Zarephath, NJ

Zarephath is an unincorporated community and census-designated place and located in Franklin Township, in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about 15 mi north of Princeton. Zarephath 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. Zarephath is named after Zarephath, the place in the Bible where the "widow woman" sustained the prophet Elijah. Informal college level classes were held starting in 1917. Alma White College was chartered in 1921 and operated until 1978.

A newcomer can read Zarephath through the overlap of its older landmarks, surrounding geography, and current places. For a newcomer, Zarephath comes into focus through those concrete links among its past, landscape, and current routines. Zarephath was a group of buildings located between the Delaware and Raritan Canal and the Millstone River. The site was originally a farm owned by Peter Workman Garretson in Franklin Township. He married Caroline Van Neste Field, who became a follower of Alma Bridwell White, then based in Denver, Colorado.