In 2014, Elisabeth Scotland’s college graduation day turned from joy and celebration to trauma and heartache in an instant.
After receiving her diploma from Boston University, Elisabeth, along with family and friends, went to a baseball game at Fenway Park. While waiting for an elevator, Elisabeth casually leaned against the elevator doors. The doors opened at the wrong time, and Elisabeth fell 20 feet down the elevator shaft. Her multiple injuries included a brain injury that put her in a coma for a week.
Her parents, Rev. John and Anne Scotland, spent two months in Boston by Elisabeth’s side during her hospitalization and rehabilitation. The congregation John serves, Community Presbyterian in Brigantine, New Jersey, graciously granted John leave, but there were living expenses in Boston to be paid, and someone had to fulfill John’s pastoral duties while he was away.
Thanks to a Shared Grant from the Presbytery of West Jersey and the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions, the Scotlands’ expenses in
Boston were covered, and a newly ordained pastor from Community Presbyterian handled the congregation’s pastoral duties during John’s absence.
Caring Presbyterians in West Jersey Presbytery rallied around the Scotlands with prayers and financial gifts. Another crucial component of their support came from Presbyterians across the country who had given to the Christmas Joy Offering, which supports the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions.
The Christmas Joy Offering gifts also helped the Scotlands two years earlier when Superstorm Sandy damaged thousands of homes in their island community. Four feet of water flooded their basement, ruining the heating system, electrical panels, appliances, and other possessions. They received an Emergency Assistance Grant from the Board of Pensions to help with replacement costs.
“I think the emotional support was more important than the financial support,” John says. He explains that it was comforting to “know that somebody outside the community knew we were hurting and wanted to help.”
Thankfully, life is much better these days for the Scotlands and their community. In early 2017, Elisabeth, now an accountant in Philadelphia, passed her CPA exam. Also this year, John and Anne made a gift to the Assistance Program to help others get the kind of help they received.
“Having a Presbyterian family was a big blessing to us and helped us come through tragedy,” he says.
The Christmas Joy Offering is one way the Presbyterian family blesses people in need. Half of your gift will help current and retired church leaders and their families who are in critical financial need. The other half will help Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges train future leaders. Your gift will make a difference for the church today and tomorrow.
As an urban minister for more than 40 years, Bob Forsberg dedicated his willing hands, generous heart, and sharp mind to serving people society
had cast aside.
Last year however, at age 91, the mental capacity that had served this Presbyterian minister so well began to fade. His memory loss became so debilitating that Bob, after years focused on helping others, found himself in need of help.
Bob’s retirement income was enough to pay the bills at his retirement community in Oakland, California, but he had few other resources. Before retirement, Bob had earned a modest salary at Wider City Parish, serving among economically disadvantaged people in New Haven, Connecticut.
Bob believed he should be paid no more than the average worker in his impoverished neighborhood. He and his family qualified for public housing and made their home there. Yet Bob was adept at leveraging ministry funds from churches and charitable foundations for initiatives ranging from youth work to affordable housing. He advocated for better schools in his community and for civil rights, both locally and nationally.
In retirement, Bob relocated to the West Coast to be near his children. He eventually moved to a retirement community and functioned well in an independent living unit until last year. When dementia forced him to move into a memory care unit, the added service was more than Bob could afford over the long term. His children were grieved by the possibility of having to move their father to another facility.
“We looked around at places nearby in the price range that we could afford, but it was very upsetting to see those conditions and to think about my dad being in those circumstances,” says his daughter, Barbara Forsberg.
Thanks to gifts made to the Christmas Joy Offering, Bob didn’t have to move. Help from the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions has enabled him to receive high-quality care in familiar surroundings.
“For a family like ours and for a person like my dad, who has served his entire career in the Presbyterian Church, it has really been a lifesaver,” Barbara shares. “I don’t know if he would be doing so well if we had to move him to another place.”
Barbara notes that it was generosity, a trait that Bob so faithfully incarnated, that came to Bob’s aid in his time of need.
“This is a very moving thing,” Barbara says, “and the irony is I don’t know if he is even aware of it in his mental state. But certainly for those of us who are caring for him, it is a wonderful circle.”
That circle of caring is possible because of congregations like ours that give to the Christmas Joy Offering. Half of the Offering will help past and
present church workers and their families who are facing critical financial circumstances. The other half goes to Presbyterian-related racial ethnic
schools and colleges to train future leaders.
Every year, society expects us to celebrate the holiday season even bigger and better than years before. This year, coming together to reclaim Advent and Christmas can be both humbling and fulfilling. As we excitedly await the birth of Christ, it’s important to remember the reason for the season: the newborn Servant of All.
With Christ at the center this holiday season, we can follow in his example of servant leadership by serving our brothers and sisters in faith. Through the Christmas Joy Offering, we are able to support those in our community and give them the gift of hope.
