Nassau is invited to join our siblings at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church (WSPC) for worship and study. Find information below for upcoming events, and contact the WSPC Office for zoom links.
In our charge to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly,” Nassau is grateful to partner with our siblings at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church. Ongoing Bending the Moral Arc small groups engage in courageous conversations on race and justice facilitated by members of the Nassau & Witherspoon Partnership Team working in partnership. Those leaders pull from a running resource list to ground discussion, and we wanted to share those resources with you here.
Welcome back to in-person Adult Education classes! We begin this month with a new series exploring the tenets and teachings of Islam. Come hear four excellent community leaders and scholars share their experiences of and expertise in this dynamic and rich tradition. Join us as we strive to be good neighbors to those in our community and conscientious citizens of the world.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
Current Covid Protocols for Adult Education
Our presenters are fully vaccinated and will comply with our testing protocol for worship leaders. Social distancing will apply in the Assembly Room with seating limited to 40 and masking inside the building will continue.
February 6 | Imam Khalil Abdullah
Islam in Dialogue
In the early years of Islam, the emerging Muslim community endured many challenges. Muhammad the Prophet encouraged his followers to seek refuge in the nearby Christian kingdom of Ethiopia. We’ll look at that pivotal moment in history, which offers lessons on both Islam and living together.
Unfortunately, this session was not recorded.
Khalil Abdullah is the Assistant Dean for Muslim Life in the Office of Religious Life at Princeton University. He works closely with students on campus to support their diverse cultural and spiritual identities while helping to strengthen their religious literacy and mutual respect for others. In addition, Khalil offers pastoral care to students and regularly hosts campus dialogues on various topics related to faith, identity, and meaning.
This session will introduce participants to some key features of the Qur’an and its interpretive tradition in Islam. Through some specific examples from the Qur’an itself we will look at ways in which the interpretation of thorny and important matters has transformed over time.
Tehseen Thaver is Assistant Professor of Religion/Islam at Princeton University. She teaches courses on the Qur’an and its interpretation, Sufism and Muslim Ethics, Muslim humanities, Shi‘ism, and religion and culture of Iran. Her research focuses on the multiple forms of Muslims’ engagement with scripture – pre-modern and modern, oral and textual, interpretive and performative.
Islam and Muslim Experiences in the U.S. since 9/11
This week’s class in the Engaging Islam series jumps ahead about 1400 years. We move from learning about the historical roots and sacred texts of Islam to the current experiences of Arab Americans living in our country in the two decades following the events of September 11, 2001. Dr. Jamal will discuss the persistent stereotypes surrounding Arab Americans and how a limited understanding of Islamic culture plays a role in anti-immigrant sentiments.
Amaney Jamal is Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics. Jamal’s research and teaching focuses on the Middle East and North Africa, political development and democratization, inequality and economic segregation, Muslim immigration in the United States and Europe, and issues related to gender, race, religion and class. She previously served in numerous leadership roles on campus, including as chair of the Department of Politics Ad-Hoc Committee on Race and Diversity and as a member of the Dean of the Faculty Committee on Diversity. Jamal also directs the Workshop on Arab Political Development and the Bobst-American University of Beirut Collaborative Initiative.
A Child of Refugees: Becoming an Afghan-American Muslim
Jawad Bayat was born and raised in New Jersey to parents who sought refuge here during the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1981. As he relates his personal story we will discover the inner landscape and tension that many people carry as a result of such major disruption and displacement. Assimilation, isolation, and integration are all part of being Afghan, American, and Muslim.
Imam Jawad Bayat serves as Manager of Pastoral Care and Clinical Pastoral Education for Penn Medicine Princeton Health and Princeton House Behavioral Health. He is a graduate of Hartford International University for Religion and Peace’s (formerly Hartford Seminary) Islamic Chaplaincy program, and is ecclesiastically endorsed by the Islamic Society of North America. Jawad completed his multi-year ACPE educator certification with the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, and became among the first Muslim ACPE certified pastoral care educator’s in its history.
Graphic includes Twelve-Pointed Star-Shaped Tile, attributed to Khargird, Iran, (A.H. 846/ A.D. 1442–43), [Stonepaste; polychrome glaze within black wax resist outlines (cuerda seca technique), 15 7/8 in. x 15 7/8 in. x 1 1/4 in.]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (www.metmuseum.org).
As we reported in Generations in early January, Nassau is serving as the community resettlement sponsor for one of the thousands of families from Afghanistan who fled after its fall to the Taliban. These families have been housed in tents and barracks at Fort Dix and other military bases across the country awaiting the opportunity to start a new life in a welcoming community.
