Category: Missions

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this most amazing day

“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” – E. E. Cummings

On Sunday September 13 at 11 a.m. bring your lawn chair, we will be worshiping outside – in the church that God created. Gathering at Mercer Park East we will sing, and pray and revel in the natural beauty that will surround us. “The verdant green of the grass and trees will be our walls and floor,” says Scott Sherrill, pastoral assistant. “The clear blue of the sky will be our ceiling. The chorus of birds will accompany our hymns.”

2015 june picnic pic 9

Following the service at the park we will have our church community picnic. Everyone is welcome. Please bring your favorite outdoor game to enjoy. If your last name begins with A-Q bring a salad or side dish. If your last name begins with R-Z bring a dessert. This is an opportunity to enjoy the company of friends, to marvel in the beauty of God’s creation, and to celebrate the beginning of our new congregational cycle.

DIRECTIONS: From the church, take Washington Road to the Route 1 traffic circle and continue on Route 571 (Princeton Hightstown Road) for about 2.5 miles. After the high school, turn right on South Mill Road and continue for a little over 3 miles. (South Mill becomes New Edinburg Road and then Edinburg Dutch Neck Road.) Before you get to Old Trenton Road a sign will point you to Mercer County Park East. GPS address: 1346 Edinburgh Road, Princeton Junction NJ 08550.

 

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Backpack Blessings

backbacks 1Among the many blessings of today’s service was when Rev. Kaleigh Corbett blessed the backpacks at the children’s time. She gave them a take-home memory, their choice of key chains, and then they headed off to “Caring Kids” Summer Sunday with Scott and Deb Sherill. Children and teachers look forward to “Rally Day,” on Sunday, September 13, at 9:30 a.m., when they start the Sunday School year.

But a reminder: Next Sunday, Labor Day weekend, the service is at 10 a.m.

 

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Sidebar Stories: real life truths from ‘ordinary experts’

 

sidebar stories heartAre you passionate about a cause — neighborhood safety, addiction recovery, affordable education, housing and healthcare, racial equality and relations, veteran issues, incarceration and re-entry, gender issues, economic opportunity, parenting, mental health, gun control, the environment — and you have first hand experience with it?

A new nonprofit, Sidebar Stories, invites anyone to a free workshop this Saturday at PUMC. If you sign up, you will be called an “ordinary expert.” You will learn how to own and tell your story in a way that makes sure it will be felt by those who need to know where you’ve been and what you’ve seen.

Founded by hospice chaplain Ron King, Sidebar Stories helps people connect real life experience, storytelling and visual art. “We offer a full day workshop for people we call ordinary experts to share a personal story related to a significant social issue that has impacted their life (living on minimum wage, urban violence, disability, race relations, veteran’s issues, affordable housing, etc).” says Ron.

At the end of the workshop, you will have made a 3 frame storyboard that can be published or posted to help advocates for your cause determine policies and provide services. Sign up here for the Sidebar Stories pARTy — it’s free, and lunch is included.

“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas in the world today,” says Robert McKee.

And, says Maya Angelou: “There is no greater burden than carrying an untold story.”

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Back to VBS — and back to school!

school

Bring school supplies — and friends — to Vacation Bible School! Register now, and it starts with a family meal on Tuesday, August 11, at 5:30 p.m. Questions? Kaleigh@princetonumc.org,

The school supplies will be used for the VBS mission project. There are children in our community who will struggle to come to school with everything they need to be part of the fun! Try to bring the supplies to the office — or in the bin by the nursery — before Wednesday morning, but they will be welcome any time.

 Crayons  Markers  Pencils  Pens  Colored Pencils  Erasers  Glue/Glue Sticks  Rulers  Stencils  Highlighters  Post-it Notes  Notebooks All Sizes  Folders  Book Bags  Water Bottles  Dictionaries

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Keeping watch over their flock by night

IMG_0623 shepherds 2014

Instantly, when we see the phrase “keeping watch over their flock by night,” we recognize it as part of the Christmas story. Scott Sherrill, PUMC’s pastoral assistant, will use the familiar text (Luke 2:8-15) for his sermon on August 9 at 10 a.m. In the Gospel of the Nobodies series, he will talk about “The Night Workers.”

