St. Bartholomew`s B-Line

CALENDAR
Every Sunday
8:00 AM
9:45 AM
10:00 AM
10:00 AM
Holy Eucharist
Healing Prayer at the Altar
Holy Eucharist
Church School
9:30 AM
10:30 AM
7:30 PM
Holy Eucharist and Healing Service
Bible Study
Choir Rehearsal
Every Thursday
3rd Sunday of each month (except July and August)
11:45 AM
Vestry Meeting (changed from 2nd Sunday)
3rd Sunday of each month (except summer)
11:15 AM
Youth Group (see page 15)
1st Sunday of each month
CUMAC Food Drive
Wednesday, March 5
Ash Wednesday Services 9:30 AM, 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 13
Palm Sunday and Easter Food Collection
HOLY WEEK
See schedule on last page
Sunday, June 8
Pentecost — please wear RED
Saturday, June 28
100th Anniversary Celebration (see page 2)
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ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B-LINE
Published four times a year by
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH
70 Sheridan Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey 07423
201-444-5025
[email protected]
www.StBartsHHK.com
Unless otherwise credited, all photos are by Dave Ackerman.
Send all material and photos for publication by e-mail to [email protected].
Deadline is the 5th of February, May, August and November.
St. Bartholomew's Church is a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, NJ.
Reflections
I really should write something
more edifying. Easter is upon us,
after all, the Queen of Seasons in
the Liturgical year. It is most
worthy of mention. But I find
myself falling back into my
personal memories of my time
spent here. And why not, by the
time you receive this I will have
completed 30 years of service as
your Rector. I began my service in
March 1984. Evolutionary biology
would tell us that memory serves
a survival function, I suppose.
Those who can best remember
where the food is to be found and
the predators lurk will live another
day. In religion memory serves
another purpose. It is the stuff of
meaning, the stuff of life, even the
stuff of resurrection. Remember
when the Sadducees who didn’t
believe in resurrection queried
Jesus about the widow who
married 7 brothers each in turn
after the previous one had died
(according to the laws of levirate
marriage)? You probably don’t
remember. But my point is Jesus
replied that they were wrong about
the resurrection citing the text in
Summer 2014
B-LINE Articles
Please send to
[email protected]
Deadline May 5th
Exodus where God reveals to
Moses that he is the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thus,
Jesus asserted God remembers
them and therefore they all live
before him. Would that all those I
remember from these past 30 years
lived before me to the degree that
they do before God!
On a recent Sunday we read that
text from Paul’s letter to the
Corinthians where he says, paraphrasing Isaiah, “Eye has not seen,
nor ear heard, neither has it entered
into the heart of man, the (good)
things that God has prepared for
those who love him.” (1 Corinthians
2:9) How true. When I was called
to be your Rector I couldn’t
envision staying here for 30 years.
It’s just not done these days in my
profession, or hardly ever. And if
someone (a prophet) had told me
it would be so, I wouldn’t have
believed him and declared him to
be false. Nor was it ever in my
heart at the beginning to stay on
for three decades. My heart would
have fainted with fear and trepidation at that prospect. But now
looking back my heart is glad, I see
God’s hand at work in it all, and
my soul is at rest as I hear him say,
“it was my plan.” It was a good
plan from a loving God. It blessed
me. It blessed my family. And, I
trust it has blessed you as well.
With fond affection,
Dan Kreller
RECTOR
The Rev. Daniel Kreller
PARISH
ADMINISTRATOR
Ann Woods
ORGANIST
CHOIR DIRECTOR
Soon Yeon Chung
PARISH OFFICE
201-444-5025
RECTORY
201-652-6704
WARDENS
Michael Gnerre
Lauren Smith
CLERK
Kathy Gabrielle
TREASURER
Dave Ackerman
VESTRY
John Alberti
Ghada Harb
Wayne Kamidoi
Joan Lupardo
James Pierson
Jayme Wolff
Lisa Wysession
WEB SITE
www.StBartsHHK.com
E-MAIL
[email protected]
Page 2
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
QUARTERLY VESTRY FOCUS
Highlights from the Vestry Meetings November 2013 — January 2014
Our Treasurer Jodie Johnson has stepped down and Dave Ackerman has graciously agreed to take her place
on a “year to year” basis. At the January Vestry meeting, Dave presented the treasurer’s report showing as
of December 2013 the church’s total Income was $237,433 with total Expense of $237,400. Even though
originally we began the year with a deficit of $9,561 it appears we actually broke even – or to say we made
a profit of $33.00. It was reported that the Capital Improvement Fund has a total of about $60,301 in
donations with $1,500 in outstanding pledges.
