Adult Education – April 24, May 1 & 8

Faith ‘n Technology

From phones to drones; cars to Mars, technology is reshaping, indeed, remaking the worlds we live in. But what can our ancient and analog faith offer such brave new futures? These all-ages classes will plug into the big questions about belief in the digital age.  Gather around as we ask, “Should we have Faith in Technology?”


Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.




April 24 | 9:30am, Assembly Room

From Plato to Instagram: Truly Knowing the Shadows on the Wall

As more of life is spent online, and more knowledge is gained through digital media, how will we know what is true and real? This week explores the power of image, the nature of knowledge, and some ancient wisdom for escaping our computer caves.


May 1 | 9:30am, Assembly Room

Will Robots Pray to Electric Gods?: Machines, Cyborgs, and the Meaning of Humanity

Will organic people become obsolete hardware? This week we turn to questions of artificial intelligence and what it means to be human as we address the dreams and dystopias of robotic futures.


May 8 | 9:30am, Assembly Room

Beauty Great and Nano: The Brilliance of Nature

The heavens declare glory and beauty. But what about the nano scale cosmos below us? Our final session looks to the natural world for inspiration and hope as we contemplate the wonders our technology may achieve.


Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards is Director of Youth Ministry here at Nassau Presbyterian Church. In his spare time he teaches “Ethics and Technology” at nearby The College of New Jersey.

Refugee Resettlement Update (Mar. 2022)

Thanks to the active support and assistance from church members, much progress has been made in the resettlement of the Afghan family that Nassau is sponsoring.

Over the past month, the family has made significant progress in settling into their new home and beginning their new lives in the Princeton community. As a first step in addressing their transportation needs, the family now owns a car that was generously donated by a Nassau Church member. The oldest son has successfully received his driver’s license, and this will allow him to commute to his new job working in a medical office. The other son has also found employment at a local grocery store. The mother and oldest daughter have been focusing on daily ESL classes, while the other daughters are doing well at their respective schools. Many Nassau volunteers are helping the family with transportation; we anticipate that as additional family members obtain drivers licenses, they will be needing a larger car so the whole family can travel together when necessary. If you are in a position to donate a minivan or other large vehicle, please contact the church office by email.

The family is enjoying social activities organized by Nassau staff and members. Two of the daughters recently enjoyed attending a Super Bowl party with Nassau Youth, while the two brothers had fun at a Princeton University men’s basketball game, which they attended with church members (where they watched Princeton beat Harvard).

Nassau volunteers helped the family engage a local lawyer with experience in immigration issues and they are now working toward getting approval for their father to reunite with the rest of the family in Princeton. The church’s Refugee Resettlement Fund is assisting with a portion of the legal expenses. The resettlement team continues to be deeply grateful for the enthusiastic response to our requests for assistance and asks for your continuing prayers for the family.

Adult Education – Lent ’22 Linked-In Learning Series

Reading Luke Backwards

Some stories are not meant to be read once and in order. Some stories are meant for us to revisit over and over again. The Gospel of Luke is such a story and our yearly journey through Lent provides an ideal opportunity to remember and learn anew the story of Jesus’s cross and resurrection anew, afresh, and perhaps from a different vantage point.

And so we invite you to read the Gospel of Luke backwards this season. In a world turned upside down by pandemics and politics alike, how might we approach Easter if we start at the foot of the cross, at the threshold of the empty tomb? And what if we end the story where it starts, in the arms of Mary? From the end to the beginning, Luke narrates a good news that transforms a ruptured world.


Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.


Eric Barreto is Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, an ordained Baptist minister, and a Nassau parent. He earned a BA in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University, an MDiv from Princeton Seminary, and a PhD in New Testament from Emory University. Prior to coming to Princeton Seminary, he served as associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, and also taught as an adjunct professor at the Candler School of Theology and McAfee School of Theology.


March 6 | Luke 23:26-40

An Unjust Death

Lent and Easter invite us into multiple stories of the cross and resurrection. Luke’s account of the cross focuses on Jesus’ innocence and his unjust death at the hands of an empire that saw him as a threat to the order it had established. At the foot of the cross then, we meet a Jesus who stands alongside others unjustly and cruelly executed by the machinations of various empires. Thus, we stand at the foot of the cross grieving what we have seen: an innocent person whose life an empire tries to take but whom God redeems. 


