8-K

                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K
                                 CURRENT REPORT
                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

      Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): September 22, 2005

                              CENTER BANCORP, INC.


             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)



          New Jersey                   2-81353                52-1273725
- -----------------------------  ------------------------   ---------------------
(State or Other Jurisdiction   (Commission File Number)     (IRS Employer
        of Incorporation)                                    Identification No.)


     2455 Morris Avenue, Union, New Jersey                       07083
- -----------------------------------------------  -------------------------------
   (Address of principal executive offices)                   (Zip Code)


        Registrant's telephone number, including area code (800) 862-3683


         Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

      [_]   Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act
            (17 CFR 230.425)

      [_]   Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act
            (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

      [_]   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
            Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

      [_]   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the
            Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))



Item  5.02  Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of
            Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers

      On September 22, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Registrant named
Stephen J. LaMont and Kenneth W. Battiato to the Board of Directors of the
Registrant. Mr. LaMont is a certified public accountant with the firm of Stephen
J. LaMont CPA and Mr. Battiato is the president and principal shareholder of
Townley Sweeping Services, Inc., a specialty service firm that specializes in
parking lot professional sweeping, roll-off dumpster service, construction
services, residential maintenance and repair and property mangement. Messrs.
LaMont and Battiato, individually and/or indirectly through their companies, are
customers (depositors in both cases and a borrower in the case of Mr. Battiato)
of the Registrant's bank subsidiary.

      Mr. LaMont has been named to the Audit Committee, Nominating Committee and
Executive Committee of the Boards of Directors of the Registrant and the
Registrant's bank subsidiary and Mr. Battiato has been named to the Nominating
Committee and Executive Committee of the Boards of Directors of the Registrant
and the Registrant's bank subsidiary. Mr. Battiato has also been named to the
Loan & Discount Committee of the Board of Directors of the Registrant's bank
subsidiary.

Item 9.01.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

         (c)      Exhibits

         Exhibit 99.1 - Press release, dated September 27, 2005.



                                    SIGNATURE

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                    CENTER BANCORP, INC.




                                    By: /s/ Anthony C. Weagley
                                        ----------------------------
                                    Name:  Anthony C. Weagley
                                    Title:  Chief Financial Officer


Dated: September 27, 2005



                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit 99.1 - Press release, dated September 27, 2005.

EX-99.1

                               Anthony C. Weagley, Vice President and Treasurer


CENTER BANCORP, INC. NAMES STEPHEN J. LaMONT AND KENNETH W. BATTIATO TO BOARD OF
DIRECTORS

Union, New Jersey, August 25, 2005 ---Center Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ, NM: CNBC)
parent company to Union Center National Bank of Union, New Jersey, announced
that at its board meeting on September 22, 2005 the Corporation named Stephen J.
LaMont and Kenneth W. Battiato to the Board of Directors.

Mr. LaMont is a Certified Public Accountant with the firm of Stephen J. LaMont
CPA and Mr. Battiato is the president and principal shareholder of Townley
Sweeping Services, Inc., Union New Jersey, a specialty service company that
specializes in parking lot professional sweeping, roll-off dumpster service,
construction services, residential maintenance and repair and property
management.

Center Bancorp, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, Union Center National
Bank, Union, New Jersey, currently operates thirteen banking locations. Banking
centers are located in Union Township (6 locations), Berkeley Heights, Madison,
Millburn/Vauxhall, Morristown (3 locations), Springfield, and Summit, New
Jersey. The Bank also operates remote ATM locations in the Union New Jersey
Transit train station and in Union Hospital. The Bank also received recent
approvals to install and operate two additional off-premise ATM locations in the
Chatham and Madison New Jersey Transit Stations.

Union Center National Bank is the largest commercial Bank headquartered in Union
County; it was chartered in 1923 and is a full-service banking company.

For further information regarding Center Bancorp Inc., call 1-(800)-862-3683.
For information regarding Union Center National Bank visit our web site at
"http://www.centerbancorp.com" ~http://www.centerbancorp.com.



All non-historical statements in this press release (including statements
regarding future net interest margin, anticipated growth in the loan portfolio
and overall performance) constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements may use such forward-looking terminology as "expect,"
"look," "believe," "plan," "anticipate," "may," "will" or similar statements or
variations of such terms or otherwise express views concerning trends and the
future. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties.
These include, but are not limited to, the direction of interest rates,
continued levels of loan quality and origination volume, continued relationships
with major customers including sources for loans, as well as the effects of
international, national, regional and local economic conditions and legal and
regulatory barriers and structure, including those relating to the deregulation
of the financial services industry, and other risks cited in reports filed by
the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may
differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Center Bancorp, Inc.
assumes no obligation for updating any such forward-looking statement at any
time.