Home › Archive for Adult Education

Adult Education

Signs of Grace: Live Stories

Posted on by

January 8 – 29, 2023

9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room (9:15 a.m. for breakfast snacks)

All lives have twists and turns. All lives have ups and downs. All lives see signs of grace.

Our tradition of intergenerational classes in the month of January returns.  Middle School, High School, and Adults of all ages are invited to breakfast with members of our community as they share stories of God’s surprising faithfulness in their lives.

Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.

January 8

John Parker

Associate Director of Medical Writing, Bracco 

John is a spouse, parent of three grown children, teacher, writer, and child of God (not necessarily in that order). At Nassau, he has been an Elder, Deacon, youth leader, and church school teacher. By profession, he is a director of medical writing for a Milan-based pharma company. He is grateful for the sustaining witness to the gospel provided by Nassau Church.


Download Slides (PPT)

January 15

Theresa Thames

Associate Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel, Princeton University

An ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, Theresa is a graduate of Howard University, Duke University Divinity School, and Wesley Theological Seminary. She is passionate about the intersections of theology, gender, organizational development, and social justice. She is a challenging preacher, thoughtful theologian, certified yoga teacher, wife, dog mom, and devoted friend. Dean Thames is a lover of life and a music connoisseur who prioritizes self-care and believes that freedom is not optional, rest is her strength, and radical joy is her resistance. She is involved with the Princeton community through student engagement, pastoral care, overseeing religious programs, and regularly preaching at the University Chapel.

January 22

Hannah Davis Millson

Project Coordinator, Employment and Business Services at AHRC, New York City

At AHRC (Advocacy, Humanity, Re-imagination, Change) NYC, a large nonprofit organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the New York area, Hannah focuses on projects spanning employment, education, and faith and spirituality. She has also developed the Partnership for Inclusive Internships in collaboration with NYC City government to facilitate a pathway to employment for people with disabilities in civil service roles. Prior to joining AHRC NYC, Hannah taught for 5 years as a special education teacher, specializing in adaptive and vocational skills.

Listen to the PCUSA podcast that Hannah mentions in her talk: A Matter of Faith (link).

January 29

Michele Minter

Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity, Princeton University

In this role, Michele oversees the University’s initiatives focused on diversity, inclusion and access for all campus populations and serves as chief compliance officer for Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act. From 2008 to 2011, she served as vice president for development at the College Board, where she led fundraising and strategic initiatives focused on educational policy. She is an ordained elder and deacon at the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, a trustee of the Princeton Theological Seminary and the Westminster Foundation/Princeton Presbyterians, a director of the New Covenant Trust Company, and a former trustee of the Presbyterian Foundation.

Images and Sounds of Advent

Posted on by

November 27 – December 18, 2022

9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room

The images and sounds of Advent are unmistakable and deeply familiar. 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, create and sing combines into a rich theology of the incarnation.

Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.

November 27 | 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.

return to top

December 4 | Carmelle Beaugelin

CreatioDivina: The God Who Creates With Us

In Luke 1:26-38, Mary said “yes” to becoming a co-creator alongside The Creator. Saying “yes” to serving as a catalyst for the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom, forever changing the story of our collective humanity. What would happen if we each took a small step towards saying “yes” to becoming co-creators in God’s continuously unfolding
story? We will explore this question through the meditative practice of CreatioDivina hosted by BeauFolio Studio, an embodied creative practice of sacred art-making and courageous conversation.

Carmelle Beaugelin (she/her) is a Haitian-American visual artist, Human-Centered Design Consultant, and “holy cheerleader” based in Princeton, NJ. Her creative focus includes abstract impressionism/expressionism painting inspired by Afro-Latin Caribbean art styles and Christian spirituality. She is the Founder and Lead Curating Artist at BeauFolio Studio, an emerging arthouse at the intersection of sacred art, humancentered design, and restorative equity. You can find some of her work at carmellebeaugelin.com.

return to top

December 11 | Paul Rorem

Hymns that Prepare and Celebrate

The Advent hymn by Ambrose (“Savior of the Nations, Come”) and the Christmas hymn by Prudentius (“Of the  Father’s Love Begotten”) have in common the historical context and the doctrinal content of the Nicene Creed. It was  and is a complicated question: “Is Christ really God?” We will sing together and learn how our faith is formed by what we sing.

