Tina Pardine pulls into the driveway of her home, adjacent the New Durham Baptist Church, where her father has served as pastor for roughly seven years.
As she steps out of the car, two men – Ken Askew and Jun Gapuz – put down their paintbrushes and await her news. She shakes her head – the news is not good.
Askew offers her a hug, and Pardine walks into her house. The two men, volunteers within the church community, resume their Wednesday afternoon work on her house.
“I got about three hours of sleep last night,” said Pardine, sharing that her father, Pastor Frank Cuozzo, remains in the hospital with her mother. Her mother had suffered a stroke in June of 2009. Since then, she has been paralyzed on the right side of her body, unable to speak. Pardine, whose husband also serves as the church choir director, has just learned that her mother will have to have her leg amputated.
“I really do like our church. It’s like a family.”– Tina Pardine
____________
“I really do like our church,” said Pardine. “It’s like a family.”
The 175th anniversary of the church will be celebrated following a mass at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Mar. 4. The event promises a fellowship dinner, a music group from the New England Baptist College, as well as a commemoration of the history.
The event will also include testimonials from church community members, many of who will express their happiness to be a part of the family.
A family man
For the past seven years, the Frank Cuozzo’s family has dedicated its time helping members of the North Bergen community. An ex-chiropractor, Cuozzo gave up his practice to become a pastor of the church in 2005. He had joined the church a year before.
“I have no regrets whatsoever,” said Cuozzo in 2007, when asked if he questioned giving up the lucrative lifestyle and salary for the church. “I’m satisfied serving the lord. God says that he will supply all the needs I have.”
Pardine stated that through Cuozzo’s efforts, the church also has a food pantry, a deaf ministry, and kids’ programs.
Since becoming pastor, Cuozzo has also spent many sleepless hours visiting grieving families in the hospital.
“If someone gets in a car accident they’ll call him all hours of the night,” said Pardine. “He makes hospital visits, and prays with the family.”
“When somebody has a family member in the hospital, he’s right there with them,” added Pardine.
Similarly committed to his pastoral duties is Cuozzo’s dedication to his family.
“My dad selflessly takes care of [my mom] 24/7,” said Pardine. “He’s an amazing man.”
Reciprocation
The church community has not hesitated to lend a helping hand. Pardine expressed instances in which one of the church members showed up in the hospital to bring coffee and pray with the family. Other members often go shopping for the family.
“It’s really nice as a daughter to see people care about your family,” said Pardine. “It’s really neat to see them reciprocate that. It’s a church family.”
A celebration
With the celebration coming up in March, the family has begun inviting town officials such as Mayor Nicholas Sacco, who was in attendance at the 170th anniversary. The members of the community hope to acknowledge the years of service the church has given to North Bergen.
“It was here before the civil war,” said Cuozzo. “The original constitution and bylaws were written out by hand. It’s all pretty neat.”
The church was founded in 1837, when a small group of devout Baptists held their first organizational meeting at the home of Joseph Houghwout, selected to be the first pastor of the First Baptist Church of Secaucus. In 1841, the new congregation needed a permanent place, so they purchased a quarter and a half acre of land for $75 in an area called New Durham, which eventually became North Bergen.
The church changed its name to the First Baptist Church of New Durham, and it has remained at its location on Tonnelle Avenue ever since.
Other than sharing the church’s history, Cuozzo’s plans for the future involve continuing to reach the people of Hudson County through the doctrine of the church.
“We want to try to reach out to the Hudson County area to help people spiritually,” said Cuozzo. “We want to help people any way we can.”
Stephen LaMarca may be reached at slamarca@hudsonreporter.com.