God offers endless buckets of love — that was Lay Minister Cindy Gordon’s message on Sunday (2/7/2016), at Children’s Time. For a photo essay, click here.
Endless buckets of love
Ashes to Go: February 10
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
This year our pastoral staff will again be offering Ashes to Go to busy Princeton community members. From 9:30 to 11:30 am we will gather outside our church on Nassau Street and offer ashes to those who are unable to visit church on Ash Wednesday, February 10, reminding them of the start of this holy Lenten season. For our traditional Ash Wednesday services, Scott Sherrill will preach at noon and Jana Purkis-Brash at 7:30 p.m.
Holy Communion February 7
This Sunday, the first Sunday in February, we will observe Holy Communion. JJ Flag will preach. As part of the last in the series of “Healthy Spirituality: Inside Out” he will tie it all together. At the 9:30 service, Cindy Gordon will give the Children’s Sermon, and Tom Shelton will direct the Youth Choir.
Sunday Learning
Two adult classes are offered on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Both welcome ‘drop ins’ at any time.
The Heart of our Faith class is studying the book of James. says Don Brash, Theologian in Residence at PUMC. New this year — Don will be joined by Bill Arnold as co-leader of the class, known for its lively discussions from divergent points of view.
Meeting
in the library, the Contemporary Issues class is reading a book of essays, The Givenness of Things, by Marilynne Robinson, who won the Pulitzer for her novel Gilead. According to the publisher, the book “investigates how the work of the great thinkers of the past, Calvin, Locke, Bonhoeffer–and Shakespeare–can infuse our lives, and calls attention to the rise of the self-declared elite in American religious and political life.” For the New York Times review, click here.
Other study groups that welcome drop ins: The United Methodist Men on Tuesday nights, the Monday Morning Group on Monday mornings.
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Feb. 6: Conversation re August Wilson’s ‘Piano Lesson’
McCarter Theater’s acclaimed August Wilson play, “The Piano Lesson,” continues to February 7, and we have an unusual opportunity to talk about it after the matinee on Saturday, February 6. McCarter partners with Not in Our Town to facilitate a 90-minute Community Conversation. For tickets and reservations for the free discussion call 609-258-2787 or go to www.McCarter.org. To hear a little bit of the wonderful “railroad song” click here.
The Community Conversation will focus on the story of The Piano Lesson “as an articulation of black American experience through which issues and themes pertaining to race, racism, and racial oppression and injustice can be shared and explored for meaning and understanding.”
NiOT (to which PUMC belongs) is the interracial, interfaith social action group united to advance the cause of racial justice in Princeton.
NiOT holds a monthly Continuing Conversations on Race, held on first Mondays at 7 p.m. in partnership with the Princeton Public Library. These forums offer a safe and friendly atmosphere to talk about issues of relevance to our community and nation. Or, “continue the conversation” by perusing Not in Our Town Princeton’s blog, which offers commentary from various points of view https://niotprinceton.org.
Circle of Friends on February 9
When Newfoundland natives hear of big storms in New Jersey, like the one we just had, their joke could be “They call it ‘snowstorm,’ we call it ‘Wednesday.’ ” All women of the church are invited to hear Maria Ivy Blomgren speak on “Newfoundland, the most easterly point in North America,” at the Circle of Friends meeting on Tuesday, February 9, at 10:30 a.m. at PUMC’s Fellowship Hall.
Maria knows this part of Canada well — her grandparents (Ivy and and John Anthony) lived there, and her mother (Dorothy Muriel Anthony) was born there. She will tell about the history and traditions and also of the United Church of Canada. As a special treat, she will bring examples from her grandmother’s teacup collection.
A graduate of the University of Scranton, Maria pursued a master’s in marketing at Golden Gate University. She and her husband, owner-chef Evan Blomgren own the Rocky Hill Inn.
All PUMC women are invited to attend — and bring your friends! If possible RSVP to Robbie Vaccaro (or call her to ask a qustion) at 609-530-0331.