We were very excited in late December to learn of our opportunity to welcome a family with six children into our community. The resettlement team warmly welcomed the family on behalf of Nassau Church when they arrived just days later.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. – Matthew 25:35
Since then, the team has been working with the family as they create a new home and acclimate themselves to their new surroundings. This has included accompanying them on shopping trips, as well as visits to the bank, the library, and doctor appointments. We have also helped them complete the process of enrolling the three youngest children into the local schools. A team of English Language tutors will soon start working with some family members each weekday. The family has been heartened to be able to visit with extended family members who live in the region. We are beginning to work with the family on the immigration process that will allow for the arrival of their father into the United States.
The resettlement team is deeply grateful for the enthusiastic response to our requests for assistance to welcome the family and assist in their resettlement. We have one specific request: we hope members of the congregation will be able to help us find appropriate employment opportunities for the adult children. One of them recently finished medical school and was beginning to work in health care in Afghanistan, while the other has business skills. Please contact the church office if you can help with this.
Help the Hungry in Mercer County Feed Their Families
SUPPORT ARM IN ARM’S 18TH ANNUAL VALENTINES FOR FOOD DRIVE
Arm in Arm needs your generous now more than ever!
In 2021 they have DOUBLED the number of food pantry visits, mobile deliveries and community grab ‘n go events”
Pre-pandemic = 20,000
2021 = 40, 140
Now you can DOUBLEyour support of Arm in Arm! Financial contributions received by February 24 will be MATCHED by a faithful group of Nassau Church donors.
Arm In Arm has NEVER seen its shelves go empty, thanks to the generosity of its supporters – YOU!
How can you help? Follow the links for more detailed information below.
DONATE: Drop off food to the pantry at Nassau (download the shopping list below).
CONTRIBUTE: Monetary donations can be sent to Nassau or directly to Arm In Arm.
VOLUNTEER: your time at one of our pantries in Trenton or Princeton. There is a specific immediate need for volunteers at the Princeton pantry on Mondays & Tuesdays.
Watch a Moment for Mission from Arm in Arm’s Executive Director, David Fox:
CONTRIBUTE: On-line or by mail and remember that your gift will be DOUBLEDthanks to the generosity of several Nassau Presbyterian Church members.
Arm In Arm:arminarm.org/valentines or by using the Valentines for Food envelopes in Nassau’s pew rackS (make checks payable to “Arm In Arm” and note in the Memo: “Nassau”)
Nassau:https://nassauchurch.org/giving/give-now/or mail to 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 (make checks payable to “Nassau Presbyterian” and note in the Memo: “Valentines for Food”)
Contact the church office by phone 609-924-0103 or by email if you have any questions.
VOLUNTEER: at one of our food pantries during the week. Email for more details.
to volunteer in Princeton, immediate need for help on Mondays (11am-2pm or 1:30pm-4pm) and Tuesdays (10am-2pm)
Did you know that in a single year Arm In Arm provides enough food for its clients to prepare approximately one million meals for themselves and their families? When you support Valentines for Food, you support Arm In Arm’s effective response to food insecurity in our area.
Our Princeton Food Pantry at Nassau Presbyterian Church
Arm In Arm’s Princeton Pantry serves approximately 300-400 families on a regular basis. These are local families and seniors, many of whom are served bi-monthly through home deliveries made by volunteers to communities on: Clary Street, Witherspoon Street, Redding Circle, and Spruce Circle.
Visits to and deliveries from this pantry alone in 2021 were more than double from those in 2020, and increased four times from the pre-pandemic number.
Families receive fresher, healthier food and Arm In Arm has made a commitment to providing families with fresh produce on a regular basis. Our food budget has tripled since before the onset of the pandemic.
Nutrition education is provided to community members including by virtual zoom classes in both English and Spanish.
Our Agency
Arm In Arm operates 3 food pantries in Mercer County:
Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton
123 East Hanover Street in Trenton
48 Hudson Street in Trenton
The pandemic has exacerbated the need and in 2021, over the course of 45,140 visits to Arm In Arm’s three food pantries, and through mobile deliveries and grab ‘n go events in the community, people had access to healthy, high quality food for themselves and their families. This is DOUBLE the pre-pandemic level.
People are coming more often; it is expensive to live in our area and the food provided helps to ease the burden, freeing up resources to cover rent, medical bills, car repairs, or even shoes for their children.
