Mission Partners: June 2016

UPDATE from Westminster Presbyterian Church:

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

BethanyHouse_4In preparation for the 5th 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.

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Communiversity: April 2016

WPC_Communiversity_2!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.

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

UnityWalk_5UnityWalk_8Despite 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.

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Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) Retreat: May 7, 2016

IDG_Retreat_1IDG_Retreat_4Over 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

Joint_Worship_4Joint_Worship_2Westminster 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.

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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.

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UPDATE from Cetana Educational Foundation:

KT Field

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.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACurrently 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. TrizaWe 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 needlesStephanie Patterson
  • 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.

Choirs for Children & Youth 2016-17

Dear congregation, and especially the families of our children and youth choristers,

I would like to share with you the plans for our choral programming for children and youth in the coming program year.  Ingrid Ladendorf, Early Childhood Advisor at the Diller-Quaile School of Music and adjunct faculty at TCNJ, will continue as the director of the Joyful Noise Choir,   masterfully introducing the joy of singing to our youngest voices and continuing to bless our church with her cheerful and caring spirit.  Our own Patty Thel will serve as the interim director of the Carol Choir, Choir 3-4-5, the Middle School Choir, and Cantorei for the 2016-2017 season.  Patty brings many gifts to our choral programming, including a wealth of experience as a music educator, church choir director, and Sunday school teacher. Past director of the Trenton Children’s Choir, Patty is also the founder and director of the Westminster Conservatory Choir, and she is the director of the Middle School Vocal Institute at Westminster.  Our children and youth will be in good hands with Patty and Ingrid.

We will maintain the same structure for choir rehearsals that we had this past year, and we intend on upholding traditions such as the Christmas Pageant and the Christmas Alumni Choir.  At the same time, there will be reflection on our choral programming in conversation with the congregation, and a search will be launched in late fall to find permanent leadership for our children and youth choirs.   While the position will no longer be full-time, I am confident that we can attract the right person to be a part of our next chapter in our church’s vibrant and integral choral program for children and youth.

Thank you all for your support of the ministry of music at Nassau, and thank you for upholding our church in prayer as we grow in faith through song.

 

Sincerely,

Noel Werner

Adult Education June 2016

Coffee and bagels served at every class


Mysteries That Matter: A Theology of Community

Joyce MacKichan Walker

June 12, 11:15AM
Assembly Room

Expect a plot and a murder and a clever detective. Discover a community, a theology of darkness and light, a fallen and redeemed humanity, and a brilliant, best-selling Canadian mystery writer with a deeply spiritual, biblically-grounded heart and mind. Louise Penny — the series begins.

Joyce MacKichan Walker had the great privilege of interviewing best-selling mystery author Louise Penny in the eastern townships of Quebec during her fall of 2015 sabbatical. An aficionado of mystery, Joyce has read this series of ten books twice, and can’t wait for number 11 on August 30! The other thing she loves is being an educator and pastor at Nassau — her 27th year.


The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power

Thomas J. Christensen

June 19, 11:15AM
Assembly Room

Many see China as a rival superpower to the United States and imagine its rise is a threat to U.S. leadership in Asia and beyond. Tom Christensen argues against this zero-sum vision. He describes a new paradigm in which the real challenge lies in dissuading China from regional aggression while
encouraging the country to contribute to the global order.

Tom Christensen, William P. Boswell Professor of World Politics of Peace and War and Director of the China and the World Program at  Princeton University, will discuss his most recent book on China (published in 2015) and the challenge navigating U.S.–China relations.


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The Pastor’s Diary: How a Conventional Conservative Became a Theological Liberal

William R. Phillippe

June 26, 11:15AM
Assembly Room

“Over my life, I have learned that early myths are very formidable, but I have also learned that other people have different myths that are just as formidable. I have learned that we all do and must have myths to live by. But my early myths were no longer serving their function of helping me make sense of my existence. I had to find others. And that is what this book is about — my constant search for myths that mattered as I let my mind truly explore and analyze my experiences.”