Paul Rorem is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Benjamin B. Warfield Professor of Medieval Church History Emeritus. An ordained Lutheran minister, his courses cover the confessions and influence of St. Augustine, the Christian mystical tradition, medieval Christianity, and the spiritual and theological legacy of the Pseudo- Dionysian writings.

return to top

December 18 | Maria LoBiondo

The Story of the Other Wise Man

First read as a holiday sermon, Presbyterian minister Henry Van Dyke’s parable imagining a fourth Magi’s lifelong  search for the King of Kings remains one of his most popular works. Storyteller Maria LoBiondo will share her version of “The Other Wise Man,” as well as a brief history of the author, who was educated at Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary and called Princeton home.

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 25 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. She is the editorial coordinator for Princeton University’s Office of Advancement Communications, and a former reporter and editor for The Princeton Packet.

return to top

Adult Education Series: The End of the (Main) Line?

Posted on by

The Surprising Past & Uncertain Future of an American Protestant Powerhouse

October 23 – November 20, 2022

9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room

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?

Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.

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. He spent the 2016–2017 academic year as the William S. Vaughn Visiting Fellow at Vanderbilt University. He and his family have been actively involved at Nassau Presbyterian Church since moving to Princeton.

Download Study Guide (pdf)

October 23: Surveying the Landscape

Reading: America’s Changing Religious Landscape Pew Research Center

We are living through a season of crisis for both American democracy and American Christianity. Together we’ll explore some of the challenging features of our contemporary cultural landscape, including hyper-polarization, widespread decline of trust in institutions, and the rise of “the nones.”

return to top

October 30: A Surprisingly Big Tent

Reading: Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?”

For a generation now the story has been that, around the time of the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial, American Protestantism split into conservative and liberal camps, never to meet again. But the reality is much more complicated. Together we’ll explore the surprisingly capacious contours of the 20th-century Mainline tent.

return to top

November 6: The Perils & Promise of a Big Tent, Part I: the Civil Rights era

Reading: Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Together we’ll reflect on how Mainline Protestants’ record on Civil Rights underscores both the perils and promise of a big-tent faith.

return to top

November 13: The Perils & Promise of a Big Tent, Part II: after the 1960s

Readings: James Forman, “The Black Manifesto” The New York Review of Books; Sarah Azaransky, “The Episcopal Saint whose journey for social justice took many forms, from sit-ins to priesthood,” Religion News Service; and “U.S. Churches Offer Sanctuary to Aliens Facing Deportation,” The New York Times (subscriber link)

Together we’ll reflect on the extent to which Mainline Protestants succeeded in holding together their unwieldy, big-tent coalition in the decades following the 1960s.

return to top

November 20: Listening for God’s Call at the End of the (Main)Line?

Readings: Martin E. Marty, “From Declinism to Discovery,” The Christian Century; James Roh, “First Top Female Pastor at SLC’s First Presbyterian comes as ‘a bolt out of the blue’ for Congregation,” The Salt Lake Tribune

While it’s easy to become overwhelmed by stories of decline and worries about cascading crises, we have not been given a spirit of fear. Where might God be calling us to go from here?

return to top

Small Groups for Fall 2022

Posted on by

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.
 Movies Adventures in Barth (Main)Line Vanderkam
  Art of Faithfulness
  Spiritual Practices
7:30 p.m. Sacred Photography

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.

return to top

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.

This group is full

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.

return to top

Mondays, October 17-November 14,  1:30-3:00 p.m.
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.

return to top

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.

return to top

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.

return to top

Additional Small Group Options

Art of Faithfulness: Musica Divina

Mondays, October 17-November 7, 7:15-8:45PM
Hybrid: In-person (Niles Chapel, Nassau Church) AND on Zoom

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.

return to top

Practices for Spiritual Growth

Mondays (bi-weekly), October 17 & 31, November 14 & 28, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

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.

return to top

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.

return to top

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).

return to top

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.

Download List (pdf)

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

return to top

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.

return to top


Adult Education: Hearing from All Corners of Our Community

Posted on by

September 11 – October 16, 2022

9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room

We are blessed to live in a global community filled with faithful scholars and individuals doing excellent work near and far. Come meet new faces, hear current voices, and expand your world this Fall. Classes begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays in the Assembly Room.

Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.

September 11 | Sanyua Mojola

Faith and Epidemics in South Africa

Join us to examine how societies produce health and illness, especially how gender, race/ethnicity, aging and the life course and socio-economic status shape health outcomes. South Africa is currently battling the worst HIV epidemic in the world. It is also experiencing a severe chronic disease epidemic. Come learn the causes and consequences of the HIV epidemic among middle aged and older adults, as well as the impact of the growing chronic disease epidemic on experiences of aging in rural post-apartheid South Africa.

