This Fall brings a wonderful diversity of topics, leaders, and platforms, all designed to deepen your knowledge, faith, and community. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | (Main)Line Davis | ||||
| 12 p.m. | (Main)Line Berg | ||||
| 1:30 p.m. | (Main)Line Wehrheim | ||||
| 4 p.m. | (Main)Line (grades 4-8) |
||||
| 7 p.m. |
(Main)Line Vanderkam | ||||
| Art of Faithfulness | |||||
| Spiritual Practices | |||||
| 7:30 p.m. |
The End of the (Main)Line? The Surprising Past & Uncertain Future of an America Protestant Powerhouse
Linked In Learning Series
As Presbyterians, we are part of a much wider stream within American Protestant life, often called the Mainline. This tradition was long a powerhouse, which wielded vast influence across all sectors of society. But in recent years most of the headlines it has garnered have centered on its decline. In this series we will revisit the Mainline’s surprising past, paying especially close attention to how this unwieldy Protestant coalition navigated the fierce challenges of the 20th-century public square. Along the way we will also wrestle with the uncertainties of the Mainline’s present and future. In this moment of flux and crisis, where might God be leading us?
Weekly small groups will read Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail, Henry Emerson Fosdicks’ Shall The Fundamentalists Win? as well as recent articles and studies highlighting pivotal moments, remarkable leaders and upcoming challenges of our Protestant tradition.
Join us Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM in the Assembly Room as Heath Carter, Associate Professor of American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary, will talk through the wider societal context and continuing impact of the selected readings. Carter specializes in the intersection of Christianity and American public life in the 20th century. Pastor Dave Davis will address these same themes and challenges in his Sunday sermon adding stories of the early church from the Book of Acts as reference and inspiration.
Mondays, October 17-November 14, 12:00-1:15 p.m.
In-person and outdoors at the home of Corrie Berg in Princeton, NJ.
Register Here
Corrie Berg, is the Director of Educational Ministries and always delighted to talk about Bible stories, whether it’s with grown ups or with children. She finds that she often learns the most by discussing the stories of our faith with the people of our church.
End of the (Main) Line? – just for Kids (4th-8th graders)
Mondays, October 17-November 14, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
In-person and outdoors at the home of Corrie Berg in Princeton, NJ.
Register Here
Corrie Berg is the Director of Educational Ministries and counts small groups as one of the great joys of her job. They offer precious opportunities to build relationships and deepen faith with her church family.
Mondays, October 17-November 14, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
In-person at the home of Carol Wehrheim in Skillman, NJ
Register Here
Carol Wehrheim is Clerk of Session. She finds small groups a necessary part of her life with Nassau Church, and enjoys playing cornhole.
Tuesdays, October 18-November 15, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
In-person at the home of Mary and Jim Vanderkam in Princeton, NJ.
Register Here
After retiring, Mary and Jim Vanderkam moved to the Princeton area to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Mary was an educator who taught in several contexts, in the classroom, private tutoring, and adult education. Jim was most recently a professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame, with interests in Jewish literature such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Mary and Jim have much appreciated being members of small groups at Nassau.
Wednesdays, October 19-November 16, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Virtual on Zoom
Register Here
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.
Additional Small Group Options
Five Came Back…and Made Great Movies!
Sundays, October 16-November 13, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom
This group is full
Led by Frank Capra, five established and well respected Hollywood filmmakers answered the U.S. Government’s call to cover World War Two by filming documentaries aimed at inspiring support. Each artist felt the brutal impact of war and returned deeply affected by what they witnessed and filmed. Inspired by the Netflix documentary and the book, Five Came Back by film journalist Mark Harris, this group will watch and discuss five classic post war films through the lens of artists grappling with atrocity induced trauma and confusing social conflict. Movies: Treasure of the Sierra Madre; My Darling Clementine; I Remember Mama; The Best Years of Our Lives; It’s a Wonderful Life
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 18 has worked for the State of New Jersey.
Adventures in Barth, Season 6
Mondays, October 10-November 14, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom
This group is full
Get “Barth Smart” as we dive into Barth’s rich Christology, including the provocative “The Judge Judged in Our Place.” First-timers and experts are welcome as we gather around this rigorous challenge to church and world. Reading is ~40 pages/week.
Mark Edwards joined Nassau as Director of Youth Ministries in 2013. He is a lifelong Presbyterian and holds a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. He also teaches at Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, and Princeton Theological Seminary. Mark is married to Janine and they have two great kids, lots of animals, and a bunch of backpacks. His new book is Christ Is Time: The Gospel according to Karl Barth (and the Red Hot Chili Peppers).
Art of Faithfulness: Musica Divina
Mondays, October 17-November 7, 7:15-8:45PM
In-person, Niles Chapel in Nassau Church A separate Zoom time may be provided with sufficient interest.