The Christmas Joy Offering also supports the education and development of our future leaders at Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges. These schools are dedicated to creating opportunities and environments for racial ethnic students built on a foundation of Christian values. The Offering benefits Menaul School and Presbyterian Pan American School, two secondary schools that ready students for a path of higher learning, as well as Stillman College, where graduates are prepared for lives of leadership and service.
By giving to the Christmas Joy Offering, we can share in the hope of Christ and celebrate his leadership by providing support to our church workers, racial ethnic young people, and their families.
Ways to Give:
Use the special pew envelopes at the 10 a.m. service on Sunday, December 24, 2017
Daylight Saving Time will end on Sunday, November 5. We’ll “fall back” by setting the clocks back an hour.
The Princeton Half Marathon is also on Sunday, November 5, from 7:00-11:00 AM. We will have both services as usual. Allot some extra time getting to church, especially the 9:15 AM service. Check the route map below to plan your trip.
September 24, 2017: Bill & Pam Wakefield accept a commemorative bowl in honor of Nassau Presbyterian Church’s ongoing support of Send Hunger Packing Princeton.
Last month, at the annual fundraiser for SHUPP (Send Hunger Packing Princeton), Nassau was presented with a beautiful bowl and thanked for our ongoing support, generosity, and kindness.
Almost 420 kids in Princeton Public Schools, equating to 2 in each classroom are eligible for free and reduced price lunches on school days. Until SHUPP these kids could and did get pretty hungry on weekends and holidays. Through a collaborative effort coordinated by Princeton Human Services Commission, Mercer Street Friends and the Princeton School District. a group of committed volunteers pack and distribute weekend food backpacks to children in the Princeton schools and at the Princeton Nursery School. To date, SHUPP has distributed almost 100,000 meals! That translates into a lot of healthier, rested, brighter and happier children.
Thank you Nassau members, your generous monthly hunger donations are helping to make this happen.
Westminster Conservatory at Nassau
Thursday, November 16
On Thursday, November 16 at 12:15 p.m. the series Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will present flutist Barbara Highton Williams and pianist Ikumi Hiraiwa in recital. Both performers are members of the Westminster Conservatory teaching faculty. The recital will take place in the Niles Chapel and is open to the public free of charge.
The program on November 16 is entitled “Colors of Minor,” and comprises J.S. Bach’s Sonata in B Minor, BWV 1030 for flute and piano, Ferruccio Busoni’s Albumblatt: Andantino, and Sonate by Melanie Bonis.
Westminster Conservatory at Nassau recitals will resume on January 18, 2018 with a performance by Timothy Urban, baritone, and Kathy Shanklin, piano.
The New School for Music Study
Sunday, November 19
Join us Sunday, November 19, at 2:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary for an afternoon of dance music in a New School for Music Study faculty piano recital. This recital will feature Baroque dance suites by Bach, music from Puerto Rico and the Greek Isles, and everything in between. Proceeds from the recital will benefit Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s relief work in Puerto Rico.co.
Inviting all Nassau friends to Arm In Arm’s 2017 Fall Benefit
PEOPLE, POVERTY, AND THE POWER TO OVERCOME
Wednesday, November 15
Cherry Valley Country Club, Skillman
Come on out for a great evening in support of a great cause as we continue to work together to help families in Mercer County in need of food, housing and job support. 100% of proceeds will support Arm In Arm in our mission and programs that serve more than 5,000 local families every year.
6:30 pm Cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception
7:30 pm A compelling conversation featuring distinguished panelists:
Johannes Haushofer, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University
The Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen, Pastor of Trenton’s Westminster Presbyterian Church and 2017 Community Partner-in-Residence at Princeton University’s PACE Center for Civic Engagement
Marygrace Billek, MSSW, Director of Mercer County Department of Human Services
Panel moderator: Landon Jones, author and former managing editor of People magazine
8:30 pm Coffee and dessert
RSVP by November 6 by calling 609-396-9355, ext. 15, or by reserving online at www.arminarm.org/donate
Challenge abounds at home and in countries around the world. This month, we invite you to celebrate the small miracles of education empowered by our partners in Trenton and in Burma/Myanmar, and the joy of even basic medical care offered in Malawi by our own Dr. Barbara Edwards, and her new VIP friends. Join us – the need is great and the work force could use some new and renewed support.
As always, we welcome your questions, suggestions, and support as we seek to deepen our commitments beyond the Nassau Church community.
For the Mission & Outreach Committee,
Joyce MacKichan Walker, staff
Mission Partnership Quarterly Email Newsletter
Updates and events from our local and global mission partners. Four issues annually. Sign up to receive these updates in your email.
Wondering how you can get involved with our newest mission partner? Please contact Loretta Wells, .