March 13 | Luke 20:20-26

Confronting Caesar

In light of Luke’s account of the cross, we can turn afresh to a number of well-known Lukan passages, including Jesus’ famous and often misinterpreted call to “render unto Caesar.” Often, this verse is deployed to encourage us to keep separate the political and the religious. Instead, the story calls us to count carefully what actually belongs to God and how much is left for a Caesar who claims to possess the world. What belongs to God if not everything! And if that’s true, then what is left to give to Caesar?


March 20| Luke 14:15-24

The (Not So) Great Dinner

Luke loves stories about food, about gathering around tables with sinners and righteous alike. Here, Jesus tells a story about what a gathering usually deemed a great dinner, a picture of the feast that awaits us all in paradise. However, the Jesus Luke narrates consistently goes to the margins to find his dinner companions, not as a concession after all his friends have turned down his invitation. That is, this (not so) great dinner teaches us more about what a feast in heaven will not be like.


March 27 | Luke 6:20-26

Blessed Are…

Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain promises nothing less than a reversal of the order of a world that privileges raw power, excessive pride, unrestrained greed by highlighting the poor, the meek, the disinherited as beneficiaries and exemplars of God’s promised reign. Alongside blessing, Jesus also names woe to those who have already received their “consolation.”


April 3 | Luke 4:1-13

Power & Justice: Temptation in the Wilderness

Following on the heels of Jesus’ baptism and a voice from heaven naming him God’s beloved child, the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. There, Jesus faces temptation, supported by the Spirit and the belief that God was with him. At the center of the temptation account is Satan’s promise to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, kingdoms Satan now controls. Jesus’ faithful response is an invitation to ponder the shape of power and how we might hone our expectations of God’s good reign.


April 10 | Luke 1:39-56

A Believer, A Prophet

We end where Luke’s narrative begins: with Mary’s faithful consent and her prophetic declaration. Typically, we read about Mary’s choice and her song in the Christmas season. In light of Good Friday’s cross and Easter’s promise of resurrection, how might Mary’s bold belief help us meet Jesus once again? This story will remind us of Mary’s faithful teaching of Jesus, the anguish and grief she must have experienced throughout Jesus’ life, as well as one of the sources of the prophetic and prayerful proclamation of God’s transformative kingdom that marked Jesus’ own ministry.

Lent 2022 Small Groups

Old rhythms and routines are returning in new ways. Small Group fellowship is also adapting to the new normal. This Lent brings a wonderful diversity of topics, leaders, and platforms, all designed to deepen your knowledge, faith, and community. Whether you opt for in-person or virtual groups, the promise that the Holy Spirit is present when two or more are gathered in God’s name remains a constant.

Click on the Small Group Name to read more.

Start
Time

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

10 a.m. Reading Luke
11 a.m.
12 p.m. Cradling Abundance
4 p.m. Art of
Faithfulness
Reading Luke
(grades 4-7)
7 p.m.
Movies – Backwards Reading Luke Reading Luke
  Christ is Time
7:30 p.m. Photographing Lent Photographing Lent

Reading Luke Backwards

Linked In Learning Series
Some stories are not meant to be read once and in order. Some stories are meant for us to revisit over and over again. The Gospel of Luke is such a story and our yearly journey through Lent provides an ideal opportunity to remember and learn anew the story of Jesus’s cross and resurrection anew, afresh, and perhaps from a different vantage point.

And so we invite you to read the Gospel of Luke backwards this season. In a world turned upside down by pandemics and politics alike, how might we approach Easter if we start at the foot of the cross, at the threshold of the empty tomb? And what if we end the story where it starts, in the arms of Mary? From the end to the beginning, Luke narrates a Good News that transforms a ruptured world.

Join us each Sunday morning as Eric D. Barreto, Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, leads us (backwards) through the Gospel of Luke, examining not only the Biblical and historical context of Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ life and ministry but also its timely and timeless impact on our lives today. Get linked-in for Lent! Each week small groups will study these Lukan texts from a more personal and contemplative point of view, and Pastor Davis will preach them in worship.



Mondays, February 28 – April 4, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
In-person and outdoors at the home of Corrie Berg in Princeton, NJ.

This group is full
Corrie Berg, is the Director of Educational Ministries and always delighted to talk about Bible stories, whether it’s with grown ups or with children. She finds that she often learns the most by discussing the stories of our faith with the people of our church.

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Reading Luke Backwards – just for Kids (4th-8th graders)

Mondays, February 28 – April 4, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
In-person and outdoors at the home of Corrie Berg in Princeton, NJ.