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Bill Phillippe was mentally wired to go into science and was awarded the Western Pennsylvania Physics Award. But with the encouragement of a few professors he took the road into the Presbyterian ministry instead.


2016-17 Young Adult Volunteers – Apply Now

A Year of Service for a Lifetime of Change

Nassau believes that God calls young adults through their experiences in relationship and in serving others. Memorable mission trips as youth or as college students stir in us a desire to know God more and to see God’s world with eyes other than our own. The PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer program (YAV) is a wonderful opportunity to do so!

YAV sends young adults to US and international mission sites to do such things as:

  • Engage in environmental protection work in Peru
  • Work on immigration reform in Arizona
  • Work on sex traffic prevention in Kenya
  • Tutor children and youth
  • Support art education in underserved populations

Read on below to learn about financial and one-on-one support to serve God in a variety of national or international mission sites. You can participate if you are between the ages of 19 and 30.

Where do I start?

Apply through YAV

To learn how to become a PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer, visit the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s YAV website.

Application Deadlines

  • Early Decision: December 1 (National and International)
  • Round 2: February 1 (National and International)
  • Round 3: April 1 (National Only)
  • Last Call: June 1 (National Only)

Apply for Nassau’s fellowship

YAVs commit to fundraising a minimum amount to contribute to the costs of the year. The minimums are $3,000 (National) or $4,000 (International). You can apply to Nassau for us to contribute half of your fundraising goal ($1,500 for national, $2,000 for international)! The PC(USA) covers the remaining costs of the year. The total cost for a year of service is $22,000 on average, including travel costs, orientation and debriefing retreats, health insurance, room and board, and a basic living stipend.

To apply for the Nassau fellowship, send a of copy your YAV application and letters of reference to Nassau Presbyterian Church (ATTN: YAV, Joyce MacKichan Walker), 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ, 08542. After reviewing your application, we will contact you to set up an interview, either in person or by phone.

We hope that through YAV you will experience God’s deep love for humanity and the mission of the church as one and the same. Through you, Nassau Church will be blessed by learning about your experience and the places and people you serve.

Resources

 

Forgiveness and Reconciliation Seminar

Lenten Small Groups Keynote Kickoff

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Dr. Bo Karen Lee

All encourage to attend this seminar on Forgiveness and Reconciliation on Sunday, January 31, at 2:00 p.m. in Niles Chapel. With Dr. Bo Karen Lee of Princeton Theological Seminary, we will examine the theological foundations of how we understand and live out forgiveness today. There will be refreshments and fellowship at 1:45 p.m.

Bo Karen Lee is associate professor of spiritual theology and Christian formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. Before joining the Princeton Seminary faculty, she taught in the Theology Department at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland, where she developed courses with a vibrant service-learning component for students to work at shelters for women recovering from drug addiction and sex trafficking. She now enjoys teaching classes on prayer for the Spirituality and Mission Program at Princeton Seminary, in addition to taking students on retreats and hosting meditative walks along nature trails.

A Prayer for the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston

FROM OUR PASTOR

In response to the horrific murder of worshipers at a prayer meeting inside the sanctuary of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, I am asking the Nassau Presbyterian Church community to join me in prayer:

Merciful God we once again find ourselves coming before you with aching and disbelieving hearts. We lift before you our sisters and brothers in Christ in Charleston; a congregation and family members mourning the loss of a pastor and church members who died inside their house of worship. Yes, we pray too for the young man now arrested and his family. As Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem that could not recognize the things that make for peace, we weep today as an evil act of violence once again shatters the hope for peace in the land. Holy One, as hatred and racism and gun violence once again come to the front page of the nation’s conscience, we fervently pray that you will lead us, encourage us, inspire us to work more intensely toward the Hebrew prophets’ vision of a peaceable kingdom and the Apostle Paul’s description of the more excellent way. By your grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit, save us, O God, from the tyranny of sin, the apathy of weak leaders, and the powers and principalities that profit from our fears. We are your body, O Christ! Your hands, your feet, and your voice. Multiply and make sacred our efforts to transform the world. Help us stand and speak and work for justice, until as Dr. King put it, we can “make of this old world, a new world”. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.