Author: barbarafox

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Continuing Conversation on Race: December 3

Continuing Conversations on Race and White Privilege is at Princeton Public Library is on First Mondays at 7 p.m.
Continuing Conversations on Race and White Privilege is at Princeton Public Library is on First Mondays at 7 p.m.

NIOT Princeton welcomes anyone who is committed to working towards building genuinely inclusive communities and working for racial justice. For more information, or to ask about volunteering, go to NIOTPrinceton.org or see Barbara Fox.

The next Continuing Conversation on Race and White Privilege will be Monday, December 3, at 7 p.m., and Rev. Dr. Charles Frederick Boyer will speak on “Liberating Public Policy Theologically.” 

What is liberation theology, and how does it connect with racial justice?
How can legislation and public policy be examined through a prophetic racial justice lens?  
What role should liberation theology play in birthing faith-rooted advocacy and activism?

Rev. Boyer has said, “As an African-American minister of the gospel, I am compelled to fight and encourage the struggle for freedom and justice. Mass incarceration, private prisons, and prison industrial complex slave labor which is legalized in our constitution, must be challenged at every level.”

NOT IN OUR TOWN PRINCETON is a multi-racial, multi-faith group of individuals who stand together for racial justice and inclusive communities. Our focus is to promote the equitable treatment of all, and to uncover and confront white supremacy — a system which manipulates and pits all races and ethnicities against each other.

Our goal is to identify and expose the political, economic, and cultural systems which have enabled white supremacy to flourish, and to create new structures and policies which will ensure equity and inclusion for all. In our commitment to uncovering the blight of white supremacy on our humanity, we take responsibility to address it and eliminate it in all its forms through intentional action, starting with ourselves and our communities.

 

 

 

 

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At the Seminary: Everyone Welcome

 

Joe R. Engel organ at Miller Chapel, PTSEM

Many of the courses and events at Princeton Theological Seminary are open to the community. Some are free, and most take place in either Miller Chapel or Mackey Dining Hall, or both. The daily chapel service from 11:30 a.m. to noon is an exciting spiritual experience.

A very popular favorite is the Carols of Many Nations concert on Wednesday, December 12. with three identical services at 3:30, 6:30, and 8:30 p.m. Tickets for that can be reserved on November 12.  Dress warmly – at the close, the congregation will follow the choir outside. .  

Anyone may attend the CommUNITY Gatherings at Princeton Theological Seminary. On Thursday, December 6th, engage in a timely topic: Navigating Difficult Conversations in These Challenging Times. Leading discussion will be the Rev. Jennie Salas, PTS Associate Director in the Field Education, and Parish Associate at Iglesia Presbiteriana Nuevas Fronteras.

Worship in Miller Chapel is from 11:30 am-12:00 pm, followed by Lunch, Presentation, & Conversation from 12-1:30 pm. Select lunch ($10) in the Mackay Dining Hall, and then come to the the Main Lounge. Future Gatherings:

Thursday, February 7, 2019: Serving Those of Different Faiths: A Military Chaplain’s Experience,with Chaplain Jeffrey Ross, ThM ’19

Friday, March 1, 2019: In His Image: Art Ministry as an Essential Element of Worship, with Dave Teich, Art Minister, First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown

Tuesday, April 30, 2019: Walking with Those with Mental Illness, with the Rev. Kerri Erbig, BCCC, the Rev. MaryJane Inman, BCC, and the Rev. Miriam Diephouse-McMillan, BCCC, Chaplains at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital-Pastoral Services Department

To register for the CommUNITY Gatherings, click here or contact Rev. Joicy Becker-Richards, Director of Campus Relations Joicy.becker@ptsem.edu 609.497.7960. For concert tickets, try this link.
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“Stand here beside us” on All Saints Sunday

For the pastoral prayer on All Saints Sunday, we named, saw photos of, and prayed for the saints, a wide variety of them, ranging from winners of the Nobel Peace Prize to martyrs at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. For each of those named in the liturgy, our response was “Stand here beside us.”

For those who were not at the service, and for those who may have had trouble seeing (and remembering) the many many photographs, click here to review the slides. The names of those dear to the congregation who died during the past year were recited at the service. For reasons of privacy, they are not included here.

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All Saints vs the Marathon

On November 4, All Saints Sunday, our usually saintly personalities may undergo some slight trials. It’s Turn the Clocks Back Sunday and also some roads will be closed for a Half-Marathon race, for a good cause, Hitops, 

The organizers have tried to schedule so the roads are clear in time for worshippers in Princeton to attend services. For the map showing the times when you can get through on a particular road, click here. 

However, the town issues this warning. The race and road closures will begin promptly at 7 am. As the runners proceed through intersections the roadways will be re-opened. Please plan accordingly if you are traveling into town between those hours. If you are attending a religious service or other business we are encouraging you to leave early and if you encounter a road block explain to the officer staffing that where you are going and they will be able to direct you accordingly. The race should conclude and all roadways will be open at approximately 11 am.

 

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Circle of Friends: Next on November 13

All women who attend Princeton United Methodist Church are invited to Circle of Friends on second Tuesdays, every other month, in Fellowship Hall. The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 13 at 10:30 a.m. Bring your lunch; beverages and dessert will be provided.

