On behalf of Bending the Moral Arc Courageous Conversations (BMA CC), Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church’s Christian Education Committee, and Nassau Presbyterian Church, we are thrilled to invite you to our virtual meeting on May 15th at 7:30 pm honoring the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. This BMA CC meeting will feature Princeton graduate, Gordon Smith. Gordon will tell the inspirational story of how his father, Captain Luther H. Smith of the fabled “Tuskegee Airmen,” fought racism in our country’s armed forces, and served heroically as one of the “Red Tail” fighter pilots in the skies above Germany in World War II. We hope to see you there!!
Help save lives in the impoverished villages of Malawi!
This spring, the stakes are perilously high: Disastrous droughts in southern Africa have triggered a hunger crisis for millions in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In Villages in Partnership’s 29 partner villages, the drought has caused failed crops and widespread hunger.
In response, VIP has dedicated their 2024 Water Walk fund-raiser on Saturday, May 4, to bringing clean water to the villages, not just for drinking, but to irrigate farmers’ fields to replant and replace the crops lost to drought.
Walk with Us! Join the Nassau Church Water Walkers who walk to raise funds to bring clean water to Malawi, both during the VIP Water Walk on May 4 in Allentown, NJ, and in the weeks leading up to the Water Walk in their own neighborhoods. For information, contact Liz Beasley (email) or Larry Alphs (email).
Support Us! Donate what you can to the cause. Just click one of the Nassau Church Water Walkers Team member’s fund-raising links below to make your gift:
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), a mission partner of Nassau Church for many years, will be returning for post-worship conversation regarding the ongoing crisis and suffering in Israel/Palestine. CMEP has consistently been calling for a permanent bilateral ceasefire, the allowance of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and for the release of all hostages.
Speakers include members of CMEP staff and peace-builders from the Middle East. Understanding the geopolitics, social considerations, and other aspects of the conflict demands that we look beyond the headlines into the daily realities of people living on the ground. Churches for Middle East Peace is pro-Israeli, pro-Palestinian, pro-peace, and pro-justice.
Join us to learn what it means to be someone who pursues peace, while also advocating for justice in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and beyond. Please make your reservations by Wednesday, April 10 using the online form, or by contacting Lauren Yeh (email) in the church office.
Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Executive Director
Cannon received her first doctorate in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) focusing on the history of the American Protestant church in Israel and Palestine and her second doctorate in Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Northern Theological Seminary. She is the author of several books including the award-winning Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World and editor of A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land.
Tamar Haddad, And Still We Rise Coordinator
A full-time And Still We Rise Coordinator based in Jerusalem, Haddad was hugely impacted by her involvement in leadership programs like MEPI – Student Leaders Program, International Women Leaders, and the Clinton Global Initiative University. While she previously served as the Project Manager for Gender Justice at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), Haddad currently serves at the UN Commission on the Status of Women and volunteers as a Regional Coordinator at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
Destiny Magnett, Programs and Outreach Manager
Magnett joined CMEP following an eight-week Middle East Fellowship where she helped to bolster and expand CMEP’s relationships on the ground in Israel/Palestine. Prior to joining CMEP, Destiny worked in the U.S. Department of State, USAID, Search for Common Ground– Jordan, and Harvard’s Office of Religion and Public Life. Destiny is also an MTS candidate at Harvard Divinity School and holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Grinnell College.
Please make your reservations by Wednesday, April 10 using the online form, or by contacting Lauren Yeh (email) in the church office.
Three social entrepreneurs and authors will appear together in the Princeton area and share uplifting stories and lessons learned in their journey to justice.
The “Three-Authors” events will be held Friday, April 26 from 2-4 p.m. at the Mercer County Library Lawrence Headquarters, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Township, NJ, and again on Friday, April 26 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Nassau Presbyterian Church Assembly Room, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ. Both events are free and open to the public.
Local author and activist Sam Daley-Harris will discuss the 2024 edition of his book, Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy, released January 9, 2024. His recent interviews on NPR’s Here and Now and 1A outline why the ideas in the book are an antidote to the despair many people will feel during the elections and beyond. Publisher’s Weekly BookLife called his book a “rousing guide to advocacy, movement-building, and enacting change in cynical times,” and named it and Editor’s Pick.
Another of the authors is Alex Counts, who started and ran Grameen Foundation (GF) for its first 18 years. GF is an international poverty alleviation organization working to advance the approaches pioneered in Bangladesh by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. His three books include Changing the World Without Losing Your Mind (Revised Edition) which Forbes magazine called one of twelve “must-read books for nonprofit leaders” and was the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “Editor’s Pick” from its best nonprofit books of 2019.
The third author is Debbie Frisch, who, in 2017, opened HelloBaby, the nation’s first free-standing, free-of-charge, drop-in play space for babies, toddlers, and their caregivers located in the struggling Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago. Her book, Hello Baby: Building an Oasis in a Play Desert, tells the story of her life journey and her roadmap to spurring community development in urban play deserts. Publisher’s Weekly BookLife said: “Frisch addresses with insight and sensitivity the dynamics of a white woman working with [communities of color in this] valuable resource.”
After the discussion the authors will sign copies of their book.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
April 7 | Sena Feyissa Negassa
The Work of the Holy Spirit Among Believers
How can believers live a life God admires? This session will cover the role of the Holy Spirit in the spiritual growth of believers. In addition, it will highlight the work of the Holy Spirit among Ethiopian Churches.
Sena Feyissa Negassa is a theologian and theology Instructor at Mekane Yesus Seminary, which is the largest seminary of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus. She teaches several courses including theological issues in context, synoptic gospels, Lutheran confession, and Ethiopian church history. In addition, Sena serves as the seminary’s assistant to the associate dean of theology and summer program coordinator. This year she is a resident scholar at the Overseas Ministry Study Center at Princeton Theological Center.
