Author: barbarafox

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Summer Sundays with Legos: Fun and Learning

Building with Lego Robots to learn about God — it’s what people of all ages are doing at Princeton UMC for Summer Sundays 2019. After Children’s Time in today’s worship service, the younger children began to build elements of God’s Creation, and the older children will populate the scene by building robots — all under the super-organized direction of Steve Wong and Lorie Roth and their adult and teen helpers,including  Robin,  William, Phoebe, Mae, and Leanne.

The learning and fun continue through the summer and all children are welcome. You don’t need to be enrolled to attend. On Sunday, July 14, everyone will be in church to welcome home our Appalachia Service Project Team!

Meanwhile, downstairs, the younger children are learning about God through play in the well equipped nursery/kindergarten space. Thanks, Marie, Malisa, Abrefi, and Iona — other volunteers are welcome!

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Princeton UMC’s Confirmation Class 2019

On Sunday June 9, 2019 Princeton UMC celebrated the confirmation of Kasey Angello, Leanne Griffiths, Rachel Hoffman, Andre Penn, Robin Roth, William Wong, and Davita Wrone. All seven confirmands stood before the congregation with their parents and mentors and professed their intention to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. The pastors and others put their hands on each of them while Pastor Jenny said a blessing. We congratulate them on this important step in their faith journey.

Seven young people were confirmed into membership of Princeton United Methodist Church on Pentecost, June 9, 2019. From left, they are  Leanne Taylor Griffiths, Robin Mary Roth, Kasey Elizabeth Angello, Davita Elizabeth Wrone, Rachel Lynn Hoffman, Andrea Mutayoba Penn,  and William KunHee Wong.
Phoebe Quaynor, Director of Christian Education, far left, and Paige Allen, far right, taught the class.
Each confirmand had a mentor. On the left, Christine Shungu and Ulanda Frisbee. On the right, Theresa Cann, Susan Victor, and Helen Curtis. Not pictured, Karin and Bernhard Brouwer.
Rev. Ginny Cetuk and Rev. Skitch Matson (left) and Rev. Jenny Smith Walz (far right) congratulated the seven confirmands.
Confirmands and their parents. Photos by Norman Cetuk
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Celebrating PrincetonUMC’s Larry — and Cornerstone Community Kitchen

 

Seven Junes ago, Larry Apperson launched Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen at Princeton UMC, partnering with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) to serve over 100 meals weekly, on an unconditional, no-questions asked basis. Larry plants the “Free Meals” banner on the lawn every Wednesday.

Cornerstone Community Kitchen served its first meal on June 6, 2012. Some come for the free food, some for the fellowship, all are graciously served a hot meal complete with a decorated table and a piano player in the background. TASK delivers the main dish but CCK supplies vegetables, salad, bread, and a drink, plus sandwiches, children’s breakfast bags, and produce to take home.

For the first two years meals were served on paper plates with plastic utensils in the Sanford Davis Room, the church “parlor” with stained glass windows, because the kitchen — which did not meet health codes — was being constructed. Now the meals are prepared in an up-too-date catering kitchen and served on china plates in the renovated Fellowship Hall. 

“The greatest unexpected pleasure that’s come from our service has been the coming together of people from throughout the community to serve,” says Larry Apperson. Five teams from Princeton United Methodist Church alternate serving the meals, one week a month.

Now, each week,  Cornerstone’s opening on Wednesday night and its related offerings depend on some 30 volunteers and approximately 75 hours of volunteer time.

Cleanup is done almost exclusively by church members. Every week PUMC member jobs include playing the piano, setting and decorating tables, running the clothes closet, and washing the pots. One school-age girl helps, with her grandmother, before and after her PUMC choir practice. Judy Miller works Tuesday and Wednesdays — she runs the Clothes Closet with the help of two PUMC volunteers. She also decorates the tables with flowers and props from her personal trove.

Community members can also sign up online for ‘one-time’ service. “I wanted to create a place where people could go to do the good things they deep down feel they should be doing anyway,” says Apperson. “Volunteering would be easy, no homework, just come and do it.”