Sanyu Mojola is Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs and the Director of the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. She holds degrees from Durham University, UK, and the University of Chicago. Her first book, Love, Money and HIV: Becoming a Modern African Woman in the Age of AIDS won multiple awards. She is working on her second book, which investigates the production of racial health inequality in the US, using the case of the HIV epidemic in Washington D.C.

return to top

September 18 | Lisa Bowens

Reception, Resistance, and Transformation: African American Readings of Paul

How have African Americans interpreted Paul and the Pauline epistles from the 1700s to the mid-twentieth century? Come learn about African American Pauline hermeneutics, or in layperson’s terms, black interpretation and how Pauline scripture, language, and tradition, is used to resist oppression and dehumanization.

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.

return to top

September 25 | Elise McKee

A Congo-Nassau Roof for Hope, Health, and Joy

Did you know that one expression of your Matthew 25 work this year was to provide a roof for women and girls at risk in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo? Come hear Elsie McKee tell about some of the poorest of the poor whom you have helped to save and serve. Your roof now covers the Women’s Center of FEBA (Femme Berceau de l’Abondance). This Center provides space for women and girls to find hope through fellowship and education, health through counseling and medical assistance for victims of violence and food support for destitute widows, and joy in being heard and welcomed. Elsie will be standing in for Maman Monique, the president of FEBA, telling stories and showing pictures of the new ‘Nassau’ roof!

Elsie Tshimunyi McKee was born and reared in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in central Africa. She was the Archibald Alexander Professor of Reformation Studies and the History of Worship at Princeton Theological Seminary for 29 years and continues to be a member of Witherspoon St. Presbyterian Church. Since retiring, she has worked with Woman, Cradle of Abundance, Inc., the non-profit organization she and PTS friends established in 2013.

 

return to top

October 2 | The Hashimi Family

When Returning Home Isn’t an Option: Starting Over From Scratch in New Jersey

When Taliban forces captured Afghanistan’s capital city in August 2021, Soraya Hashimi and her children fled the country in search of safety and freedom. The Hashimis are now our friends and neighbors in Princeton, settled here with sponsorship from Nassau Presbyterian Church and with support from many volunteers, but nothing about their flight from Kabul or building a new life in New Jersey has been simple or straightforward. Nor is their situation rare: according to the United Nations, over 100 million individuals worldwide are now displaced from their homes because of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. What is it like to build a new life from scratch? How do families face the challenges of long-term separation and immigration uncertainty? Join us to meet the Hashimi family and learn from their experience.

Soraya Hashimi and her two sons and four daughters were airlifted from Kabul in August 2021 as part of the “Operation Allies Welcome” program. After an extended stay in a resettlement camp in Texas, they arrived in Princeton in January 2022. Because Soraya’s husband was traveling when the crisis in Kabul escalated, he was separated from the rest of the family and is still waiting to be allowed to rejoin them here in New Jersey. Members of the family are working, attending school, polishing their English, and facing all the challenges of building a new life far from what once was home. The Mission and Outreach Committee and the many volunteers from Nassau Presbyterian Church and beyond are happy to welcome them as they have welcomed many previous refugee families to our community.

return to top

October 9 | Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta

 God Calls Christians to Declare Justice and Peace in Indonesia

Being a PC(USA) mission co-worker in Indonesia is a blessing. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world but also contains a significant Christian population. In Indonesia, the church and Muslims work together to reveal God’s love to the world. Come and learn how Christians in Indonesia strive to be salt and light and living witnesses in a Muslim-majority Indonesia.


Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta is a mission co-worker from PC(USA) who serves at Duta Wacana Christian University (DWCU). She holds a degrees in religion, theology and a PhD in anthropology. Currently, Farsijana is one of the visiting scholars at the Overseas Ministries Study Center (OMSC) at Princeton Theological Seminary and is excited to visit Presbyterian churches during her 9-month stay in the US sharing about her work and ministry in a multi-faith setting. When not traveling, Nassau Presbyterian Church will be her home church during her stay in Princeton.

