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OLD PARAMUS REFORMED CHURCH
INFORMATION

Recognition of Graduates

Sunday, June 23, was time for Recognition of Graduates. During the worship service, the graduates were asked to come forward and Rev. Miller gave a brief presentation. High School Graduates were Blythe Miller and Alex Kovacs. Blythe is attending Hope College with a major in nursing. Alex will be attending Hamilton College. Alex was not able to be present. Following the worship service, a picnic was held in their honor on the grounds in front of the manse.

Rev. Miller with Blythe
(Who just happens to be his daughter.)

Carol Beckmann, President of Women's Guild,
presenting a gift to Blythe

The Millers are appropriately proud of their daughter
as is evident by this sign outside the manse.
Congratulations, Blythe.

Always a time for food at OPRC

And of course cake!

Center for Food Action Award

As a followup on our report about the CFA (Center for Food Action) charity event (shown below). Jeff Parent, OPRC Missions Chairperson, accepted a special plaque which was presented to Old Paramus for its donation. Jeff is shown with Patricia Espy, Executive Director of the CFA. The new refrigerator truck is shown with the plaque.

Barbara Espy and Jeff Parent

Picnic In the Pines

Following the Memorial Day Recognition by the flag pole, the congregation gathered in the pines adjacent to the church for a picnic. Scott Smith catered the event and was assisted in serving by Anne Banta. Barbecued chicken, sandwiches, salads, watermelon, cookies, ice cream and beverages were the fare for the day. People brought their food to the picnic tables and enjoyed good food and fellowship. Thanks to all who helped with the event.

Memorial Day Recognition

The morning worship service on May 26 paid tribute to our veterans past and present through music and message. At the conclusion of the service we gathered around the flag pole in the front of the sanctuary and had a brief service conducted by Rev. Miller, a Cub Scout and Stewart Holmes.

Center for Food Action Event

OPRC was recently honored at a special CFA (Center for Food Action) charity event. We were recognized for our generous donation to help them buy a new refrigerator truck. Patti and Jeff Parent represented OPRC. This is another example of the outreach of Old Paramus through its mission projects.

Prayer Stop

Thursday, May 2

NATIONAL PRAYER DAY

Old Paramus marked the occasion in style. The sign invited passersby to drive into the parking lot on the way to work, school or errands for a prayer and pastry by the

PRAYER STOP SIGN.

Great way to begin the day!

Participating Prayer Partners were
Sally Brandes and Alice Smyser.

Picture Credit: Patti Parent

Easter At Old Paramus

On Wednesday, April 24, a program was presented by the Division of Aging in Bergen County. They offered a group of 14 much needed information on senior services and tax savings. Refreshments were served. The program was hosted by Sally Brandes.

Picture Credit: Jeff Parent

Easter At Old Paramus

The Easter Service at Old Paramus was a glorious celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Chancel Choir along with a Brass Ensemble provided glorious music under the direction of Stewart Holmes, OPRC Music Director. Pastor Rob Miller gave a stirring message entitled, " A Believable Story". It was a magnificent service capturing and celebrating the Story of Easter.

Old Paramus Choir

The Sanctuary During the Easter Service

Good Friday Service

The Good Friday service at Old Paramus was held at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary. It was a Tenebrae Service and Cantata with the Chancel Choir and Full Orchestra. It was a magnificent service in observation of the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Choir and Orchestra was under the direction of Stewart Homes, OPRC Music Director.

The Well Attended Service

The Choir and Orchestra

Pictures Courtesy: Patti Parent

Spiritual Formation Seminar

The Spiritual Formation Seminar in February was held on Monday, February 18. The Rev. Mack Brandon presented a program using music and lecture to teach on Faith, Justice, and Music and how they all intersect within the African American church and the Civil Rights movement. Rev. Brandon is the minister at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Ridgewood, NJ. He is also an assistant professor of music at Ramapo College.

Photo Credit: Stewart Holmes

Consistory Installation

The 2019 Consistory Installation took place on Sunday, January 27, during the morning worship service. The Consistory is the governing body of the church.

(l-r) Rev. Rob Miller, Scott VanderVliet, Barb Roberts, Arlene Berlamino, Scott Smith

The Greater Consistory - those who have served through the years

Picture 2 Credit: Patti Parent

Epiphany Sunday took place on January 6. Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. The feast commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. A reenactment of that visit took place during the morning worship service.

Picture Credit: Jeff Parent

The River Mission

This feeding of the homeless was a culmination of our 2018 Mission commitment to outreach took place on December 30. The congregation donated three cases of much needed clothing and supplies. Fourteen OPRC volunteers heated, prepared, plated and served food for Pastor Don McCracken�s congregation. Two of the four trays of ziti were donated by Park Wood Deli of Midland Park. We also supplied salad and holiday tableware along with forty specially wrapped bags of cookies.
We felt the Joy, good feeling, job well done, helping mankind, providing for others and feeding of body and soul.