PUMC members supporting CCK include Pam and Tim Ewer, Charles Phillips, Karen Longo-Baldwin, Karin and Bernhard Brouwer (just moved to Florida), Susan Davelman, Joan and Bob Nuse, Judy Miller, Ed Sproles, Lula Crawford, Francia Francisco, Doug Fullman, Larry and Emily Gordinier, Lori Pantaleo, Valerie Newhall, Lorie Roth, Yvonne Macdonald, Joan Klass, Larry and Helen Curtis, Karen Johnson, Bruce Henry, Chris Cox, Kate Lasko, Ichen Mei, and some young new arrivals, Alex and Izzy DiStase.

In addition, the Clothing Store operates in a spacious, dedicated room and shares the same Wednesday 5 – 6:30 PM hours of operation.  Supervised by Judy Miller, the store is filled with a wide variety of neatly organized and displayed clothing and household items, where guests take turns shopping in small groups. Store volunteers manage seasonal programs for the children — selecting back to school backpacks, Halloween costumes, and Christmas gifts – carefully selected to match the child’s age and gender.

A significant number of the guests are Hispanic and some speak little if any English. Three years ago, PrincetonUMC member Karen Longo Baldwin, a certified ESL teacher, began teaching English as a Second Language classes that now meet four times weekly.

Judy Miller at the launch of the Period Project

Cornerstone’s newest offering is Princeton Period Project, a community program to help girls and women who don’t have an easy, reliable, affordable access to feminine hygiene products.  These products often take second seat to providing food at the family table. “We have already provided more than 51,000 feminine hygiene products to girls and women in the area,” says Gil Gordon, a member of the Jewish Center of Princeton and member of the board.

Judy Miller, Gil Gordon, and Larry Apperson at the TASK awards.

Earlier this year, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) presented Larry Apperson with the Chuck Inman Memorial Award, honoring an individual who has made a significant impact in feeding hungry people in Mercer County.

Pastor Ginny Cetuk, who chairs the CCK board, points out that — for a  minimum wage job in Mercer County, one would need to work 130 hours per week in order to make ends meet.

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Cornerstone does not aim to deliver a religious message. “We are witnessing to our faith through our actions,” says Larry.

Written by Barbara Fox

 

 

 

 

 

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Help Send Teens to Appalachia

For four decades Princeton United Methodist Church sent teen and adult volunteers to work for the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) to help make homes warmer, safer, and drier.  A dinner auction and a handbell concert will benefit this summer’s mission trip.  The ASP dinner and auction is Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 ($30 per family). To receive information about the dinner or the youth program, email Skitch@PrincetonUMC.org. 

A freewill offering will be taken at the handbell concert on Saturday June 1, at 2 p.m. The concert features Quarants, a nationally known quartet.

ASP is a Christian ministry, but it is open to those of any faith. It aims to inspire hope and service — instilling compassion for other people and a fresh appreciation for one’s place and purpose in the world. 

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Scholarships for PrincetonUMC Students

Ten undergraduate students, members of Princeton United Methodist Church, are being supported this year by PUMC Educational Scholarships. Other scholarships, for undergraduates and graduate students, are available from the GNJUMC and the United Methodist Church headquarters in Nashville. Click here for information. 

The Princeton United Methodist Church Educational Scholarship is awarded each year to church members attending an accredited undergraduate college, and to support those preparing for ministry at the Masters’ level. Scholarships are awarded in June. Applications are available in the church office. Deadline for submission of applications and supporting essays, references and transcripts is May 1.

The Scholarship Fund was established in the 1930s and revived in 1996 with the generous endowment from the will of Alice Parker and ongoing donations by members of the congregation. The Scholarship has been helping members of the church community achieve their educational goals for eight decades.

