Music at The Old Stone Church Fall Schedule & More

I am pleased to announce that Music at The Old Stone Church will be hosting monthly Acoustic Worship nights this fall. Please mark your calendar for Saturdays Sept. 15, Oct. 13, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8. The services start at 5 p.m.

If you have not had a chance to attended these unique worship services, please make it a point to check one out this fall. It is unlike any other service. We start with a time a reflection with quiet music floating over the congregation from the back of the balcony. Use the time to pray, reflect, journal, meditate or just stare out the window.

After a time of low-key music, the congregation will be invited to sing along, followed with some corporate worship and praise time. The scripture readings and discussion will focus on the ministry of Jesus and the Gospel message. Group participation is encouraged, but not mandatory. It's a pretty big departure from the traditional Sunday morning service, and I hope you will enjoy it and spread the word.

Another big excitement, we will also start hosting concerts this fall. So far, we have booked The Vespers for Sunday, Oct. 7. The Nashville-based band of Callie & Phoebe Cryar and Bruno & Taylor Jones self-released its second album The Fourth Wall earlier this year. The album pays homage to American Roots music while also exploring Christian themes. The soulful, energetic band was in a PBS special filmed at Bluegrass Underground and was written up by the Huffington Post. I am very excited to have them LIVE & Acoustic at The Old Stone Church.

Last point to mention: I am looking for acoustic musicians for both Saturday evening worship services and upcoming concerts. We will be holding auditions on Sept. 15. All musicians are welcome, all styles of music, individuals or existing group. Anything from handbell choirs and string quartets to contemporary praise bands and Southern Gospel groups, and anything in between.

The main requirements are that no amplification or mics are used, the music must glorify God and musicians must sound good in the room. The acoustics are perfect for strings and woodwinds, light percussion, a cappella singing, etc. but not so nice for brass or bagpipes.

Auditions for individual musicians and existing groups are scheduled for Sept. 15. Please RSVP to our Facebook event page or email RKAbma@gmail.com for more details. 

Waiting to See What Sticks...

Photos by Sheri

I have a lot of different projects going on these days. Nothing permanent. Each in a different area with different people. It's like a bunch of random shapes of pasta boiling on the stove and one of these days it will get thrown against a wall and we'll see what sticks.

Here's a glimpse at the different noodle shapes in the pot:

Music at The Old Stone Church, Upper Saddle River, NJ. We (Pastor Fretz and I, with the blessing of the Consitory) started a Saturday evening acoustic worship service in an acoustic marvel early 19th Century sanctuary. We held three services over the summer and I love, love, love hosting these nights. I feel so privileged to make music in this beautiful, sacred space. My dream of dreams would be to use the church as a music venue for Christian artists. Fall plans will be discussed soon, I will keep you posted.

Christian Community Church, River Edge, NJ. Pastor Ralph and I are hoping to start a band for Sunday morning services. I led one week by myself and another week with Pastor Ralph, who is quite an accomplished guitarist. This Sunday, my friend Cucch (Anthony Cucchiaro) will join us on bass. To my knowledge, the church hasn't had a praise band before, or at least it isn't set up for one. There isn't even a screen or sound board set up. For now, we are using my childhood hymnals and I am really enjoying learning to play more hymns.

GEMS Club, Midland Park, NJ. Last fall, I was asked to lead the girls in worship on alternating Tuesday nights. This year, I will be doing it again, hopefully more organized than before! I have also been asked to assist with one of the small groups. It is really stepping out of my comfort zone to do this, but I am willing to give it a try.

Friends to Friends Church, Ridgewood, NJ. The church holds a Sunday evening service for "differently-abled" adults and I was so blessed to play and sing hymns with them a few weeks ago. I was invited back again this Sunday night, and I couldn't look forward to anything more!

An EP Maybe? The final project in the pot is recording my original music. For the past two years or more, recording plans keep keep falling apart. I have set a goal of making an EP before my 40th birthday, which is in October. If the latest plan works out, it could theoretically happen. But, let's just say, I will try not to hold my breath until it does!

If you've gotten this far, thank you so much for your support. Your prayers and encouragement are greatly appreciated! If you'd like to keep up-to-date on my music, please "Like" me on Facebook, fan me on Reverb Nation or follow my blog by clicking the "follow" button on the top right of the page.

Blessings and peace!