The 21st century night shift is more likely to be stocking shelves than herding sheep — but we’ll see what parallels he draws. Bring your friends, and there is the “Caring Kids” program for nursery through 6th grade!

In this month’s newsletter, Scott affirms: “So many good, vibrant, creative, and engaging things are happening in and through our church. It is a privilege to be a part of a church family that knows how important service is to others in the community, in the area, and in the world. It is a true blessing to be apart of a church that surrounds its members, visitors and community with the love of Christ.”

As you have guessed, the picture shown is of the shepherds in PUMC’s telling of  the story of Christ’s birth, December 2014. 

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Caring Kids for August 2

Helping our children to have a “sense of mission,” to learn how to help others, is our focus this summer. After Children’s Time, preschoolers through rising 6th grade can choose whether to stay in worship or go to Caring Kids. Each week has a different focus — a Bible story and an activity. Last week in the Caring Kids program, the children made paper hand “hugs” for teens going away to college, based on I Corinthians 16:20:

All the friends here say hello! Pass the greetings around with holy embraces!

hugThis week, August 2,  children will make “Get Well Soon” gift bags for people Pastor Catherine visits while they are sick. In weeks to come, they will make “Welcome” signs for children whose families have just moved to Princeton so their parents can attend seminary and, on another Sunday, placemats for Cornerstone Community Kitchen.

 

 

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Communion Offering: Mercer Street Friends Food Bank

 

20121107-202343.jpgThis Sunday, August 2, our Communion Offering will support the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank.   It has been a leader in our community ‘s response to hunger in Mercer County since 1987.

The Food Bank originated with a simple aim: to link donated food to people in need. Today they are the largest source of government and privately donated food in Mercer County. 2.5 million pounds of food and groceries are distributed to 60 charitable food providers, such as food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters each year.

Your support enables Mercer Street Friends to provide efficient and effective food collection and distribution so that people in need can access free groceries and wholesome meals from a charitable food provider in their neighborhood.
Thank you for your generosity.

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Back to school?

ss 4-5 sageser

Love children and youth? Want to make a difference in a child’s life? Want to help our children and youth explore the love of God? Then teaching Sunday School might just be for you! The Education Committee is looking for a few more Sunday School teachers for the 2015-16 year. No teaching experience necessary – we will provide you with the curriculum and help you with resources. Can’t commit to every week? That’s ok too! Many of our teachers rotate and work together to create a calendar that works for them. We have openings for all ages (elementary, middle, and high school). Interested? Call or Email Kaleigh (kaleigh@princetonumc.org).

 

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Caring Kids for Summer Sundays

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Emily Gordonier reports on the Caring Kids program on July 19. “Carline Kimble and I led 7 delightful children in a crayon recycling program,” says Emily. “They enjoyed working together to sort broken crayons, gathered from throughout the church by by color, putting them into separate plastic bags. We wound up with a total of two gallons of crayons to be sent to a recycling company in Minnesota, Crazy Crayons, where they will be melted and used to make ‘new’ crayons for children in schools, hospital and churches.”

Children in preschool through rising sixth grade are invited to go to “Caring Kids” in Room 202 after the Children’s Time. Each Sunday they get to work on a different mission task. On July 12, the children wrote “encouragement” letters to soldiers.  Each week they take on a different mission task!

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Families at 10

family fun in balconyNow that the church is air conditioned. it’s cool enough for families to sit in the balcony, where the kids can see what’s going on. They hurry up to the altar for Children’s Time, and then they are off to the Caring Kids program, where the craft is a mission project. All at 10 AM on Summer Sundays. Special for July — Lemonade on the Lawn for July 12.