N.J. church will donate $1 million to Hurrican Katrina recovery and rebuilding.

Fountain Baptist Church favors exuberance in worship, its members encouraging their spirited pastor with approving nods and liberal supplies of amens.

The fervor of spirit at this 108-year-old suburban African American church, about 1,900 members strong, is matched by a charitable heart — and pocketbook.

The church, which started as a humble meeting place for a handful of gardeners and domestic workers, has turned heads with the sums it now gives to charitable causes around the world. The latest example is a $1 million pledge slated for hurricane recovery in the Gulf Coast, an amount considered quite generous for a major corporation or association, let alone a single church.