Here is an account of the previous meeting on September 11:

Katheryn Ranta

The meeting opened with a hymn sing, led by Karen Zumbrunn, who had selected hymns to coordinate with the day’s presentation on Prayer. Katheryn Ranta shared a devotional reading and led in prayer. Beth Perrine led a short business meeting, introducing this year’s format of sharing the meeting responsibilities.

From left: Beth Perrine, Jenny Smith Walz, Pat Ostberg

Pat Ostberg and LaVerna Albury, from the Outreach Committee, told about volunteer opportunities at HomeFront, a Family Preservation Center in Ewing. . It houses 38 families along with many supportive services. A vote was taken to make a donation to support serving a breakfast at HomeFront. Circle of Friends is continuing our “caring project” of sending notes and cards to church members unable to attend church.

Our speaker was lead pastor Jenny Smith Walz. Pastor Jenny spoke about prayer. She presented how prayer has changed throughout her life, how she understands and experiences prayer now, and how she seeks to “pray without ceasing.” We shared our thoughts and questions on prayer. A time of fellowship over lunch followed.

At our next meeting, Tuesday, November 13 at 10:30 a.m., Dr. Katharine Doob Sakenfeld is our speaker. She was the second female professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, and she taught Old Testament for 43 years. She has a special interest in women and their relationship with the Bible. Among her books are  “Just Wives: Stories of Power and Survival in the Old Testament Today”

All women are welcome. Contact Beth Perrine (doberfern@aol.com) for information.

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Piping God’s Tunes at Princeton UMC

Not every church is fortunate enough to have a real pipe organ. Several times in Princeton UMC’s history, the congregation had to make the decision to financially support what Mozart called ‘the king of instruments.’ Each time they found the funds. 

The first organ at Princeton UMC was installed by the Haskell Organ Company of Philadelphia in 1911.

(Princeton University Chapel’s Skinner organ has four ranks, was installed in 1928 and restored in 1991).

Haskell pipes – constructed to lower the pitch of the pipe without making it a great deal longer — were a relatively new invention then.

Charles Sanford, a friend of the pastor, donated the cost of the Haskell organ, along with monies for the stained glass window in the Sanford Davis Room and the bells for the tower.

When the first floor of the education wing was added in 1959, a Princeton-based, nationally-known organ maker, Chester A. Raymond, rebuilt the organ and was able to retain some of the original Haskell pipes. (These pipes have a ‘trace more string quality,’ according to some experts.)

The aging instrument needed repair in 1992. Though plans called for two manuals with 24 ranks, the project expanded when the church accepted an organ from the estate of a Lincroft-based engineer, Donald Curry. He had built a 98-rank theater organ in his home, and he wanted it to go to a Methodist church.

From the two organs, plus some new materials, Patrick J. Murphy built a 3-manual, 48-rank instrument with 2775 pipes.At that time Opus 13 occupied a prominent place in the portfolio of his young firm; the company is now one of the largest full-service organ builders in the Northeast. Murphy’s firm continues to provide maintenance for PrincetonUMC and  recently installed the recital organ from Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore at St. Pauls Roman Catholic Church in Princeton.

The music staff included Mary Jacobsen, organist since 1988; Yvonne Macdonald, youth choir director since 1980; and Lyn Ransom, director of music since 1987. The organ  has been helping Methodist musicians praise God since then 1993.

Currently, Hyosang Park is PUMC’s music director, and Tom Shelton directs Children and Youth Choirs. Yang-Hee Song plays the 25-year-old instrument with this impressive list of 37 stops and 2775 pipes, including some from the original organ.

For comparison, Princeton University Chapel’s Skinner organ has four ranks, was installed in 1928 and restored in 1991. Bristol Chapel’s Aeolian-Skinner organ on the Westminster College campus has 3 manuals, 40 stops, and 50 ranks. Princeton Theological Seminary had a free-standing Haskell organ in 1910 and installed its most recent organ in Miller Chapel, built by Paul Fritts and Company, in 2001.

 

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Let’s Hear from the Puerto Rico Mission Team!

Members of a Puerto Rico mission team will deliver the sermon atthe worship service of Princeton United Methodist Church (PrincetonUMC) on Laity Sunday, October 28 at 10 a.m.

Partnering with the United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey Conference (GNJUMC), they worked in Puerto Rico for a week in early October.

“We aimed to help people feel a little more love and more restored in terms of their homes and their lives,” says Rev. Ginny Cetuk, who led the mission team along with Norm Cetuk of Martinsville, NJ;, Rev. Skitch Matson and Rev. Jenny Smith Walz, both of Princeton. The team includes Princeton UMC members: Susan Davelman of Hillsborough, NJ: Timothy Ewer of East Windsor, NJ; Jennifer Hartigan of Princeton, NJ: TJ Lee of Plainsboro, NJ; and Lori Pantaleo of Princeton Junction, NJ. Also participating: Paul Elyseev, Jesse Bickford of Washington, DC; Jennifer O’Donnell of Christ United Methodist Church in Piscataway, NJ; Rev. Hector Burgos of GNJUMC; and Eunice Vega-Perez, of Bishop Janes UMC in Basking Ridge, NJ.