Register Here
Corrie Berg is the Director of Educational Ministries and always delighted to talk about Bible stories, whether it’s with grown ups or with children. She finds that she often learns the most by discussing the stories of our faith with the people of our church.

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Tuesdays, March 1 – April 5, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
In-person at the home of Thomas and Trevor in Kingston, NJ.

Register Here
Thomas VanWart and Trevor Thorton have been attending Nassau Church for two years, becoming members just before the pandemic started, and now they are Deacons. Relocating to the area from Kansas City, they are currently building their small homestead in Kingston with a Corgi (Luna), 11 Chickens (Emmy Lou, Queen Elizabeth, Reba, Dolly, Stacey, Fran, Abby, Iris, RBG, Marily Robinson, and Nina), and a growing garden.

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Thursdays, March 3 – April 7, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

Mani Pulimood has been worshiping at NPC for a long time, with his wife, Monisha, and two sons, Nikhil and Philip. He enjoys participating in and leading small groups at Nassau. He has authored a book, Spiritual Dimensions – Musings on Life and Faith. One of his favorite ministries is online evangelism (https://twitter.com/ManiPulimood). He also enjoys biking and hiking.

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Additional Small Group Options


Art of Faithfulness

Sundays, March 6 – April 10, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

This group is full

This spring the Art of Faithfulness continues! Join us as we look at the creative arts as a pathway to experiencing God’s presence in our lives, individually and collectively. We will explore a variety of creative art forms, including the creativity that God has given each of us, to reflect and discuss how they relate to and express our faith.

Kim Kleasen is a long time member of Nassau and the Adult Choir, is currently on Session and working on our Forward in Faith Together initiatives. During the pandemic she completed a course of study on Spiritual Direction at General Theological Seminary where she deeply explored the connections of our creativity and faith.

Noel Werner is in his 16th year as the Director of Music at Nassau and currently serving as Dean of the Central NJ Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He enjoys discovering the power of music, poetry, and visual arts on our virtual platforms during the pandemic.

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Let’s Begin at the End; at the Movies

Sundays, February 27 – April 10, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

This group is full

Throughout art and literature we find stories told by using reverse chronology narratives, telling a story in reverse order of events on a timeline. Cinema plays more than a bit part in that mix. We will look at six films that employ a variation of this ancient storytelling technique while enjoying film classics that begin with Mank, a 2020 film about the making of the 1941 masterpiece Citizen Kane. We will conclude the series with a screening of Citizen Kane. On the first Sunday we will talk about ourselves and get to know each other and dip our toes in the reverse chronology story pool. The next six weeks we will see the above films listed in the order shown ahead of our scheduled time together. We will then discuss that week’s movie during our time together.
Movie selections include: Mank; Slumdog Millionaire; Into the Wild; Forrest Gump; Amadeus; Citizen Kane.

Marshall McKnight, a lifelong movie buff, has been a Nassau Church member since 2011. He is a deacon and is active on the Mass Incarceration Task Force. He also serves on the Adult Education and Membership Committees. He was a journalist for seven years and for the last 17 has worked for the State of New Jersey.

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Christ is Time

Mondays, February 28 – April 4, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

Get “Barth Smart” as we encounter Mark’s favorite volume in the Church Dogmatics. Addressing our understanding of humanity and temporality, Karl rethinks and arguably solves the meta-question, “What is time?”  First-timers and experts are welcome as we gather around this rigorous challenge to mind and heart, church and world, and clock and calendar. Reading is ~40 pages/week.

Mark Edwards joined Nassau as Director of Youth Ministries in September of 2013. He is a lifelong Presbyterian and holds a PhD in Philosophy and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has taught at Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, and Princeton Theological Seminary. His Christ is Time: The Gospel according to Karl Barth is forthcoming in ‘22. Mark is married to Janine, and they have two great kids, a dog, a cat, seven chickens, and a bunch of bikes.

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Cradling Abundance

Tuesdays, March 8 – April 5, 12:00-1:00 pm
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

Join friends from Witherspoon Street Presbyterian for conversations on Cradling Abundance: One African Christian’s Story of Empowering Women and Fighting Systemic Poverty by Monique Misenga Ngoie Mukuna & Elsie Tshimunyi McKee. Each week we will take a section of the book and consider specific questions pertaining to the text and spend time reflecting generally as well. We hope participants will invest in friendships with one another and Maman Monique through her writing.
A limited quantity of books will be available for purchase at Laybrinth Books on Nassau Street beginning Thursday, February 17 (ask at the check out counter). These can also be ordered from Amazon, Christianbook.com, or from the publisher InterVarsity Press.

