Faith in Action: October Conversations


October 5-19, 2025

9:30 a.m. | Assembly Room


This October in Adult Education, we’ll reflect on Faith in Action. Join us as we explore environmental justice with young Presbyterians, learn from the witness of Malawian communities, and hear stories from Nassau’s own pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.

Download Flyer (pdf)


October 5 | Emma Marshall

Thinking Environmentally with Presbyterian Young Adults

Care of creation is a vital and activating issue for many, especially for millennials and Gen Z who are emerging into adulthood in a world marked by seeming scarcity, natural disasters, and uncertain futures. Presbyterians for Earth Care (a grassroots organization of the PC(USA)) has been working with Presbyterians ages 18–35 to develop a deeper understanding of what environmental activism looks like, now and in the future. Join us as we explore some of these frameworks for creation care and environmental justice — and begin to develop your own environmental narrative of faith, at any age!

Emma Marshall graduated with her MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary in May of this year. She is continuing on to complete her Masters of Social Work at Rutgers University. She is serving this year at Nassau as the Fellow for Mission & Outreach and Adult Education, and she also works as the young adult organizer with Presbyterians for Earth Care. Emma is a candidate for ordination in the National Capital Presbytery and in her free time, she likes to hang out with her dog, Daphne

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October 12 | Liz Heinzel-Nelson

Suffering with Christ in a World of Plenty

The Apostle Paul speaks of sharing in Christ’s sufferings, yet in our culture of abundance this can feel distant and abstract. What does Christian suffering look like when we live in a world overflowing with material wealth, educational opportunity, and advanced medical care? Through the ministry of Villages in Partnership in rural Malawi, we will reflect on how God is at work in communities where daily hardship and deep joy in Christ coexist. Their witness can challenge and inspire us toward a deeper discipleship—one that longs for a world where everyone has enough.

Liz Heinzel-Nelson is the Founder and Executive Director of Villages in Partnership (VIP). Formerly the Director of Youth Ministries at Allentown Presbyterian Church, Liz and her family spent a year living and serving in Malawi, Africa. On returning in 2009, she founded VIP and has since dedicated her life to inviting others to walk alongside the poor and most vulnerable. She leads teams to Malawi several times a year and is passionate about connecting people and resources from the developed world with villagers in Malawi to lift both out of their respective poverties. Liz is married to Stephen and is the mother of four grown children and three grandchildren.

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October 19 | Nassau’s Camino Pilgrims

Stories from the Camino de Santiago

In July 2025, a group of Nassau’s youth and adults traveled to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago, a medieval Christian pilgrimage route leading to the Cathedral of St. James. Along the way they encountered challenge and joy, as well as deepened community and faith. In this class, Nassau’s Camino pilgrims will share reflections, stories, and images from their journey, inviting us to consider how pilgrimage can shape our own journey of faith.

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#MissionMonday – Appalachia Service Project (ASP)


For over 50 years, the Appalachia Service Project has connected the energy of youth with the needs of underserved Appalachian communities. Nassau’s youth have been a part of this story for many years, and this summer they continued that legacy by providing high quality home repair while creating deep relationships and lasting memories. We are proud to partner with ASP, and we are proud of our youth as they grow in faith and love of neighbor!

Looking ahead: Nassau is already planning for our 2026 ASP trip. If you are an adult interested in learning more or joining the team, please reach out to Mark Edwards, Director of Youth Ministry (email).Nassau Presbyterian Church

Announcing the Neighbor Fund

Many of us have been deeply troubled by the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation conducted in Princeton on July 24, 2025. The reports of masked ICE agents stopping Hispanic residents on their way to work, demanding documentation, and detaining at least 15 individuals have caused significant concern throughout our community. We share in the widespread condemnation of these actions, which stand in stark contrast to our shared covenant to welcome and value our immigrant neighbors.

In response to this distressing event and at the request of our trusted community partners, Nassau Presbyterian Church is establishing a Neighbor Fund. This fund will serve as a vital resource for families and individuals directly impacted by these detentions. The purpose of the Neighbor Fund is to provide support for legal expenses and other essential needs families may face during this challenging time. We are actively working with trusted community partners to establish a clear and equitable review process for all requests for assistance.

We are pleased to announce that Nassau’s Mission & Outreach Committee has voted to seed the Neighbor Fund with $20,000. This initial contribution reflects our profound commitment as a church to put our faith into action by standing in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors and uphold the values of compassion and justice that are central to our faith.

We invite you to prayerfully consider making a contribution to the Neighbor Fund. Your generosity will directly support our neighbors in need and demonstrate Nassau’s resolve to build a community where all are welcomed and respected. You can give to the Neighbor Fund through the Give Now page on the Nassau website or include “Neighbor Fund” in the memo line of a check mailed to the church.

Let us continue to pray for all those affected by these events and work together to build a more just and compassionate community for everyone.


Give to the Neighbor Fund

Summer Mission Projects (2025)

As we begin our summer worship schedule and temporarily move to the PTS Chapel on April 27, we also look ahead to a season of service. Nassau Church’s summer mission projects offer simple, meaningful ways to make a difference—most requiring just a few hours of your time. Whether you’re able to volunteer in person or support with a donation, each opportunity helps extend care and compassion to our neighbors near and far. Explore the 2025 Summer Mission Projects and find your way to join in.


Hunger Offering

Last Sunday of the month during 10:00 am Worship

This offering supports the following mission partners: HomeFront, Presbyterian Hunger Program, Send Hunger Packing Princetons, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and Uniting Reformed Church in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Thank you for giving until all are fed.

