activities

OLD PARAMUS REFORMED CHURCH
ACTIVITIES

PICTORIAL REPORTS OF
ACTIVITIES AT OPRC

Songs From Around the World

The May Women's Guild meeting featured John Lange, OPRC Bass Choir Soloist, accompanied by Stewart Holmes, OPRC Music Director, in a program entitled, "Songs From Around the World". John's selection of music ranged from operatic songs from Germany, Italy and France, to Show Tunes and Broadway Plays. John's rich baritone voice was a delight and the selections demonstrated his wide range of voice. Interspersed with humor and background information about the music resulted in a delightful afternoon of entertainment.
The Meeting began with some announcements, devotions by Joan Ladd, and the lunch which consisted of chicken francese, peas and carrots, mashed potatoes and salad, followed by cake for dessert.
The theme for this year's Women's Guild Programs is "This is My Father's World". So appropriately the musical program today began with the audience singing the first verse and ending with the singing the the second verse.

The sheet music for "This is My Father's World" is shown below on the left and our guests, John Lange and Stewart Holmes, are shown on the right.

Enjoying the Lunch

Stewart Holmes and John Lange

Enjoying the Program

Annual Flea Market

Our Annual Flea Market was held on Saturday, May 4. As usual, a large crowd gathered in line early in the morning to partake of the bargains to be had. The Flea Market is chaired by Suzanne Tillman and Claudia Raffa. Dozens of volunteers participated in sorting the donations, pricing them, and helping during the sale. Other jobs included cashiers, food preparers and servers, a bakery counter, jewelry counter, vintage counter and book sale.

Roast Beef Dinner/Talent Show

Our Annual Roast Dinner and Talent Show This is the event where the men take over the kitchen and prepare the roast beef, green beans, potatoes plus all the trimmings.

And others showed off their talents (or lack thereof LOL). Of course most had talent indeed and we thank them for being gracious enough to share it.

Women's Guild April Meeting

The guest at the Women's Guild Meeting in April was Greg Mattison, Adjunct Professor of Global Energy/Sustainability at William Paterson University. He presented issues related to global climate change and its impact on life in northern New Jersey and elsewhere.

Greg Mattison at the podium

Meet the Pettets

The Women's Guild Meeting for March featured an outstanding musical program by The Pettets - Ashley & Kristen. They presented a program of song and dance featuring a selection of songs from the 1940s, '50s and '60s. It was a time line of well known hits of the eras. It started out with the theme of a radio station playing songs of the era. Selections included well known songs by female singing groups including the Andrew Sisters, the Chordettes and the McGuire Sisters. Patsy Cline's hit, "Crazy" was sung as though the Pettets were part of the Grand Old Opry on WSM in Nashville. Ashley's son, Todd, portrayed the announcer complete with mention of the sponsors such as Pepsodent toothpaste. At one point, Ashley and Kristen stepped down from the stage and tap danced at the audience level. Throughout the program their mother, Denise, handled the audio playing the music accompaniment.

The following excerpt is from the Pettet's website, www.thepettets.com.

Ashley and Kristen Pettet have distinguished careers that brought them to Broadway, movies, and television. They have performed at the White House, can be heard singing on movies such as Stepmom, and were featured on an ABC special entitled "Sisters in Showbusiness." The Pettets have gained national acclaim with their Dream Come True Tour of television, radio, and live performances.
Ashley and Kristen have released solo recordings of some of their favorite music. They have also recorded a duet collaboration which includes highlights of their live performances. In addition, they have a full-length Christmas album.
The Pettets continue to travel and perform for audiences of all ages. Their original show captivates adults and children alike. And that certainly was true during this performance at Old Paramus. They also enjoy using their talents to volunteer for numerous charities and organizations.

For more complete information about The Pettets, be sure to visit their website. This is a direct link to it. www.thepettets.com

Ashley and Kristen

Feathers Were Flying

Honoring the Military

Tapping Away

Acrobatics at Work

Todd

Kristen, Todd and Ashley

Denise at the console

Visiting With the Audience

Men's Breakfast

The OPRC Men's Breakfast Group meets on the third Saturday of each month at Matthews Diner in Waldwick. Attendance varies each month but no matter who attends it is always a good time. Conversation varies but we never bring up religion, politics or sports. It is just a time for good conversation, a lot of good hearted laughs and a pleasant time of camaraderie among the men of the church. All men are invited to join the group. Official time is 7:30 AM but most get there by 7:00. So come and share some good conversation and good food.

