WEST MILFORD Back before West Milford was West Milford, it was known as Long Pond Settlement and Vicinity. In 1806 the residents of the area decided it was time to build a house of worship and a year later, in 1807, the Presbyterian Meeting House was erected and the West Milford Presbyterian Church was incorporated. Since then, the church and the town have been growing together. At first there wasn’t even a pastor. But in 1821 Jacob Tuttle took the job and ministered to the congregation for 31 years. The very day the church was celebrating its 35th anniversary, it burned to the ground. The congregation rebuilt the church and continued to grow. They bought the parish house and had it moved to its present location and in the 1940s the building known as the scout house became part of the church property. That building was originally the town’s schoolhouse. The farmland surrounding the church was purchased in the 1960s and became the ballfields and the current manse. Art Cahill is one of the oldest living members of the congregation. He was baptized into the church in October of 1935 under Minister Gaston Leary. He has fond memories of Leary, such as when Leary would invite the kids to the manse to play games. In one game they would put eggs on the floor and then the children would be blindfolded. They were told to try to walk across the room without stepping on the eggs. But the minister would have replaced the eggs with crackers by the time the kids were trying to make it safely across. Of course, the crackers would crunch, fooling everyone. He remembers his Sunday school teacher as a stern task master, often jabbing the children with his cane to get their attention. He had the job of pumping water from the well and carrying it into the building. He and the other boys in the church also pumped the organ, mowed the lawn and did the spring and fall cleaning. In the 1950s the sanctuary was enlarged and the fellowship hall was built. Today the church consists of four buildings on six acres. There are about 350 active members on the rolls. Current pastor Janet Macgregor-Williams gave the following description: “It’s a really fun church with a wide variety of ages there are a fair number of people from Bald Eagle and Van Dyk, and we have 60 to 70 kids in church school. We also have a consistently active youth group.” There are also a number of music programs in the church. There is a five-octave hand bell choir and a regular vocal choir. For special services there is often a brass quartet or quintet. At Christmas Eve services there are bagpipers. And there is the Star Choir, which consists of children from four years old up to second grade. In addition, the West Milford Presbyterian Church is the site of the popular Music at the Mission. The church provides space for many community activities including both Boy and Girl Scouts, the Camera Club, softball, AA meetings, etc. It also has a food pantry serving local people and there is an annual rummage sale. Because this year marks the 200th anniversary, there are special events planned throughout the year. The theme is “Sharing Christ.” The first of the scheduled activities is an anniversary service next week on February 25. It commemorates the establishment of the congregation which was 200 years ago on February 21. Attendees are invited to wear period costumes. Among the many other events scheduled in April there will be a historic luncheon featuring food that might have been served in 1807, made from recipes from the era. There will also be a presentation of the church’s history. In May, ladies can don their white gloves and hat as the Women’s association will sponsor a Spring Tea and fashion review of the Roaring 20s. A Homecoming Weekend is scheduled for September which will include a dinner dance.