Applications are reviewed by the PUMC Scholarship committee and awards made from the earnings of the endowment. Students may apply for renewal for up to four years. The Scholarship not only supports students financially but reminds them that
their church community is behind them as they move on to future endeavors. A recent graduate explained, “as I head to start a new job I will take the love of PUMC with me. Your love and support have meant so much. Thank You.”

The PUMC Scholarship Fund needs to be continually replenished. You may make a donation to the endowment either online giving, personal check, or through transfer.

 

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Ash Wednesday and Tuesday Lenten Meditations

PRINCETON, N.J. During the Lenten season, Princeton United Methodist Church (PrincetonUMC) hosts services at convenient times. On Ash Wednesday, March 6, at noon, Pastor Jenny Smith Walz will lead worship.  At 7:30 p.m. clergy from the community will preside at an ecumenical service with Andrew Scales, Presbyterian chaplain to Princeton University, preaching. Both services will conclude with the imposition of ashes.

Planned to fit into a lunch hour, weekly Lenten meditations will be held on Tuesdays, from March 12 to April 16, noon to 12:30 p.m., in the chapel. Afterwards a light lunch will be served. Entrance is on Nassau Street, at the corner of Vandeventer Avenue. All are welcome.

PUMC is a diverse congregation whose members come from many surrounding communities, backgrounds, and faith histories. Sunday worship services and Sunday School classes are at 10 a.m. with nursery care available. Small groups for adults are at 8:45 a.m. Parking is free on Sunday mornings and the church is wheelchair accessible. Call 609-924-2613 , email office@princetonumc.org, or visit http://www.princetonumc.org/

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Welcome to Princeton: UMC Ministers

Just as Princeton UMC commissioned Susan Victor to work in Trenton at the Maker’s Place (click here) we welcome two United Methodist Church Ministers to Princeton. Here are the official announcements from GNJUMC:

Hector A. Burgos is the new Capital District Superintendent.

 

Héctor A. Burgos currently serves as GNJ’s Director of Connectional Ministries. He has previously served as pastor of Oasis UMC in Pleasantville, associate pastor of FUMC of Tuckerton, assistant pastor of West Creek UMC and on MARCHA’s executive team. He has an M.Div from Drew University and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Puerto Rico. He is a Lewis Community Leaders Fellow and a Certified ICA Coach. He is passionate about urban, multicultural and justice ministries. Hector is married to Jazelis Adorno, pastor at Simpson UMC in Perth Amboy, and they have four children Fabian, Joel, Marcos and Valeria.

Headquartered in Neptune, the Capital District extends from Kingston and Lambertville to Freehold and Medford, and it includes more than 60 congregations. It is one of nine districts in the Greater New Jersey United Methodist Church.

Drew A. Dyson has been appointed to an extension ministry as Executive Director of the Princeton Senior Resource Center effective March 19, 2019.

He succeeds Susan Hoskins, who held that position for 17 years. The Princeton Senior Resource Center is the ‘go to’ resource for aging issues and serves the greater Princeton area, not just the town. According to the mission statement, it is where “aging adults and their families find support, guidance, education, and social programs to help navigate life transitions and continue to be active, healthy, and engaged in the community. Our vision is to create a world where aging adults are respected for their experience and wisdom.” It has 60 collaborative partners and 375 volunteers.

Drew  has been a United Methodist pastor for 19 years, most recently serving as District Superintendent for the Raritan Valley District. He has served as a lead pastor, seminary professor, denominational executive for young people’s ministry, and an associate pastor. He has authored several books, primarily focused on ministry with young people and most recently Wesleyan missionaries theology. He holds both his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Rev. Diane Dyson (a GNJ Deacon) have four children: Timothy, Jeremy, William, and Allison.

 

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Guest Preacher: Gerald Liu on February 17

We welcome Gerald C. Liu — a minister and professor who focuses on multicultural worship and the arts as a theological resource — as our guest preacher on Sunday, February 17 at 10 a.m. In the “Beloved Community” sermon series, he will preach on “Righteous Anger,” based on Jonah 3.