Use the “Hunger” fund when you give online (“Give Now”) or in the memo line of your check.

Give Now


PTS Coat Drive

May 4 – June 29 (extended through July while we are worshiping at the PTS Chapel!)

Doing some spring cleaning? Help restock the Princeton Theological Seminary Coat Closet, a resource for international students as they prepare for the New Jersey winters. Each year we collect gently worn men’s and women’s winter coats, fleece pullovers and winter accessories. We are also looking for donations of new socks for both men and women, or the cash to purchase them. A Warmer Winter Starts with You.

Drop items in the marked box at the PTS Chapel on Sunday mornings or contact the church office to drop off during the week.

Email Office


School Supplies Drive

July 6 – August 17

Providing supplies for success. We are once again joining with Westminster Presbyterian Church (WPC), our partner church in Trenton, to provide backpacks filled with school essentials for local students. Our goals are 150 backpacks and $5,000 for the supplies to fill them. Supplying Confidence, One Student at a Time.

Bring backpacks to the Narthex on Sunday mornings; use the “School Supplies” fund when you give online (“Give Now”) or in the memo line of your check.

Give Now


Loaves & Fishes – August

Friday, August 22 & Saturday, August 23

Join us for our 33rd year of service. Volunteering for Loaves and Fishes, whether it’s donating food, money, or time, is an opportunity to be fed and to join our community of faith in action. Use the “Loaves & Fishes” fund when you give online (“Give Now”) or in the memo line of your check. Use the Sign Up button to donate food or time. More Than a Meal—A Moment of Care

Sign Up

We also appreciate your financial support. Twice each year we purchase food items to prepare the hot meals and four times a year we purchase personal care products.

Give Now


#MissionMonday – Loaves & Fishes (May 2025)

Friday, May 30 (Princeton) and/or Saturday, May 31 (Trenton)

Loaves and Fishes at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Trenton, needs our help!  Join us in Princeton on Friday to prepare parts of the meal, or serve in Trenton on Saturday, or prepare complete bag lunches or donate individually wrapped brownies. Volunteering for Loaves and Fishes, whether it’s donating food, or your time, is an opportunity to lend a hand to some folks that can use some assistance.  Join our community of faith in action. Read more and sign up online.


Sign Up

#MissionMonday – One Great Hour of Sharing, April 13, 2025

Each year during Lent, Nassau Presbyterian Church joins with thousands of Presbyterian congregations across the country in receiving the One Great Hour of Sharing offering. This offering is the single, largest way that Presbyterians come together to share God’s love with our neighbors in need around the world.

Your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing support three vital ministries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):

  • Presbyterian Disaster Assistance — Responding quickly to natural and human-caused disasters, both in the U.S. and internationally, to help communities rebuild and recover.

  • Presbyterian Hunger Program — Working to alleviate hunger and eliminate its root causes through sustainable development and advocacy.

  • Self-Development of People — Partnering with communities experiencing oppression, poverty, and injustice to support their efforts to create lasting change.

Together, these ministries address the most pressing needs in our world—providing relief, hope, and dignity in the face of hardship.

We invite you to participate in this year’s offering by giving generously during worship on Sunday, April 13. Special envelopes will be available in the pews, and you may also give online through the church website by selecting “One Great Hour of Sharing” from the donation options.

Let us join hands in love and service, embodying the spirit of Matthew 25 and living out the hope we proclaim in the resurrection.

If we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.

Learn more about the PC(USA)’s One Great Hour of Sharing: https://pcusa.org/special-offerings/one-great-hour-sharing

Give online through MyNassau: GIVE NOW

#MissionMonday – Mass Incarceration Task Force

The Mass Incarceration Task Force is motivated by the deep conviction that every human being is a beloved child of God. Join us on Monday, April 7 at 7:00 pm to learn about volunteering and advocacy opportunities. In addition to hearing updates from our Action Groups, we will be discussing how the current cuts to the federal government are impacting non-profit organizations working to support wrongly convicted and incarcerated persons and their families. All are welcome, including people without a religious affiliation.

Contact Anne Kuhn (email)to receive the Zoom link.

 

The images above are from Humanize the Numbers, a collaborative photography project bringing together men incarcerated within the Michigan Department of Corrections and students from the University of Michigan. See more at humanizethenumbers.com

#MissionMonday – Johnsonburg Camp & Retreat Center


Nassau is a proud Mission Partner of Johnsonburg Camp & Retreat Center which has offered outdoors-based programming in New Jersey since 1960. This Summer Jburg is offering 5-day overnight camps with date options ranging from the last week of June to the first week of August for students from 1st to 12th grade.

Visit campjburg.org for more info!

#MissionMonday – Appalachia Service Project

Still feeling the inspiration of our younger congregation after Youth Sunday? We invite you to support their upcoming Appalachia Service Project trip this summer, where they will help repair and clean up a community affected by natural disaster and neighbors in need. You can donate to the trip by selecting the “Appalachian Service Trip (ASP)” Fund on MyNassau: nassauchurch.org/giving/give-now.

#MissionMonday – Housing Initiatives of Princeton

Last Sunday we heard about Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP)’s great work and were invited to their Spring Gathering in May. Nassau is proud to partner with HIP to prevent the eviction of our neighbors and provide transitional housing to stabilize families and individuals as they experience housing disruption.

More information: housinginitiativesofprinceton.org