The Circle of Friends, a group of United Methodist Women, meets every other month (or in the months of September, November, February, and April.) Meetings include a speaker, and everyone brings a sandwich. Dessert and beverage are provided. In December the group has a festive holiday lunch and in June there is a picnic. All women in the church are invited.
The heavens are telling…in today’s busy world
Last week John DiStase took this sunrise photo on the way to work and posted it on his Facebook page. The following day, the women in the Monday Morning Group were scheduled to study sunrises, as described in the daily devotional published by The Upper Room. The author (Larry R. Hygh Jr.) referred to Psalm 1: The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork, and he wrote that each sunrise ‘instructs us in the nature of praise and in bearing witness to the work of God among us.’
Slow down! he warns. He describes his morning run. ‘Each day I pause near the pond and watch the sun rise while the geese take off in flight. Only God can make the sun rise each day and give new mercies every morning . . . . Take time to listen to the silent speech of the universe.’
Two side points and a challenge:
- Social media (in this case, Facebook) is a great way to ‘fellowship’ with each other in today’s busy world. Most of us know John, mostly, as the husband of Sharon Apperson DiStase and the father of a teenage daughter and twin daughters. Through Facebook, we learn that he is a guitarist and a photographer.
- The Monday Morning Group is a quintessential example of the ‘small groups’ that help adults deal with today’s busy world — they come together for prayer, study, and fellowship. On a ‘come when you can’ basis, participants discuss the past week’s devotional readings in the Upper Room devotional, and come away refreshed and reaffirmed.
Here’s the challenge:
Do you have a sunset or sunrise photo that would illustrate Psalm 19? Take a moment to appreciate the light! Send your sunrise/sunset photos — or any photo that represents a psalmist’s message — to communications@PrincetonUMC.org. We’ll post it on the church Facebook page, and thanks .. “for taking time to listen to the silent speech of the universe.’
Snowed in by Jonas? Worship virtually!
Churches all over Princeton are closed under a blanket of snow. But — this is the Lord’s Day! Let’s use the treasure of social media to worship together. Post your favorite picture (of snow or anything else) and your favorite Scripture verse, and share it! Tell if it’s OK to share on the Facebook page of Princeton United Methodist Church! Or email me (bfiggefox@gmail.com) and I’ll put it on the Facebook page.
Pastor Jana started us off with this verse from Isaiah 25:4-5 “For You have been a strong-place for those who could not help themselves and for those in need because of much trouble. You have been a safe place from the storm…” And Jennifer Gromada contributes this photo and the line of a favorite hymn.
Hands On in Christ’s Service
This is a personal post. In the several decades I’ve been at Princeton United Methodist Church, one of the congregational traits I value the most is an understanding attitude regarding personal schedules. We don’t play the blame game. If something comes up and you can’t do what you signed up to do, we’ll manage somehow. If you say you don’t have time to do a particular task, we won’t guilt you into doing it.
But perhaps we aren’t reaching everybody with the right message. The opportunity to be “hands on in Christ’s service” can be so exhilarating, even life changing. It’s just a matter of finding the square holes for the square pegs. Maybe we aren’t being savvy about offering volunteer opportunities.
So I was intrigued by a post in the national United Methodist weekly digest: How to recruit volunteers when begging and badgering doesn’t work. And was delighted to find that at least one committee is already using one of the tips.
Take a look at the article (click here) and see what you think. If you think one of these strategies will work at PUMC, email the communications committee at communications@PrincetonUMC.
But how you are “hands on in Christ’s service” is up to you — and Jesus! We promise — you won’t have to take charge of your idea unless you want to!
Barbara Fox
How can fear be healthy?
Fear is a healthy emotion, says Bill Hader, who plays the character Fear in the Disney Pixar movie Inside Out. He explains it in this clip.
On Sunday, January 17, Scott Sherrill will preach on how the emotion of fear can be part of everyone’s search for healthy spirituality. How will he tie it in with the scripture passages, Isaiah 41:8-14 and Philipians 4:4-9 ?
His sermon is part of January’s series Healthy Spirituality: Inside Out. On January 24 Rev. Jana Purkis-Brash will preach on “Joy,” while Catherine Williams talks on January 31 about “The Gift of Sadness.”