The Finance Committee is working on having more diversity with our invested assets and rebuilding the
funding for our Building and Grounds for future building and maintenance concerns.
Our Building and Grounds reported that the last of the items to our Capital Improvement Fund Campaign
was completed the month of December. This item was the installation of new carpet to the hallways and up
the stairs to the parish offices.
Outreach has been busy as usual this past season with a good Harvest Sunday, the Angel Tree for Christmas
giving to the Ramapo Indians and the collection of toiletries for the migrant workers. It was reported that
from 2 families a donation of $5,100 was received for the Episcopal Philippines Relief Fund established by our
Diocese.
Other Church Business to report:
New Prayer cards have been distributed in the pews to help assist those that are seeking prayer.
The B-Line is hoping to eliminate some expenses with its “On-Line” publication.
The 100th Anniversary of St. Bartholomew’s being a parish is set for June 28th, 2014.
Youth Group is still small but going strong. Their last project was a Coat Drive that brought in over 50 coats.
The Vestry approved a total of $600.00 to be distributed for 2013 Christmas bonuses and our 2014 Diocese
Pledge to remain at an 8% pledge for this coming year.
--------------------------
Respectfully submitted by: Kathy Gabrielle, Clerk
St. Bartholomew's Parish Turns 100
Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for fellowship in a
memorable celebration as we commemorate the founding of St.
Bartholomew’s as a parish.
Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 28th, 2014 at Portobello
Banquets, 155 Ramapo Valley Rd., Oakland, NJ from 6pm - 10pm.
Enjoy dinner plated service, open bar and music to enjoy and dance to
by "Maxine Alstrom & Company.”
Look for your invitation and reply cards in the mail this early Spring.
Any questions, please contact Kathy Gabrielle.
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
Page 3
PARISH ANNUAL MEETING – January 26th, 2014
A total of 26 adult parishioners were in attendance at the start of the annual meeting.
The following parishioners were voted to the open Vestry positions:
Warden (2 year term) – Michael Gnerre
Vestry (3 year terms) – Ghada Harb, Joan Lupardo and James Pierson
Convention Delegates: Jackie Fisher, Ghada Harb and Diane Verhoff
(Alternatives: Lauren Smith, Jim Pierson and Lisa Wysession)
Convocation Deputies:
Jim Pierson, Peggy Kievit, Virginia Smith and Ghada Harb
All those in attendance approved treasurer’s proposed Budget for 2014 showing a proposed deficit
of -$7,418.98 and agreed to a motion for the Vestry to discuss the issue of adjusting the Diocese pledge for
2014.
---------------------------The Annual Report and Treasurer’s Report were sent to everyone
Respectfully submitted by:
on our e-mail list several days before the meeting. If you are not
Kathy Gabrielle, Clerk
on the list and would like copies, please contact the office.
Right, Dan Kreller
addresses the
meeting.
Below, Dan thanks
Peter Loder for
his many years of
service on the
Vestry.
Treasurer Dave
Ackerman shrugs
off the proposed
deficit (photo by
Ann Woods).
Page 4
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
Sermon for the Feast of the Presentation
Delivered February 2, 2014
By the Rev. Daniel Kreller
At St. Bartholomew’s Church, Ho-Ho-Kus
This morning we celebrate the Feast of the
Presentation. The Presentation took place 40
days after Jesus’ birth, thus 40 days after
Christmas. It always falls on February 2nd
according to our calendar but February 2nd
doesn’t always fall on a Sunday. Because it
does this year we have a unique opportunity to
acknowledge and celebrate it.
Luke reports that when the time came for their
purification, literally Mary’s purification, the
parents of Jesus brought him to the Temple in
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and offer
sacrifices (Luke 2: 22-40). Two things required by
the Torah, the Law of Moses, were taking place
and being fulfilled here.
The first was that Mary underwent her
purification. Recall that the Law was divided
into 3 categories – the commandments, the
ordinances, and the decrees. The decrees have to
do with ritual purity – the clean and unclean, the
pure and the impure. One of the decrees stated
that a woman after the birth of a male child was
ritually impure for 40 days, which meant she
could not enter the Temple or participate in the
worship of the Temple (Leviticus 12: 1-4). No
explanation is given for this in the Torah.
However, as with every case of impurity, the
Torah describes the procedure for being restored
to purity. In this case, Mary went to the Temple,
immersed in the mikvah, the ritual bath, before
entering, and then offered the required sacrifice –
2 turtledoves. She was then restored to purity.
We have little understanding of these purity
issues as they pertain to the Jews because for us
as Christians Jesus changed the focus of purity
from the outer purity of things to the inner purity
of the heart. So we too understand that we
cannot enter God’s presence in an impure state –
for only the pure shall see God – but the purity
we seek is inward. This is why we begin each
service with the collect for purity saying,
“Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the
inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may
perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your
holy Name.”