Donations of In-Kind Food from Food Drives are critical: Every grocery order includes approximately $15-20 of food that Arm In Arm purchases. This food is supplemented with $30-$40 of food that is donated by the local food bank and by communities like Nassau Presbyterian Church and Princeton Public Schools who conduct food drives and donate much-needed non-perishables. This means that the value of a grocery order for a family is approximately $35-$50 and provides 3 days worth of food.
Approximately one third of the people who receive food through Arm In Arm are under age 18.
About one fifth of Arm in Arm’s food clients are aged 60 and above.
Arm in Arm provides fresh, local produce for its customers, much of it donated by farmers and farmers’ markets, and also from supporters of Yes We CAN! Food Drives; community, school, and church gardens; Whole Foods Market; Farmers Against Hunger; and our own community vegetable garden right in downtown Trenton!
Arm in Arm’s volunteer-tended vegetable garden produced nearly 900 pounds of fresh produce this past summer.
Arm in Arm hosts free health screenings at its downtown Trenton location. Clients can pick up groceries, while receiving COVID 19 vaccinations and blood pressure screenings, learning about and receiving screenings for hypertension, diabetes, glucose levels, and heart health.
Arm In Arm supports the Robbins Elementary School in Trenton through the Princeton Area Community Foundation’s All Kids Thrive Program, which seeks to improve educational performance by reducing chronic absenteeism. The food and case management support we provide results in improved family stability and thus far, has led to increased attendance.
Nassau is invited to join our siblings at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church (WSPC) for worship and study. Find information below for upcoming events, and contact the WSPC Office for zoom links.
In our charge to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly,” Nassau is grateful to partner with our siblings at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church. Ongoing Bending the Moral Arc small groups engage in courageous conversations on race and justice facilitated by members of the Nassau & Witherspoon Partnership Team working in partnership. Those leaders pull from a running resource list to ground discussion, and we wanted to share those resources with you here.
Nassau is invited to join our siblings at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church (WSPC) for worship and study. Find information below for upcoming events, and contact the WSPC Office for zoom links.
Saturdays: January 29, February 26, March 26, April 30
Christian Education Committee Criminal Justice Series
Mass Incarceration and the Criminal Justice System in New Jersey
Saturdays, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
This Week: The first speaker in the series is Antonne Henshaw, a student at the Rutgers Camden School of Criminal Justice Graduate School and Executive Director of C.A.N.D.O. (the Camden African Neighborhood Development Organization). As a Community Organizer, Mr. Henshaw has dedicated himself to eradicating mass incarceration and changing legislation to end the structural violence that threatens the public health of our communities.
In our charge to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly,” Nassau is grateful to partner with our siblings at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church. Ongoing Bending the Moral Arc small groups engage in courageous conversations on race and justice facilitated by members of the Nassau & Witherspoon Partnership Team working in partnership. Those leaders pull from a running resource list to ground discussion, and we wanted to share those resources with you here.
Nassau is invited to join our siblings at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church (WSPC) for worship and study. Find information below for upcoming events, and contact the WSPC Office for zoom links.
Annual Multi-faith Service to Honor the Legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Monday, January 17, 7PM
In our charge to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly,” Nassau is grateful to partner with our siblings at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church. Ongoing Bending the Moral Arc small groups engage in courageous conversations on race and justice facilitated by members of the Nassau & Witherspoon Partnership Team working in partnership. Those leaders pull from a running resource list to ground discussion, and we wanted to share those resources with you here.
On Tuesday, January 11th at 5:30 pm, members of the Bending the Moral Arc Courageous Conversations groups met with the Princeton Civil Rights Commission at their invitation. At question is the Civil Rights Commission’s proposal to create a civilian review board to increase police accountability in the face of disparate Princeton Police excessive force.
At this link you will find data that the Civil Rights Commission believes supports their proposal.
BMA/Courageous Conversations members added their perspectives based on its Policing the Police Conversation, lived experience, and review of developing “reimagining” police news reports and research. Karen S. Brown, Tracy Eskridge, Denyse Leslie, Claire Mulry and Cameron Stout participated in the discussion with Commission members Caroline Clark, Lew Maltby, and Patricia Soll.
Planned next steps include sharing the civilian review board proposal and other information with Witherspoon and Nassau congregations, our Sessions, relevant Committees such as the Mass Incarceration Task Force and the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow. BMA members were generally supportive of a Princeton Police Civilian Review Board, yet pressed for the Commission to embrace bigger and bolder reimagining Police solutions. A civilian review board with teeth should be the goal.