Len Scales is the Part-Time Pastor for Mission & Outreach at Nassau. She and her husband Andrew are in their sixth year serving as the Presbyterian Chaplains at Princeton University and Executive Co-Directors of Princeton Presbyterians of the Westminster Foundation at Princeton.

Elsie McKee retired from teaching history at Princeton Theological Seminary last year. She was born and grew up in Congo, and for many years has supported theological education there. Since 2010 her primary focus has been working with her dear friend Maman Monique; in 2013 Elsie and friends established a small non-profit Woman, Cradle of Abundance, to assist Maman Monique’s ministry.

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The Sacred Art of Photography

The theme of Sacred Art of Photograph this spring will be Photographing Lent. Each group will prepare a Lenten photo journal that will consist, in the aggregate, of two photographs each group member produces during the week prior to the group meeting on Zoom.

The stimulus for these photographs will come from various scriptures and Lenten meditations provided daily at Nassau beginning on March 2, Ash Wednesday. You can sign up for this email list here:

Members will present two of their photographs for discussion on the evenings in which the group meets.


Photographing Lent (Tuesdays)

Tuesdays, March 1 – April 5, 7:30-8:30pm
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

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Photographing Lent (Thursdays)

Thursdays, March 3, 17, 31,  and April 14, 21, 28, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here
Because of the “wonky” schedule, we are asking participants to register by email with Ned Walthall by clicking the box above.

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Ned Walthall is a photographer based in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He received his MFA from the Institute of Art and Design at New England College (formerly the New Hampshire Institute of Art). His work has been shown throughout the United States and abroad.

He and his partner, Mari Walthall, are currently at work on a photo book entitled Covid & Faith, in which they explore in some depth the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed individuals’ spiritual practice and beliefs.

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Adult Education – February 2022

Engaging Islam Graphic with 12 pointed star ceramic tiles, c.1442-43, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (www.metmuseum.org).

view graphic copyright

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.

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February 13 | Tehseen Thaver

The Qur’an: Text, Context, and Interpretation

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.

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February 20 | Amaney Jamal


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.

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February 27 | Imam Jawad Bayat

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.

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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).

Refugee Resettlement Update (Feb. 2022)

 

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.

We ask for your continuing prayers for the family as they establish a new life away from their homeland.

The Refugee Resettlement Team

#MissionMonday – Valentines for Food (2022)

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).
  • PARTICIPATE: in the online virtual food drive.
  • 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:

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ACTION STEPS

  • DONATE: healthy, non-perishable food to our pantry, 12-16 oz. cans, no glass containers, please! Remember to check expiration dates.
    • Corn Flour (Maseca)
    • Canned Vegetables (low-fructose)
    • Rice
    • Canned Proteins (tuna, salmon, chicken, chili)
    • Canned Beans (low-sodium)
    • Peanut Butter
    • Cereal
    • Canned Fruits
    • Seasonings
    • Shelf-Stable Milk (Parmalat)
    • Honey
    • Vegetable/Canola Oil
  • PARTICIPATE: in our Valentines for Food virtual food drive. Visit https://amplify.ampyourgood.com/user/campaigns/3983 to purchase food that will be delivered directly to Arm In Arm.
  • 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)
    • to volunteer in Trenton

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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.

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WSPC/NPC Joint Partnership Update

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:

Watch the Webinar (YouTube) | Download the Resource (pdf) | Read the news story (link)

Refugee Resettlement Update (Jan. 2022)

In the words of Howard Thurman:

 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.


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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.

Thank you.

The Refugee Resettlement Team

Learn More about Affordable Housing – January 9, 5:30pm

Affordable Housing in a Just World: Basics and Beyond

Sunday, January 9 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on Zoom

Our speakers will include Diane Ciccone, attorney and former West Windsor councilperson, who had to deal with the challenge of complying with affordable housing requirements in a suburban town; Mitchell Newman, senior vice president at Lennar, a Fortune 500 national affordable housing builder;  and Alice Small, president, Princeton Community Housing Development Corp., which builds 100% affordable developments.

The social justice committees of Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction, Har Sinai in Pennington, and the Jewish Center in Princeton are offering the panel discussion in accordance with the value of welcoming the stranger, including people who are unable to afford market rate housing in our communities.

This free program is open to all. To register for the Zoom link or more information, email Linda Oppenheim. Hope you can make it and encourage others to attend.