The second thing that took place was the payment of the 5 silver shekel price paid by Mary
and Joseph to redeem Jesus, their firstborn son.
This typically was done on the 31st day after birth
and it need not be done in the Temple. But
Luke reports that Mary and Joseph combined
these two duties into one. What is behind the
redemption of the firstborn son is the 10th plague
of the Passover when God struck down the
firstborn sons of the Egyptians and their firstborn
male cattle. This was retribution for the killing of
the male children of Israel. Nevertheless a debt
to Yahweh had been incurred by Israel because of
this. The Torah proscribed the debt be paid by
devoting the firstborn males, both human and
animal, to the service of Yahweh God (Exodus 13;
13-16). They could be redeemed from this service,
however, by paying the redemption price. In the
case of the firstborn male child the 5-shekel price
was paid to a Levite because the Levites as a tribe
were devoted to the service of Yahweh in his
Temple. They substituted for all of the firstborn
males of the other tribes (Numbers 3:45-47).
The question was asked last Sunday night at our
series what is it about the number 40 for it keeps
cropping up in the Scriptures? The best explanation I know is the Rabbinical one that states
the number 40 is the number of completion, or
fulfillment. What is completed today on this 40th
day after Christmas? What is completed is the
story of Jesus’ birth. After this we hear no more
abut his birth but only about this child growing
and becoming strong, meaning attaining
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
adulthood, and of the ministry he performed as
an adult.
So, it is a good time for us to pause and ask what
can we learn from his birth and these stories that
we can apply to ourselves to help us understand
our own identity? For in our Epistle this morning
(Hebrews 2: 14-18) Paul writes that it is clear
that Jesus did not come to help angels but the
descendants of Abraham – that is, human beings
like us. Therefore he had to become like his
brothers and sisters in every respect, sharing in
our flesh and blood. See how he says he became
like us, therefore we are like him in every respect.
Thus, if we study his birth we will learn something about our own, for he is like us and we
are like him. So, before we leave behind this
Christmas season, let us look back at Jesus’ birth
and see what we can learn about ourselves. I’ll
name just four things, though I suspect we could
discover more.
First, looking all the way back to Jesus’ conception 9 months before his birth, what can we
learn? Jesus was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary his mother. It
would seem that his conception is not at all like
ours since we have a human father and mother
and Jesus only a human mother. But in this
respect he is like us – we take our flesh and blood
from our human parents and he from his human
mother. But then we learn there is another dimension to his life and ours. Jesus was conceived
by the Spirit from the Heavenly Father and so are
we. We, too, receive a portion of the Spirit from
the Heavenly Father at our conception. That
portion of the Spirit we call our soul. In the
Biblical view the human parents and the divine
parent, God, are partners in our creation.
Now this has profound implications, not the least
of which is it confers a dignity and equality upon
all human beings. It yields the understanding
that we are all children of the one Heavenly
Father. We are not all children of the same
human parents and it is common to make
distinctions among us depending upon whom
our parents are and what identity they confer
upon us. It is good to have a unique identity
Page 5
from our flesh and blood human parents. But
it is better to have a common identity from our
spiritual Father. The greater identity, the more
enduring one is the spiritual one.
Second, now consider what happened at Jesus’
birth. Heaven, in the form of the angels, rejoiced;
and so did earth in the form of Mary and Joseph
and the shepherds and the wise men. What can
we learn from this about our own birth? The
primary thing we can learn is that heaven and the
angels rejoiced – at least those angels that had not
fallen and are still devoted to the Heavenly
Father. They rejoice in each child that is born
for he or she is another son or daughter of the
Heavenly Father. As servants in His household,
they rejoice at the joy of the Master when He
creates a new life. Jesus, himself, taught that each
child has his or her own angel (Matthew 18: 10).
We would expect that that angel especially rejoiced for now that angel has an assignment from
the Father to minster to the child throughout his
or her life.
In the ordinary course of things we expect the
parents and the world to rejoice at the birth of a
child. But we know this is not always the case.
We live in a broken world that doesn’t always
work as expected. So, we know that at times
even mother and father can reject a child, and
that there may be no others, shepherds and wise
men, to embrace the arrival of a child into the
world. Again what we can learn is this – human
acceptance of a child is a good thing; Divine
acceptance is better. Divine acceptance is
unfailing.
Third, eight days after his birth, Jesus was
circumcised and named. The name, Jesus, had
been revealed to both Mary and Joseph by the
angel before his birth. Ordinarily it is the flesh
and blood parents that choose a name for a child.