Register Here
The Art of Faithfulness continues this year and begins with exploring the connection between music and faith. We will use the practice of Musica Divina, supported by our art of listening, reflection, journaling and discussion to explore music and it’s power to lift our faith to new heights. Musica Divina is a practice that we will cultivate and every week we will use music selected for the group and by the group, anticipating meaningful experiences and conversations as a result. Bring an open heart and mind, your faith and a desire to grow in faith and your love of music, which we all share. And, watch for more Art of Faithfulness opportunities, to be communicated soon!
Kim Kleasen is a long time member of Nassau and the Adult Choir, is currently a Deacon and has gratefully worked on our Forward in Faith Together initiatives while on Session. During the pandemic, Kim completed a course in Spiritual Direction at General Theological Seminary and using those experiences partnered with Noel Werner to lead small groups in the Art of Faithfulness, evolving to more opportunities to use creative arts as a pathway to faith. At General Seminary, Kim worked with faculty and classes to develop and lead Musica Divina, which she now joyfully brings to Nassau Church.
Practices for Spiritual Growth
Mondays (bi-weekly), October 17 & 31, November 14 & 28, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom
Join us for a series on practices for spiritual growth, based on Sue Monk Kidd’s When the Heart Waits. Blending her own life experience with an intimate grasp of spirituality, Sue Monk Kidd relates the spiritual crisis that led her to a soul-saving discipline of “active waiting.” We will discuss Kidd’s insights and practices and how they may inform our own spiritual journeys. Aruna Bhargava, Lina Genovesi, Pat Costigan, and Liz Beasley will share leadership and facilitate discussions.
Liz Beasley retired from Rutgers in 2019 to spend as much time as possible with her grandchildren. She also takes classes in fiction-writing, co-chairs the activities committee for the Present Day Club, volunteers with Villages in Partnership, and serves as a deacon at Nassau Church.
Aruna Bhargava is a former college professor and an author of 8 books – fantasy/adventure for children and entrepreneurship/entrepreneur stories for adults. Aruna and her husband run a non-profit to help unemployed youth and underprivileged women in India to become entrepreneurs.
Patricia Costigan has a doctorate from Rutgers University in educational psychology with a focus on reading and learning disabilities and she works with a Child Study Team as a learning consultant in a local school district.
Lina Genovesi, a member of Nassau Church since April 2019, is an intellectual property attorney with a law firm in Greenwich, Connecticut. She spends her free time working on her memoir of growing up in Beirut, Lebanon. Her passion is helping seniors maintain optimum mental and physical health and a joyful wellbeing.
The Sacred Art of Photography
In this session of Sacred Art, which will run for seven sessions, participants will create photographs in response to seven questions, three posed in the Old Testament, four posed by Jesus in the New Testament.
The Sacred Art of Photography
Thursdays, October 20 & 27, November 3 & 10, December 1, 8, 15, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom
This group is full
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.
He and his partner, Mari Walthall, are currently at work on a photo book entitled Covid & Faith, in which they explore in some depth the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed individuals’ spiritual practice and beliefs.
Lisa Bowens is an Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. She holds degrees from the University of North Carolina, Duke University and Princeton Theological Seminary. She is currently working on two commentary projects, one on 2 Corinthians and one on 1-2 Thessalonians.
Rev. Thomas Bayes (1701-1761) has been described as a theologian who dabbled in mathematics. Following the “rediscovery” of his work in the 1950s, Bayes is now recognized as a leading mathematical thinker. While much of his work focused on the topic of theodicy (if God is all good and powerful, why does evil exist?), his most influential writing has far-reaching applications in econometrics, pharmaceuticals, and public policy. Join us in reclaiming Bayes as one of the most influential Presbyterian theologians in the last three centuries. No graduate level mathematics, statistics or theology required.
Gordon Bryant is a member of the NPC Adult Education Committee and joined NPC in 1997. Bryant became acquainted with Bayes while employed at Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates (WEFA) after completing a graduate degree in Germanic Languages at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1984, Bryant completed an MBA at Wharton and began a decade-long career in investment banking, including serving as a Senior Vice President at Lazard Freres. More recently, while employed by Booz Allen, Bryant served as Senior Renewable Energy Project Finance Advisor for a US Department of Defense renewable energy program.
Cynthia Miller grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, and currently lives in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. She attended Hanover College (where she majored in economics and minored in French and German) and received her M.B.A. from the College of William and Mary where she focused on advertising and marketing. Miller is the Vice President for International and Domestic Market Solutions with Braun Research, based in Princeton, and ‘dabbles’ in statistics and regression analysis daily. She is a novel- and article-writer in her spare time who grew up Presbyterian and has been a member of Nassau since 1997.She especially enjoys being a part of the Adult Education Committee at our church.
Larry Alphs received his BS from Michigan State University and trained as a neuropharmacologist (PhD) and psychiatrist (MD) at the University of Chicago. He practiced psychiatry as an academic psychiatric researcher for 10 years before joining the pharmaceutical industry. He has led programs in numerous CNS disorders. Alphs has been involved in introducing CNS clinical trials in resource limited settings through initiation and ongoing consultation related to evaluating the value of injectable antipsychotics in Rwanda.
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.
