Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 14 and concludes with Easter Sunday on March 31.
Devotionals are emailed to subscribers each day at 5:00 a.m. EST/EDT.
Subscribe to the Daily Devotions Email List:
Find devotionals from previous seasons:
Author: npc-laureny
Lenten Small Groups 2024
If you have never been part of a Small Group, why not try it out? If you are a perennial participant, welcome back! Space may be limited for many groups, so sign up soon! 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 |
SAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. | Murals in Motion | |||||
| 10 a.m. | Who Is My Neighbor | |||||
| 12 p.m. | Who Is My Neighbor | |||||
| 1:30 p.m. | Who Is My Neighbor | |||||
| 7 p.m. | Movies | Contemporary Novels | Who Is My Neighbor | |||
| 7 p.m. | Creatio Divina | |||||
| 7:30 p.m. | Sacred Art of Photography |
Who Is My Neighbor?
Linked In Learning Series
But wanting to vindicate himself, [an expert in the law] asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29 NRSV)
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. Join us on Sunday mornings in the Assembly Room as Eric Barreto, Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, leads adult education. Ned Walthall will lead the class on March 3 in connection with his Conference Room exhibit “Who is My Neighbor?” featuring portraits from Grand Central Terminal.
Download the Study Guide:
Mondays, February 12 – March 18, 1:30-3:00 PM
In-person at the home of Carol Wehrheim in Skillman, NJ
This group is full
Carol Wehrheim is Clerk of Session. She finds small groups a necessary part of her life with Nassau Church and enjoys playing cornhole.
Wednesdays, February 14 – March 20, 10:00-11:00 AM
Virtual on Zoom
This group is full
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 and Teach Us to Pray.
Thursdays, February 15 – March 21, 12:00-1:30 9M
Virtual on Zoom (last class in person)
Register Here
Len Scales serves as the Associate Pastor for Faith Formation, Mission, and Outreach. She also serves part-time as the Executive Co-Director of the Westminster Foundation and Presbyterian Chaplain at Princeton University.
Thursdays, February 15 – March 21, 7:00-8:30 PM
Davis/Heaps Home in Princeton, NJ
Register Here
Steve Heaps has been a member of Nassau Presbyterian Church since October 2022. He is retired from the Federal government where he spent his career with the National Archives as an archivist, project manager and supervisor. Steve has enjoyed participating in previous small groups and looks forward to leading a group during this Lenten season. He lives in Princeton with his wife and Nassau member Wendy Davis.
Additional Small Group Options
Exploring “Who Is My Neighbor?” with Black Filmmakers
Sundays, February 11 – March 17, 7:00-8:20 PM
Virtual on Zoom
Register Here
Jesus answered the question, “Who is my neighbor?” by telling a parable. We will explore the question with black filmmakers in front of and/or behind the camera lens as they tell their stories. We will watch the movies during the week and discuss them together when we meet. Movies in the six-week small group series: Selma, Black Panther, Fences, Do the Right Thing, Just Mercy and Moonlight. Find where to stream these movies on Just Watch (https://www.justwatch.com/).
Roz Anderson Flood is a deacon, a ruling elder, a member of the Worship and Arts Committee and sings second alto in the Adult Choir. She is a former member of the Adult Education Committee. She has led workshops in poetry and participated in many small groups at Nassau.
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 19 has worked for the State of New Jersey.
Transformative Love in Three Contemporary Novels
Mondays, February 12 – March 18, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Wehrheim Home in Skillman, NJ
Register Here
God loves us, this we know. That love transforms us, makes us new, and it is that grace, that love, that enables us to love one another, a process that is also transformative. This group will explore the complex ways in which love transforms the lives of characters in three contemporary novels, Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, and Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead.
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. Additionally, his street photography in Grand Central Terminal after the Covid pandemic has been featured in the online journal Lenscratch. His work can be seen at nedwalthall.com and he can be followed on Instagram at @walthallphotography.
Carol Wehrheim, a writer and Christian Education consultant, finds that Lenten small groups deepen her own prayer life and her connection to her church community.
The Art of Faithfulness
CreatioDivina
Mondays, February 26 – March 25, 7:00-8:30 PM
Conference Room, Nassau Presbyterian Church or on Zoom
Register Here
CreatioDivina, hosted by BeauFolio Studio, combines the spiritual discipline of Lectio Divina with the guided practice of creating sacred visual art. We will utilize various modes of creativity to reflect on our emerging stories as we dwell on the Seven Last Words of Jesus during this Lenten small group.
