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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!

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Landscape of Lent: Water

 2014 water altar The Landscape of Lent: Water

A Sermon by Jana Purkis-Brash

Sunday, March 23, 2014. 

Jana’s topic was the story in John 4: 5-42 about the Samarian woman at the well. For the complete sermon, click here.

Her conclusion:  Over and over again Jesus defied the rigid boundaries imposed by the religious and social leaders of his time. You can look at some of what he did in a contemporary context, and some of it will bother you and maybe even make you angry, as it did the Pharisees and Sadducees.

If Jesus were physically present today,

  • He would visit the Ukraine.
  • He would have dinner with prostitutes and drug addicts.
  • He would surround himself with people of poverty.
  • He would embrace and the Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community.
  • He would call on us to pray for terrorists.

Jesus is alive today. And we are his body. We are his presence. We are called to have his mind, and to act as best we are able to discern as Jesus would. To ask and take seriously the question of what would Jesus do in our time moves us well beyond the wristbands that were popular years ago and into the often uncomfortable and sometimes socially unacceptable places where we acknowledge that all people of all nations, all cultures, all religions, all genders, all ages, all races, all sexual orientations, all incomes, all accomplishments and all sins are God’s own children and our sisters a2014 water jugnd brothers seeking the water of eternal life.

And that, my dear friends in Christ, is the most significant witness of all… the one you make. Drink deeply of the living water that Christ offers and share that life giving water with others who need it so badly.

Altar art by Debbie Meola, photographs by Edem Timpo.

 

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Taize Prayer: Noon Meditation on April 8

2014 taize Bells

2014 4 Taize Reconciliation

 

Cathie Capp gave the Lenten meditation on Tuesday, April 8, noon to 12:30 p.m. In the “A Quiet Center” series, her theme was prayer in the Taize’ community. The Taize’ community is known for  meditative prayer with neither a beginning nor an end. 

2014 4 Taize SkyFollowing this moving and prayerful service, held in the chapel at Princeton United Methodist Church, there was  a light lunch, provided by Iona Harding.

Cathie t00k these photos during the week that she spent in the Taize community.

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Member News: Bob and Debbie Meola

Bob and Debbie Meola are a director-producer team who have contributed their many talents to PUMC for ten years. Their latest production for a community theater group — Shrek the bob filmingMusical — opens this weekend at Montgomery High School.

Bob and daughter Tricia did the fabulous video for the “Opening Doors” capital campaign and he most recently made the instructional video for using PUMC’s kitchen appliances  (in photo above)

Debbie is designing PUMC’s altar arrange2014 3 23 water largements to go with our Lenten sermon series (her “Water” altar is at right). She also co-leads a Girl Scout troop with another PUMC member, Alison Koblin. She and Bob have three daughters — Katie, Tricia, and Abby.

The Meolas began their careers as a producing/directing team in many corporate studios. Currently Bob manages the productions studio at Chubb, and Debbie is a freelance writer.

The Meolas are founding members of Sourland Hills Actors Guild, a non profit, volunteer run community theater in Montgomery Township. As director (Bob) and producer (Debbie) they offer four performances of Shrek the Musical,  Thursday to Sunday, April 4 to 7. Click here for tickets and info.shrek

Shrek tells the story of an ogre and his loyal steed Donkey, as they set off on a quest to rescue the beautiful (if slightly temperamental) Princess Fiona. Add the diminutive Lord Farquaad, a gang of fairytale misfits and a biscuit with attitude, for a family-fun musical comedy! The message of acceptance makes this a great production for all ages.

Community theater groups like these offer opportunities for  area children and adults to audition and perform or work behind the scenes — to build self confidence, work together as a team — and hear the delight of an audience appreciating their hard work! The Meolas are wonderful role models for how to take joy in using one’s God-given talents and training to help others.

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The Landscape of Lent: Wilderness

2014 3 9 altar earhGod’s Word shows us that even life’s barren and hostile wilderness cannot separate us from God’s love and the destiny God has for us. That’s what ZhiHui Poh preached on March 9 in a Lenten sermon at Princeton United Methodist Church. His topic in the Landscape of Lent series was the wilderness — the wilderness in which the Israelites wandered, the wilderness in which Jesus was tempted, and the wilderness in our own lives.

