In a race with ‘untied’ balloons, Sunday School students learned that the Holy Spirit can be unpredictable!
Ruth Woodward, Pat Hatton: Quilt for ASP
A quilt designed by the late Ruth Woodward will be featured at the dinner auction, to benefit the Appalachia Service project, on Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. Ruth — a PUMC member who was committed to missions — did not finish it before she died, so Patricia H. completed and donated the quilt.
Her pasttime was quilting, but in her professional life she was an historian, author, and editor. She wrote the history of PUMC. She co-edited at least two volumes of a biographical dictionary and was a supporter of, and the historian for, the Women’s College Club of Princeton.
The dinner and auction, in Princeton United Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall, will be hosted by youth in grades 9 to 12. The evening also includes many bargains at a silent auction. All proceeds go to the annual service trip to Appalachia, where the teens work to make homes warmer, safer, and drier. Tickets are $5.
To complete the circle, Michele TuckPonder will “call” the auction for this quilt, and she lives in the Woodward’s former house.
Singing our way to Christmas
Celebrate the season with Christmas carols at Princeton United Methodist Church — starting with the Advent Extravaganza on Sunday, December 9, 4 to 7:30 p.m. Listen to the children’s choirs and Sunday School classes present the Christmas story and join in the singing. Then enjoy dinner and crafts followed by dessert and caroling, led by Dr. Karen Zumbrunn. (If your last name begins with A to L, bring a side dish. From M to Z, bring a dessert.) Questions? anna@princetonumc.org.
Then at the United Methodist Men’s breakfast on Sunday, December 16, Dr. Zumbrunn plays and shares stories behind the carols. The delicious hot breakfast begins at 8 a.m. and the program is at 8:30 a.m. All are welcome. Please RSVP to umm@princetonumc.org or 609-924-2613 by Friday, December 12 at noon.
That night, December 14, 7:30 p.m., the combined choirs, directed by Hyosang Park and Tom Shelton, present Lessons and Carols From Around the World. A freewill offering will be taken.
On Sunday, December 21, at 4 p.m., the sanctuary hosts the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus as it presents Masters of Good Cheer.
And then — the candlelight services on Christmas Eve, 6 p.m. for families, a traditional service at 8 p.m. Youth choir alumni are invited to sing with the youth choir: rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. in Room 203.
“People, look east and sing today: Love, the Lord is on the way.”
Service Opportunities for Youth
Youth in grades 9 to 12 are invited to participate in the annual service trip with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). An informational meeting for youth and parents will be Sunday, November 2, at 12:15 in Fellowship Hall.
Our program welcomes all teens of all backgrounds, church members and non-church members alike, to participate in the life-changing experience of the ASP.
Preparation is an eight-month process that includes fundraisers, learning Appalachian culture and the poverty many face, basic construction skills, and the meaning of service to others.
Our church has been participating since the mid-‘70s, shortly after the program was founded. For questions, contact office@princetonumc.org or 609-924-2613.
A short-term community service project, available to youth, could be with the Cornerstone Community Kitchen which offers a free and nutritious meal every week, even on holidays. Volunteers from the church and community help prepare and serve the meal. In partnership with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), this ministry of PUMC now serves 70 to 80 people on Wednesdays from 5 to 6:30 pm. All are welcome, no questions asked. Learn more here on CCK’s facebook page or here or email cck@princetonumc.org.
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.
Meeting Tom Shelton
Eager to meet Tom Shelton, the successor to Yvonne Macdonald, more than 50 people flocked to the Fellowship Hall after the worship service on August 10. Pam Bradley, from the Staff/Parish committee, introduced him: With 22 years of youth choir experience, Tom has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is assistant professor of sacred music at Westminster Choir College ; he is also associate director of the Princeton Girlchoir and conductor of its Cantores ensemble.
“Children and youth are an important part of ministry,” said Tom, telling how excited he is to be joining the ministry here. “When children and youth lead worship, they are giving of themselves.”
Tom wants the choirs to include everyone and encourages children and youth to invite their friends. We can try to arrange carpools. The Lower Elementary Choir will meet on Wednesday, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and the Upper Elementary Choir from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with the first rehearsal on September 10. The Youth Choir rehearses on Sundays from 5 to 6 p.m., and the first rehearsal is September 7.
Tom was peppered with questions from children, youth, and parents. From second graders in the front row, “Will we play instruments? Will there be parties? ” (Yes to both!) . Other than moving the elementary choir rehearsals from Tuesday to Wednesday, he plans to make no immediate changes to PUMC’s excellent music program, saying, “As we go forward together we will make any changes together.”
Passing the Baton: Yvonne to Tom
This press release announces Yvonne Macdonald’s retirement and Tom Shelton’s appointment as director of music for children and youth
“When children and youth feel what the lyrics are saying, the beauty comes alive,” says Tom Shelton. He is the new director of music for children and youth at Princeton United Methodist Church (PUMC), succeeding Yvonne Macdonald, who retired from that post after 40 years.
“Passing the baton to Tom Shelton is a joy and an honor for me,” says Macdonald. “Easing the transition is my belief that seeds sown over the years both in faith–and in music — are blossoming. I know the choirs are in excellent hands.”