Carmelle Beaugelin (www.carmellebeaugelin.com ) is a Haitian-American visual artist based in Princeton, NJ. Her creative focus includes paintings inspired by Afro-Latin Caribbean art styles and Christian spirituality. She is the Founder and Lead Curating Artist at BeauFolio Studio. Carmelle received her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Art of Faithfulness
Sacred Art of Photography “Who Is My Neighbor?”
Thursdays, February 15 – March 21, 7:30-9:00 PM
Virtual on Zoom
Register Here
This Spring, Sacred Art of Photography returns for six sessions, focusing on the concept of neighbor. What are the words we think of when we encounter other human beings? The range is huge, and depends on context. Sometimes it is “love” or “compassion” or “joy” or the desire to “help.” Sometimes we feel “threatened” or “irritated.” Sometimes our own response to others is “arrogance” or “fear” or “anger.” Sometimes that is precisely their response to us. Members of the group will be provided with a large list of these words. Each week they will be asked to choose one word from the list and take two photographs that are evoked by it. In doing so, we will explore the range of emotional responses that are possible when we encounter those to whom Jesus has called upon us to be neighbors.
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.
Tim Brown has led and participated in numerous small groups. He has been an amateur photographer going back to when cameras used film and lenses had to be focused by hand. For over fifty years he has been on a photographer’s journey of discovery; reveling in the light of the world.
Art of Faithfulness
Murals In Motion
Saturday, March 2, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Assembly Room, Nassau Presbyterian Church
Register Here
Whether you view yourself as creative or not, you are made in the image of the great Creator. Julie Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, states, “When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God.” The disciplines of art and dance will be joined together, creating a playful and supportive morning to explore your view of God and yourself through movement, art, creation, and conversation.
Carmelle Beaugelin is a Haitian-American visual artist based in Princeton, NJ. Her creative focus includes paintings inspired by Afro-Latin Caribbean art styles and Christian spirituality. She is the Founder and Lead Curating Artist at BeauFolio Studio. Carmelle received her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Annalise Hume is a dancer who spends her time teaching, facilitating movement workshops, and offering Spiritual Direction to others with the hope of helping individuals and groups take steps towards wholeness and flourishing. She holds a BFA in Dance from Univ. of Minnesota and MDiv and MA from Princeton Theological Seminary. Her work brings together faith and movement as she invites participants to live out their own faith and purpose.
Arm In Arm & Nassau Church: Better Together for 44 Years
February 4 & 11, 2024
9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room
Valentines for Food is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year!
Started by members of Nassau Presbyterian Church led by Don Dickason, this annual food drive to stock the pantry has broadened and helped feed more than 26,000 families since it began. Join us to hear more about our shared history and Arm In Arm’s ever expanding love in our community on February 4. There will also be a hands-on opportunity with Arm In Arm on February 11.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
2024 Valentines for Food Fund Drive
February 4 | David R. Fox & Sallye Clark Zink
Arm In Arm and Nassau Church: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Executive Director David will share updates about how Arm In Arm welcomes over 5,000 families to the food pantries and works with 400 at-risk families to prevent and end homelessness. Sallye, Mission & Outreach Committee Co-Chair and Arm In Arm’s Board Treasurer, will introduce David and share about the reciprocity between her faith and service with Arm In Arm.
February 11 | Maureen Hunt, Shariq Marshall & Arthur Hui
Hands-On Projects: Working Together to Feed our Community
Join Arthur, member of the Mission & Outreach Committee and regular volunteer with Arm In Arm, as he introduces staff members Shariq and Maureen. Shariq is the Development and Community Engagement Coordinator and Maureen is the Chief Development Officer. There will be a tour of Arm In Arm’s space on the lower-level and an opportunity to pack snack bags as we show more love as Valentine’s Day approaches.
Journeys of Faith (Jan 2024)
January 7 – 28, 2024
9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room (breakfast snacks available at 9:15 a.m.)
Everyone experiences twists and turns in life, and God accompanies us along the way.
