UPDATE from Westminster Presbyterian Church:

Princeton University’s Community Action Week at Westminster Presbyterian Church
Insiya Essani, PU Class of 2020

Princeton University Pace Center’s Community Action Week (CAW) allows first year students to work with local organizations in small groups of ten to fifteen students guided by trained group leaders. The incoming students of the Princeton University Class of 2020 were invited to live at Westminster as they took part in serving our community. Westminster has been hosting CAW for 13 years. In the past, 100 to 150 PU students participated. This year Pace Center maximized student participation by reaching over 523 students. Their primary focus is to increase the number of students who are aware of the communities that surround them.

The CAW Education Trenton: Nurturing Bright Future group worked in conjunction with the Westminster Church and Community Life Center to help facilitate two events: the annual Back to School Supplies Giveaways and Carnival. These events invite over 1,500 families via door to door fliers, fliers at local schools, and personal calls to participate and take advantage of the resources offered by the church and community center.

Westminster leaders dedicated the first day of CAW to orienting the students. This included visiting the Bethany Garden, the War Memorial, and the South River Walk Park. David Byers helped design this national award winning park which sits above the Route 29 tunnel, and incorporates the history of Trenton via multiple double arches and granite markers.

On the second day, Princeton students and three CA leaders helped organize the annual free backpack and school supplies giveaway for Get SET students, and church children. Mary Beth Charters brought a car filled with backpacks and school supplies from Nassau. We are all very grateful to Nassau, Wright Memorial, Westminster Presbyterian churches, and individuals who donated beautiful backpacks filled with lots of school supplies! This event also included playing board games and doing educational activities, thereby, allowing incoming students to gain a more personal interaction with the children.

The second event was the carnival. This event included traditional carnival games, free prizes, face painting, dancing, and a moon bouncer. CAW students wore funky hats and led the entire event. The sounds of laughter and eyes filled with excitement were clearly evident. At both events children registered for the Get SET After School Program, and adults registered for The English as a Second Language School at Westminster.

“An education at Princeton University emphasizes leadership, and I have realized that being a leader does not mean having a glorious title or changing the world, but rather a true leader is one who is able to embody humility and works with his or her own community before aiming to change the whole world. Two such leaders are Pastor Karen Hernández-Granzen and Linda Konrad Byers who work WITH the community instead of FOR the community. Their work is a constant reminder that for long term improvement it is vital to be a member of the community and to embrace the positivity present within the community rather than constantly highlighting only the negativity,” said Denay Richards.

Many students are leaving this experience inspired to come back and continue to work with the Get SET program and the community throughout the course of their education at Princeton. This opportunity will be a constant reminder of effective leadership as students embark on their academic journey.

UPDATE from Cetana Educational Foundation:

Cetana on the Move. . . 

Thanks to some generous donors, the Cetana English Proficiency Center (CEPC) in Yangon is moving to new quarters. Construction is underway on Cetana’s new school in downtown Yangon. When the move takes place later this fall, there will be more space for more students, a location within the transit hub, and a fresh, open, and attractive environment for learning. Cetana students and staff are excited and eager to make the move. Building out on the third floor of the teeming Theingyi Market involves turning a derelict, loft-like space into a modern, efficient school. Cetana will have four 25-student classrooms, a reception area, director’s office, administrative space, teachers’ room, computer lab, library and a small kitchen. Surprisingly, the rent for our new location will be substantially less than the center’s previous quarters.

Furnishings are what will make the new school truly welcoming. The two informal spaces–student lounge and teachers’ room–should be areas that encourage sociability, with comfortable sofas and chairs. Projection equipment would be an important teaching tool; internet connections would let teachers and students get online and access a variety of online learning tools. These important refinements will support casual interactions and learning in and outside the formal classroom setting. If you would like to help Cetana with this wish list, please consider a contribution. Donations can be made online at https://cetana.org/donate/

And in Kanpetlet. . . 

The Cetana-Metta Partners English language program in Kanpetlet, Chin State, Myanmar, which Nassau Church mission funds are supporting, is making progress. U Ba Win, who came to speak at Nassau Church last summer, was in Kanpetlet this past spring with a former Bard student, Aung Mon. They interviewed teachers in the local public school and assessed their fluency in English in order to design specific training to suit their abilities. An intensive training, directed by an American ESL trainer and Myanmar trainers, will take place in March 2017.  In addition to teacher-training opportunities, there is a critical need for more teaching aids—textbooks, grammar and vocabulary books, and audio-visual materials. With funding from Nassau Church, Ba Win and Aung Mon were able to take copies of the government textbooks so that each child has a copy. (The government supplies only a textbook for each teacher. ) Additional workbooks and other teaching materials are being sent from time to time.

