Our sister church in Ewing, Trinity, is collecting clothing and blankets (new, with tags, or gift cards) for those made homeless by the devastating explosion and fire in Ewing Township. About 55 homes were damaged in the explosion and resulting fire, and about 20 others are uninhabitable. Our district superintendant, Rev. Varlyna D. Wright, suggests that items may be brought to the church or to the district office at 1985 Pennington Road, Trenton NJ 08618. Checks are also welcome. Or contact Brian Joyce at bdjoyce@comcast.net or by phone at 856-952-9066.
Click here for the Trinity Church web page.
God’s Kingdom Belongs to Them
You never know what you’ll find when you poke your head into a Sunday School class. On this day a hall monitor with a camera found the 2nd and 3rd graders doing a service project, using sand and balloons to make “stress balls,” part of a cheery “get well kit” to give to shut-ins.
Meanwhile Yvonne Macdonald was teaching a song to 3 and 4 year olds; they performed it last week.
The kindergarteners and first-graders were busily at work.
And the 4th and 5th graders were painting about Psalm 23 and working on their sewing projects.
Who gets the most out of the children’s Sunday School classes? Could it be the teachers? After all, as the saying goes “We teach what we need to learn.” And — the lesson for this Sunday, March 2, is on Jesus and the Children, the story in Luke 18: 16-17 about how children are the best ‘welcomers’ of God’s kingdom. Said Jesus: “God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children.”
African Women Extraordinaire: March 1 and 6
Princeton Theological Seminary stages a one-day symposium on March 6: African Women Extraordinaire: church, health, and women’s development. The full-day workshop is $50 and is being planned by Dr. Elsie A. McKee, who spoke at the UMM Men’s breakfast last month amd told of growing up in the Congo and of her connections with the Shungu family.
Elsie is Princeton Seminary’s professor of Reformation Studies and History of Worship. She is also the International Liaison and President of Women, Cradle of Abudance, a North America-based organization that promotes the work and ministry of Femme Berceau de l’Abondance.
If you go to the African Soiree this Saturday, March 1, you will see her there as well. Elsie is on the board of United Front Against Riverblindness and co-chair of the African Soiree.
So much good work!
Alternative Gifts: Part 3
This is the third in a series of posts on Alternative Gifts. Here is Part One, and Here is Part Two.
These ideas came from LaVerna A.
Pick an activity your family/children enjoy and show your gratitude by:
contributing to a scholarship fund at the Y for swimming lessons or team membership or summer camp
contributing to a fund at Westminster for scholarships for children’s music study
contributing to the public library, with either money or a family favorite book (or two).
From Barbara F:
Art books, coffee table books — they are great to sit around for awhile, but then they gather dust. One year I checked out from the public library one beautiful book for each person, adult and child, wrapped them up and put them under the tree as an “extra’ gift to open. Everybody enjoyed their books during the holidays, then they were returned. They don’t have to be “artsy,” they could be about a new hobby that you are tactfully offering to a child. Or a travel book about a trip for the future. Something to dream on!
More ideas, these from Iona H.
Three years ago, my immediate family and close friends and I decided to stop giving each other gifts. Instead, throughout the year, we buy personal products when they are on sale. Then in early December, I collect them from my mom, brother, sister-in-law, friends (and myself, of course), and take several boxes of shampoos, dental supplies, creams, soaps, deodorants, etc. to the Crisis Ministry. This is something that we really get excited about doing every year.
Also each year my husband and I tell his local son and daughter-in-laws which charity we want them to donate to in our name. We keep insisting that we want nothing, but they insist on doing something. So they do something for us (no more stuff) while doing something for others. Last year their donation went to the Cornerstone Community Kitchen here at PUMC.
For more ideas check out
http://www.bhg.com/christmas/gifts/alternative-gift-ideas/,
www.buynothingchristmas.org/alternatives/
Also check out charity ratings at www.charitynavigator.org and www.guidestar.org.
If you have family-favorite alternative gift-giving ideas, or have tried some of the above and want to give feedback, please send them to outreach@princetonumc.org. We can post them on this blog and add them to the list for 2014.
Have a joyous Christmas celebration with the emphasis on Christ’s coming to be among us.
Alternative Gifts: Part 2
Karen Z o
ffers ideas on alternative gifts, a follow-up to Alternative Gifts Part I:
I began using alternative shopping ideas years ago after reading a mid 80s book by Jo Robinson & Jean C. Staeheli called Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season.
Koinonia Christian based, sells pecans in many forms, cakes, etc.
Christian Appalachian Home sells greens and wreaths and other crafts. I have ordered their wreaths for our church doors for years; it gives employment to people there.
