to lead the congregation with the assistance of strong Wardens and Vestry groups. Improvements to the physical plant were continuously handled by parishioners working together as a family. A bell tower-steeple, an office, a pulpit, entry halls, a narthex, roofing, siding and often complete refurbishing of the interior have been completed with much loving work and little expenditure of funds. The church stands debt free.

In the autumn of 1968 a Nursery School was formed and soon separately incorporated. It is still considered the premier nursery school in the area. The mission was in the forefront of the Prayer Book revision process which began in 1967 and was not completed until the adoption of the Book of Common Prayer of 1979. The 1928 Prayer Books were removed from the pews in 1967 and never returned. The mission also was a leader in the movement to give women equal rights within the Church. The first sermon preached by a female candidate for Holy Orders was preached from the Saint Dunstan pulpit. This candidate went on to become one of the "Philadelphia Eleven".

Saint Dunstan also presented to the church one of the oldest women ever to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. The Rev. Anne T. ( Nancy) Talmage, one of the original founders of the mission was ordained priest in Saint Dunstan's.

Early in the history of the congregation, with the help of parishioners Nancy Talmage and Isabel Emmerich a relationship was established between Saint Dunstan's and the Convent of saint John Baptist in Mendham, N.J. Every year members of the Saint Dunstan's congregation would board a bus to journey to the Convent to sing Christmas carols and be rewarded by cookies and warm chocolate. The baptismal font which is still being used by the parish was taken from the attic of the Convent, [with the Mother Superior's blessing] one evening and carried out under the Vicar's arm. Each summer Saint Dunstan's held a Vacation Bible School with the help of two of the Sisters of Saint John Baptist. One, Sister Suzanne Elizabeth, who is now Mother Superior, used to comment that Saint Dunstan's was the Church where she could put a tack in the wall because we cared more for people than for buildings. The other Sister, Sister Barbara Jean, used to play her guitar for the children, and is now an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church.

Social and religious life paralleled the rapid pace and by the mid 1970's the teen-age mission was ready to take its place as an adult parish in the Diocese of Newark. With pride we paid off our mortgages and assumed our responsibility in support of the Diocese. On January 2, 1980 papers incorporating the parish were filed with the State of New Jersey by our Vicar as his last act as Vicar. Father Mason then was called to be the first Rector of Saint Dunstan's on January 6, 1980, a position he held until his retirement on June 16, 1996.

Our new Rector, Father Bill Lantz was carefully chosen and called and was installed as the Rector in October 1997 and is now leading us with new energy into the 21^st century. We are looking forward to his leadership and the future with great expectation.

Updated: 10/02/2002