In 1680 the first church building- was begun in -Bergen, the
total cost so far as it is possible to get at the figures, was two
thousand six hundred and twelve
guilders. It was an octagonal stone building with the roof
sloping to a point and surmounted with a vane bearing a
rooster. The windows were placed very high. In the summer
of 1683 the first bell was placed in the high pointed roof,
probably a gift from some of the members. The bricks in the
windows and arch over the door were brought from Holland.
Over the door was a stone with this inscription: "Kirk
Gebouwt in Het yaer 1680." D omine Taylor gives an interesting
description of the interior of the "little church" as it is often
called in the account books. "The bell-ringer stood in the center
of the church. Pews were placed around the walls and
occupied only by the men; the women sat in chairs. The pulpit
was high and reached by stairs; below and in front of the pulpit
was a little pew with a book-board in front of it for the use of
the Voorleezer, who had a long rod with a slit in the end which
he reached up to the minister, who inserted in the slit notices to
be read. The collections were in wampum for many years, and
it was one of the duties of the deacons to sell the wampum to
the heads of families, who each distributed it among the
members of his family and they deposited it in the collection
bags. These bags were of black velvet attached to a long pole.
At the bottom of each bag was a small bell to arouse the people at collection time. The bags were hung on hooks
in a suitable box beside the pulpit near the deacons' seat; at
the, proper time the deacons each with bag in hand presented-
themselves before the pulpit, received their charge from the
minister and then went among the congregation and made the
collections. The bags were spoken of as the bell." This
custom continued until 1800.