 

return to top

October 16 | Everlyn Nicodemus

A Journey to the Arts

Come meet this year’s Artist-in-Residence at the Overseas Ministries Study Center of Princeton. Nicodemus will share how her life has been marked by movement and how that movement is reflected in her art. She grew up on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, moving across Europe – to Sweden, France and Belgium – before finally settling in the U.K. Her experience of racism and cultural trauma has prompted the creation of a unique body of work that uses unusual materials to explore human experience, from metal nettings and sisal to textiles and found objects.


Everlyn Nicodemus is one of the strongest feminist voices to emerge from Eastern Africa in the past 30 years and is an artist, writer and curator. Her research and curatorial interests focus on the history of Modern African Art. A Lutheran, Nicodemus has been worshiping at Nassau Presbyterian during her time in Princeton.

return to top

Adult Education – May 15 & 22

Posted on by
On Sunday, May 22, we will begin our summer schedule: one Service of Worship at 10:00 a.m., with Adult Education in the Assembly Room at 11:15 a.m.

Rev. Thomas Bayes: Presbyterian Theologian for a Pandemic-time

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.

May 15 | 9:30am, Assembly Room

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.

May 22 | 11:15am, Assembly Room

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.

Adult Education – April 24, May 1 & 8

Posted on by

Faith ‘n Technology

From phones to drones; cars to Mars, technology is reshaping, indeed, remaking the worlds we live in. But what can our ancient and analog faith offer such brave new futures? These all-ages classes will plug into the big questions about belief in the digital age.  Gather around as we ask, “Should we have Faith in Technology?”

Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.


April 24 | 9:30am, Assembly Room

From Plato to Instagram: Truly Knowing the Shadows on the Wall

As more of life is spent online, and more knowledge is gained through digital media, how will we know what is true and real? This week explores the power of image, the nature of knowledge, and some ancient wisdom for escaping our computer caves.

May 1 | 9:30am, Assembly Room

Will Robots Pray to Electric Gods?: Machines, Cyborgs, and the Meaning of Humanity

Will organic people become obsolete hardware? This week we turn to questions of artificial intelligence and what it means to be human as we address the dreams and dystopias of robotic futures.

May 8 | 9:30am, Assembly Room

Beauty Great and Nano: The Brilliance of Nature

The heavens declare glory and beauty. But what about the nano scale cosmos below us? Our final session looks to the natural world for inspiration and hope as we contemplate the wonders our technology may achieve.

Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards is Director of Youth Ministry here at Nassau Presbyterian Church. In his spare time he teaches “Ethics and Technology” at nearby The College of New Jersey.

Adult Education – Lent ’22 Linked-In Learning Series

Posted on by

Reading Luke Backwards

Some stories are not meant to be read once and in order. Some stories are meant for us to revisit over and over again. The Gospel of Luke is such a story and our yearly journey through Lent provides an ideal opportunity to remember and learn anew the story of Jesus’s cross and resurrection anew, afresh, and perhaps from a different vantage point.

And so we invite you to read the Gospel of Luke backwards this season. In a world turned upside down by pandemics and politics alike, how might we approach Easter if we start at the foot of the cross, at the threshold of the empty tomb? And what if we end the story where it starts, in the arms of Mary? From the end to the beginning, Luke narrates a good news that transforms a ruptured world.

Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.

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.

March 6 | Luke 23:26-40

An Unjust Death

Lent and Easter invite us into multiple stories of the cross and resurrection. Luke’s account of the cross focuses on Jesus’ innocence and his unjust death at the hands of an empire that saw him as a threat to the order it had established. At the foot of the cross then, we meet a Jesus who stands alongside others unjustly and cruelly executed by the machinations of various empires. Thus, we stand at the foot of the cross grieving what we have seen: an innocent person whose life an empire tries to take but whom God redeems. 

March 13 | Luke 20:20-26

Confronting Caesar

In light of Luke’s account of the cross, we can turn afresh to a number of well-known Lukan passages, including Jesus’ famous and often misinterpreted call to “render unto Caesar.” Often, this verse is deployed to encourage us to keep separate the political and the religious. Instead, the story calls us to count carefully what actually belongs to God and how much is left for a Caesar who claims to possess the world. What belongs to God if not everything! And if that’s true, then what is left to give to Caesar?

March 20| Luke 14:15-24

The (Not So) Great Dinner

Luke loves stories about food, about gathering around tables with sinners and righteous alike. Here, Jesus tells a story about what a gathering usually deemed a great dinner, a picture of the feast that awaits us all in paradise. However, the Jesus Luke narrates consistently goes to the margins to find his dinner companions, not as a concession after all his friends have turned down his invitation. That is, this (not so) great dinner teaches us more about what a feast in heaven will not be like.

