Zarephath, New Jersey
Zarephath, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
Pillar of Fire chapel in Zarephath, New Jersey | |
Location in Somerset County Location in New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: 40°32′04″N 74°34′20″W / 40.534573°N 74.572191°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Somerset |
| Township | Franklin |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.44 sq mi (1.13 km2) |
| • Land | 0.40 sq mi (1.04 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2) 9.12% |
| Elevation | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 69 |
| • Density | 172.5/sq mi (66.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code | 08890 |
| Area code | 908 |
| FIPS code | 34-83290 |
| GNIS feature ID | 02584041 |
Zarephath (/ˈzærəˌfæθ/, ZARRA-fath) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) and located in Franklin Township, in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about 15 mi (24 km) north of Princeton. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 69, an increase of 32 (+86.5%) from the 37 enumerated at the 2010 census.
It was the communal home of the Pillar of Fire Church, and was the worldwide headquarters of Pillar of Fire International, which comprises the church's college, Somerset Christian College, and radio station WAWZ-FM (the farm and publishing facilities have not been in operation since the late 1970s). It is named after Zarephath, the place in the Bible where the "widow woman" sustained the prophet Elijah. Zarephath was a group of buildings located between the Delaware and Raritan Canal and the Millstone River. Following the flooding in 2011 from Hurricane Irene, the College and all Pillar of Fire ministries were ordered to move out of this floodplain. The original campus has been slated for demolition and a new campus in Somerset was established.