Having helped name two children of my own I
know that the names we parents give to our
children have more to do with who we are,
where we come from, and what we hope for, than
it does with the child. Who and what the child
will be like and what his or her destiny will be in
the world is not foremost in our minds. Parents
Page 6
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
often miss the mark in naming their children.
Yesterday I saw a video clip of a woman named
Winter. She was named that because winter is
her family’s favorite season. She had, however,
a very sunny disposition that was evident as she
spoke and I thought she would have been better
named Summer.
But the story of Jesus’ naming reveals the Divine
Parent also has a name for each one of us. And
since our Heavenly father knows us better than
even our own human parents, the name He
chooses doesn’t miss the mark but is spot on.
This notion of God having a name for us is
Biblical, for in the text where Jesus refers to
himself as the good shepherd, he states that he
knows each of his sheep by name and calls out to
them so that they follow where he leads (John
10:3). For instance, my parents named me
Daniel. It is a good Biblical name. It means
God is my judge, or God judges. The name the
Heavenly Father gave me is Hezekiah. It means
Yahweh is my strength. Of the two names, the
second is more fitting for my life I find and I
prefer it. If you ask the Father he will reveal your
name to you as well. I highly recommend doing
so. The name your parents gave you is good. The
one the Heavenly Father gave to you is better.
Finally, the fourth thing I would note brings us to
this day – the day of Jesus’ presentation in the
Temple. What does his presentation tell us about
our own identity? It happens on the 40th day –
the day of completion or fulfillment. This day
completes or fulfills all that we have said before
about his and our births. For 40 days Mary and
Joseph had had Jesus to themselves as their own
child. This was a good thing. But now on the
40th day we see the better thing – the greater
thing. They bring him to the Temple and present
him, that is, turn him over to God, so to speak,
in recognition of a deeper truth. He came from
the Father; he belongs to the Father; and, he will
return to the Father. As human parents we have
a saying that our children are only on loan to
us from God, and then only temporarily. The
Father, the Divine Parent, is the permanent
parent of us all and the one who will never leave
us (by death) or forsake us (by an inability to
parent) but will be with us always.
So, I commend to you these four insights into
Jesus’ birth that relate to our own, for we are his
brothers and sisters. As Mary pondered in her
heart all the words that were spoken concerning
her child, I urge you to ponder these things in
your heart.
1. We each have the same Heavenly Father
who contributed to us some of His Spirit,
our soul, at our conception.
2. Heaven and the angels rejoiced at our
birth even if earth didn’t.
3. The Father has a name for each of us that
reveals he knows who we are even more
than our human parents do.
4. Our human parents had us on loan. The
Divine Parent will always be our Father.
ARE YOU GRADUATING? DO YOU KNOW A GRADUATE?
For our Summer B-Line we are looking for the names of young people from our church
who are graduating. Is your child graduating from pre-school, grammar school, high
school, college, graduate school, etc.? What school will he or she be attending next?
What career is in the future? Even if not graduating, has your child received some honor
or recognition? Please let us know by May 5 either by phone or e-mail:
201-444-5025 or [email protected]
Page 7
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
OFFICE NOTES
By Ann Woods
Parish Administrator
Hello Everyone,
I hope all is well with you and yours.
We are in need of more volunteers. Please consider joining one of the service teams on Sundays.
We can use lay readers, acolytes, lectors, ushers, counters and coffee hour hosts.
For more information about the responsibilities of these teams, please speak with Rev. Dan Kreller.
It's time for the 2014 Parish Directory. Please help us to verify your contact information.
The January 2013 directories are located in the Narthex and in the Parish Hall. Please review your listing,
make your changes in the directory and mark "OK" if all is correct. You may also contact the church office
by phone or e-mail. Please let us know if any information should be “unlisted”. We are looking for:
Mailing address
Names of family members at your address
Phone numbers (home & cell)
E-mail addresses
Thank you.
Office Hours
Spring 2014
Most Mondays & Fridays from 9 am - 2 pm and/or some evenings
Please call or e-mail before your visit. Thank you.
201-444-5025 or [email protected]
B-LINE ON-LINE
We had hoped to begin our electronic version with this issue, but with your editor taking on the
position of Treasurer again (not to mention repeatedly clearing snow and ice from his driveway) our
target is now the Summer issue in late May. Before then, we’ll ask for a choice between on-line or
printed copy from those who didn’t respond to last year’s survey.
We still are missing e-mail addresses from many of our members. Please understand that we will use
your address only for church business, and will not sell it or share it with anyone.
Dave Ackerman
EASTER FLOWER MEMORIAL ENVELOPES
Please use the enclosed Easter Flower Memorial Envelope to memorialize or
honor your loved ones at our Easter services. Please submit your envelopes by
APRIL 13 for the names to be listed in the Easter bulletins. Thank you!