March 27 | Luke 6:20-26

Blessed Are…

Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain promises nothing less than a reversal of the order of a world that privileges raw power, excessive pride, unrestrained greed by highlighting the poor, the meek, the disinherited as beneficiaries and exemplars of God’s promised reign. Alongside blessing, Jesus also names woe to those who have already received their “consolation.”

April 3 | Luke 4:1-13

Power & Justice: Temptation in the Wilderness

Following on the heels of Jesus’ baptism and a voice from heaven naming him God’s beloved child, the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. There, Jesus faces temptation, supported by the Spirit and the belief that God was with him. At the center of the temptation account is Satan’s promise to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, kingdoms Satan now controls. Jesus’ faithful response is an invitation to ponder the shape of power and how we might hone our expectations of God’s good reign.

April 10 | Luke 1:39-56

A Believer, A Prophet

We end where Luke’s narrative begins: with Mary’s faithful consent and her prophetic declaration. Typically, we read about Mary’s choice and her song in the Christmas season. In light of Good Friday’s cross and Easter’s promise of resurrection, how might Mary’s bold belief help us meet Jesus once again? This story will remind us of Mary’s faithful teaching of Jesus, the anguish and grief she must have experienced throughout Jesus’ life, as well as one of the sources of the prophetic and prayerful proclamation of God’s transformative kingdom that marked Jesus’ own ministry.

Lent 2022 Small Groups

Posted on by

Old rhythms and routines are returning in new ways. Small Group fellowship is also adapting to the new normal. This Lent 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. Reading Luke
11 a.m.
12 p.m. Cradling Abundance
4 p.m. Art of
Faithfulness		 Reading Luke
(grades 4-7)
7 p.m.
 Movies – Backwards Reading Luke Reading Luke
  Christ is Time
7:30 p.m. Photographing Lent Photographing Lent

Reading Luke Backwards

Linked In Learning Series
Some stories are not meant to be read once and in order. Some stories are meant for us to revisit over and over again. The Gospel of Luke is such a story and our yearly journey through Lent provides an ideal opportunity to remember and learn anew the story of Jesus’s cross and resurrection anew, afresh, and perhaps from a different vantage point.

And so we invite you to read the Gospel of Luke backwards this season. In a world turned upside down by pandemics and politics alike, how might we approach Easter if we start at the foot of the cross, at the threshold of the empty tomb? And what if we end the story where it starts, in the arms of Mary? From the end to the beginning, Luke narrates a Good News that transforms a ruptured world.

Join us each Sunday morning as Eric D. Barreto, Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, leads us (backwards) through the Gospel of Luke, examining not only the Biblical and historical context of Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ life and ministry but also its timely and timeless impact on our lives today. Get linked-in for Lent! Each week small groups will study these Lukan texts from a more personal and contemplative point of view, and Pastor Davis will preach them in worship.

Mondays, February 28 – April 4, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
In-person and outdoors at the home of Corrie Berg in Princeton, NJ.

This group is full
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.

return to top

Reading Luke Backwards – just for Kids (4th-8th graders)

Mondays, February 28 – April 4, 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 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.

return to top

Tuesdays, March 1 – April 5, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
In-person at the home of Thomas and Trevor in Kingston, NJ.

Register Here
Thomas VanWart and Trevor Thorton have been attending Nassau Church for two years, becoming members just before the pandemic started, and now they are Deacons. Relocating to the area from Kansas City, they are currently building their small homestead in Kingston with a Corgi (Luna), 11 Chickens (Emmy Lou, Queen Elizabeth, Reba, Dolly, Stacey, Fran, Abby, Iris, RBG, Marily Robinson, and Nina), and a growing garden.

return to top

Thursdays, March 3 – April 7, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

Mani Pulimood has been worshiping at NPC for a long time, with his wife, Monisha, and two sons, Nikhil and Philip. He enjoys participating in and leading small groups at Nassau. He has authored a book, Spiritual Dimensions – Musings on Life and Faith. One of his favorite ministries is online evangelism (https://twitter.com/ManiPulimood). He also enjoys biking and hiking.

return to top

Additional Small Group Options

Art of Faithfulness

Sundays, March 6 – April 10, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

This group is full

This spring the Art of Faithfulness continues! Join us as we look at the creative arts as a pathway to experiencing God’s presence in our lives, individually and collectively. We will explore a variety of creative art forms, including the creativity that God has given each of us, to reflect and discuss how they relate to and express our faith.

