The Refugee Coordinating Team is excited to share developments with the Afghan Refugee Family—they are investing in work, school, and extended family in the region. We couldn’t be more pleased with the progress of their transition to the States, and we deeply appreciate the continued support of the Nassau Church Family. Together, we are helping make a home for this family away from their homeland.
With a large family of adolescents and young adults it has been an exciting season of planning for summer jobs and coursework. Three family members have found rewarding employment, one is enrolled in Mercer Community College for the fall, and others are planning for summer school and activities.
The family is now a two-car household! We are grateful for the generosity of the congregation in donations from funds to vehicles and, of course, time. With the summer months approaching and the need for more transportation not provided by the school system, we are looking for additional drivers. This requires a background check and willingness to sign up for driving shifts as you are available.
We are looking for a few additional household items as well: lawn mower, picnic table(s) and chairs, wifi compatible printer, and dvd player.
If you would like to be added to the driver list or have possible donations, please contact Len Scales (email) for next steps.
As you hold this family in prayer, please especially pray for the reunification between the father and the family. Nassau is working with an immigration attorney to navigate the process to bring the father to the states as soon as is possible. Through all the trauma of the last eight months, one of the most difficult situations has been the distance it has put between loved ones.
Thank you for surrounding the Coordinating Team with support and the family with love!
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever (Psalm 23, KJV).
The shepherd. The green pastures. The still waters. What grabs your ear when you hear Psalm 23? Every time you say it, you read it, Psalm 23, what image do you linger on with your mind’s eye? Paths of righteousness. The valley of the shadow of death. Thy rod. Thy staff. What part of the promise of Psalm 23 is most helpful to you? What part of the comfort most meaningful? What part of Psalm 23 rests in your heart? A table prepared? Head dripping with oil? Cup runneth over? Goodness and mercy all the days of my life? Dwelling in the house of the Lord forever?
Psalm 23 forever etched into the collective memory of the people of God. Etched not in stone but in the heart. A singular psalm but with so many pieces, images, metaphors, words to grab unto. Etched. Engraved. Written deep within. Yet, still, a living word. For our experience, our found meaning of Psalm 23 so depends on when we hear it, where we hear it, and the goings on in our life, when and where we hear it. Psalm 23, like other well-worn but never worn-out pieces of scripture, not just living word. But a word that has a life of it’s own.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever (Psalm 23, KJV).
Surely. Surely. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Surely. Surely God’s goodness and mercy (God’s and surely not mine) God’s goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of life. God’s mercy and goodness all the days. God’s mercy and goodness shall dog me, pursue me, follow me. God who leadeth beside still waters will surely follow we with God’s goodness and mercy. Ahead and behind. Go before and come after. God’s goodness and mercy all the days. God’s goodness and mercy all around. God’s goodness and mercy always. Surely.
Not a common word to be drawn to in Psalm 23. Easy to pass over and skip altogether. Most translations keep it there. Surely. A few contemporary versions drop it all together. One translation has it as “yes”. “Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life”. A Hebrew dictionary provides several definitions of the Hebrew adverb: surely, indeed, only, however. Of course, and as the dictionary flat out states, the choice of meaning is determined by the context. How it is used in the sentence. Surely, goodness and mercy.
It’s sort of sounds like a bible word. Surely. Actually, it is more of an Old Testament word. Of course the word occurs in the New Testament. But it’s there a lot more in the Old Testament. “Surely the Lord’s salvation is at hand for those who fear the Lord, that the Lord’s glory may dwell in our land.” Psalm 85. “Surely God is my salvation: I will trust, and will not be afraid.” Isaiah 12. Isaiah 53. “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions.” Surely.
Interestingly, there is an abundance of “surely” in the Book of Job. Mostly in the conversation Job has with his three friends. Job in his suffering trying to understand why. “Surely God has worn me out.” Yes, God has worn me out. The friend convinced Job is to blame. “If you are pure and upright, surely then God will rouse for you and restore to you your rightful place.” If you are pure and upright, indeed God will rouse for you. The friend trying to convince Job and likely himself, that God is still faithful. “Surely God is mighty and does not despise any one; God is mighty in strength and understanding.” It has a twinge not simply of emphasis, indeed God is mighty. Yes, God is mighty. But a bit of reassurance and reminder. “Surely, God is still mighty and does not despise any one, right?” Surely, God! It has both an exclamation point and a question mark. “Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life!? Promising, steadfast, faithful God?”
