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Born: 1816, Sussex County, England
Died: August 9, 1898, Brooklyn, NY
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Pastor: 2nd Presbyterian Church, Lansingburgh, NY, 1848-1849
Central Presbyterian, Newark, NJ, 1849-54
Allen Street Presbyterian Church, New York City, 1854-58
2nd Presbyterian Church, Jersey City, NJ, 1858-63
lst Presbyterian Church, Woodbridge, NJ, 1863-73
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Rev. Lucas was known as "A fine sermonizer and a scholarly gentleman". There was some concern that the membership of the church was not as large at the end of his tenure as at the beginning. This was largely due to the general westward migration and religious upheaval at this time. Rev. Lucas played a very important part in the life of the community. The "New School" vs. "Old School" battle was still being fought throughout the church. The "Old White Church" was officially "Old School" but some of its members were "New School" at heart and became potential congregationalists. L.A. Loetscher writes in A Brief History of Presbyterians: "From 1830 to 1860 the all absorbing political question in the nation was that of slavery. Most of the churches, by their official utterances, became, to a greater or lesser degree, involved in the problem. The Presbyterian Church, true to its Scotch-Irish conservatism, was cautious in its handling of the issue."
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