Page 8
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES
Our 4 PM Christmas Eve service
began with the procession led by
our customary acolyte team of
crossbearer Annie Thurston and
torchbearers Sarah Passaro and
Molly Vandevander.
Bottom, after the service, Jane
Tarvin is greeted by Rachel, Devin,
Janet and Dan Kreller, while ushers
Eric, Seamus and Jack Schofield
examine a cellphone that was left
behind (the owner retrieved it!)
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
Page 9
AT ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S
Under the direction of Organist / Choir Director
Soon Yeon Chung, music at the Christmas services
included “O Divine Redeemer” sung by soprano
Mina Jo, and (at the 11 PM service) “O Holy Night”
and “Greensleeves” played by 14-year-old violinist
Jennifer Jeon. Our adult choir, augmented by several
children recruited by Soon, sang “Christmastime.”
You can hear these selections on our website. Go to
www.StBartsHHK.com, click on “See Us” then
“Special Music” and enjoy music that is special!
(Thanks to Janet Kreller for adding the audio feature
to our website.)
I have a friend in Connecticut who is a retired opera singer and has founded two choruses. I asked her to
listen to this music, and here are her comments:
- Dave Ackerman
“Wow, I just listened to the soloist sing Divine Redeemer, which I sang many, many times at Church.
She has a lovely voice! My favorite was the children's choir with adults, as I love the children's voices
at Christmas time, and they did an excellent job, didn't hear one off-key note!! Plus the violinist was
wonderful. For a small church, they certainly did a fabulous job. I would say you have a very active
and thriving Church!!”
Page 10
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
WINTER AT ST. BART’S
Dan speaks at this year’s Community Thanksgiving Service at
St. Luke’s Church, attended by the congregations of the three
Ho-Ho-Kus churches: St. Bartholomew’s, St Luke’s, and the
Community Church..
An average of nearly 30 persons, including this year’s 14
confirmands and their parents, attended the 15-week Sunday
Night Series devoted to “The God of Abraham Praise” which
Dan wrote several years ago.
At January’s annual meeting, Ghada Harb was elected to
the Vestry to succeed Peter Loder, and Michael Gnerre
was elected Warden to succeed Wendy Dockray.
Tom and Sally Thurston hosted our annual Christmas Open House in
their beautiful Ridgewood home.
Below, Annie, Sally and Tom Thurston with some of Annie’s paintings.
Enjoying themselves in the Thurstons’ pub: Courtney Smith Taylor,
Mary Passaro, Margie Scimia and Wendy Tarvin; and Kathy Gabrielle,
Fred and Hannah Fogg, Jane Tarvin, and Katherine and Mary Passaro.
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
Page 11
WINTER AT ST. BART’S
Socializing at our Epiphany Breakfast are Marjorie Taylor, John Alberti, Fred Bergamo, Mile Ristich, Wendy Dockray, and Janet and Dan
Kreller. John and Fred sample the delicious food.
January’s annual
Choir Party was
hosted by Jackie
Fisher at her HoHo-Kus home.
Jackie and Lisa
Wysession talk,
while Janet Kreller
and Mina Jo listen.
This year’s confirmands, who will
be confirmed on May 31 at Trinity
Cathedral in Newark:
Front row: Kyla Wolff, Kyle Covello,
Grace Taylor, Ben Taylor, Coleston
Smith, Liam Ramsey.
Back row: Michael Thurston, Emma
McNamara, Eliza McNamara, Kate
Fogg, Tucker Huston.
Absent: Porter Tarvin and Hunter
Tarvin.
… and Jack Passaro has managed to
conceal himself behind Kyla!
Page 12
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
Looking Back
I wrote the following for the History of St. Bartholomew’s that I revised and updated in 1989 for
our 75th Anniversary. It covers the period of our establishment as a Parish and the tenure of our
first Rector. The full history can be found on our website.
Dan Kreller
CHAPTER 2
- ONE CHURCH OR TWO On the afternoon of April 19, 1914 the Reverend Philip
C. Pearson, the Rector of Christ Church, made his way
to the Ho-Ho-Kus Chapel for the regularly scheduled
Sunday service. Unbeknownst to the congregation,
he was planning to make a dramatic announcement.
The position of Curate at Christ Church was to be
eliminated owing to the financial condition of the
Parish and this would make it impossible for the
clergy to cover the services at St. Bartholomew's.
His plan was to provide paid lay readers to conduct
the service. Mr. Pearson's announcement caused
an immediate reaction among the membership.
Not wishing to be serviced by lay readers only, St.
