- Sign up to participate in the PUMC small group “Vital Conversations on Christians and Racial Justice”. Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. starting September 24. Sign up with the link.
- Read How to Be An Antiracist by Ib
ram X. Kendi with me. You can join a zoom discussion about it in August. (You can go to Labyrinth Books in Princeton, to acquire your copy. Or use your local library’s electronic offerings. Or use bookshop.org to order books, including e-books and audiobooks, online from independent booksellers.)
Children’s Book: “The Undefeated”
At Children’s Time, on Sunday, August 16, 2020, Pastor Jenny read aloud the children’s book “The Undefeated.” This poem by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson was published in 2019. It is an Ode to black American triumph and tribulation, peppered with great inspiring art and drawing attention to past and present people. At the end of the book, there are additional important historical and other details for those wishing to learn more.
Pastor Jenny stated, “These are all real people who were undefeated, and found the strength to find their place where so much was telling them they didn’t have a place.”
“The Undefeated” won the 2020 Caldecott Medal and a Newbery Honor and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. The author and illustrator together created an inspiring story with stunning illustrations. You can feel admiration and joy as you go through this beautiful book. It will make an excellent gift for children of all ages.
To listen to Kwame Alexander read “The Undefeated,” Click Here.
To follow the worship service and listen to Pastor Jenny read, Click here.
Written by Isabella Dougan
Sermon Response: “Even the Dogs”
I write this to my friends at Princeton United Methodist Church, as I wind and rewind the opening of today’s service. so that I can enjoy the soprano/alto duets for the pre-service hymns, “Eternal Father Strong to Save,” “To God be the Glory,” “How Can I Keep from Singing?”…..Barbara Fox
What was your reaction to Pastor Jenny’s sermon today (’Even the Dogs” 8/16/20, available at on the facebook page or on that date at PrincetonUMC.org) about the Canaanite woman “Justa” pictured above? It was based on Matthew 15: 10-28 (video of the first part of that passage here).
1 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
Admitting it was a difficult story (did we catch Jesus on a bad day?) Jenny reminds us that Jesus was not only divine, he was human, raised as a Jew to followed the “clean and unclean” laws. The Hebrews believed that only by following the purity codes could they survive as God’s people.
In the comments I connected Justa –who persisted against all odds to get Jesus to heal her daughter – with Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action and author of Fight Like a Mother, showing how the skill sets mothers use to manage their families can empower them to help any cause ”Every mom is already an organizer, a multitasker, and a hero going into battle every day for the ones she loves. Learn how to use those skills to enact change, pass laws that save lives, and FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER”
Then – I regretted posting that in haste. Did I distract or irritate someone who (quietly, because it’s really unpopular in Princeton) supports gun ownership? I can understand both sides. My late husband was raised in a family of hunters but came to reject the unreasonable gun lobby. Some of my children and grandchildren own guns, practice at gun ranges, honor the animals they hunt and are nourished by them. Others of my children and grandchildren – opposing the misuse of guns – march to support Moms Demand Action.
What connects Justa with Shannon Watts? All the mothers everywhere who fight for their children. I thought of the wives and mothers in the civil rights movement who put themselves ‘in harm’s way’ because they were less likely to be harmed than their men. Of mothers of children with rare diseases who fight for cures for their children. Of Deborah and Sara Hicks, fighting today at CHOP for the health of Zion.
Which person in this story are you, Jenny challenged us to ponder?
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the daughter, who needs healing?
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the disciple, who rejects the outsider
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the Son of God, who we might say is changed by Justa?
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the mother who raises a ruckus to make change?
One way “to grow as disciples of Christ” is to be in conversation with each other about our beliefs. You could comment in the link under the Facebook post, or talk about it in your small group, or email the Communications Ministry Team (Communications@PrincetonUMC.org) to have your thoughts published, or for a more private dialogue, email me or Jenny. What was your response to this or any other aspect of this passage? Had you heard of the Justa Center? Does my response smack of politics and you think politics should be separate from religion? What challenged you?
“Everybody But Me” by Margaret Goss Burroughs
What response can we have to this poem by by Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs, “an American visual artist, writer, poet, educator, and arts organizer.”
On August 16, 2020, in a sermon entitled “Even the Dogs,” based on Matthew 15: 10-28, Pastor Jenny Smith Walz read the poem below.
Here is another source, telling about the amazing life of Margaret Taylor Burroughs, founder of what is now the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago.
Haile Selassie’s address to the United Nations, 1963 …
Famous Words by Former Emperor of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie
“That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained” H.I.M Haile Selassie 1963.