Kim Kleasen is a long time member of Nassau and the Adult Choir, is currently on Session and working on our Forward in Faith Together initiatives. During the pandemic she completed a course of study on Spiritual Direction at General Theological Seminary where she deeply explored the connections of our creativity and faith.

Noel Werner is in his 16th year as the Director of Music at Nassau and currently serving as Dean of the Central NJ Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He enjoys discovering the power of music, poetry, and visual arts on our virtual platforms during the pandemic.

return to top

Let’s Begin at the End; at the Movies

Sundays, February 27 – April 10, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

This group is full

Throughout art and literature we find stories told by using reverse chronology narratives, telling a story in reverse order of events on a timeline. Cinema plays more than a bit part in that mix. We will look at six films that employ a variation of this ancient storytelling technique while enjoying film classics that begin with Mank, a 2020 film about the making of the 1941 masterpiece Citizen Kane. We will conclude the series with a screening of Citizen Kane. On the first Sunday we will talk about ourselves and get to know each other and dip our toes in the reverse chronology story pool. The next six weeks we will see the above films listed in the order shown ahead of our scheduled time together. We will then discuss that week’s movie during our time together.
Movie selections include: Mank; Slumdog Millionaire; Into the Wild; Forrest Gump; Amadeus; Citizen Kane.

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 17 has worked for the State of New Jersey.

return to top

Christ is Time

Mondays, February 28 – April 4, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

Get “Barth Smart” as we encounter Mark’s favorite volume in the Church Dogmatics. Addressing our understanding of humanity and temporality, Karl rethinks and arguably solves the meta-question, “What is time?”  First-timers and experts are welcome as we gather around this rigorous challenge to mind and heart, church and world, and clock and calendar. Reading is ~40 pages/week.

Mark Edwards joined Nassau as Director of Youth Ministries in September of 2013. He is a lifelong Presbyterian and holds a PhD in Philosophy and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has taught at Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, and Princeton Theological Seminary. His Christ is Time: The Gospel according to Karl Barth is forthcoming in ‘22. Mark is married to Janine, and they have two great kids, a dog, a cat, seven chickens, and a bunch of bikes.

return to top

Cradling Abundance

Tuesdays, March 8 – April 5, 12:00-1:00 pm
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

Join friends from Witherspoon Street Presbyterian for conversations on Cradling Abundance: One African Christian’s Story of Empowering Women and Fighting Systemic Poverty by Monique Misenga Ngoie Mukuna & Elsie Tshimunyi McKee. Each week we will take a section of the book and consider specific questions pertaining to the text and spend time reflecting generally as well. We hope participants will invest in friendships with one another and Maman Monique through her writing.
A limited quantity of books will be available for purchase at Laybrinth Books on Nassau Street beginning Thursday, February 17 (ask at the check out counter). These can also be ordered from Amazon, Christianbook.com, or from the publisher InterVarsity Press.

Len Scales is the Part-Time Pastor for Mission & Outreach at Nassau. She and her husband Andrew are in their sixth year serving as the Presbyterian Chaplains at Princeton University and Executive Co-Directors of Princeton Presbyterians of the Westminster Foundation at Princeton.

Elsie McKee retired from teaching history at Princeton Theological Seminary last year. She was born and grew up in Congo, and for many years has supported theological education there. Since 2010 her primary focus has been working with her dear friend Maman Monique; in 2013 Elsie and friends established a small non-profit Woman, Cradle of Abundance, to assist Maman Monique’s ministry.

return to top

The Sacred Art of Photography

The theme of Sacred Art of Photograph this spring will be Photographing Lent. Each group will prepare a Lenten photo journal that will consist, in the aggregate, of two photographs each group member produces during the week prior to the group meeting on Zoom.

The stimulus for these photographs will come from various scriptures and Lenten meditations provided daily at Nassau beginning on March 2, Ash Wednesday. You can sign up for this email list here:

Members will present two of their photographs for discussion on the evenings in which the group meets.