Bartholomew's organized to become a full-fledged
Parish. Within a week a canvass of the membership
secured 48 pledges totaling $1178.40. With this show
of support the Bishop and the standing committee of
the Diocese were approached on July 1st with the
proposal that St. Bartholomew's become a Parish.
Permission was granted unanimously and Bishop
Lines gave formal canonical consent on Sept. 14, 1914.
The newly formed Vestry led by its first wardens, W.
C. Jesty and F. K. Trask, set to work upon the most
pressing concern, namely, to secure a Rector. Several
candidates were considered including the Reverend
C. A. Thomas of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He,
however, set down certain conditions for worship,
which the Vestry found unacceptable. These were the
days of the High Church, Low Church controversies
and he was too High Church. Mr. Pearson of Christ
Church highly recommended the Reverend Robert J.
Thomson of Dover, New Jersey and after traveling to
hear him preach the Vestry extended a call to him on
September 30th. He accepted the call, resigned his
position at St. John's, and began work on November
11th. Obviously, procedures for filling vacancies were
much simpler then. The Reverend Robert J. Thomson
served as Rector for the next 15 years until his death
in 1929.
Mr. Thomson assumed leadership during turbulent
times. The War of the Nations, as it was called, engaged the attention of the world during the first years
of his tenure and this was followed by the world's
financial markets' collapse during the closing years.
In between, the influenza epidemic killed millions
world wide and new forces of revolution and social
change emerged. The records of the Parish from this
period give little indication of these events, however.
The Parish did invest in War Bonds during and after
the conflict and a Lieutenant Darque spoke at the first
meeting of the Men's Club on April 20th, 1915. He
had just returned from the Philippines where he
had served in the Army Aviation corps. Four other
members of the Parish also served in World War I, the
brothers Bartholomew and Jesse Jackson and Arthur
and Nicholas Whritenour. Ho-Ho-Kus itself must
have been full of talk about the war since the Fair
Grounds were used to quarter horses from the midwest which were en route to France. The great
epidemic receives even less notice. Unfortunately,
the burial records from the period have been lost and
the Vestry minutes yield only one reference dated
October 7th, 1918. It reads, "Mr. Thomson reported
that under instructions from the Board of Health all
church services had been discontinued." Yet it does
not appear that either the services or other Parish
activities were greatly interrupted.
Larger issues may have been engaging the attention
of the world in those years, but St. Bartholomew's
had its own pressing concerns. The first concern was
to secure a more suitable site for the church. Christ
Church had purchased Orville Victor's claim to the
Schoolhouse for $300 when the Mission Association
was formed. Their rights were transferred to St.
Bartholomew's at the time of the Incorporation for the
sum of one dollar. The issue of the actual title to the
property was always most difficult. Mr. Victor's claim
was for thirty years and would expire in 1931. The
original title listed no less than 13 directors of the
Educational Association. Some had died by 1914 and
others were impossible to locate. Thus, the Vestry
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
thought it expedient to relocate and in 1918
purchased land on Franklin Turnpike between
Sycamore and Elmwood Avenues for the sum of
$4,350. This would have been an ideal location
since the Turnpike was heavily trafficked before the
construction of Route 17. Plans were drawn for the
construction of a new building though they were
never realized. A new Rectory was built on the site
in 1924 at a cost of $9,000.
The reason a church was never built on the site can
be readily explained. In 1916 Mr. Thomson had
agreed with the Reverend Edwin Carson, the new
Rector of Christ Church, that the area known as
Upper Ridgewood, which was beginning to
develop, would be included within the bounds
of St. Bartholomew's Parish. Parishioners were
much more conscious of Parish boundaries before
the automobile became the common mode of
transportation. A number of families from Upper
Ridgewood were attending and supporting St.
Bartholomew's. No doubt these two communities
were not so easily wed. The problems were compounded by the lack of adequate facilities in HoHo-Kus. Many activities like the Sunday School
and guild meetings were carried on in the homes
of Upper Ridgewood parishioners while similar
activities were being conducted in Ho-Ho-Kus. An
adequate church building and Parish House might
have solved these problems, but money was tight
during the war years. If a church were to be built
it would require the generosity of the wealthier
members of the Parish. One such member, Herbert
Ten Broeck Jacquelin, was approached concerning
the Franklin Turnpike site. He was a partner in one
of the oldest firms on Wall Street, Jacquelin and De
Cappet, and served on the Board of Governors of
the Exchange in 1923. He and his wife Zillah, who
was the daughter of the president of the Northern
Pacific Railroad, had moved to town in 1900 and
had built a fine home by the road that bears his
name. Zillah, incidentally, took an interest in
historic properties and saved both the Joe Jefferson
House and the Mansion House from destruction by
purchasing them when they were in disrepair and
threatened with demolition. Early in 1922 the
Vestry invited Herbert Jacquelin to underwrite
a large part of the proposed new building. He
declined.