To watch Bob Marley sing “War/No More Trouble” in 1977, click here: https://youtu.be/vPZydAotVOY
Written by Isabella Dougan
Sermon Response: July 19, 2020
On July 19, 2020, Pastor Jenny Smith Walz addressed the conflict I have been holding in my heart — how to condemn the evil of white supremacy and still love those (in my family and elsewhere) who perpetrated it, those (including me) who benefit from it, and those (in the #endracism movement) who — as they try to eliminate symbols of injustice from public places — find it hard if not impossible to acknowledge that someone who did evil may also have done good.
Let’s admit that we ignore 98 percent of the information that we see or hear. Of the remaining two percent, we put half into a bucket, labeled “I like this,” and the other half into a bucket labeled “I dislike this.”
Don’t believe that the human race is so cruel and blind? Here’s what Pastor Jenny cited as historic examples.
Let’s send the convicts to Australia.
Let’s create an Aryan society.
Let’s eliminate the Tutsis.
Let’s create different sets of privileges for those with black and brown bodies.
Let’s block whatever the opposing party in Congress wants.
Let’s leave our church because someone I don’t approve of can belong.
Let’s put this person’s name in stone on the bad list, so no longer can I see them as a whole person.
It’s the last one that twangs my heart.
Click the arrow for “previous” to get the July 19 service and sermon.
For the middle of this post click here
In this sermon I think Pastor Jenny is trying to open a safe space for everyone, no matter where they are in their opinions. She closed with this poem, ending…
May my peace and acceptance
be the seeds I sow
for the next harvest.
from Weeds and Wheat, by Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Outreach Initiatives—an opportunity to make a difference
Since March, our nation has been impacted by a series of stunning events and traumas. In less than four months our world has been turned upside down. Who would have expected that over 110,000 Americans would have died from the coronavirus, a pandemic which has swept the world, with New Jersey and New York the worst-hit areas? Who would have expected 40,000,000 Americans would be out of work? On top of this, the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police proved to be the fuel to ignite an explosion of protests, demonstrations and calls for the end of racial discrimination sweeping our nation.
So many lives have been shattered, broken almost beyond recognition. The need for healing and reconciliation is everywhere.
The Outreach Committee welcomes ideas on a program you could begin!
As we hope to move toward recovery in the months ahead, Princeton UMC has funds earmarked as seed money to start new programs to serve the community. From seeds, a mighty forest grows. We – you actually – are invited to help shape events, find a new normal, and build toward a better future. John Wesley’s rule rings truer than ever: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, as long as you can.”
Countless issues face us on the way to healing and recovery. For instance, how do we:
- help our church, community, and nation heal the brokenness revealed by racial inequalities?
- assist people whose jobs are no longer there?
- assist students with new remote learning challenges?
- strengthen our outreach to a shell-shocked community forced to hide and shelter?
- address and cure deep-seated prejudices and racial and other inequalities?
- help the healing process for a community that has gone through these savage crises?
Do you have ideas for sustainable solutions that will help?
We welcome your specific proposals in writing on how you might use funds to begin new initiatives for recovery. Please submit your ideas or refer any questions to:
Karen Longo-Baldwin (klongobaldwin@gmail.com)
or
Jeff Sayre (Jeffcsayre@verizon.net).
We invite your ideas and your personal involvement!
Your Outreach Committee
Posted by Isabella Dougan
Princeton UMC in the News
In “Faith and Activism: a discussion with three religious leaders in Princeton, Nora Peachin interviewed Rev. Lukata Mjumbe (of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church), Sohaib Nazeer Sultan (Muslim life coordinator at Princeton University), and Rev. Jenny Smith Walz (Princeton UMC lead pastor), “about the intersection of faith and activism in their own lives, and how they view their responsibilities as religious leaders in the fight against injustice and inequality.”
The article told about Princeton UMC’s five-day prayer vigil to end racism, closing with a ceremony held on the church lawn. Here is a link to the article, and here are some excerpts:
Participants prayed for an end to systemic racism and for the courage to do anti-racism work. Prayers such as those are also a form of activism. “It moves us on to next steps,” Walz said. “We continue to hear what God invites us to do next.”
The church website provided a list of anti-racism resources that included books, films, organizations, songs, and more.
Her faith underlies everything she does, including her activism, she said. The moral teachings of her religion have compelled her to fight against injustice.
No matter what form it takes, activism is slow work, Walz said. Changing systems, communities, and organizations to eradicate inequality and uplift the vulnerable takes time. “It goes little bit by little bit, relationship by relationship,” she said.
Being a faith leader is about bringing all people together, including those being pushed to the margins economically and culturally, Walz said.
All three (faith leaders) described seeking a fine balance between comforting their congregants and making them uncomfortable by asking them to reckon with their own privilege and bias or acknowledge their complicity in injustice.
“We’re here to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,” Walz said. She is constantly juggling these dual objectives — offering care, compassion, and support to her members while simultaneously challenging them to better themselves and their communities.
