In this season we anticipate the birth of Jesus and God setting all things right in the world. As we wait, let us look together for glimmers of hope. Our speakers will engage their expertise in art, stories, and community and invite us to join them in paying attention to where God is showing up. You are invited to bring in a poem, image, or story that speaks to hope on Sunday, December 22nd.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
December 1 | Heath Carter
The Sense of Our Small Effort: Faithful Witness in Dangerous Times
Heath Carter’s session will be rescheduled for a ltater date. Due to this change Andrew and Len Scales offered “The Taizé Community: Welcome, Work, and Worship.”
For the past decade, KimyiBo has been exhibiting artworks that have emerged from her experience of motherhood, expanding the concept of mothering to encompass a commitment to creating, nurturing, and supporting the interconnectedness of life. During this talk, she will discuss how mothering has shaped her path as an artist and continues to inform her spiritual growth.
KimyiBois currently an artist-in-residence at Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary. KimyiBo’s art engages with concepts arising from life as an immigrant and caregiver in the form of ink drawings, prints, artist’s books, and collaborative practices. Like a mycorrhizal network, the themes of transition, growth, ambivalence, resilience, and hope form its subterranean network of roots, from which seedlings sprout for new work.
Tolstoy’s Two Old Men: Where are you on life’s pilgrimage?
Leo Tolstoy’s short story, “Two Old Men,” follows two friends who set out to fulfill their lifetime dream of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Through these characters, the celebrated author challenges us to consider our own life’s journey and how we respond to the twists and turns presented to us along the way. Storyteller Maria LoBiondo will share her oral version of Tolstoy’s classic tale.
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 30 years old. She has shared folk and literary tales several times for Nassau Presbyterian’s Advent programs, as well as locally in schools, other religious settings, and festivals.
The attention economy we find ourselves in grabs us with the shiny fixes, with tasks, chores, and logistics. Perhaps no more so than in the commercial Christmas season. Yet, Advent reminds us that so much of our life is waiting for God, if we can bear to sit still for it. This session is about cultivating hope in our waiting by attending to the slow and human-sized flow of community and connection, mutual care and genuine generosity.
Karen Rohrer is the Associate Academic Dean at Princeton Seminary. She pushes paper with conviction, believing that without trustworthy institutions individualism costs the church and ultimately the world the good gift God intends for us in community. She believes in dogs and the Holy Spirit and writing your way through. She is married to Andy Greenhow, Presbyterian Minister and life-sized cartoon, and lives in Lawrenceville, NJ.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
November 24 | Michele Minter
A Moment to Decide
In 1964, a civil rights icon, a famous Black nationalist and a Presbyterian minister crossed paths in Cleveland, with tragic consequences. Michele Minter shares a civil rights story.
If you have never heard of the name Bruce Klunder, you are probably not alone. And yet, his name is one of only forty-one martyrs inscribed in the famous Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama.
Michele Minter is vice provost for institutional equity and diversity at Princeton University, where her works involves community building and institutional history. She is a trustee of the Princeton Theological Seminary and a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. She lives in Plainsboro with her husband Jeff.
“They Stood (Daughters of Zelophehad)” Lauren Wright Pittman (graphic image, inspired by Numbers 27:1-11) | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org Used by special permission. All rights reserved.
October 20 – November 17, 2024
9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room
A queen, mothers of nations, and advocates for themselves and other women are among those we will meet during these weeks. They employ faithfulness and savvy as they navigate a life at the margins. Let’s learn from these women together as we ask challenging questions and remember other women who have helped make a way for us in our own lives.
“Linked-In Learning” helps us explore the same stories from multiple perspectives. In these classes members and friends of the congregation will lead us through the same texts the preachers will take up in worship and small groups will have engaged the week prior. Let’s learn together!
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
October 20 | Elaine James
Women, Poetry and God
Proverbs 31 (selected verses)
How can the Bible be a resource for women? How can women and folks on the margins engage texts that are patently androcentric and frankly difficult to read? This session considers the poem about the “worthy women” in Proverbs 31 as an example of how poetry can both reinforce patriarchal ideals and also imagine liberative pathways. Part of the craft of the poem is a celebration of the craft and handwork of women—creativity itself is enshrined in Proverbs as a divine force, in which we are all invited to participate.
Elaine T. James is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. Her research interests are in biblical Hebrew poetry, ideas of art in the ancient world, and issues of land, ecology, and gender. She is the author of Landscapes of the Song of Songs: Poetry and Place (Oxford University Press, 2017), and An Invitation to Biblical Poetry (Oxford University Press, 2021).
Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah are known as the Daughters of Zelophad. They are remembered for advocating on their own behalf for the inheritance of their late father’s land. We will use Dr. Wil Gafney’s practice of “sanctified imagination” to enter the text and draw out its revelations of God’s inclusion and the stories’ connections to our own embodied knowledge. Where were these women when their covenant with Moses was broken by the temple’s leadership? Why are they included in the listing of land inheritance if their familial line seems to stop? Who was their mother?
