Don’t Conform, Transform
Afraid to open the paper this morning? What might you see? A world more out of sync with the Kingdom of Heaven than it was yesterday? One step forward, two steps back? Really? And what was your first clue? And more to the point, what are you going to do about it? Finish breakfast? Head for work?
Offering an opportunity for fellowship and love, small groups return to Nassau in the fall of 2017 with a myriad of offerings, each of which, in its own way, provides you with the opportunity for renewal.
Small groups are not about conforming, they are about transforming — learning something new and meeting that person to whom you say, “Peace be with you,” on Sunday, but don’t really know. They are about binding ourselves together in a community of faith and becoming different people in the process.
- Turn off the news for awhile and learn something about some of our country’s most famous champions of children, including Fred Rogers.
- Or about how to discover the Holy Spirit in the details of our ordinary lives.
- Or about new ways to think about The Letter of James – “Faith without works is dead,” or the Letters to the Philippians or the Colossians.
- Maybe it is time to think a little about Dietrich Bonheoffer, maybe more than a little.
- Want a preview of Dave’s sermon from Dave himself? We’ve got that, if you are willing to get up early enough.
- Ever wonder what the Celts have to do with Christianity? We have got that too.
- Or you could join in a conversation about Just Mercy, an amazing memoir by a lawyer who confronted injustice in the South.
- Maybe you want to explore the gospel basis for resistance?
- Or maybe you just want to learn how to look through the viewfinder of a camera and see the world in a different way.
No one comes away from a small group unchanged. Let’s seek, and act on, hope together.
Sign Up
Sign up in Fellowship beginning Sunday, September 10, or online after Monday, September 11. Books will be available for purchase in Fellowship on Sunday morning or in the church office during regular business hours.
Groups meet weekly for six to ten weeks.
Available Small Groups
The small groups with spaces available are listed below.
Complete catalogue: 2017 Fall Small Groups (pdf)
Sundays, Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Fresh Air by Jack Levinson
Dan Dorrow and Mani Pulimood, leaders
Pulimood Home, Princeton
Mani Pulimood has been worshiping at Nassau Church for the last 10 years with his wife, Monisha, and two sons, Nikhil and Philip. He has authored a book, Spiritual Dimensions–Musings on Life and Faith. One of his favorite ministries is online evangelism. You can find him on Twitter: @ManiPulimood.
Dan Dorrow is being sponsored by Nassau’s session as a Candidate to become a Teaching Elder in the PCUSA. Searching for his first ordained call, Dan is looking to serve God as a pastor-theologian with special attention to the Bible’s call for justice and helping people living impoverished lives. Dan is married to Joanne Dorrow and is the father of two adult daughters.
Mondays, Oct. 2 to Nov. 13, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Tapping into the NPC Sermon Archive: A “No-Homework” Small Group
Tom Coogan, leader
Princeton Theological Seminary Library
Tom Coogan and his family have been Nassau Church members for 10+ years. Their lives have been greatly enriched by Nassau’s Scripture-based preaching, and how ancient (but eternal) words can be directly related to our daily lives.
Wednesdays, Oct. 4 to Nov. 15, 6:30-7:30 a.m.
Listening Ahead of Time: Preparing for Sunday’s Sermon
Dave Davis, leader
Conference Room
Bring your own breakfast
Dave Davis has been pastor and head-of-staff at Nassau since the fall of 2000. His PhD in Homiletics from Princeton Theological Seminary focused on preaching as a corporate act and the active role of the listener in the preaching event. He has published two sermon collections, A Kingdom You Can Taste and Lord, Teach Us to Pray.
Wednesdays, Oct. 4 to Nov. 15, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Marshall McKnight, leader
Princeton Theological Seminary Library
Marshall McKnight, an NPC member since 2011, currently serves the congregation as a Deacon. He works in Trenton for the State of New Jersey and lives in Princeton Junction. Upon completing an NPC Small Group study of “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander last fall, Marshall McKnight signed up for service with Nassau Presbyterian Church’s Mass Incarceration Task Force. He kept hearing about the book, “Just Mercy” as a highly recommended read.
Thursdays, Oct. 5 to Nov. 30, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debbie Irving
Len Scales, leader
Conference Room
Bring your own lunch
Note, will not meet Oct. 19, Nov. 9, or Nov. 23
Len Scales is Executive Co-Director for Princeton Presbyterians of the Westminster Foundation along with her husband Andrew. Princeton Presbyterians is a campus ministry supported by Nassau Church. In this role, she serves as an affiliate chaplain at Princeton University and adjunct pastor at Nassau Church. Len and Andrew lead Breaking Bread, a worship service on Sundays at 8PM in Niles Chapel during the academic year.
Thursdays, Oct. 5 to Nov. 15, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Photographing the Psalms: The Sacred Art of Photography III
Ned Walthall, leader
Conference Room
Ned Walthall has been thinking about and taking photographs for years. He is the geeky guy with the long lens at coffee hour. If you see him, say hello. His work can be seen at nwalthall.tumblr.com.