This Sunday, October 29, come to the Assembly Room at 12:15 p.m. to hear Barbara Edwards speak about her trip to Malawai (picture above) this past May with Villages in Partnership’s medical mission group.
Hear how twenty-four Americans worked with local Malawians to create four pop-up medical clinics that served over five thousand people in three days. Barbara Edwards is a general internist with a private practice at The University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. She is also the Medical Director of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Community Health Center, which serves over 8000 patients, many uninsured or underinsured. Edwards worked in Liberia, West Africa, in 1988 as a medical student and has always wanted to return to work in Africa. “When Steve Heinzel-Nelson came to speak at Nassau about Villages in Partnership, I knew God was calling me to serve.”.
Interested in visiting Westminster’s 11 AM worship and meeting our partners? Contact Patti Daley, .
Memories of Princeton University’s 14th Community Action Week at Westminster Presbyterian Church
By Ashley Hodges, Class of 2021, Princeton University
On September 6, 2017, Trenton students tackled their first day and experienced the jitters of returning back-to-school marking the end of their summer vacation. While the schoolyards once again became populated with young, bright minds and positive souls, Westminster Presbyterian Church organized community-based events that involved Princeton students in a positive interaction with the Trenton community. With the help of the students, WPC planned and participated in activities that supported the children and parents of Trenton. The Princeton students, young adults who come from all over the United States and as far as the United Kingdom and Turkey, enjoyed working with WPC and immersing themselves within the Trenton community. Holly Cunningham, a first year at the university, noted that she and her group “were eager to give the students of Trenton a chance to get excited to start the new school year.”
Events such as a back-to-school backpack drive and carnival helped benefit both the community of Trenton while allowing the Princeton students to be involved in community service activities through an annual program called Community Action. For the past 14 years, Princeton’s Community Action has partnered with WPC while making the effort to ensure that each years’ events are better than the last. Prior to the planned events, the Princeton students were prompted by WPC to go out into the Trenton community and encourage the residents of the church’s surrounding neighborhoods to attend the back-to-school backpack drive and carnival. This year, the backpack drive provided over two hundred and eight backpacks and school supplies to students in the Trenton area. Over one hundred of these backpacks were donated by Nassau. All the backpacks were filled with an array of school supplies. With donation of $1,000 from Nassau, Get SET was able to purchase much needed scientific and algebraic calculators.
The recipients of the backpacks are children of all races from Westminster, Get SET After School Program, Sprout State University, School of the Arts (K thru 12), Howard’s Healthy Choices After School and Summer Camp, and Beracah Apostalic Church; a Hispanic/Latino immigrant church.
The back-to-school carnival brought together over 200 children and parents who enjoyed various festivities such as face painting, circus acts, games, candy, and prizes. These events were coordinated by WPC and the Princeton students and made a positive impact on Trenton’s residents who expressed great gratitude for the church’s involvement within the community.
At the end of it all, the students of Princeton and Trenton were able to exchange aspects of kindness, thankfulness and service. With the help of WPC, the students of Trenton will returned to the classroom prepared and ready to go to tackle the new year while the Princeton students will recall the lasting experiences they shared within the unique Trenton community.
Your ideas for making this a vital partnership are welcome. For more information, contact Sue Jennings, .
The Cetana board has been distressed by recent events in Myanmar/Burma. The persecution and violence conducted by the military against the Rohingya in Rakhine State constitute an enormous step backwards for the country. In view of this setback, Cetana intends to redouble its efforts to advance educational opportunities for Myanmar youth. We continue to believe that education is crucial for political, economic, and humanitarian progress.The project in Kanpetlet in Chin State, where Nassau Church has provided significant financial support, is going ahead as planned. Metta Partners, Cetana’s partner in this venture, will be on the ground again in January visiting the schools and talking to the teachers before the ESL volunteer supported by Nassau Church, Janet Powers, returns to the village in April to conduct teacher training.
In January Cetana’s flagship learning center in Yangon will welcome Martha Spector, a volunteer who will conduct business English training classes. These classes are very helpful for students who want to find jobs in the developing economy in Myanmar. Martha is a retired lawyer and business executive with an MBA. She has spent time in Southeast Asia. As a native speaker with business skills, she will be able to make a major contribution to Cetana’s course offerings.
Cetana has also benefited from an award from the DeBoer Foundation, which enabled Khoo Kyaw San, the Cetana executive director at the learning center in Yangon, to participate in a fellowship program for mid-career professionals in not-for-profit organizations. The program gave Khoo Kyaw San valuable training in strategic planning, leadership, and fundraising, as well as an opportunity to network with other NGOs.
Finally, Lois Young, a Nassau Church member, will be leading the trip to Myanmar/Burma in January. The group will travel to Yangon, Bagan, one of the world’s greatest archaeological sites, Kalaw, the site of an elephant sanctuary and forest recovery project, and Inle Lake. During the tour participants will have an opportunity in Yangon to see Cetana’s work firsthand. Last minute spots may be available, if you are interested, contact Sue Jennings.