With 22 years of youth choir experience, Shelton has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is assistant professor of sacred music at Westminster Choir College of Rider University and conducts the Princeton Girlchoir’s high school ensemble. He is also a prolific composer and aims to write special pieces for the PUMC choirs, ages three through high school. Shelton will be assisted by Anna de Groot.
Schools can teach character development, says Shelton, “but in church we can teach spiritual values. I encourage each child to relate the essence of the song to a personal experience in their lives.”
“We plan to make no immediate changes to PUMC’s excellent youth music program,” says Shelton.
Located at the corner of Nassau and Vandeventer in Princeton, PUMC is a diverse congregation whose members come from many surrounding communities, backgrounds, and faith histories. For information on joining the PUMC choirs, call 609-924-2613 or office@PrincetonUMC.org or www.princetonumc.org.
Webinars for Christian Educators
For Christian educators –Sunday School teachers and parents — here is a link to online resources provided by Parish Resource Center, Long Island West.
Potential courses include Called to Teach: An Online Course for Sunday School Teachers, September 15 – October 6, 2014.
Then there are webinars that can be heard any time after the air date.
Teaching and Ministering to Tweens
Thursday, November 6, 2014
7 pm to 8 pm EST
Working with Exceptional Children: ADHD and the Autism Spectrum
Thursday, September 4, 2014
7 pm to 8 pm EDT
Focusing on the True Meaning of Christmas with Children
Thursday, October 2, 2014
7 pm to 8 pm EDT
Equipping Families to Teach the Faith to Their Children
Thursday, December 4, 2014
7 pm to 8 pm EST
To get an email with complete info on the webinars, ask Anna@princetonumc.org. Most webinars cost $10 and the Christian Education committee budget can help with the cost.
Meet the Neals at VBS
Meet Josiah — Mercy — Wes — and Jerusha! Vacation Bible School students will have the chance to make friends with children who live 8,000 miles away. In our evening program entitled “Can You Hear Me Now? God Calls Kids Too!” preschool children through incoming 6th graders will meet — through videos — a missionary family working in Fiji. Set for Tuesday to Thursday, July 29 to 31, 5:30 to 8 p.m., the VBS program is free by registration. Dinner is included, and parents are invited to stay.
Twelve-year-old Mercy Neal and her eight-year-old brother, Josiah, are moving from their home in Belleville, New Jersey to Fiji, an island in the South Pacific. Their parents — Rev. Wesley Neal and Rev. Jerusha Neal, both graduates of Princeton Theological Seminary — will teach at a seminary there.
“The children and youth of Princeton UMC will be writing to Mercy and Josiah, and they will also support the Neal family with prayer and fund raising,” says Anna Gillette, associate pastor for discipleship. “VBS children will hear Bible stories about God calls children into discipleship.” Crafts, music, mission projects and games will tie the week’s theme together.
For information or to register — or sign up to help — call 609-924-2613 or email Anna@princetonumc.org.
Ben Burt: “An amazing childhood within your walls”
As a kid, Ben Burt was no shy wallflower. You could always count on him to pipe up with great answers. Now he’s being ordained, and he credits the Christian nurturing at PUMC. These are excerpts from his letter sent, in appreciation, to the congregation.
My name is Ben Burt, better known as that little hooligan son of Fred and Vivian Burt. For the most part, I have not been a physical part of your congregation since 1997, when I went off to college. However, my name remained on the roll of PUMC from many years after I left.
After I left Princeton I struggled to find a church home and I never wanted to move my membership. I never encountered a place as welcoming, comfortable, and beautiful as PUMC. . . .
I am sending you this letter to inform you that I am up for ordination as an Elder in full connection at the South Carolina Annual Conference on June 2nd.
Moreover than your presence at this service, it is important to me that you know you are invited to be there. To some end you will already be there, through all you poured into me. You, Princeton United Methodist Church, are the reason I am where I am today. Sure, from a theological perspective we can say God would have gotten me to where ever God wanted me, regardless of my or other’s actions; God got Jonah to Nineveh. However, I believe God wanted me to be nurtured by Princeton UMC.
You all are an amazing congregation. Even though I was just a punk kid, who didn’t listen (and my wife might agree that I still don’t listen), you all poured the love of Christ into me. You nurtured and taught me the tradition of the Church. You let me experience the community of love that Scripture calls the Church to be. It was what you all instilled in me that God used to draw me deeper into service. I do not know if I would have the same love for the Church if I had not had such an amazing childhood within your walls.
I do not know what children are in your nursery these days, but I am happy for them. Those kids might grow up to be doctors, lawyers, or even bishops. No matter what they grow up to be I am sure they will know an amazing God through the loving community of PUMC.
Here is the complete text of Ben’s letter. It includes his contact info. Send him warm wishes and prayers!
Sermons by Graduating Seniors
For Youth Sunday, three high school seniors brought the sermon message. For photos of the service, click here. Here is the inspiring message from Alexander Birkel.
2014 3 30 AlexandersSermonforYouthSunday
Here is a link to the faith-filled sermon by Anthony Teng.
Daniel Prakash’s encouraging message.