The annual meeting of the congregation of Nassau Presbyterian Church will be held this Sunday, September 25, immediately following the 11:00 worship service. The meeting will be held in the sanctuary with the option to attend via Zoom. On Sunday to attend by zoom, please click here.
Question of the Week: Having people speak in church and preach who have accents can be controversial or difficult for some churches because of concerns about native speakers not understanding what the person is saying. What do you think about this?
Special Guests: Hannah Millson, Project Coordinator for Employment and Business Services at AHRC NYC; Bill Gaventa, Founder and Director Emeritus, Institute on Theology and Disability
Guest Question: What progress has been made with regards to disability inclusion in faith communities? What progress remains to be done?
Westminster Conservatory Noontime Recitals
Resume on January 19
with Solo and Four-Hand Piano Music
On Thursday, January 19 at 12:15 p.m. Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will resume with a recital of music for solo piano and piano four hands. Westminster Conservatory faculty members Galina Prilutskaya and Inessa Gleyzerova Shindel will perform music of Robert Schumann and others in the Niles Chapel. The recital is open to the public free of charge; masking is optional.
The program on January 19 comprises movements from Schumann’s opus 85 collection of piano duets for “small and large children” (kleine and grosse Kinder), movements from Schumann’s opus 21 Novelletten for solo piano, and two four-hand arrangements based on music from Ireland; Fantasy on “The Last Rose of Summer” by Greg Anderson and Percy Grainger’s setting of Irish Tune from County Derry.
Westminster Conservatory at Nassau recitals will continue on February 16 with a solo recital by pianist Eric Allesee.
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.
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.
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.
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 Hashimiand 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.
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.
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.
Arm In Arm continues to serve the community at historic levels and this video created earlier this summer details their incredible work in the community. Arm In Arm is providing food to families through an average of more than 4,700 pantry visits and deliveries per month, which is more than double their pre-pandemic average. They are also providing more assistance than ever before to keep families in their homes. Arm In Arm is grateful to the Nassau Presbyterian Community for your partnership in helping them to serve at these historic levels and hopes you will continue to support us, and the community we serve, in the days, months, and year ahead– as an advocate, donor, volunteer, or ambassador. We are better together because of you!
This past Saturday, it was time for the big one. Loaves and Fishes, the biggest volunteer event at Nassau Church, returned. We got up early, loaded up dozens of meatloaves, hundreds of bagged lunches and trays of brownies for the trip to Trenton. And while we were neither driving at Mach 2 nor flying with our hair on fire, we did arrive on time, and our work day volunteers kicked into action. Teams of people put together the take-home meals, cooked the main meal, and ultimately served a veritable feast of meatloaf, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy.
And although I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, our coordinating committee members, Sharyn and Dave Kerschner, Claire Mulry, Angie and Allen Olsen, and Sallye Zink managed to keep us out of the danger zone.
Dozens served, hundreds were fed, and ultimately the work of our Lord was done. Special thanks to ALL the volunteers who gave their time, talent and resources to make Loaves and Fishes 2022 a success.
The Refugee Coordinating Team is very happy to share an update on the members of the Afghan refugee family that Nassau Church has sponsored. We are so pleased with their progress since our last report and greatly appreciate the volunteer help provided by so many Nassau members.
The team is continuing to assist the members of the family living in Princeton in applying for asylum, as well the father in seeking “humanitarian parole” so he can join the rest of the family.
This summer has been a very busy time for the six children of this family, who range in age from adolescents to young adults.
The two sons continue to be very engaged in their support of the family and their education. The older son is working at a medical office in Princeton, while the younger son is re-starting his education at Mercer County Community College while continuing to work at a local grocery store.
The youngest daughter graduated this spring from elementary school. She is attending the YMCA summer camp and taking math classes at Princeton Middle School.
The next youngest daughter is also taking math classes this summer to prepare for the start of the school year. Her classes are at Princeton High School.
The third youngest daughter recently faced the challenge of aging out of the Princeton Public Schools, having almost graduated from her school in Afghanistan prior to her departure. She is working to complete her high school equivalency degree by passing the GED test, with ESL assistance from Beverly Leach.
The oldest daughter is working at Costco. She and her sisters rely on the support from volunteer drivers from our congregation for their transportation.
Angie Olsen organizes this group of drivers and provides a weekly schedule to keep everyone on track. Some additional help with this driving would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to be added to the driver list or can help in other ways, please contact Len Scales at the Church office (email).
As we hold this family in prayer, please especially pray that the father can be reunited with his family here in Princeton through the humanitarian parole process.
Join us, on July 10, 17, & 24, in the Assembly Room at 9:00 a.m. for a 45-minute, pre-service, pop-up small group, facilitated by Adult Education Committee member Louise Yang. Each week, we will gather to discuss the sermon text for that Sunday using questions provided by the Sunday preacher. Bagels, juice, coffee and tea provided. No registration necessary. All are welcome.
Trenton students head back to school – help us provide the supplies they need for success.
Every September the new school year brings excitement and lots of new goodies. This year students will be returning from virtual or hybrid learning during the pandemic to the more familiar routines of the schoolhouse. In any event, the supplies add up. In 2019 the average family spent over $200 per student, just too much for many families in our area.
We are joining with Westminster Presbyterian Church (WPC), our partner church in Trenton, to provide 150 backpacks filled with essentials for local kids. WPC will distribute the school supplies in partnership with Trenton Music Makers, the Apostalic Church, LALDEF, and Sprout University of the Arts.
Donations will be accepted through Sunday, August 14.
Please bring new backpacks to worship on Sunday mornings and place them in the marked basket in the narthex.
To fill the backpacks, we have found that monetary donations go the farthest so that Nassau can purchase grade-specific school supply packs in bulk. Thank you for giving as you are able to help make sure students in Trenton are better prepared for the academic year ahead.
School supply bundles:
Elementary Pack, $24
Middle School Pack, $32
High School Pack, $45
Monetary donations can be made by check or online. Make checks out to Nassau Presbyterian Church, noting “School Supplies” in the memo line and drop in the collection plate or mail to the church office. Use the button below to donate online, choose “School Supplies” from the drop-down Funds box.
Every gift helps better prepare children for the year ahead with needed school supplies and with the knowledge that the wider community is cheering them on. Thank you!
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.
The Refugee Coordinating Team is very happy to share an update on the members of the Afghan refugee family that Nassau Church has sponsored. We are so pleased with their progress since our last report and greatly appreciate the volunteer help provided by so many Nassau members.
Join us, on July 10, 17, & 24, in the Assembly Room at 9:00 a.m. for a 45-minute, pre-service, pop-up small group, facilitated by Adult Education Committee member Louise Yang. Each week, we will gather to discuss the sermon text for that Sunday using questions provided by the Sunday preacher. Bagels, juice, coffee and tea provided. No registration necessary. All are welcome.
Every September the new school year brings excitement and lots of new goodies. This year students will be returning from virtual or hybrid learning during the pandemic to the more familiar routines of the schoolhouse. In any event, the supplies add up. In 2019 the average family spent over $200 per student, just too much for many families in our area.