The book of Psalms, called Zabor in Arabic, is a common heritage of divine song that can be used as a point of connection for public witness between Muslims and Christians. Especially in the Pakistani context, Psalms carries vast potential, in terms of both text and musical expression, as a bridge to peacemaking and missional engagement. Yet the book of Psalms has never been a significant part of witness to the Muslim world. Sarwar believes that can change.
Eric Sarwar is a gifted musician, minister, and missiologist, currently in residence at the Overseas Ministry Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the Founding President of Tehillim School of Church Music & Worship, discovering in music and the Psalms a surprising language for transcending boundaries in global context. In addition to teaching, preaching, and writing, Eric continues to sing the Psalms, produce interfaith festivals, and serve as a catalyst and consultant for Muslim-Christian relationships in the world. Eric plays the Indian harmonium and is fluent in English, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.
Presbyterian Church (USA) Past, Present, and Future
A three-week series looking at the Presbyterian Church with a lens beyond Nassau Church. Dr. Heath Carter will lead off with a look back at some of the history of the PC(USA) and the significant occasions that shaped the denomination. In week two, our pastor, Dave Davis, currently serving at the national level of the PC(USA), will share some of the present challenges and opportunities for the church. Finally, students from Princeton Presbyterian Campus Ministry will talk about their hopes and dreams for the future of the PC(USA).
April 21| Heath Carter
PC(USA): The Past
Heath W. Carter is associate professor of American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he teaches and writes about the intersection of Christianity and American public life. He earned a BA in English and theology from Georgetown University in 2003, an MA from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2005, and a PhD in history from the University of Notre Dame in 2012. He came to Princeton from Valparaiso University, where he was on faculty from 2012 to 2019.
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.
The Wittenberg Nightingale: Martin Luther, Hymnwriter, and Reflections on Modern Hymns
Following an overview of Martin Luther’s achievements as a hymn writer as well as his theological views on music, Dr. Jiang will lead a discussion of the essence of congregational hymn singing, including reflections on modern Chinese hymns. Linjing Jiang, associate professor for Germanic Languages and Literatures at Fudan University in Shanghai, is currently a visiting scholar at Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary. Her research interests include political theology and German literature, the interactive influence between classical music and literature, and German poetry in the 19th and 20th century.
Consider donating to the Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Manville. They have a partnership with Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP), one of Nassau’s Mission Partners. HIP received an exceptional grant from Nassau’s Mission & Outreach Committee in January for their transitional housing move-in/move-out days. Often a family is in need of furniture as well as a home. HIP’s partnership with the ReStore helps families furnish their new apartments.
The Nassau Church Refugee Coordinating Team has provided this update on the Hashimi family, the Afghan refugee family that Nassau Church has sponsored.
This past summer, the Coordinating Team reported the good news that the family’s asylum applications had been approved. This gave the family the legal right to live and work in the United States and to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship.
More recently, the father of the family who is stranded in Dubai has received preliminary approval for his spousal asylum application and an invitation to submit his information for a visa. That could still take a long time to resolve, but the Coordinating Team is hopeful that things are moving in a positive direction.
There is other good news. The second oldest daughter has passed her GED and is enrolled at Mercer County Community College. Her mother and older sister are also enrolled there.
The oldest son is still working at Princeton Orthopedics, and his brother is in the process of enrolling in a commercial pilot training program which will prepare him for a promising career.
We are grateful that they and all the members of the family have been such cheerful and enthusiastic partners in our work together.
We want to recognize the ongoing commitment of the Refugee Coordinating Team, who are walking alongside the Hashimi’s as they continue to navigate immigration, education, and medical systems. Our thanks to them and the other volunteers who have given of their time and resources as part of Nassau’s commitment to support refugees.
But wanting to vindicate himself, [an expert in the law] asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” ~Luke 10:29 NRSV
February 17 – March 24, 2024
9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room
Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan invites us to imagine what it looks like to be a good neighbor. What does it mean for us to “go and do likewise” (v. 37) as individuals and a congregation? We will explore stories from Luke & Acts about how Jesus and the early church engaged with their neighbors. We will consider what neighboring looks like for us today in our own communities.
Get Linked-In for Lent as our education, small groups, and preaching life at Nassau will all focus on these stories.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
Join us each Sunday morning as Eric Barreto facilitates our exploration of what neighboring looks like through stories in Luke and Acts.
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.
Ned Walthall will lead the class in connection with his Conference Room exhibit “Who is My Neighbor?” featuring portraits from New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. View on Lenscratch (link). Ned Walthallis 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.
Sunday, February 4, 2024, Film Documentary, Acts of Faith, showcases the role of WSPC in the creation of a planned integrated community in Princeton during the 1950s. Immediately after church in the Fellowship Hall there will be a discussion and a Q&A with the filmmaker, Diane Ciccone, Esq.
Sunday, February 11, 2024, A Moment for Mission: A video montage of beloved members sharing in their own words, their hopes and love for WSPC. A presentation of the unique accomplishments of past WSPC members by Deacon Shirley Satterfield will follow.
Sunday, February 18, 2024, Black History Month presentation by the WSPC Verse Speaking Choir.
Sunday, February 25, 2024, Following worship, there will be a showing of the documentary, Telling Our Stories, an exploration of the complexity of the historical relationship between WSPC and Nassau PC. A panel discussion will follow in the Fellowship Hall.
Sponsored by:
WSPC Christian Education Committee
WSPC Church Life Committee