Gerald is assistant professor of worship and preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. He earned his BA in Music at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, his Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University (during which time he was also a theological fellow at Georg-August Universität in Göttingen, Germany), and his PhD from Vanderbilt University with a concentration in homiletics and liturgics.

He has previously served as a British Methodist Minister in Nottingham, England before becoming ordained in the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently he volunteers as a minister in residence at Church of the Village, a United Methodist congregation in Manhattan.

His classes and publications explore curiosities about the arts as theological resources and phenomena, Asian American identity, multicultural worship, and the production of believable public Christian witness.

 

 

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Susan Victor Commissioned: Maker’s Place in Trenton

Celebrating Susan Victor’s commissioning to serve at Maker’s Place, from left: Michael Reed, Pastor; Susan Victor, Deacon; Judy Miller, Cornerstone Community Kitchen Clothes Closet; Jennifer Hartigan, PrincetonUMC Volunteer

At worship on February 10, Princeton UMC commissioned Susan Victor to serve at Maker’s Place, a Hope Center of the United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey.  Susan is an ordained Deacon, whose primary appointment is to Womanspace, where she works with women, men, and families impacted by domestic and sexual violence, as well as the staff of Womanspace. All Deacons who serve outside the local church are also appointed to a local church ministry where they also serve in various capacities, yet on a much smaller scale. For the last 9 years, Susan’s secondary appointment has been Princeton UMC.

Susan Victor found her faith home in the United Methodist Church after moving to the US from India. She completed her theological training at Union Biblical Seminary, India and Princeton Theological Seminary. She has an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania and is a licensed clinical social worker. She particularly loves working with the confirmation class at Princeton UMC.

Susan has discerned that her gifts and service are needed at The Maker’s Place, the new Hope Center and ministry in Trenton, which is led by Rev. Michael Reed. Michael was
with us for worship the first week in December and we collected diapers for The Maker’s Place throughout Lent. Susan is faithfully answering God’s current call for her life
and ministry, and we celebrate that with her. She will be an enormous help and support for The Maker’s Place as they connect in faith around Food and Families.

The Maker’s Place will be her secondary appointment, effective Jan 1, 2019. We aren’t entirely saying goodbye to her and Vasanth, however. Susan will continue to be part of our Relationships and Faith steering team. She also hopes to help our congregation to connect with The Maker’s Place in powerful ways. Vasanth will maintain his membership with us. And until The Maker’s Place begins holding worship services, they will continue to worship with us.

 

 

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Children Sing Tom Shelton’s Musical “Lost Then Found”

The Children’s Choir musical is always something special – and we can look forward to some delightful surprises on Sunday, February 24, at the 10 a.m. service. Tom Shelton is presenting his own musical, “Lost Then Found.” It is based on three “lost” parables – the Lost Coin, the Lost Sheep, and the Lost Son.

Among the surprises – Tom’s collaborator on this musical is his sister, Camilla Shelton Pruitt. She is director of music at Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

At Princeton UMC Tom is Director of Children’s and Youth Choirs, and at Westminster Choir College he is Associate Professor of Sacred Music. For the Princeton Girlchoir, he directs two ensembles – Grace Notes and SemiTones. He currently serves as the National President of the American Choral Directors Association. Last year he led nine choral workshops in six states. His portfolio (TomSheltonMusic.net) includes 18 commissioned works, more than 40 songs for children or treble voices, and 15 pieces for mixed or adult voices. In addition to his many other honors, duties, and publications, Tom has begun the new Tom Shelton Choral Series.

The children delighted us on February 4 with a selection from “Lost Then Found,” wearing their green robes, but they look forward to getting their costumes! Top photo: Tom Shelton with (Front row from left) Elizabeth Wong, Elliot Walz, Lily Oesterle. Second row: Isaac Penn, Julianna Collins, Ryan Babler, Phoebe Roth. Third row: Izzy Distase, Aditi Rapaka, Maggie Collins, Julie Potts, Alex Distase. Not pictured: Ethan Hamilton, Ryan Babler, Ivania and Sohela Neto, Mira Sridar.