This left the way open to the residents of Upper
Ridgewood. At the February Vestry meeting Albert
Page 13
Leonhard, who was one of the wardens, offered to
give a tract of land on Fairmount Road plus a
sizeable sum toward a building fund if a chapel
would be built there. The decision was made to
build and the work was greeted with enthusiasm in
Upper Ridgewood. Work began in June 1922 and
was sufficiently completed by the following June to
hold a service of dedication. The chapel was named
St. Elizabeth's in honor of the mother of John the
Baptist and in memory of Mr. Leonhard's wife,
Elizabeth. The total cost of the chapel and its
furnishings was about $45,000. Thus, in June 1923
St. Bartholomew's Parish consisted of a church on
Hollywood Avenue in Ho-Ho-Kus and a chapel
on Fairmount Road in Upper Ridgewood. Mr.
Thomson divided his time between the two.
The building of the chapel did arouse considerable
anxiety in Ho-Ho-Kus as might be expected. A
special committee of the Vestry was appointed
in 1923 to examine the possibilities of further
extension of the work in Ho-Ho-Kus. But with
the population in town slightly fewer than 600
conditions hardly warranted it. Recommendations
were made, however, aimed at enhancing the
functioning of the Parish as a whole rather than as
separate units. Much like a single cell dividing into
two with each pursuing its own life, the Church
and the Chapel had effectively split and it proved
impossible to keep them together.
Church and Chapel had separate guilds, the Rector
conducted separate Sunday Schools, and separate
services with the assistance of a paid lay reader.
For three years the Parish continued in this artificial
unity until in 1926 the members of St. Elizabeth's
petitioned the Vestry of St. Bartholomew's to
become a separate Parish. The Vestry consented
and sold the property to the newly formed
corporation for the sum of one dollar. They also
transferred to it the outstanding indebtedness
on the property of $5,000. On January 1, 1927 St.
Elizabeth's became an independent Parish. At the
time Mr. Thomson listed 154 members for St. Bartholomew's and 170 members for St. Elizabeth's.
Financially, St. Elizabeth's was the stronger of the
two and the value of its plant and property was
greater. Mr. Thomson continued as the Rector of
St. Bartholomew's and the Reverend Charles
Armstrong was called to be the first Rector of
St. Elizabeth's Church.
With St. Elizabeth's forging its own destiny the
Page 14
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
members of St. Bartholomew's turned to contemplate
their future. In addition to Mr. Thomson, very active
and devoted families ably led the Church. We
mentioned the De Vores previously but the Brown
family also deserves notice. Alfred Brown served as
Warden and Vestryman during these years. His wife
Emily would in future years serve as the organist.
Their children, too, were active in the Parish, singing
in the choir and serving in other capacities. Their son
Alan would, in his turn, serve on the Vestry. With
such committed lay people it was felt the Church
would have a future but what that future might look
like was still in doubt.
Title to the Hollywood Avenue property remained
unresolved. Thus it seemed expedient to move the
Church building to the property on Franklin Turnpike. Indeed, this had been under discussion ever
since the property was first purchased. Just as this
plan was about to be decided upon a new proposal
was made. Estelle Howland sent a letter to the Vestry
in October 1927 offering the deed to the property on
Sheridan Avenue in lieu of a financial contribution
provided that building would commence on the site
by January 1st, 1931. Could it be that she had grown
weary of the Vestry's inability to set a course?
Whatever her motive, her donation with its conditions
did determine the future for St. Bartholomew's. The
Vestry now had to choose between the options of
raising funds or selling property in order to finance
construction on Sheridan Avenue. The Diocese was
opposed to the sale of property for a very good
reason. Ho-Ho-Kus was growing. The developer
Harold Cheel had begun to buy land and put up
houses in anticipation of the commuters who would
drive into Manhattan over the George Washington
Bridge that was scheduled to open in 1931. By 1930
the population of Ho-Ho-Kus had grown to 925.
The Diocese was convinced that the land on Franklin
Turnpike would escalate in value and encouraged the
Vestry to hold on to it. This left the option of raising
funds within the Parish but before much was
accomplished towards this end, Mr. Thomson died on
October 4th, 1929 at the age of 68. Fifteen years before
he had come to Ho-Ho-Kus to firmly establish a
fledgling church. Unwittingly, he established two
churches, St. Elizabeth's in Upper Ridgewood and St.
Bartholomew's in Ho-Ho-Kus. After having served
faithfully so many years he was greatly mourned.