Isabella Shutt is a first-year M.Div. student at Princeton Theological Seminary and recent graduate of Princeton University. Originally from western North Carolina, she became a member of Nassau after worshiping weekly with Princeton Presbyterians at Breaking Bread. Isabella currently serves as the Intern for the Adult Education and Missions and Outreach Committees. She is the eldest of three daughters and brings this perspective to her readings of women in the Old Testament.
We will discuss identity and belonging in the story of Ruth from multiple angles of religion, ethnicity, family, and age. As you read Ruth 1-4 ahead, consider how various characters change their identities throughout the story.
Leslie Virnelson is a Democracy Fellow at Interfaith America through a postdoctoral partnership with Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) and a scholar of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Her forthcoming book with Oxford University Press is Fruit of Her Hands: Women, Work, & Society in the Hebrew Bible. She has taught classes for masters and undergraduate students at PTS, Princeton University, Mercer University, Union Theological Seminary, and Union Presbyterian Seminary. She also served as the interim director of the Center for Theology, Women, & Gender at PTS from 2020-2023, organizing events and curricula to educate public and scholarly audiences on the intersections of religion and gender. She lives in West Windsor, NJ and enjoys hiking, foraging, and fermentation.
Sarah is the matriarch of Jews and Christians, while Muslims trace their lineage through Hagar. All three faiths claim Abraham as their forefather. These early biblical stories sow the seeds of both historic and present-day conflicts among Christians, Muslims, and Jews. But could they also offer paths to healing? Sometimes we get stuck with unworkable solutions because we are asking the wrong questions.
Rev. Jonathan C. Shenkis a minister and entrepreneur. He is the owner of Greenleaf Painters, a local painting company. He is also a certified spiritual director and founding member of the Trenton Microloan Collaborative, a joint venture of Nassau and Westminster. He lives in Princeton Junction with his wife, Cynthia Yoder. Their son, Gabriel, is a high school English teacher and frontman for Sonoa, an indie rock band.
According to ChatGPT, the lessons that we can learn from Esther include courage, faith, wisdom, selflessness, leadership, divine timing, and advocacy. But is that all? What else can we learn from Esther? The story of Esther is interesting not only because of its content but also because it reveals the patriarchal structure of Ancient Near Eastern society, the roles of women in different systems, and various power dynamics. This time, we will try to look at it from a new perspective, putting ourselves in Esther’s experience and reflecting on what meaning this story can have for us today.
There is no recording for this class.
Joseph Kwan(he/him) is currently a final year Master of Divinity student at Princeton Theological Seminary, and he joined Nassau Presbyterian in 2022. Joseph is originally from Hong Kong, where he was born, raised, educated, and lived for most of his life. Before coming to the US for ministerial formation, he studied theology for four years in Hong Kong. His living and educational experience in Hong Kong gave him a special lens through which to approach the scriptures and Christian tradition from a post-colonial and East Asian perspective. He is a candidate for ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA) under care through our church.
“Let Justice Roll Down” Anna Strickland (graphic image, inspired by Amos 5:18-24) | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org Used by special permission. All rights reserved.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
October 6 | Lorraine Jackson
A Report on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
As a delegate with the Presbyterian Women’s group to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW ‘68) Conference held in March 2024, Lorraine Jackson had the privilege of attending a number of discussions, seminars, and presentations by folks from around the world focused on the theme of “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” Having gleaned a number of fascinating personal stories, she will present a report on her experiences and share some of her impressions from that impressive gathering.
Lorraine Jackson, a long-time member of Nassau Church and Choir member, is also currently serving as the Co-Moderator of the Presbyterian Women in the Coastlands Presbytery. She has been a Deacon and Elder and active participant on several Mission and Worship Commissions. A four-decade dedicated library and adult literacy advocate, Lorraine has served as the Director of the South Brunswick Public Library where she founded Literacy Volunteers of America, Middlesex County. She has held executive roles in The American Library Association and the International Federation of Library Associations, where she founded portable library systems in developing countries. She still teaches English as a Second Language for the Library. For many years pre-covid, she practiced weekly with her fellow Scottish Country Dancers. She also leads the Jersey Jam Scottish Fiddlers. Lorraine lives in Cranbury with her husband Bart with whom she paddles, hikes, pedals their tandem bicycle, and grows the grapes for their own Chateau Bonne Chance wine. Together they have explored over 80 countries.
October 13 | Damon Venable & Rev. Dr. Russell Owen
Spotlight on Justice: Who Should Decide Who Gets a Second Chance?
