Harvey Cedars Bible Conference

Harvey Cedars Bible Conference is a Christian retreat, vacation, and conference center located in Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Its ministry is organized around biblically oriented conferences, retreats, family programs, and hospitality rather than the sale of conventional consumer products. The center accommodates groups and individuals through a combination of lodging, meeting facilities, dining, recreation, and religious programming. The organization occupies the historic Harvey Cedars Hotel property, which Presbyterian minister Jack Murray acquired and restored after the building had stood abandoned for approximately six years. The conference began operating at the site on August 3, 1941, under the name Harvey Cedars Bible Presbyterian Conference. Its early identity was closely associated with Bible Presbyterian ministry and with the provision of Christian conferences and family vacations in a coastal setting. The name was shortened to Harvey Cedars Bible Conference in 1949. Programming has traditionally included week-long summer conferences for families and teenagers. Outside the summer season, the property hosts retreats for churches, Christian organizations, and other groups. At least one retreat program has attracted hundreds of participants from countries outside the United States, giving the center an international dimension even though its physical operations are based in New Jersey. The conference’s stated historical role has therefore combined local hospitality, denominational activity, youth and family ministry, and group-based religious gatherings. The campus provides several forms of accommodation, including the former Victorian hotel, a modern hotel, a motel, and dormitory-style housing units. Its supporting facilities include a dining hall, chapel and other meeting spaces, a dock and gazebo, tennis facilities, an indoor heated swimming pool, an indoor hot tub, a gymnasium, volleyball courts, and a soccer field. These facilities allow the organization to operate as both a religious conference venue and a family-oriented retreat destination. Leadership passed from Jack Murray to Albert Oldham after Murray had directed the conference for ten years. Albert Oldham continued as director until 1995, when the position passed to his son, Jon Oldham. The property has undergone additions and renovations over the decades. A chapel was constructed in 1949 using stained-glass windows obtained from the Engleside Hotel in Beach Haven; the windows were later removed around 2003 after years of damage from strong winds. The conference also has a place in the history of the Bible Presbyterian Church. In 1945, the denomination’s Eighth General Synod met at the Harvey Cedars conference center and approved resolutions that became known as the Harvey Cedars Resolutions. Those resolutions formalized positions associated with personal and ecclesial separation within the denomination. Consequently, Harvey Cedars is not only the name of a retreat facility but also a reference point in the institutional history of the Bible Presbyterian movement.

Harvey Cedars Bible Conference operates from the former Harvey Cedars Hotel in Harvey Cedars, New Jersey. Presbyterian minister Jack Murray acquired the historic hotel after it had remained unused for roughly six years and restored it for Christian conference and retreat purposes. The site began serving as the Harvey Cedars Bible Presbyterian Conference on August 3, 1941. The organization’s early work combined biblically oriented ministry with residential conferences and vacations for families and people of different ages and backgrounds. After approximately a decade directing the conference, Murray transferred operational leadership to Albert Oldham. Oldham remained in the director’s role until 1995, when his son Jon Oldham assumed the position. The available historical account does not identify a later director or provide a current organizational leadership roster. The conference’s name was shortened from Harvey Cedars Bible Presbyterian Conference to Harvey Cedars Bible Conference in 1949. That same year, a chapel was built on the grounds. Its stained-glass windows were purchased from the Engleside Hotel in Beach Haven. The windows were eventually removed around 2003 after repeated damage caused by high winds. Additional buildings, renovations, and facility improvements were made over the following decades, enabling the campus to support both religious programming and recreational activities. Summer operations have included week-long conferences for families and teenagers. During the rest of the year, the center has hosted retreats for a variety of organizations, including a retreat drawing hundreds of participants from other countries. Accommodation has expanded beyond the original Victorian hotel to include a modern hotel, a motel, and dormitory-style housing. The site also includes dining, indoor aquatic facilities, sports areas, a dock, a gazebo, and spaces for group gatherings. Harvey Cedars has significance beyond its role as a hospitality and ministry venue. In 1945, the Eighth General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church met at the conference center. The body approved a set of measures later known as the Harvey Cedars Resolutions, named after the meeting location. These resolutions codified positions that had already characterized the denomination, particularly its views on personal and ecclesial separation. The conference’s history is therefore connected both to Christian retreat ministry and to the development of Bible Presbyterian institutional identity.

• 2003

  Chapel stained glass is removed

  [1]Harvey Cedars Bible Conferenceen.wikipedia.org

  The chapel’s stained-glass windows are removed after years of damage attributed to strong coastal winds.

• 1995

  Leadership passes to Jon Oldham

  [1]Harvey Cedars Bible Conferenceen.wikipedia.org

  After Albert Oldham’s long tenure as director, the leadership position passes to his son, Jon Oldham.

• 1949

  Chapel is constructed and the name is shortened

  [1]Harvey Cedars Bible Conferenceen.wikipedia.org

  A chapel is built using stained-glass windows from the Engleside Hotel in Beach Haven, while the organization adopts the shorter name Harvey Cedars Bible Conference.

• 1945

  Bible Presbyterian Church synod meets at Harvey Cedars

  [1]Harvey Cedars Bible Conferenceen.wikipedia.org

  The Eighth General Synod of the Bible Presbyterian Church convenes at the conference center and approves resolutions later called the Harvey Cedars Resolutions.

• 1941

  Conference begins operating at the former Harvey Cedars Hotel

  [1]Harvey Cedars Bible Conferenceen.wikipedia.org

  Jack Murray’s restored hotel property begins operating as Harvey Cedars Bible Presbyterian Conference on August 3, establishing the organization’s long-term base in Harvey Cedars, New Jersey.

A residential Christian conference and retreat center combining Bible-oriented programming, family and youth ministry, group hospitality, and coastal recreation.

• Christian family programs

  Family conferences

  Week-long summer programs designed for families and people of varied ages. They combine Bible-oriented teaching and fellowship with residential lodging, meals, and access to the conference center’s recreational facilities.

• Christian youth programs

  Teen conferences

  Summer residential conferences for teenagers, integrating Christian teaching and group activities with the center’s sports, aquatic, dining, and lodging infrastructure.

• Retreat and conference services

  Organizational retreats

  Year-round retreats for churches, Christian organizations, and other groups. The center provides meeting space, overnight accommodation, meals, and recreational amenities, with some programs drawing participants from outside the United States.

• Lodging and group hospitality

  Residential hospitality

  The campus offers multiple accommodation formats, including a historic Victorian hotel, a modern hotel, a motel, and dormitory-style units. These facilities support conferences, retreats, and family vacations.

1. 1Harvey Cedars Bible Conferenceen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Harvey Cedars Bible Conference official websitehcbible.org