Pot Luck/Games Night

The Pot Luck/Games Night is a twice annual event at OPRC. These events provide an opportunity to get out of the house during the cold weather season and enjoy the company of friends. A variety of food is brought in and shared with those who attend. Following the pot luck supper is a time to share in good conversation and table games. Cards, trivia, you name it. If it is fun people join in. The first of these events for 2019 took place on Friday, January 18. The pictures below capture the attendees enjoying the various games together.

Picture Credit: Cheryl Veli

Pot Luck/Games Night - Part 2

Our second Pot Luck/Games Night took place on Friday, February 22, 2019. It was another night of good food and fun. The pictures below capture the food, attendees, and games.

The Food

Enjoying the Food

The Games

God, God's World, and Us

The February Women's Guild Program featured Rev. Rob Miller as its guest presenter. The program opened with the installation of officers and executive board members for the 2019 year. Devotions were presented by Carol Mah. Lunch was then served. Rev. Miller's presentation dealt with the relationship of the planet with God as creator and humans having dominion over His creation. What does God's creation tell us about Him and how does it reveal God to us" These were some of the questions that were addressed using a Powerpoint program.

Installation of Officers

Carol Mah

Rev. Rob Miller

Title Slide

The Audience

A "Tea-riffic" Program

The December Women's Guild Program was "Tea-riffic" indeed. The whole luncheon revolved around tea and accompaniments. The women wore fancy hats and the table settings were first class complete with china cups and saucers. Soup was served in glass cups and tea sandwiches were served on fancy plates.

Guest speaker, Nina Androski, presented an illustrated talk on the history of tea along with many interesting facts. She is a real expert on the subject of tea.

The Title

Ticket sales

The fancy placesetting

The tea sandwiches

The busy kitchen preparing for the fancy service

Take note of the fancy hats.

Nina Androski

Did You Know?

The teaspoon got its name because
it was used to measure an amount of tea?
It really was the tea spoon.

Herbal Teas are not teas at all.
They don't contain anything from the Camellia Sinensis which is the fancy name for tea plants.

Our Annual Harvest Fair

Our Annual Harvest Fair is one of the premier fund raising events each year. The Fair takes place on the first Saturday of November. It has now been completed for this year. It takes many hours and many volunteers to make for a successful event. Co-Chairpersons Anne Banta and Kathy Fear led a whole host of volunteers to sort out the donated merchandise and set up the various booths and locations. Once again we had a hugely successful Fair thanks to the efforts of all who participated. Below are pictures of the Harvest Fair.

View of main floor from entrance	View from the stage
Attic Treasures	The Christmas Shop
The Jewelry Counter	The Garage Sale

Saturday crowd at the Fair

Lined up for opening time	Outside bargains
Henry Mah and Bill Beckmann on kitchen duty	The Jewelry Counter

Saturday photos credit: Jeff Parent

October Women's Guild Meeting

The October Women's Guild Program was entitled, "RCA Global Mission: Seeing Christ in Times of Disaster." The audience was inspired by how the Reformed Church denomination is transforming catastrophies into Godly victories, and how our financial support and volunteers have a critical impact on restoring people's lives in the USA and abroad at times of natural disasters. Stephanie Soderstrom was the presenter. Elizabeth Testa, in charge of Women's Transformation for the RCA, was the photographer showcasing women who have had leadership roles and who broke new ground in different areas.

During the presentation, a question was posed asking about women in Old Paramus who were early pioneers in leadership positions in the church. Well the answer turned out to be very interesting. Alice Smyser was present in the audience and was able to share a fascinating story about her family history. Alice's parents, Pierre and Isabel Zabriskie, were 9th generation members of Old Paramus Reformed Church. Alice is the 10th generation. Pierre served on Consistory for many years and after he passed away, the church officially opened the Consistory to women for the first time. Isabel was elected as deacon in December, 1972, becoming the first women to serve on the Consistory. A picture below shows Alice standing in front of her mother's picture which is in the parlor.

Carol Beckmann, Guild President, Stephanie Soderstrom and Sally Brandes

Sally Brandes introducing the program	Elizabeth Testa, photographer
The Audience	Alice Smyzer with her mother's picture

Picnic in the Pines

The weather was perfect. The setting was perfect. And the food preparation was perfect. What more could we ask for when having our Picnic in the Pines. Well for starters, the food was delicious. Head Chef Scott Smith prepared hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken for all to enjoy. Add to that potato salad, macaroni salad, cookies and watermellon and you have the makings of an outstanding eating experience with friends in the Pines. That's just what we did following the worship service on July 8.