New Jersey also ranks 4th among all states in its percentage of elderly people serving life sentences. Almost 500 people incarcerated in New Jersey are age 65 or older. The Rehabilitative Release bill now pending in the N.J. legislature will provide meaningful opportunities for elders in prison to petition the courts for sentence revisions or reductions. As communities of love, faith, and justice, how are we the voice of the voiceless and/or the vote of the voteless. Come and hear the perspective on the pressing need for this Second Chance legislation from two Lifers who survived over 30 years in the New Jersey Prison System. Rev. Russell Owen and Damon Venable will share their stories accompanied by videos lifting up other voices to explain why your voice and vote on this issue are critical.
Damon Venable is a Community Affairs & Policy Specialist with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. He was tried as an adult and convicted to a sentence of life imprisonment for a crime he committed when he was 16. While challenging his sentence, he was released on parole after serving more than three decades in prison. During his time in prison, he continued his education and received a degree in Justice Policy from Rutgers University. After his release, he joined the NJOPD as a paralegal and is now serving in a number of roles in that office, including as a liaison for the recently launched clemency initiative.
Rev. Dr. Russell Owen,at age of 19, was sentenced to 30 to life within New Jersey Correctional Facilities. He was released on parole after serving 32 carceral years. He has earned various degrees and continues to find solace as a student, while gathering tools of freedom and liberation. While incarcerated, he was one of the original contributors/students of the NJ STEP program, which has grown into one of most successful college prison programs nationally. He has received the Esther Award from New Brunswick Theological Seminary for Transformative Radical Truth-Telling. He is a Rutgers alumni and is a member of the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work. Since being released in 2021, he is now the statewide Power Organizer of Live Free New Jersey, which focuses on ending gun violence, mass incarceration, criminalization, and police brutality at the local, state, and national level. He does this in unison with Faith in New Jersey, a multi-faith, multi-racial civic engagement vehicle for faith communities and everyday people who strive to fight for social justice.
Join us for an enriching and dynamic series exploring the gift of divine creativity. You are invited to engage with writers, dancers, poets, and visual artists who will guide our understanding of how creative practices can deepen our spiritual journey. Each artist will uniquely illuminate how we are invited into God’s creative power. Come and be inspired to appreciate and practice creation in ways that reflect the beauty, diversity, and imagination of God. The Adult Education Committee is excited to partner with Art of Faithfulness to more broadly introduce the congregation to a few of the artists who will offer small groups and art exhibits throughout the year.
Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.
September 8 | Carey Wallace
Everyone is an Artist
Carey Wallace is the author of The Blind Contessa’s New Machine (Penguin), The Ghost In The Glass House (Clarion), and The Discipline of Inspiration (Eerdmans). She works to help people from all walks of life find inspiration and build strong creative habits to sustain a lifetime of creation. She performs as a songwriter, exhibits her own fine art, and has spoken on art, faith, and justice with students at Princeton, Julliard, Emory, Pratt, and Yale. Her articles and poems have appeared in Time, Detroit’s Metro Times, and America.
Roz Anderson Flood has been reading, writing, editing and teaching poetry for over 50 years and currently serves on the board of Copper Canyon Press, a non-profit poetry publisher. At Nassau Church, she has worn many hats. Currently, in addition to participation in programs for the Art of Faithfulness, Roz sings in the Adult Choir. In her day job, she is Assistant Vice President for Planned Giving, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health in Philadelphia.
Meagan Woods is an interdisciplinary artist who works in dance, theatre, and costume design. She holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Simon Fraser University and a BFA in Dance from Rutgers University. Her work has been shown at NJPAC, Bryant Park, Lincoln Center and venues across the US, Canada, Portugal, France, Taiwan, and The Philippines. Meagan has had the pleasure of choreographing for Nassau Church services as an artist-in-residence in 2010 and 2018 and is thrilled to be back this season. Learn more at www.meaganwoods.com.
Portraits of Immigrants: Unknown Faces, Untold Stories
Betsy Ashton studied both international relations and fine art at American University (B.A. 1966). After a 20-year career as a news anchor and reporter on radio and television in DC and NYC, she is now painting in a Long Island City studio. Betsy’s portraits have been shown in numerous juried shows and are included in public and private collections throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and in Italy, including one that hangs in the collection of the U.S. Embassy in London.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
KimyiBo is currently an artist-in-residence at Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary. KimyiBo’s art engages with concepts arising from life as an immigrant and caregiver in the form of ink drawings, prints, artist’s books, and collaborative practices. Like a mycorrhizal network, the themes of transition, growth, ambivalence, resilience, and hope form its subterranean network of roots, from which seedlings sprout for new work.
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 30 years old. She has shared folk and literary tales several times for Nassau Presbyterian’s Advent programs, as well as locally in schools, other religious settings, and festivals.
Karen Rohrer is the Associate Academic Dean at Princeton Seminary. She pushes paper with conviction, believing that without trustworthy institutions individualism costs the church and ultimately the world the good gift God intends for us in community. She believes in dogs and the Holy Spirit and writing your way through. She is married to Andy Greenhow, Presbyterian Minister and life-sized cartoon, and lives in Lawrenceville, NJ.