Come on October 7 to Celebrate the Partnership

The mission committee hopes members of the congregation will come celebrate the Nassau Church-Cetana mission partnership the evening of October 7 at 6 pm in the Assembly Room. Aung Tun, a former Cetana scholar and new Cetana board member, who now works for the Asia Development Bank, will talk about the country’s progress toward democratic reform. Rangoon Restaurant, in Philadelphia, will provide a classic Burmese meal of Ohn no Khao Swe,  and we will also have a chance to thank Nancye Fitzpatrick and Bob Hendrickson, both of whom traveled to Burma with Lois and Jack Young and have remained committed to Cetana. Tickets for dinner and the talk are $25, and all proceeds from the event will benefit Cetana students. Advance reservations are necessary. Contact Sue Jennings (609.683.4435; ).

UPDATE from Villages in Partnership:

In July, Stephanie Patterson traveled to Malawi to witness the difference that Villages in Partnership (VIP) is making in the lives of people there.  Stephanie was immersed in the partner villages, hearing stories such as how a goat given by VIP, made possible by a $50 donation, could change the life of a family and allow them to put an iron sheet roof on their house or send a child to school.  Thank you to everyone who contributed items for the trip. Stephanie was able to see in the faces of the villagers how the support of Nassau Presbyterian, along with God’s grace, is impacting the quality of life, and immense amount of gratitude the people of the Sakata region of Malawi have for every gift, no matter how small.  They were very much appreciated!

Liz Heinzel-Nelson, Director of Villages In Partnership and Stephen Heinzel-Nelson Pastor of Allentown Presbyterian Church will be preaching and teaching at Nassau Presbyterian Church on Sunday, September 25, 2016. Mark your calendars.

At Nassau, we like to see for ourselves the fruit of our gifts and commitment to VIP as a mission partner. Watch this video for the great need, the important work, and the loving Malawians who put helping each other above all else. Stephanie Patterson (summer of 2016) and Joyce MacKichan Walker (summer of 2015) saw firsthand what it means to walk hand-in-hand with sisters and brothers in Christ.

For more information on Villages in Partnership and ways you can help or get involved you can contact Loretta Wells at or http://villagesinpartnership.org/

UPDATE from Westminster Presbyterian Church:

Monthly Co-Hosts at Bethany House of Hospitality Vespers: April 14, 2016

In preparation for the 5^th Annual Bethany Garden party, members of Nassau and Westminster along with Bethany House of Hospitality residents dedicated their time and energy to begin cultivating the Bethany Garden, and preparing for its expansion. In 2015, Westminster received a $10,000 from the Trenton Health Team for yoga classes and to expand two gardens. The Bethany Garden expansion will more than double the harvest for residents and The Crisis Ministry of Mercer County’s Food Pantry clients. After working hard, we broke bread, prayed and fellowshipped together.

Communiversity: April 2016

!Muchisimas Gracias to Nassau! Once again Westminster Presbyterian Church and Westminster Community Life Center had the best location at the 2016 Communiversity; right in front of Palmer Square! This year members of Nassau helped us host our information table, and also sold beautiful soap to raise money for our Get SET After School Program. Westminster also helped Nassau coordinate with the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow Trenton/Princeton Chapter an interactive experience within a solitary confinement cell replica. Westminster’s pastor and members enjoyed taking photos with our partners: i.e. Nassau members, Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, and Mercer County Freeholder Samuel Frisby, and the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow Trenton/Princeton Chapter members.

3^rd Annual Trenton Unity Walk: Sunday, May 1, 2016

Despite the rain, Nassau and Westminster leaders and members helped lead over 100 people of all faith traditions to walk in remembrance of the lives of men, women, and youth killed by violence in the City of Trenton during the past year. Pictures and short bios of the victims of violence, and resources to support the grieving families were distributed. Prayers in song and word were shared at the sites of violence. After simultaneously departing from Westminster Presbyterian Church and the Islamic Center of Ewing all the participants gathered at the Ghandi Garden. Kim Ford, who lost her son to violence in March 2015, and Councilman Duncan Harrison Jr. who lost his mother and a best friend to violence, challenged everyone to keep working to end the violence in Trenton. Men of Hope prayed for all the youth present.

Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) Retreat: May 7, 2016

Over 50 pastors, leaders, and members representing Shiloh Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, Nassau Presbyterian Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church participated in an Intergroup Dialogue Retreat on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at Westminster called, A Conversation Among Four Churches. The IGD Retreat was led by the New Jersey Intergroup Dialogue Coalition founded by Rev. Dr. D A Graham, and facilitated by members of Nassau and Westminster that he had trained over three months in 2015. The retreat was an 8-hour workshop that explored the intersection of identities including race, ethnicity, gender, religion, social class, and sexual orientation. The workshop allowed participants to learn about various social identities as well as build knowledge to engage in dialogue with others regarding identity. The feedback was so positive that we are looking forward to planning another Intergroup Dialogue Retreat in the near future at Nassau.

Joint Worship & Ecumenical Advocacy Days: June 5, 2016

Westminster enjoyed welcoming and worshipping with 25 members from Nassau on Sunday, June 5.  In order to expose Nassau members to some of our multiple Trenton partners, we acknowledged the presence of representatives from A Better Way, Inc., the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow Trenton/Princeton Chapter, East Trenton Community Center, Yielded Vessels Fellowship Ministries (YVFM), and Men of Hope. Nassau’s Minister of Christian Education, Joyce MacKichan Walker, the Rev. Nadira Keaton and Elder Thomas Keaton of YVFM, and Pastor Karen Hernandez-Granzen officiated the Lord’s Supper in English and Spanish. Trenton Council Woman Marge Caldwell-Wilson, a Scottish Presbyterian, also worshiped with us. Rev. Patti Daley, led us in a prayer for Shalom in the City of Trenton.

Following worship, Nassau’s youth and Westminster’s Elder Jacque Howard did an outstanding job sharing what they had learned at the annual 2016 Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C.

UPDATE from Cetana Educational Foundation:

Chenault Spence, the president of the Cetana board, just returned recently from a visit to Myanmar. While there he visited the Cetana learning center in Kyaing Tong, located in the “Golden Triangle” near the border with Thailand, Laos, and China. Cynthia Paul, who received her degree in English language teaching thanks to a Cetana scholarship, returned to Kyaing Tong a few years ago to found the learning center, which already has over 300 students studying English. Cynthia, always full of energy and new ideas, has now launched a new initiative at the learning center called the “Rice Village Project.” Her goal is to provide an opportunity for young girls in remote villages to continue their education. The Myanmar government provides schooling through grade 5.  However, after that, many students, particularly those in poor, remote areas, drop out because there are no opportunities for them to advance. Most go to work in the rice fields of their villages, but some girls become the victims of traffickers as they seek to earn more money for their families. For this reason, Cynthia’s initial focus is on female students.

Currently she has three young girls in residence  in Kyaing Tong. They come at the recommendation of their teachers from distant villages and live at the learning center, while their parents provide modest “compensation” in the form of rice. During the day they attend regular school in Kyaing Tong, 6th grade through high school, and in the afternoons, they attend English language classes at the learning center.

Eventually, Cynthia would like to expand this program to include as many as 30 girls. Cetana’s board is submitting proposals for funding of this expanded program to local and international NGOs as well as seeking funding from private individuals. If financing is successful, Chenault Spence says, “It will be possible to acquire proper dormitory space and hire a staff to oversee the girls and provide academic support.  These young girls will then have a chance not only to graduate from high school, but also to master English and access possibilities unimaginable in their home villages.”

UPDATE from Villages in Partnership

Thank you for supporting our small team for this year’s water walk we were able to raise $1,500 for our Nassau Presbyterian walking team. We walked for Triza who lives with her elderly grandmother and so desperately wants to go to school, hopefully Stephanie Patterson will get to meet her this year while on a Friendship trip to Malawi, Africa with Villages in Partnership July 22-30.

To help Stephanie while on her friendship trip with Villages In Partnership she will need to bring a suitcase filled with all sorts of items, the suitcase will be located in the main office, suggestions are listed below:

• Ibuprofen
• Adult/children’s vitamins
• Nebulizers/inhalers
• Anti-fungals
• Triple antibiotics
• Yarn
• Knitting needles
• Fabric
• Flip flops
• Tooth brushes
• Tooth paste
• Soap
• Children’s percussion instruments
• Cash for needed items on the ground
• Lightweight blanket

Thank you for helping us fill Stephanie’s suitcase

We look forward to hearing about Stephanie’s trip upon her return.