Our tradition of intergenerational classes in the month of January returns. Middle School, High School, and Adults of all ages are invited to light breakfast with members of our community as they share stories of God’s faithfulness in their lives.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
January 7 | Annalise Hume
Annalise is a dancer who spends her time teaching, facilitating movement workshops, and offering Spiritual Direction to others with the hope of helping individuals and groups take steps towards wholeness and flourishing. She holds a BFA in Dance from Univ. of Minnesota and MDiv and MA from Princeton Theological Seminary. Her work brings together faith and movement as she invites participants to live out their own faith and purpose.
January 14 | Scott Harmon
Scott currently works in Sales for Church & Dwight and works closely with Target (or Tarzhay, as some know it). He has a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from West Point and an MBA from Harvard. Scott held general management positions with the United States Army as the commander of a US Army Bomb Disposal company. He lives with his wife and has three grown daughters, most of whom are much happier that he now works on a computer rather than live explosives. Throughout the year, you may have seen Scott helping lead Loaves & Fishes, serving with youth at Appalachia Service Project, or starring in the recent Christmas Pageant.
January 21 | Paula Alekson
Paula lives in Trenton with her wife Patrice (and their beloved pets) and is truly blessed to be a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church family. She moved from New England to New Jersey 17 years ago to work in Education and then in Artistic and Community Engagement at McCarter Theatre Center. She recently shifted from the nonprofit arts to the social services sector, joining HomeFront in Lawrenceville as the Community Engagement Events and Administrative Specialist.
January 28 | Hanna Reichel
Hanna grew up in a Lutheran family and spent their formative years in Germany, Venezuela, and Argentina. They pursued studies in theology and economics in Bonn, Beirut, and Heidelberg, culminating in a PhD dissertation on Karl Barth as a contextual theologian. Side-tracked from ordination, they taught in Heidelberg and Halle-Wittenberg before being appointed Associate Professor of Reformed Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in 2018. In their academic work, they try to bring theological reflection together with insights from queer theory and other contemporary fields of critical inquiry. When not teaching, reading, or writing, Hanna Reichel loves to run, hike, or play boardgames. A member of Hopewell Presbyterian Church, Reichel lives with a spouse, two kids, and a dog in Hopewell.
Choir Resources for 2024 MLK Service
Warning Regarding Email Scams
We have become aware that some of you may have received emails that appear to be from Dave Davis or other church staff requesting your help. Please be very cautious. Church staff will not contact you asking you to buy gift cards, etc. Church staff emails will always come from a nassauchurch.org email – not a gmail or other address. We have taken steps to encrypt email addresses on our website to prevent this but it seems nothing can completely block determined scammers.
Please DO NOT respond to these emails. Even if you think an email is really from a church staff member, please make independent contact to verify before you make a financial transaction. You can send an email through the encrypted emails on our website or you can call the church and leave a message. We check the messages regularly.
We can all work together to deter this by reporting these phishing attempts through our service providers’ reporting processes. If you have questions, please call or email the church office.
We appreciate that folks want to help and just want to make sure that none of us are taken advantage of. Use a healthy dose of skepticism!
Advent at Nassau Presbyterian Church
We celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Download a printable copy of our 2023 Advent Calendar:
In addition to Sunday morning worship, join us as we celebrate the season:
- Adult Education Classes (Nov. 26 – Dec. 17)
- Advent Devotions
- Activities for Children & Families
- Sign Up for Youth Alumni Choir & Bell Peal for Christmas Eve
We answer our call to love our neighbors by donating to:
- Alternative Gifts (Nov. 26 – Dec. 24)
- Christmas Poinsettias (due Dec. 10)
- Health for Haiti Christmas Tree (Dec. 3 – Jan 7.)
- PCUSA Joy Offering (Dec. 17)
Sights & Sounds of Advent
November 26 – December 17, 2023
9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room
Pictures of the Nativity, hymns that have been sung for generations, and stories we know from memory all prepare us for the coming of our Lord at Christmas. This season, come learn how what we see, hear and sing combines into a rich theology of the incarnation.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
November 26 & December 3 | Paul Rorem
A Pair of Classic American Hymns
“Blessed Assurance” by Fanny Crosby (1820–1915) reflects nineteenth-century American revivalism. It is personal testimony: “This is my story, this is my song.” “God of Grace and God of Glory” by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878–1969) reflects the early twentieth-century American Social Gospel. It calls for societal transformation: “Cure your children’s warring madness; … rich in things and poor in soul.” These hymns may seem to have quite different and unrelated concerns. But they are closely linked, both historically through Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918) and thematically. As Fosdick said, “personal and social Christianity are … one gospel indivisible.”