In the year since Hurricane Maria swept across Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has contributed more than $20 million, allowing the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico to establish the Renew, Rebuild and Reconstruct (Rehace) program.

 

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Mission to Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Mission Trip Commissioning
Puerto Rico Team Commissioning

On Sunday, September 30, Princeton UMC will commission those leaving on October 6 for a mission trip to Puerto Rico. They include Rev. Ginny Cetuk, Norman Cetuk, Rev. Skitch Matson, Susan Davelman, Lori Pantaleo, Timothy Ewer, Jennifer Hartigan, and T.J. Lee. From other churches: Jesse Bickford, Jennifer O’Donnell, Paul Elyseev, and Eunice Vega-Parez.

Pastor Sammy Arroyo and Bishop Hector Ortiz
Bishop Hector Ortiz and Pastor Sammy Arroyo

In this video by Robin Birkel, we hear from a Puerto Rican native, Pastor Sammy Aroyo of Hightstown United Methodist Church. “Puerto Rico needs your help.”

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Clothing Closet: Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen

Judy Miller, manager of the Clothing Store at Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen, shown here with donations for PrincetonPeriod

Q&A with Judy Miller, manager of the Clothing Store at Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen, where she is also a board member. She arranges the table decor for each Wednesday meal, and she distributes clothing and other needed items during CCK meals.

Who gets the clothes?

The clothing is distributed at CCK dinners which are a fun place to sit and chat with folks from all different ages and stages. We have international students who come to practice their English skills, we have retirees, young families (primarily Spanish speaking), we have all ages and stages, quite a mix of people, nice people.

Under the new program, PrincetonPeriod, you are now also accepting feminine hygiene products? 

Yes, we are providing tampons and pads for girls and women who don’t have easy, reliable, affordable access to them.

What’s the best part of running the Clothing Closet?

I take the job of distribution very seriously. If someone’s been kind enough to gift us with certain resources, I really try to find that next home thoughtfully to match the gifted item with the need. Sometimes that is apparent immediately and sometimes it takes a while to achieve that best match.

The donation closet is always packed full. Where do those bags come from?

We get quite a range of clothes. For the kind of store that we are, we get above average quality. Some of it comes from consignment stores that we have a relationship with. And then we have students, who treat their clothes like students treat clothes! You have to sort of laugh!

What happens to the ‘less worthy’ donations?

I do a couple of loads of laundry a week to rescue things. If they realize their potential they get to come back to the store, if they don’t, they go to textile recycling.

Can you share any stories?

To protect privacy, I can’t provide details. Most of the time the items are distributed within the CCK population, but occasionally we have an opportunity to serve an international or county need by partnering with some other agency. For example, a Pakistani student at the seminary asked if there were things she could take to her own country. So a small number of backpacks and school supplies and clothing went with her. along with a suitcase to put it all in. We had a group of our CCK participants from Guatemala who still have family – in some cases children – still in that country. They asked if there was infants and children’s clothing that would be off season to us, but in season to them, that they could send.

More recently we partnered with Witherspoon Presbyterian Church to help repair their windows. Some items we weren’t able to find home for – because of size or season or some specific feature – we passed along to enhance what they could offer at their thrift sale.  That’s an example of a local use of resources sent to a different location that had great merit. In some cases, selected items sent elsewhere makes sense.

Thank you, Judy, for your dedicated service! To volunteer to help in Cornerstone Community Kitchen, click here. 

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Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen: Princeton Period

Monica Rosado - Princeton Period Project - Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen
Monica Rosado - Princeton Period Project - Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen
Monica Rosado – Princeton Period Project

Founded in 2012 as a non-sectarian ministry of the Princeton United Methodist Church, Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen has provided more than 25,000 meals to our guests at our free weekly no-questions-asked dinners.

A new, pioneering program – PrincetonPeriod.org – has been established to further meet the needs of our neighbors. It provides feminine hygiene products (tampons and pads) for girls and women who don’t have easy, reliable, affordable access to them. Not having these products can be embarrassing and limiting – and cause potential health risks. For information, go to www.PrincetonPeriod.org.

Donors are coming through PUMC’s doors to bring products. They are making contributions electronically (through our website) and by check (administered by our financial team).In other words, we help PCCK and all its programs by keeping the building open (lights and heat on) and also with our financial volunteers. PCCK credits PUMC this help on its website:

PCCK, a completely non-sectarian program open to the entire community, operates within the Princeton United Methodist Church (PUMC). While we are an independent Section 501(c)(3) public charity (Tax ID 46-4758389), we share a number of church resources to keep our expenses down.  

Six years ago, almost all of the Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen volunteers belonged to the church and a loyal core continues to help faithfully. It’s wonderful that PCCK has attracted so many partners and volunteer help from elsewhere. However Larry Apperson (our inspired founder of PCCK) suggests that many more volunteer opportunities exist. Whatever your skill, PCCK has a place for it! To volunteer for Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen, go to www.princetoncornerstone.org