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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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
In the year since Hurricane Maria swept across Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, The United Methodist Church has been sending prayers and support. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has contributed more than $20 million, allowing the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico to establish the Renew, Rebuild and Reconstruct (Rehace) program.
From October 6 to October 13 a small band of enthusiastic Christians from Princeton UMC, and some from other United Methodist churches in New Jersey, will travel to Puerto Rico. “The reason we are going is to help people feel a little more love and more restored in terms of their homes and their lives, through the various kinds of work we will do,” says Rev. Ginny Cetuk. She and her husband, Norman, and Rev. Skitch Matson, are leading the team.
Princeton UMC’s Outreach committee is partnering with the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, which is connected to the United Methodist Church of Puerto Rico and Bishop Ortiz. “He will essentially be our leader and director – to tell us where the need is, and that’s where will go,” says Pastor Ginny. “We will do everything we can from helping build a roof to having conversations with people to let them know we love them.”
Princeton UMC people making the trip along with the Cetuks and Skitch Matson are Susan Davelman, Lori Pantaleo, Timothy Ewer, Jennifer Hartigan, and TJ Lee. From other churches: Jesse Bickford, Jennifer O’Donnell, Paul Elyseev, and Eunice Vega-Perez.
Says Pastor Ginny: “We are eager to do this work and ask everyone’s prayers that we will be maximally helpful and return home safe and sound.”
In this video we learn how United Methodists (UMCOR) provide both physical and emotional support
Click here to read more showcasing the fun that was had, friendships that were forged, and faith that was strengthened. You will recognize several youth from our congregation!
Faith leaders were rallying for immigrants’ rights as more than 400 families wait to be reunited after crossing the United State-Mexico border illegally. The ecumenical vigil aimed to protest what the activists say is inhumane treatment to immigrants and family separations by ICE.
Organizers say they want to show that they care about those separated families and for those seeking asylum who are being turned away by the Trump administration and its immigration policies.
Organizers say human rights groups have complained about maggots in food and the shower area at the Elizabeth center, as wells as bleach-tasting water that is said to be undrinkable.
What riles you up? Pastor Jenny Smith Walz asked this question on July 22, 2018. Here are some notes from her message, titled “Hungering for God” based on the story of the “rich young ruler” in Luke 18: 18-30.
Jesus was saying you can’t stand on top of your wealth and be saved. You need a ‘We.” a whole world of We’s — and the We’s have to include God. We can find a banquet table here /for our needs and wants, for us and many more…
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.”
At our next meeting, Tuesday, November 13 at 10:30 a.m., Dr. 
What riles you up? Pastor Jenny Smith Walz asked this question on July 22, 2018. Here are some notes from her message, titled “Hungering for God” based on the story of the “rich young ruler” in