Tower Hill Church. Red Bank, NJ. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click once to enlarge. 2022.
Tower Hill Church Choir at Red Bank welcomes veterans. 11/13/22. Paul Goldfinger photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD. Editor Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ. 2022 Blogfinger post.
In Rutherford, NJ where I grew up there are 15 churches and some of them are majestic on the outside— made of stone.
There also is one synagogue, Temple Beth El which we attended. It was built on an old wooded property where a 100 year old sprawling house stood. The old house functioned as a temple until a more modern section was built in the back.
I only visited one of those Rutherford churches, the Congregational, on one occasion having been invited to a teen event. So my experiences in churches have been limited except for cathedrals which we loved to visit during our European travels We have been to a lovely Christmas musical service in St. Paul’s Church in OG. We plan to visit the cathedral in Newark.
A Grover friend of ours is a singer and she was scheduled to join the choir at the Tower Hill Presbyterian Church in Red Bank for a Veterans Day event on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 13, 2022. It is a beautiful white structure set on a hill. She invited us to hear the concert at 4 pm; the choir was to be accompanied by a brass ensemble from West Point.
There was ample parking, and we arrived on time. The church is not ornate at all, in fact the windows are not stained. It is an unpretentious but magnificent building . We walked to the door and outside we were immediately greeted by church members who ascertained that I was a vet, and they stuck a star studded name tag on me. They were so gracious that we felt welcomed as soon as we walked inside. People saw the name tag and walked over to thank me for my service.
There was something about that church which caused us to feel like we belonged. It was a combination of the setting and the people. The program had some religious moments, but it was mostly music and poetry with patriotic themes. They favored Robert Frost, Irving Berlin and Francis Scott Key. And someone recited the Gettysburg Address. The conductor and organist encouraged singing along.
The music was wonderful and fun. A young woman played a flute solo, and the brass musicians and choir were excellent. They also offered a modest dinner featuring hot dogs and chili for everyone who was there.
The musicians performed the piece when servicemen stand up when their song is played. I stood for “Anchors Away.” People near us spoke to me, and it was as if I were their all- time favorite guest.
U.S. Navy Band