Photographing Lent (Tuesdays)

Tuesdays, March 1 – April 5, 7:30-8:30pm
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here

return to top

Photographing Lent (Thursdays)

Thursdays, March 3, 17, 31,  and April 14, 21, 28, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual on Zoom

Register Here
Because of the “wonky” schedule, we are asking participants to register by email with Ned Walthall by clicking the box above.

return to top

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.

return to top


Adult Education – February 2022

Posted on by

Engaging Islam Graphic with 12 pointed star ceramic tiles, c.1442-43, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (www.metmuseum.org).

view graphic copyright

Welcome back to in-person Adult Education classes! We begin this month with a new series exploring the tenets and teachings of Islam. Come hear four excellent community leaders and scholars share their experiences of and expertise in this dynamic and rich tradition. Join us as we strive to be good neighbors to those in our community and conscientious citizens of the world.

Audio recordings will be posted below each class description.

Current Covid Protocols for Adult Education

Our presenters are fully vaccinated and will comply with our testing protocol for worship leaders. Social distancing will apply in the Assembly Room with seating limited to 40 and masking inside the building will continue.

February 6 | Imam Khalil Abdullah

Islam in Dialogue

In the early years of Islam, the emerging Muslim community endured many challenges. Muhammad the Prophet encouraged his followers to seek refuge in the nearby Christian kingdom of Ethiopia. We’ll look at that pivotal moment in history, which offers lessons on both Islam and living together.

Unfortunately, this session was not recorded.

Khalil Abdullah is the Assistant Dean for Muslim Life in the Office of Religious Life at Princeton University. He works closely with students on campus to support their diverse cultural and spiritual identities while helping to strengthen their religious literacy and mutual respect for others. In addition, Khalil offers pastoral care to students and regularly hosts campus dialogues on various topics related to faith, identity, and meaning.

return to top

February 13 | Tehseen Thaver

The Qur’an: Text, Context, and Interpretation

This session will introduce participants to some key features of the Qur’an and its interpretive tradition in Islam. Through some specific examples from the Qur’an itself we will look at ways in which the interpretation of thorny and important matters has transformed over time. 

Tehseen Thaver is Assistant Professor of Religion/Islam at Princeton University. She teaches courses on the Qur’an and its interpretation, Sufism and Muslim Ethics, Muslim humanities, Shi‘ism, and religion and culture of Iran. Her research focuses on the multiple forms of Muslims’ engagement with scripture – pre-modern and modern, oral and textual, interpretive and performative.

return to top

February 20 | Amaney Jamal

Islam and Muslim Experiences in the U.S. since 9/11

This week’s class in the Engaging Islam series jumps ahead about 1400 years.  We move from learning about the historical roots and sacred texts of Islam to the current experiences of Arab Americans living in our country in the two decades following the events of September 11, 2001. Dr. Jamal will discuss the persistent stereotypes surrounding Arab Americans and how a limited understanding of Islamic culture plays a role in anti-immigrant sentiments.

Amaney Jamal is Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics. Jamal’s research and teaching focuses on the Middle East and North Africa, political development and democratization, inequality and economic segregation, Muslim immigration in the United States and Europe, and issues related to gender, race, religion and class. She previously served in numerous leadership roles on campus, including as chair of the Department of Politics Ad-Hoc Committee on Race and Diversity and as a member of the Dean of the Faculty Committee on Diversity. Jamal also directs the Workshop on Arab Political Development and the Bobst-American University of Beirut Collaborative Initiative.

return to top

February 27 | Imam Jawad Bayat

A Child of Refugees: Becoming an Afghan-American Muslim

Jawad Bayat was born and raised in New Jersey to parents who sought refuge here during the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1981. As he relates his personal story we will discover the inner landscape and tension that many people carry as a result of such major disruption and displacement. Assimilation, isolation, and integration are all part of being Afghan, American, and Muslim.

Imam Jawad Bayat serves as Manager of Pastoral Care and Clinical Pastoral Education for Penn Medicine Princeton Health and Princeton House Behavioral Health. He is a graduate of Hartford International University for Religion and Peace’s (formerly Hartford Seminary) Islamic Chaplaincy program, and is ecclesiastically endorsed by the Islamic Society of North America. Jawad completed his multi-year ACPE educator certification with the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, and became among the first Muslim ACPE certified pastoral care educator’s in its history.

return to top

Graphic includes Twelve-Pointed Star-Shaped Tile, attributed to Khargird, Iran, (A.H. 846/ A.D. 1442–43), [Stonepaste; polychrome glaze within black wax resist outlines (cuerda seca technique), 15 7/8 in. x 15 7/8 in. x 1 1/4 in.]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (www.metmuseum.org).