“The deepest struggle for us as Christians is to actually believe we are all God’s beloved children,” she said. “We don’t always believe it with our actions and reflect it in our whole lives. There has to be a certain discomfort to make that change. There’s a way the discomfort is ultimately healing.”
Walz works in a relatively privileged area of Princeton, and was initially daunted by the task of challenging her members to question their own biases and complicity. She knows preaching on oppression will prevent some people from attending her sermons, but said that does not stop her.
“I have to find the courage to know that people aren’t always going to agree,” she said. “I hope I can offer a space for people to learn.”
END RACISM RESOURCES
In its response to white supremacy, racism — and the police brutality that has resulted in nationwide protests — the United Methodist Church has this to say:
“The denomination’s Council of Bishops called for every United Methodist “to name the 
egregious sin of racism and white supremacy and join together to take a stand against the oppression and injustice that is killing persons of color.” It added: “The United Methodist Church has created an advertising campaign, #EndRacism, in an effort to actively engage in the ministry of dismantling racism and promoting racial justice. Logo courtesy of resourceumc.org.”
It also issued a statement saying, “The United Methodist Church has mounted a denomination-wide campaign, “United Against Racism,” that urges its members not only to pray, but to educate themselves and have conversations about the subject, and to work actively for civil and human rights.”
We at PUMC have compiled “End Racism” resources to help us better understand the Black Lives Matter Movement, systemic racism in the criminal justice system, social repercussions of slavery, and inequality in America.
At this moment in history, white people have become allies of black people fighting for racial justice. These resources addressing racism and anti-racism include lists for all ages as well as for both white and black families.
This extensive collection of books, articles, podcasts, films, videos, songs, poems is curated to include resources sourced from other lists. It will hopefully help us learn and have conversations about racism as it affects every aspect of our society. We invite you to navigate through the resources you like and select what to read or watch and be informed.
If you find something to add, please email it to communications@PrincetonUMC.org and tag it with #praywithusPUMC on your social media page.
—- Isabella Dougan
#praywithusPUMC to End Racism Prayer Guide 5
DAILY PRAYER TO END RACISM
DAY FIVE
DAY OF MATURITY – HANDS & FEET 
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God’s Word for Today
John 4:15
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
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Reflection
At the end of the healing process, if we don’t want to get ill again, we need to make the change that we want to see in our life. In this scripture passage, we can see that it is important to ask for what we need. The Samaritan woman is asking Jesus to give her the living water and only once she is asking Him, He can give it to her. In this day of Prayer Vigil, we are focusing on our needs, to understand exactly what we are requesting in our lives and for the world. God is hearing us. God will embrace all our needs and requests. By understanding what we really need in order to end racism and to create the real community of all living creatures together, we will be able to receive the right guidance for our Hands and Feet to make it happen.
Recall that Jews and Samaritans were two ethnic-cultural groups who did not mingle with one another. And yet here, they come together through service. Jesus asks, “will you give me a drink?” And African-Americans are asking, “will you let me breathe?” It is through compassionate service for each other that the two communities can become family.
Let’s take this day to put the light on what is going on in our country as much as what is going on in ourselves from the action perspective.
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Prayer and contemplation
What do you really need and how can you ask for it to benefit all involved?
What do you/we need to do in order to end racism, racial tensions, and racial inequalities?
What new direction can you/we decide to follow and how can we make it happen?
How can you/we make sure to commit to the new resolutions taken?
How do you hold yourself accountable in the long run?
We invite you to light a candle, take a cross or a bible, and go simply in a calm space and start breathing for a few seconds.
Shine the light on the things that you need, on the things that you want to change or to be changed. Shine the light on the action you want to take and sustain.
Ask God to support you in your pain and towards happiness.
Ask the Holy Spirit to heal you and everyone.
Ask the Son, Christ, to be with us and in us so we can not only believe, not only follow but abide.
Together we pray.
We believe there is a way to put the human first and not his/her appearance. There is a way to see love, God, and Jesus in each of us and all around us. We pray for not falling into the trap of division, of nurturing separation amongst humans, of playing the game of destruction that darkness wants us to play by forcing us to choose one side of the battlefield whereas Jesus taught us that there is a way out of the battlefield, a third way, a universal solution, which is the one of reconciliation with God and with one another, the one of the Living Church that is the one human family, where the Holy Spirit is always dwelling, nurturing and bringing us out of the division, towards reconciliation and unity, above and beyond all forms. We believe that today is a day when all of humanity will come together, be reconciled, and love each other in one universal community of humans and of all living creatures, under the banner of unconditional love and altruism.
Let’s end racism, once and for all. 
One human family, in God.
Click here for the Prayer Guide Introduction
Posted by Isabella Dougan