Danny giving mommy a helping hand at Freedom Fest 2012 in Allentown, NJ. 

“Everything old is new again.”

Pastor Fretz send out an nice email about Saturday's service and the history of the Old Stone Church. Thought I would share it here. 


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Robert Fretz 
Date: Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Subject: Old Stone Church Acoustic Worship

Dear Folks;

This announcement might get listed under, “Everything old is new again.”  Since 1789 there has been a building at the corner of Old Stone Church Road and East Saddle River Road.  From then until 1804 all music in the church was a cappella, Psalms, in Dutch, and led by a “voorlezer.”  In 1804 the congregation began to sing English hymns… in harmony!  The singing was still led by the voorlezer and sung a cappella or with chords from a guitar.  The first hymnals were purchased in the 1870s.  Most likely the first manually pumped organ was purchased around the same time the interior of the sanctuary was transformed from the Early American Federal style to the popular Neo-gothic designs of the mid 19^th Century. Pictures from the Library of Congress.  http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/nj0278/

In 1970, the Old Stone Church the interior of the sanctuary was restored to its Federal Style.

In 2012 we are restoring our acoustic roots. 

On Saturday, June 23 at 7:00PM  The Old Stone Church will be having an Acoustic Worship.  Our “voorlezer”, Rebecca Abma, will lead the congregation in meditative and spiritual songs, traditional hymns, contemporary praise, and even some compositions of her own.  I will lead the contemplative part of the liturgy with psalms, prayers, and scripture. 

There will also be a service on July 21, and August 11.  These will be in preparation for regular Saturday services in the Fall.

The services will be participatory.  If you play an acoustic instrument (string or woodwind) you are invited to participate.  If you would like to read scripture or talk about your spiritual journey, you are invited.  If you have no idea what this will be like, but are curious… you are invited.  You are even invited to offer your ideas on how to improve on our completely “non-electric” worship service.

If you have any questions – email me or simply attend this Saturday evening.

Dress Code – casual. 

Peace,

Bob Fretz

Pastor

Old Stone Church

Old Church, New Service

I am excited to announce Music & Meditation services at the Old Stone Church in Upper Saddle River, NJ start this weekend. The Saturday evening service (7-8pm) is a unique blend of old and new worship styles.

The venue is a gorgeous early 19th Century church down a quiet winding country road in Northern Bergen County. The historic church, built in 1819, has been an active Dutch Reformed Congregation for more than 200 years. With an arched cathedral ceiling, the sanctuary is an acoustic marvel and it has long been a dream of mine to use this sacred space for sacred music.

The service format aims to honor the worship service traditions of the Reformed Church, such as hymns, liturgy and lectionary readings, while incorporating modern worship elements to combat some of the stuffiness I associate with traditional church, in the hopes the spirit of God will fall afresh in the church and in our lives.

Unlike most "contemporary" church services that rely heavily on electronics, with video projectors, microphones, sound boards and electric instruments, Music & Meditation at Old Stone Church is completely acoustic. No microphones, no special effects, no amps or speakers. And unlike traditional services, there is no organ blasting out hymns.

The service will start at the bells with quiet meditation and background music. Spend quiet time in God's presence. Bow your head in prayer. Read the Bible. Look out the window. Journal. Meditate. Sit quietly and wait upon the Lord.

After a period of mediation, the "corporate part" of the service begins with traditional elements:  greeting, responsive reading and singing the Gloria Patrie, followed by reading the weekly Lectionary and a brief discussion of the readings. Each service will also include a testimony of how God at work in our lives and community. The service will end with songs of praise from the Celebration Hymnal, led with acoustic guitar or a cappella.

Following the servicewill be an extended time of praise and worship. Anyone who sings or plays an acoustic instrument is invited to join in. In coming weeks, I hope to update my digital chord chards to share on iPads or tablets.

I am very excited and also somewhat nervous about getting started. I imagine there will be kinks to iron out as we get organized this summer. We plan to have one service a month over the summer and to start with weekly services in the fall.

I would appreciate any and all support you can give, starting with your prayers that God will use these services to draw people closer to Him.

I am also looking for people to get involved. Acoustic musicians and singers, readers, and speakers who will share their testimony and talents to encourage others.

And of course, I hope you will join us as and help spread the word about this truly unique service.

Saturday, June 23, 7-8pm

Old Stone Church
500 E. Saddle River Road
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Here's a preview of an original song I will be singing Saturday night.