He offered an inspiring message about how to think of “life’s wilderness” three ways — as part of God’s grace, as part of God’s discipline, or as part of God’s confidence in us. To continue reading, click here.

(The altar was designed for this service by Debbie Meola).

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Youth Leaders for Service and Worship

Our young people will take leading roles in our church this weekend! On Saturday, March 29 at 6 p.m. they stage a fundraising dinner and auction for the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). Tickets for the March 29 dinner are $5, and all are welcome. Among the 2013 asp debbieitems on the auction block:  condos in London, England and Key West, Florida. The ASP program welcomes all teens of all backgrounds, church members and non-church members alike, to participate in this life-changing experience.

On Sunday, March 30, at 9:30 and 11 a.m., three graduating seniors — Alexander Birkel, Daniel Prakash, and Anthony Teng — will deliver the sermon.  Their topic in the Landscape of Lent series is “Mud.”

Sunday Schoolers from second grade on up will attend the 9:30 worship service. After all — soon it will be their turn to lead a Youth Sunday!

Then on the Thursday before Easter,  April 17, at 7:30 p.m., the youth choir and a string quartet will present Faure’s Messe Basse for the service of Upper Room Communion.

Come and support our youth!

 

 

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The Landscape of Lent: Wind

2014 3 16 wind photo sanctuary Some of God’s best work happens in the midst of chaos and ambiguity, said Catherine Williams in her sermon at Princeton United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 16, 2014. The theme was “Wind,” and it was part of a Lenten sermon series on the elements. Here is an excerpt, and for the complete text, click here. The audio version is also available on Sermon.net.

Some of God’s best work happens in the midst of chaos and ambiguity. I was never more aware of that than in my clinical pastoral exposure in the chaos of emergency rooms, in the ambiguity of the psychiatric floor, or in the limbo of the intensive care unit and its waiting rooms. As a terrified chaplain-in-training, despite my predilection for order and control, I discovered that some of God’s best work takes place in the midst of life’s disruptions.

May those of us today who are trying to live through situations of ambiguity and uncertainty allow the wind of God’s spirit to fill us with peace. Often in this place of peace we encounter God’s wisdom, God’s knowledge, God’s understanding, God’s perspective of the situation that simply had not occurred to us before, nor would ever have, had we not placed our trust in God.

So come Holy Spirit, blow upon our hearts this day.

Blow your healing breath where there is pain and sadness.

Blow like a gale where there is complacency and inertia.

Blow, wind of God, blow over our trampled, broken dreams and bring them to life.

Blow over our callous hearts and soften them for your compassionate use.

Blow over our broken families and breathe forgiveness into places of disillusion.

Blow over frail and dysfunctional bodies and cause a rush of healing life to flow within them.

Blow over our failed systems of justice and overturn the rampant corruption and fraud that oppress your people.

Blow over city streets filled with violence and crime; let your reign of peace exert a leavening influence in our families and schools so our children learn to love peace and hate war.

Come holy spirit, breath of God, may this Lenten season give way to the Easter of our lives where we are reborn and renewed from above…

in the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the blessed Holy Spirit, Amen

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Fighting Cholera in the Congo

Tom Lank, formerly on the staff at PUMC — he led the 2010 mission trip to the Congo for the United Front Against Riverblindness — sent us a note from Bishop Ntambo asking for help in the cholera outbreak. The mission team met him in the DRC. “several PUMC folks will recognize the Bishop and may feel called to respond to the need,” says Tom. We were glad that Tom, Gretchen, and the girls could come to the African Soiree to present the very special UFAR award, honoring Pete, to Liz Meggitt and her family.

The message from Bishop Ntambo: Each year, North Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo experiences a severe Cholera outbreak that claims thousands of lives during the rainy season. UMCOR needs your help to respond to this outbreak and help prevent it from happening again. Watch this video to hear from Bishop NTAMBO Nkulu Ntanda on how you can help.

We are also asked to keep the people of North Katanga in our prayers.