Misericordia cards, amaryllis kits, coffee bakery. Catholic organization supports people with learning disabilities.
Crossnore (crossnoreweavers.org: crossnoreschool.org) Weaving, other gifts. In the heart of Blue Ridge. It’s a DAR supported school built in 5 rural type areas for kids whose families are in trouble.
Hindman Stettlement Baskets, etc. This part of Kentucky is really poor. DAR supported, the Settlement school mission is to provide educational and service opportunities for people of the mountains while keeping them mindful of their heritage. Hindman Settlement School is focusing on dyslexic kids for a large area.
National Wildlife Federation supports conservation and protection for wildlife. They have three children’s magazines. Ranger Rick is the most known.
Berea College Crafts Berea College does terrific crafts—broom, wood furniture, etc. Catalogue is 38 pages . Non profit educating the head, heart and hands. The mugs shown above cost $15 and were made by Berea students. The
Other ideas from Karen:
Think before you buy from a book Simplify Your Christmas by Elaine St. James:
Do I need it? How much will I use it? How long will it last? Will it end up in a landfill? Are the resources that went into it renewable or non-renewable? What is the worst that will happen if I don’t buy it now?
Buy American by supporting home town folks: buy gift certificates from locally owned businesses, like hair salon, barber, restaurant, mechanic, cleaning service, hometown theater, local craft people, lawn service, local golf course, etc.
Some tips for a simpler, more meaningful Christmas: Give alternative gifts. Give 25% of what you spent last year to the truly needy—individuals or groups locally, nationally or internationally. Buy crafts and clothing from developing countries at alternative gift markets, not from commercial importers, so that the artisans receive a fair price for their work.
Give of yourself, not just “stuff”—a, coupon book for future services such as baby sitting for an “enchanted evening” or something baked.
Draw names rather than everyone giving something to everyone else. Set a ceiling for each person.
Take turns opening gifts, not all at once, so each gift can be appreciated and each giver thanked.
Celebrate Advent for four weeks before Christmas.
Whose birthday is it anyway?
Alternative Gifts: part one
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for Christians around the world; a time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But it can also bring stress, distractions and a blow to our finances, especially when it comes to giving gifts. Why not try a few of the alternative gift-giving ideas and spread some good cheer along with Christian values all at the same time.
These ideas come from Pat O., a member of the outreach committee.
Trying to explain to a young child that you just gave the money you would have spent on their gift to a worthy cause, can be a hard sell. We use the following organizations which send a token gift to give to the child. Older children appreciate them too.
World Wildlife Federation (www.wwf.org) Adopt an animal on the endangered species list. You will get a plush animal and adoption papers.
National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org) Adopt an animal program at the national level. Other gift ideas available.
Heifer International (www.heifer.org) Choose a meaningful gift to help families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant. Heifer does sell stuffed animals, but hard to find on their website. May have to buy matching animal elsewhere. Our children’s Sunday School offer goes to Heifer.
Other ideas for young and old:
Ten Thousand Villages sells fair trade handmade goods from around the world. Princeton Shopping Center.
UNICEF (www.unicef.org) catalog of gifts, cards.
Church World Service (cwsglobal.org) Donations in honor of recipients for School Kits, Baby Care Kits, literacy classes, animals, wells, and much more. Cards can be printed out to give to the person.
Womanspace (www.womanspace.org) See “December Holiday Wish List” 2012 on website.
United Front Against Riverblindness (www.riverblindness.org) UFAR helps eliminate riverblindness in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For $250 you can adopt a village of 500 people for a year. Will Receive a certificate with a village name (immediately) and a set of photos of the village chief (at a later time.) Gifts of any amount are gratefully accepted. Contact person: Susan Lidstone (coverrock@aol.com)
Woman, Cradle of Abundance (www.womancredleofabundance.org) Purchase items made by Women in the Democratic Republic (displayed in the photo above) of the Congo like clothing, table cloths and napkins, purses, jewelry. Donations also accepted for building a new facility to grow their business.
International Crane Foundation (www.savingcranes.org) has various crane-themed gifts, like the $25 earrings at left.
IOU’s Give a Christmas coupon book that can be redeemed for breakfast in bed, or a backrub, or a trip to the park, etc. Be creative. You can find coupon books to print out online
This is part 1 of three posts distributed by the Outreach Committee. Here is a link to part 2, and you can pick up the complete sheet in the Sanford Davis Room!