Please "like" Music at Old Stone Church on FACEBOOK for updates on future services.

Weekend in Nashville

I flew to Nashville last week to visit my cousin and audition for a Southern Gospel Tribute group. I had a great time and except for flying through storms on the flight home, the trip went off without a hitch, praise God.

I absolutely loved Nashville and Murfreesboro (where the audition was). Cousin Chicken lives in a beautiful neighborhood, with historic homes, community parks and a lake around the corner. I could totally picture our family living there. It would be fantastic for my son to grow up running around the neighborhood with the Mayo chickadees. Bill could keep his boat on the lake and go fishing as much as he wants.

The cost of living in Nashville is a major draw as well. We could buy a house for half of what we still owe on this house! No state income tax. And the people are all so nice, even traffic is polite. The pace of life, slower. All very attractive reasons to consider moving there.

But...

Our Jersey roots are deep. And if we sell our house to move to Tennessee, there is no way we could ever afford to move back. The school systems in Tennessee is not anywhere close to what we have in Bergen County. Teacher's max pay is a mere fraction of what Bill is already making. Plus, Bill is a year away from being vested in his pension and, despite the uncertainty of the NJ Teacher's Pension fund, we can't walk away from something he has worked so hard for.

Another deterrent is the group isn't as ready to hit the road as it sounded. There's some information I wasn't able to verify in fact checking the group that left me uncomfortable. And, most of all, the group sings to pre-recorded tracks. While I understand tracks are easier to transport than musicians, I have never liked using tracks instead of live musicians.

So, instead of moving to Tennessee and joining the Renaissance Revival group, I am hoping to put something similar together here. A Southern Gospel group of singers and musicians to perform in our neighborhood, like at the Christian Health Care Center or other similar places.

Ideally, I would like at least 4 or 5 other singers for harmonies, a piano player, bass, guitar and some type of percussion or drums. If anyone is interested in joining me, or have any song requests, please email me at RKAbma@gmail.com.

The Old Stone Church

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of singing at the Old Stone Church in Upper Saddle River. The church was built sometime in the late 1700s or early 1800s and attending service there is a real throw back to the olden days.

The first thing to note is how beautiful and well preserved the church building is from the outside with thick stone walls, enormous arched windows and a classic steeple. Inside, the church is even more beautiful, with red carpets and cushions, white pews and polished wood, and a wrap-around balcony where the choir sits.

The centerpiece of the sanctuary is a raised pulpit where the pastor climbs up a spiral staircase to read the Bible. The reason it is raised is because the Word of God should be elevated above all else.

Unlike most churches today, there is no amplification system and no projection screen. Prayers and announcements are posted in the bulletin. Songs are sung out of hymnals. As a singer, I couldn't ask for better acoustics. And as a worshipper, it was nice to not be distracted by the technological bells and whistles.

The congregation of the church is as beautiful as its architecture. Though small in numbers and getting up there in years, the people are warm and friendly (without being overbearing). After the service, I was invited out to breakfast at a local diner with more than half of the people who were in the service — something they do every Sunday. And since it was a communion Sunday, the pastor and an elder left early to bring communion to shut-ins.

I can't say enough nice things about the Old Stone Church in Upper Saddle River. If you are in the area on a Sunday morning, I highly recommend checking it out.

I'm Headed To Nashville!

I am very excited to announce that I've booked an audition in Nashville (and found an affordable flight! ). If nothing comes of it, I'm still very excited to finally get to see my cousin Jen's home outside Nashville.

The project is an American Southern Gospel Revival show, featuring songs by the Speer Family, the Happy Goodman Family, The Chuckwagon Gang, The Cathedrals and many others. It is called Renaissance Revival and as the producer explained is more a ministry than a music show.

It sounds just like what I've been looking for. I have always loved quartet music and really enjoy the Men of Faith at Faith Community Church (where we got married). For a while, I have wanted to sing with the Men of Faith, but needed the right music. After listening to some of the music for this show, like Turn Your Radio On (the link is Skeeter Davis), The Speers, and the Happy Goodmans (how awesome is Vestal's hair??) I feel like I've finally discovered the music I've been looking for.

If nothing comes of it, I'm still really excited about discovering "white gospel" songs that I love to sing. I am also really excited that my husband is supportive of my audition and following my dream to sing for God.