November 20 Today in OPC History

On this date in 1976, William Slack married Christine Teti. Bill met Tina when he was a rock n’ roll musician. They came to faith through the ministry of New Life OPC in Glenside. While Bill supported his family as a steel worker and then a cabinet maker, he also went to the Center for Urban Theological Studies (CUTS) in Philadelphia. In 1980, Bill was ordained an elder at New Life Northeast OPC in Philadelphia and played for worship while Tina served as church secretary, a position she has held in every church since. In 1982 at the request of his brother, Bill started conducting a Bible study in his home community of Frenchtown, on the Delaware River in New Jersey. By 1985, the Slacks moved to Frenchtown and worked with then-Regional Home Missionary Ross Graham to establish New Life Frenchtown OPC. By 1988 the core group of 12 had grown to 85, with 14 adults coming to faith and 35 young people, which led to the quip, “They don’t call us New Life for nothing!” Bill graduated with a bachelor of arts from Geneva College in 1989 and studied for a year at Westminster Theological Seminary.

Bill was ordained by the Presbytery of New Jersey on March 29, 1992. In 1993, the New Life Frenchtown congregation merged with River of Life Christian Fellowship, a mission work of Calvary OPC in Harmony, New Jersey. Bill has served as the pastor of River of Life OPC in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, since the merger. Music for the congregation of nearly 100 is a bit of a family affair. Bill handles the keyboards, Tina works the sound board, son Brian plays guitar, son Stephen drums, daughter-in-law Alex sings, and granddaughter Lena operates the Power Point projections of the songs.

The Slacks have four children, Kristine (Hard), Liam, Brian, and Stephen, who was adopted at five weeks of age. They enjoy time with their 14 grandchildren.

Picture: Bill and Tina Slack in the early 1990s.