The Group of Volunteers

Lots ol clothing and supplies
and the specially wrapped bags of cookies

Picture Credit: Jeff Parent

The Potter and Pot Luck for Advent

On Sunday, December 16, we were privileged to have Ray Boswell, the Potter, at OPRC. The Potter presented a wonderful program which included an opportunity to participate by completing a clay votive which Ray will take back to his studio to be fired. After the program we shared a pot luck meal. The program was sponsored by the Health Cabinet. The pictures below show the wheel and the artists at work.

Picture Credit: Arlene Berlamino

A Milestone for Stewart Holmes

On Sunday, December 2, Stewart Holmes celebrated 25 years as the Organist and Choir Director of Old Paramus Reformed Church. During that time he has made major contributions to the music program of the church. In addition to his work as organist and directing the choir he played a large part in having the present organ built and installed. A reception was held in his honor in Fellowship Hall following the worship service. A special cake was prepared to celebrate the occasion.

Thank you, Stewart, for your dedicated service to OPRC.

The Cake

Stewart Holmes with grandchildren
Looks like he is proud to share the occasion with them.

The Reception

Ramapo College Choir

On Sunday, December 2, we had the privilege of having the Ramapo College Chorale join us during our worship service. The group is directed by Anne Paynter.. The group joined with our choir for one selection, and performed a solo performance for another selection. The pictures below show both performances.

The Ramapo College Chorale

Ramapo College Chorale and the OPRC Choir

The Tree Lighting Celebration

The Annual Ridgewood Tree Lighting Celebration took place on Friday, November 30.

OPRC had a display in front of the Jekyll and Hyde Luggage Store. The pictures below show members of our congregation handing out little bags of candy with a fun version of The Christmas Story.

All photos are courtesy of Jeff Parent.

Patti showing the candy give-aways	Barb holding the bag of goodies
Chuck, Barb and Patti	The display table
Patti and Pastor Rob	Patti, Barb, Sue and Pastor Rob
Patti greeting a young family	Sue greeting a young mother and baby

Getting Ready for the Tree Lighting Celebration

Getting ready for the Ridgewood Tree Lighting is a team effort in preparing for our booth at the celebration. Those attending the event will be treated to a sweet treat and a card telling the Christmas Story in a fun way.

Our Christmas Elves (that's everybody) are busy at work assembling, packing,
wrapping and attaching a card to each bag of candy.

The assembly line makes the job
so much easier and more fun.

They enjoyed a lunch and then they worked.

Packathon

Future Forward for Haiti held a Packathon in Teaneck NJ on November 10, 2018. Eleven members of OPRC were represented. We helped to pack enough food to feed the children of Haiti for a year. The food provides the children with vitamins and nutrition that they don't receive daily. The event became very competitive. OPRC's team packed the most food boxes during our session.

(Not that we're bragging or anything - of course not!)

Our OPRC Team
Roberta Dawson, Deb Hopper, Henry Mah, Carolee & Bert Minerley, Patti & Jeff Parent, Diane & Rick VanderWende, Carla Van Duzer and Pat Yatsko

How did we look in our stylish hair nets which were required for handling the food?

Jeff Parent in center	Pat Yatsko (center) Henry Mah (white net) and Rick VanderWende (orange net)
Jeff and Patti Parent with "stylish" hair nets	Carla Van Duzer at right
Nutrition Info of food stuffs	Packed and ready to go

July 4th Recognition

On Sunday, July 1, our guest preacher was the Rev. John Norton. His sermon title was, "Live in Hope". The first hymn was "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" which was appropriate for the beginning of Independence Week. At the close of the worship service, in recognition of July 4th, the congregation gathered outside our historic sanctuary and sang "The Star-Spangled Banner", our National Anthem.

The Lutz Family Memorial Garden

Ed Lutz loved Old Paramus. And Ed loved his garden, complete with hot houses for certain plants. He was an avid gardener and wanted his flowering plants to live on after he passed on. He planned for this and made sure it was a part of his will. Little by little, many plants have been lovingly transplanted to a location in front of our sanctuary. The result is The Lutz Family Memorial Garden where people will enjoy his meticulous gardening expertise for many years to come. Just look at the pictures below to catch a glimpse of the most fitting tribute to the Lutz Family. Better yet, come visit our church and see the garden in person. Join us for worship each Sunday at 10 AM.

Thank you, Ed, for your friendship and generous legacy to Old Paramus Reformed Church.

Pictures Courtesy: Tom Marsden

Fast Forward to 2019

Thanks to the good work of Jim Brandes and his team,
the Lutz Garden has been restored to its former glory.

Pictures Courtesy: Jim Brandes