On Sunday, January 16th at 3:00 pm, Witherspoon and Nassau Churches will join 2 other “paired” Matthew 25 churches — Harlem Presbyterian Church (Harlem NY) and Northminster Presbyterian Church (Indianapolis, IN) to begin a 4-church conversation on race and social justice through the vehicle of discussing Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of our Discontents. If you’ve started Caste or read it many times, this is a great opportunity for Witherspoon members to join in what should prove to be a lively monthly discussion and a rich collaboration with 2 Matthew 25 Presbyterian congregations that have been paired for several years under the umbrella of Undoing Racism.The Synod of the Northeast has invited this collaboration to write an Innovation Grant to fund Next Steps / Mission(s) the 4-church effort proposes. We have 5 volunteers from the BMA/Courageous Conversations small groups — Ben Colbert, Denyse Leslie, Jane Holmquist, Claire Mulry, Holly Hardaway. We would like to have a total of 10 — 5 Witherspoon; 5 Nassau. If you are interested in joining this collaboration contact Denyse Leslie (email).
All those interested in learning more about the Bending the Moral Arc Courageous Conversations initiative, please review the November 30th webinar, and other materials at the Presbyterian Mission Agency Scattered Church website. Audi Peal, Ben Colbert, Barbara Flythe, Grace Kimbrough, Elsie McKee, Denyse Leslie, Michelle Peal, Tracy Eskridge, and Cameron Stout are Witherspoon members of the 2 small groups.
The Bending the Moral Arc webinar recording and resource can now be found online:
Nassau is invited to join our siblings at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church (WSPC) for worship and study. Find information below for upcoming events, and contact the WSPC Office for zoom links.
In our charge to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly,” Nassau is grateful to partner with our siblings at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church. Ongoing Bending the Moral Arc small groups engage in courageous conversations on race and justice facilitated by members of the Nassau & Witherspoon Partnership Team working in partnership. Those leaders pull from a running resource list to ground discussion, and we wanted to share those resources with you here.
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.
More than fifty years ago, members of Nassau Church led a grassroots movement of our congregation to welcome our first refugee family. Since then, countless Nassau members – recently including Tom Charles, Sue Jennings and Ann Youmans – have worked together to welcome twelve refugee families from eleven different countries into our midst. This opportunity to witness to our faith and act on our convictions has been a deeply meaningful experience.
Today, Nassau members are continuing this important ministry by preparing to welcome a family from Afghanistan. The New York Times recently reported that 11,000 people who fled from Afghanistan as it fell to the Taliban are being temporarily housed in tents at Fort Dix. All of them are awaiting resettlement to towns across our country as their health and security screenings are completed and they become fully vaccinated.
Church World Service is one of the organizations that is working to assist in this Afghan Placement and Assistance process, and we are once again partnering with them as a community resettlement sponsor. We have just been informed by them that they have identified a family that is a good match for us, and we have agreed to sponsor them. We expect to welcome them into our community on or about January 5th. The family is larger than those we have hosted in the past, with six children — ages 11, 17, 19, 21, 22 and 23 — so our tasks in welcoming and supporting their resettlement will be somewhat different than before, including helping the older children to find appropriate educational and work opportunities. We are very excited to begin this work.
If you have been involved in one of Nassau’s previous resettlements, you know that it takes many, many volunteers and lots of generous support for the effort to be successful. A network of volunteers from across our congregation has begun making these preparations. This group has already found appropriate housing and furnished it with donated furniture. We are grateful to Princeton Theological Seminary for its support for this housing, and we thank everyone who has already volunteered in this effort and to hose of you who have already generously provided housewares, furniture, and other items.
The Nassau Generations newsletter on Friday, December 31, contained a link (also found below) to a “SignUp Genius” list for additional donations to meet the needs of this large family. As we find out more about their specific needs, we will continue to add items to that list. We thank everyone who has already responded to help us welcome this family. Monetary donations can be made using the “Give Online” link below by choosing the “Refugee resettlement” fund.
One important note about this resettlement – it is vital that we respect the privacy of the family and the confidentiality of their arrangements, given the circumstances of the Afghan resettlement. Unfortunately, there is a very real risk that politics and fear could threaten the security of the family as they seek to begin a new life in our community. We all need to commit to do everything we can to keep them safe by protecting their privacy. This includes information about their individual names, as well as their address and living arrangements.
We are very likely to need your help and support over the coming weeks and months in several areas, such as clothing, transportation and food. These needs will be communicated through Nassau Generations and listed on the SignUp Genius.
Please join us in prayerfully considering how you can join in this important resettlement ministry.
