June 30, July 28, August 25, during 10:00 am Worship
This offering supports the following mission partners: HomeFront, Presbyterian Hunger Program, Send Hunger Packing Princetons, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and Uniting Reformed Church in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Thank you for giving until all are fed. Use the “Hunger” fund when you give online (“Give Now”) or in the memo line of your check.
Providing supplies for success. We are once again joining with Westminster Presbyterian Church (WPC), our partner church in Trenton, to provide backpacks filled with school essentials for local students. Our goals are 150 backpacks and $5,000 for the supplies to fill them. Bring backpacks to the Narthex on Sunday mornings; use the “School Supplies” fund when you give online (“Give Now”) or in the memo line of your check.
Join us for our 32nd year of service. Volunteering for Loaves and Fishes, whether it’s donating food, money, or time, is an opportunity to be fed and to join our community of faith in action. Use the “Loaves & Fishes” fund when you give online (“Give Now”) or in the memo line of your check. Use the Sign Up button below to donate food or time.
Restock the PTS Coat Closet. To help prepare international students at the Seminary for the New Jersey winters, donate gently worn men’s and women’s winter coats, fleece pullovers and winter accessories. This year we are also looking for donations of new socks for both men and women. Bring items to the Assembly Room on Sunday mornings; contact the church office to drop off during the week.
HomeWorks Trenton is a free, community-based, after-school residential program designed to provide a supportive and safe space where high school girls learn to self-advocate, become leaders, and achieve academic success.
Four aspects define our program:
Residential Boarding: From Sunday evenings to Friday mornings, our scholars live in our dorm with three staff and spend weekends with their families. Residential boarding creates a structured, stable environment for scholars to focus on academics and personal growth. It provides an immersive community experience for scholars to collectively grow in ways traditional, non-residential programs do not allow.
Core Curriculum (Academics & Identity-Driven Leadership): Our academics programming focuses on daily tutoring, skill development, and college preparation. Additionally, scholars engage in Black and Brown girl-centered workshops, social justice discussions and readings, and a public service capstone and internship. This curriculum equips scholars with the tools and confidence to become leaders that ultimately creates systemic change in their communities.
Career Readiness: Third and fourth year internships and electives allow scholars to explore their academic and career interests, making an impact in the community while gaining valuable work experience.
Wellness, Field Trips, and Travel: Group Therapy offer spaces for scholars to develop mindful habits and practice self-love. HomeWorks also sponsors group travel to local organizations (like local theater productions) and cities such as New York and Washington D.C. to further supplement their public education and offer experiential learning opportunities outside of the classroom.
HomeWorks offers the support girls need to graduate from high school, attend college, feel confident in their discovery and evolution of self, become effective leaders, and create change. Our mission is to inspire and equip young women from marginalized communities to achieve their potential and positively transform the world around them by providing a supportive and educational residential environment.
9:00 a.m. | Assembly Room, with coffee and breakfast snacks
In this five-week series through June, we will learn from activists and historians as they seek justice and point the way toward a better future for us all. We will listen and learn with advocates for a humane criminal justice system and an expert on Princeton’s fraught history with race. A scholar on church hymn composition will close the series with song and the history of Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Thank you to the Mass Incarceration Task Force for organizing this month’s leadership.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
June 2 | Sean Washington
Wrongful Conviction to Exoneration: My Journey for Justice
Wrongfully convicted of multiple homicides, Sean Washington served twenty-five years before his eventual release. Come hear about his experiences in prison and the work Sean has done and continues to do since his release to help incarcerated people and their families.
Unfortunately the audio for this class was not captured.
Sean Washington, born and raised in Camden, NJ, dropped out of school to work and help support his family. Earning his GED while in prison and studying to be a paralegal helped develop the skills to prove his innocence. He was also a tutor helping other prisoners complete their high school educations. Since his release in 2020, he has worked as a paralegal, served as a youth mentor, spoken at legislative hearings, and advocates for prison reform. His mission is “to make a difference in this world and leave it in a better place.”
Advocating and mobilizing in New Jersey isn’t enough to truly transform the harmful conditions too many families face. Come learn how relational faith based powerbuilding is the key to building beloved community and living into who we are as people of faith. We’ll take the first steps toward our own internal revolution and begin answering the question of who we need to become.
Charlene D. Walker, Executive Director of Faith in New Jersey, is a New Jersey native and a powerful woman of faith with a consistent record of fiercely advocating for racial, immigrant, economic, and social justice. She challenges leaders and institutions to better unite our social movements and to work towards dismantling systems of hate and oppression.
Rising from the Ashes: A Journey of Redemption, Advocacy, and Education
Come hear the life story of Donte Hatcher, Sr., founder of Knowledge is the New Currency, a non-profit that assists at-risk youth. Learn about his deeply personal journey through incarceration and his transformation through education and his research to reform the system that once held him captive.
Donte Hatcher, Sr.holds a degree in psychology and advocates for mental health awareness. He founded a non-profit organization called Knowledge Is the New Currency which empowers justice-impacted individuals and at-risk youth through education, mentorship, and community support. He is currently researching ways to reform the mass incarceration system.
Hear from lifelong Princeton resident, teacher, historical guide and advocate, Shirley Satterfield as she discusses our town’s segregated history through the lens of her life, her ancestors and descendants, including justice denied and achieved throughout her career.
Shirley Ann Satterfield, the fourth of six generations of the VanZandt Moore May family in Princeton, was educated in the Princeton Schools during the segregated years and graduated from Princeton High School. While a student at Bennett College for Women (Greensboro, NC), Shirley participated in the 1960 sit-ins with the Greensboro Four, students from A&T University. She earned her Master’s Degree in Guidance/Personnel Services from Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey). She taught English and history for many years and was a guidance counselor in Hightstown and Princeton High Schools.
James Weldon Johnson and his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, wrote this anthem in 1900 and also devoted their talents to preserving the tradition of the “spirituals.” Now known as the “Black National Anthem,” join us to learn about its place in the history of the Black Church and its impact on the global church’s quest for social justice.
Paul E. Rorem, Princeton Theological Seminary’s Benjamin B. Warfield Professor of Medieval Church History Emeritus, earned an MDiv from Luther Theological Seminary, an STM from The Lutheran Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Princeton Seminary. An ordained Lutheran minister, he is interested in medieval church history and Pseudo-Dionysius. His courses covered the confessions and influence of St. Augustine, the Christian mystical tradition, medieval Christianity, and the spiritual and theological legacy of the Pseudo-Dionysian writings. He is editor of Lutheran Quarterly and Lutheran Quarterly Books.
His new book, Singing Church History: Introducing the Christian Story through Hymn Texts,published in May 2024, is available for purchase in the church office through June for the discounted “author event” price of $18 (retail $34). Contact Lauren Yeh (email) in the church office.
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.