Washington Well Vineyard Raises Funds for UFAR
The Andrew Hayes family hosted their second annual fall harvest picnic at Washington Well Vineyard on September 7. More than 200 people — one third of them were children — enjoyed the music, food, and good times. A favorite was the grape stomping! At one point the hosts, Andrew and his multi-talented wife, Jie Hayes of Songbird Capital, took the stage (below). More than $400 was raised for UFAR to combat riverblindness, and the children — enamored with a shelter puppy who graced the occasion– collected contributions for SAVE. (The puppy has been added to the vineyard’s livestock!) It was a warm and wonderful afternoon.
Robotics Revolution? George Young
Where is R2-D2 when we need him? We won’t see a robot like that for a good long while, says George Young. He will speak on “The Robot Revolution: The Promises and Limitations of Collective Robots” at a breakfast sponsored by United Methodist Men on Sunday, October 6, at 8 a.m., in the Sanford Davis Room. Everyone — men and women — is invited. A $5 donation is requested. Email umm@princetonumc.org or call 609-924-2613
Industrial robots have reshaped manufacturing, domestic robots help maintain floors and lawns, and military robots and drones have been developed to help fight wars. “Despite these advances, ” says Young, “state-of-the-art robots remain far removed from the automated personal assistants, companions or enemies that science fiction writers have dreamed of for decades.”
A native of South Australia, Young has undergraduate degrees from the University of Adelaide. He is completing his PhD in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, where his research focuses on understanding how the structure of interactions between individuals within a group (of robots, birds or people) affects the behavior of the entire group. In particular, he examines how groups manage uncertainty and how sharing information can lead to better or worse performance.
“Rather than attempting to build ever more complicated and sophisticated machines, today many researchers are attempting to expand our technological capabilities using an entirely different idea — building simple machines that can work together to achieve difficult tasks. These jobs could include monitoring the environment, growing crops, responding to natural disasters, building infrastructure and a host of other tasks.”
Before coming to Princeton he obtained undergraduate degrees in mechatronic engineering and pure mathematics from the University of Adelaide in his home state of South Australia. He and Elizabeth — who spoke to the UMM last spring — will shortly be moving to Memphis, Tennessee. We will miss them!
UMW: Fairy Garden Fun
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you… Job 12: 8a
Last weekend, Judy M and Linda H helped United Methodist Women make delightful “fairy gardens” using tiny plants, props, and imagination. Here are the entrancing results.
The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship
We welcome this post by Jeanette Timmons, who wrote it for the newsletter of the Jewish Center of Princeton, and we celebrate the cooperation and support between the congregations:
The Jewish Center has offered support to the Cornerstone Community Kitchen, an outreach program that feeds Princeton area residents a hot dinner every Wednesday evening at the Princeton United Methodist Church. PUMC congregant Larry Apperson conceived and implemented the program in June 2012, which serves 60 meals each week. Currently, TASK delivers the main course and CCK volunteers prepare side dishes and serve the meal in a restaurant-style environment.
TJC congregants Jeanette and Forrest Timmons began volunteering at CCK in August 2012 as part of Forrest’s Hesed project. Jeanette enjoyed the experience so much, she has volunteered weekly ever since. Other TJC families, including the Glassers and Zinders, have since volunteered too.
In August 2013, PUMC began a renovation of its kitchen so that the CCK can prepare its entire weekly meal on-site. TJC offered the use of its dairy kitchen so that CCK could continue its food preparation uninterrupted during the nine-month-long project. While forging this relationship, PUMC donated its 10-burner Vulcan stove with double oven to TJC. This timely act of generosity came just as the oven in TJC’s meat kitchen broke down.
Both guests and volunteers come to CCK’s Wednesday dinners for a variety of reasons, be it need-based, for companionship, or the feeling of camaraderie that pervades the environment. Friendships have formed as many volunteers and guests are regulars. “The greatest unexpected pleasure that’s come from our service has been the coming together of people from throughout the community to serve,” says Apperson. Guests sit at tables decorated with centerpieces, are served by volunteers, and are entertained by a pianist. The relaxed atmosphere invites lively conversation. Besides the dinner meal, bagels, sandwiches, children’s breakfast bags and gently used clothing are available for guests to take home.
The CCK is truly an interfaith, community-wide effort. Besides congregants from TJC and PUMC, CCK has welcomed volunteers and support from Beth Chaim, St. Paul’s, and Queenship of Mary Roman Catholic churches, Quaker Friends, Princeton University, local Girl Scout troops, and the Princeton Historical Society. Local businesses such as Panera and the Bagel Hole regularly donate baked goods, and Zorba’s Brother and the Rocky Hill Tavern have provided an entire meal. For more information about CCK or to get involved, please email cck@princetonumc.org.
Jeanette Timmons