Surely. Yes, how it is used in the sentence, the context of the sentence points to its meaning. But the context of your life impacts the meaning as well. The meaning of a word so easy to skip over in Psalm 23. You know the multiple contexts of Psalm 23 in our lives as well as I do. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” It’s not just when we are gathered over at the cemetery. It’s not just when it is your family’s term to sit in the front row at a memorial service. No, it is when it is memorized in a church school class. When it is a daily scripture for Vacation Bible School. When it shapes a family retreat weekend. When it is said around the family dinner table. When it is part of a child’s bedtime prayers. When it is recited with babe in arms who is just falling asleep. When memories come back of being taught Psalm 23 by a mother or a grandmother. When a loved one has trouble remembering anything but doesn’t miss a word of Psalm 23 when you say it together. When a congregation sings “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need” and “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” and “The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want.” You know the multiple contexts of your life with Psalm 23 and you know the multiple seasons of your life as well. Surely, Psalm 23 is a psalm for all seasons.
It strikes me that when we recite Psalm 23 we almost always do it together. In congregation. In class. In family. If you’ve never done it, you ought to do it all alone. Just you and God. You pick the time and the place. Recite it. Say it out loud. It works pretty much any time, any place. And when you do, let “surely” hang in the air for just a bit. Ponder your “surely”. One day it will be an exclamation of praise and gratitude, emphasis, and affirmation. “Surely….goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Surely, Great God Almighty! Another day it will come with awe and wonder like breathing in a fresh the grace of God, shaking your head, and saying, “my, my, my”. “Surely….goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Surely, My sweet Lord! And some days, plenty of days and a whole lot more nights, it may be just the reminder, the reassurance, and honest prayer that you need. “Surely….goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Surely, God!?
And when you can’t find the time and place, or you don’t have all of Psalm 23 on the tip of your tongue, or the pace of life is overwhelming, or the emotion of the moment is too much or the stress of the day, or the butterflies in your gut, or you just don’t want to be embarrassed saying it all out loud, just try this. It’s not much but it means a whole lot more than you think. Just say it under your breath and when you need it most.
Surely. Surely. Surely.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever (Psalm 23, KJV).
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Public Domain.
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.
Arm in Arm depends on volunteers to help us prepare and distribute bags of groceries through 3,000-4,000 food pantry visits and grocery deliveries per month.
We have been fortunate to have the help of students from The College of New Jersey and Rider University who have been volunteering in our Hudson Street and Hanover Street pantries about 45 hours per week. As they wrap up their semester this month, we will be left with a big gap in our pantries.
Especially now as we are serving at historic levels, averaging more than 4,000 pantry visits and deliveries per month, we need help. We are pro-actively outreaching to current volunteers, faith communities, and other groups with the potential to help us fill this gap and are also promoting a May Volunteer Challenge (below), encouraging individuals to volunteer, take an additional shift, and/or bring a friend with them to volunteer.
Christian Education Committee Criminal Justice Series: April 30, 2022
Beyond Talking: Challenging New Jersey Mass Incarceration Practices and Policies
New Jersey continues to have the highest rate of racial disparities in its prison population in the country, with Black residents incarcerated at a rate of 12.5 times that of whites, even as the Black incarceration rate is 19% below the national average; more than half of New Jersey’s prison population is Black and, additionally, the state has the 10th highest Latino to white racial disparity in the nation.
In this the fourth and final program in our Criminal Justice Reform Series, our presenter is Chris Hedges, noted Pulitzer Prize-winning author and prison reform activist. Hedges has worked for a decade teaching writing classes in prisons in New Jersey through a program offered by Princeton University and later Rutgers University. A class that Hedges taught at East Jersey State Prison in 2013 went on to collaborate in the creation of a play titled Caged. Hedges has become a fierce critic of mass incarceration in the United States, and his experience as an educator in New Jersey prisons served as inspiration for his 2021 book: Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison. Available at Labryinth Books and Amazon.
Join the discussion with Chris Hedges this Saturday at 1:00pm on Zoom. Contact Witherspoon St. Presbyterian Church for the Zoom link (email).
We are living through an age of compounding crises, with unrelenting racism, impending climate catastrophe, and the drumbeats of war producing great suffering and anxiety. Amidst these great challenges, Christians in the United States continue to disagree bitterly over the shape of faithful witness in the public square. Join us as Bishop Peter Storey, in conversation with Dr. Heath W. Carter, shares his insights about what the American churches have to learn from the remarkable life of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other South African siblings engaged in the struggle for a better nation and world.
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 Edwardsis 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.
You are invited to enjoy a service of beauty, a gift from the artists
Saturday March 26, 2022 at 5:00pm
Nassau Presbyterian Church – in person* and live stream**
Music by Quantz, Doppler, Hoover, and Dorff
Kim Kleasen, flute
Noel Werner, harpsichord
Peggy Mankey, cello
Annalise Hume, dance
Ned Walthall, photography
Lauren J. McFeaters, spoken word
Kathy Shanklin, piano
Mari Walthall, written word
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.