Dan receives gifts and accolades at his
25th Anniversary celebration, March 2009
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
Page 15
We had a great Harvest Sun. late Nov. which missed the cutoff for the last B-Line! We
received $2,800 and 35 bags of food plus a turkey. Lauren, Coleston and Cameron
Smith drove food items over to CUMAC in Paterson.
In Dec. 33 names were taken for children’s gifts for the Ramapough Indians. They were
very grateful.
We have collected a great amount of toys, toiletries, new children’s clothing and
children’s books for the migrant workers and Sister Jean of the House on the Hill in
Goshen, NY. Jennifer Davis will be driving these items up to Goshen later this month.
Our monthly food drive continues the 1st Sun. of every month. If you don't come to
church that Sun. please drop items ANYTIME down in front of the school rooms.
A bill was just passed cutting 8 billion from the food stamp program. This affects over
47 million people - children, the elderly, the working poor and the disabled.
CUMAC provides food for over 2,600 people per month.
Please help if you are able.
Upcoming - Easter Food Drive - Palm Sunday- April 13th.
Thank you for your ceaseless generosity.
Lisa Wysession
OUTREACH
YOUTH GROUP
The St. Bartholomew’s Youth Group generally meets on the third Sunday of the month, except in
the summer season and December. The group meets during coffee hour following the 10:00 am
service until 12:15 noon.
The next meeting will be March 16, 2014 in the meeting room above the Church School rooms.
All youth ages 11 and above are welcome.
The format of the meeting consists of: (1) opening prayer; (2) reading and discussing a selected
passage of scripture; (3) activities as time allows; and (4) a snack.
Even though the Group did not meet in December, 2013, it conducted a coat drive. Over 50
coats for men and women and adults and children were collected for CUMAC (Center of United
Methodist Aid to the Community) to be distributed to the needy. Special thanks to Sarah Passaro
and Hunter Tarvin for their extensive help.
In January and February, 2014 the group learned to play Dutch Blitz. This Amish card game is
highly interactive, energetic and full of good-spirited competitiveness. The game is the brainchild of
Werner Ernst George Muller, a German immigrant and optometrist who thought the game would
help his children more easily learn about colors and numbers. Bible references: Psalms 119:32 and
Psalms 147:15.
Questions about, or suggestions for the Youth Group can be sent to Peter Loder
at [email protected]
Peter Loder
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
Page 17
Prayer Requests
Kindly keep the following parishioners and friends in your prayers:
Don, Sue, April, Tom, Ian, Danielle, Holleran family, David, Meredith, Joan,
Robert, Richard, Joan, Tom, Dylan, Linda, Albert
Our Vestry members and all Parish members needing prayer.
Please remember in your prayers the friends and families of our parishioners
and neighbors who are serving in the military:
Steacy, USAF; Matt, USA; Brian, USMC; Eric, USA; Bobby, USA; TIBS, USA;
Ashley, USN; Francisco, USMC
Please contact the Church office at 201-444-5025 or [email protected]
if you would like a name added to or deleted from the prayer list.
SNOW-HO-KUS!
This winter has been one of the snowiest on record. Snowplowing is a major
expense each year, and despite budgeting extra money for 2014, as of
February 15 we have already exceeded the budget — and winter’s not over!
A few years ago we asked our members to donate towards our snowplowing
expenses, and were pleased with the results. So we ask you again this year
to contribute towards keeping our
parking lots clear of snow and ice.
Please make your check payable
to “St. Bartholomew’s Church,”
mark it for “Snowplowing” and
place it in the collection plate or
mail it to the church office
Thank you for your generosity,
and please pray for an early
spring!
<<<<
BIRTHDAYS and ANNIVERSARIES (previous page)
If your birthday or anniversary, or your children’s birthdays, are not listed in the B-Line, please contact us at
201-444-5025, or [email protected], or 70 Sheridan Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423.
For security purposes, the birthday and anniversary page will be excluded from the on-line version of the B-Line.
Page 18
Palm Sunday
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S B—Line — SPRING 2014
HOLY WEEK 2013
Great Vigil
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Please Join Us at St. Bartholomew’s Church
to celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Holy Week Schedule
Sunday, April 13
Palm Sunday
8:00 am and 10:00 am - Holy Eucharist
Thursday, April 17
Maundy Thursday
6:30 pm - Seder Supper
Friday, April 18
Good Friday
2:00 pm - Good Friday Liturgy
Saturday, April 19
Holy Saturday
7:30 pm - Great Vigil and Holy Eucharist
Sunday, April 20
EASTER SUNDAY
10:00 am - Holy Eucharist (no 8 am service)
11:30 am - Easter Egg Hunt
Note: NO PARKING on the East side of Sycamore Ave or North side of Enos Place.