Nov. 26
Dec. 3
Paul Rorem is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Benjamin B. Warfield Professor of Medieval Church History Emeritus. An ordained Lutheran minister, his courses featured medieval women, mysticism, and hymn texts as a way to engage church history. His Singing Church History: Introducing the Christian Story Through Hymn Texts will be published by Fortress Press in April 2024.
December 10 | Karlfried Froehlich
Christmas Art in Florence
Shall we travel to Florence, Italy for the holidays? Christmas art and its theological roots in the City of Flowers and Light is an almost inexhaustible topic across many centuries. Since Florence was the birthplace of the cultural and religious movement we call the “Renaissance,” we will concentrate on that era and explore Christmas themes in the work of some well-known artists of the 14th and 15th centuries whose lives were lived in the historical shadow of the Florentine Republic: Giotto di Bondone, Tommaso Masaccio, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Fra Angelico, Hugo von der Goes, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Sandro Boticelli.
Karlfried Froehlich, a native of Saxony, Germany, moved to the United States in 1964, taught at Drew University and, from 1968 to 1992, at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he held the Benjamin B. Warfield chair in church history. Karlfried is an active member of the Lutheran Church (ELCA). His scholarly interests include the history of Christian art and the history of biblical interpretation, a field to which he has contributed significantly through his teaching and writing.
December 17 | Maria LoBiondo
Where Love Is, God Is by Leo Tolstoy
Join storyteller Maria LoBiondo for an oral rendition of “Where God Is, Love Is” (also known by the title “What Men Live By”), Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s short story in which love of God and neighbor as presented in Matthew 25:35-40 shines through the experiences of Martin the cobbler.
Maria LoBiondo believes that a story is a heart-to-heart gift shared between teller and listener. She began practicing the oral tradition of storytelling when expecting her second child; her daughter is now 29 years old. In that time, she has shared stories at Princeton’s Littlebrook School and the Princeton Montessori School, at the Catholic Community of St. Charles Borromeo in Montgomery Township, at the Princeton Public Library, and at the New Jersey Storytelling Festival, among other venues. A former reporter and editor for The Princeton Packet, she recently retired from the staff of Princeton University’s Office of Advancement Communications.
December 24 | Jason Oosting
Art of Advent
In 2020 Jason Oosting, former member of Nassau Church, recorded this four-part adult education series for us. We are pleased to bring it to your attention again this year.
A Child’s Advent at Nassau
All are welcome!
Children’s Devotional Advent Calendar
Pick up a family devotional Advent Calendar during fellowship on November 26 or December 3, and reflect daily with your child on the coming of our Lord.
Advent Craft Fair
Wednesday, November 29, 4:00-6:00 pm
Children, age 3 and up, join us for this festive afternoon of crafts, treats, and Christmas stories by the tree. There will be a variety of projects suitable to every ability. Parents are encouraged to stay and participate with preschool-age children.
Wee Christmas
Sunday, December 10, 10:15 am, Sanctuary
Hear the Nativity story and join a low-expectation, high-participation flash pageant (costumes provided!). Wee Christmas is intended for families with children age 2 to grade 2. Older siblings are welcome to participate, if inclined. Joyful Noise and Carol Choir will NOT meet on December 10.
Christmas Pageant and Tea
Sunday, December 17, 4:00 pm, Sanctuary
All are invited to come and enjoy this beloved tradition led by our children and youth, and stay for refreshments and fellowship at 5:00 pm.
Christmas Eve Family Worship
On Christmas Eve, December 24, our 3:00 pm worship service is especially suited to families.
Dan + Claudia Zanes Community Concert
Saturday, January 13, 2024, 5:00 pm
Join us for a special community concert that supports Arm in Arm. Stay tuned for more details!
Partners in Faith – Documentary
“Telling Our Stories” is a new documentary film that tells of the history and relationship of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church and Nassau Presbyterian Church. It is the story of how two congregations are working to be honest about our past and move forward together standing on our faith and building relationships one by one. It is 37 minutes long and is a must see!!
The bulletin from the October 8 service, linked below, also contains a history of Presbyterians in Princeton since 1755 compiled by members of the churches.