“We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Apostle Paul and his thanksgivings. “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.” (Romans 1:8) “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind.” (I Cor 1:4). Paul and the thanksgivings of his letters; consistent with the genre and the structure of an ancient letter. “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” (Eph 1:15) “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with you in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Phil. 1:3) Paul and his consistent thanksgiving. Except, you may remember in Galatians where Paul skips the thanks and gets right to “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” (Gal. 1:6) So Galatians, not so much on the thanks. But Colossians; “In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” (Col. 1:3). And here in Thessalonians, Paul begins the letter with thanksgiving for the congregation’s work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul thanks them for their faith, their love, and their hope.
“Your work of faith”. It is a striking turn of phrase coming from Paul. It sounds more like James; “Faith by itself, if it has not works, is dead……Show me your faith apart from your works and I by my works will show you my faith.” (James 2:17-18) “Your work of faith.” That’s Paul, not James. It’s a unique expression from Paul, from the one who argued that you are saved by grace through faith and it’s not your own doing it is the gift of God, not the result of works. (Eph 2) “Your work of faith”. It’s only here in I Thessalonians and again, once in II Thessalonians. Some translations apparently can’t abide with Paul and an expression like “work of faith”. And so “we remember your work that comes from faith” is how one translation puts it. And other says “we remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith.” And still another reads “Each time we pray, we tell God our father about your faith and loving work”. You just can’t have Paul referring to faith as work. But the Greek is pretty clear; “your work of faith.”
On Wednesday night I was in Cleveland preaching at an historic African American congregation for a revival. The congregation was celebrating the 7th anniversary of their pastor. Courtney is a Princeton Seminary graduate. She is a former student of mine. The theme of the night was from Hebrews. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely , and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:1-2). During that forty minute sermon, I told the congregation about Vergene Weiman; a member here at Nassau who died in August just shy of her 90 birthday. At the memorial service, Vergene’s son described how is mother died surrounded by all of her children, while the student chaplain was praying, and how she suffered the stroke earlier that week after being here for Sunday worship and then having lunch with some church friends. “She died well” he said. Or as I said to the folks in Cleveland, “She finished well. She finished the race well. But as Vergene herself knew, and as she lived, finishing well isn’t the hardest part of the race.” Sometimes this race, this faith journey, sometimes all of this, is hard, really hard. Sometimes, most times, you really have to work at it.
“Your work of faith.” Maybe it isn’t all that complicated. Maybe we don’t have to get all theologically contorted about it. Maybe we don’t have to have all those Protestant Reformation “saved by grace through faith alone” warning bells going off. Maybe its really pretty simple coming from Paul to the Thessalonians to us. Faith is a gift. Your faith is a gift. But you’re still going to have to work at it. You really ought to work at it. You really have to work at it. Working on your faith. Working at your faith. Your work of faith.
“Your work of faith and labor of love”. Labor of love. Well there’s an expression so easy to take and run completely into the ground. “Jimmy has been restoring that old car in the garage for 8 years. It is such a labor of love….Aunt Mame knits those hats for babies in the NICU at the hospital. It is her labor of love….Coach has been there as an assistant with the high school baseball team for so long and he doesn’t even get paid. It’s just a labor of love for the game and for the kids.” Labor of love: “a task done for pleasure not reward…productive work done voluntary for no compensation….work done for the sake of one’s own enjoyment.” Labor of love, all of which must have absolutely nothing to do with Paul’s word of thanks to the church at Thessalonica. Paul and the diligent effort at loving one another in the church of Jesus Christ. Paul and the essential call to be loving in life. Paul on the labor of love.
Not long ago I was on a New Jersey Transit train coming home from a meeting in New York City. It was mid-afternoon, before the rush. I took a seat in the quiet car. Have you ever notice how the self-appointed overseers of the quiet car are always louder than those who forget or didn’t know they were in the quiet car? In the seat across the aisle and one row up from me was man reading his bible. Actually he was mostly sleeping with his bible open; or maybe resting his eyes. Some clearly inexperienced commuter’s cell phone rang. The man bellowed immediately from this slumber: “It’s the quiet car. No phones”. The person answered the phone a few rows up, after struggling to get the flip phone out of the bag. The person was rattled, surprised, sort of like that phone never really rings. “Please, please, the sign is right above your head. Can’t you read? No phone calls.” With his tone, his impatience, his nastiness, he chased the person off the car. And I spent from Metro Park to New Brunswick thinking of all the things I would have liked to have said. “You know you’re ten times louder than that phone call. Are you reading about the fruit of the Spirit? Kindness and gentleness? Or you know when it comes to being nice, and kind, and loving, you’re going to have to work a lot harder.”
Love is patient, Paul said. Love is kind. Love is not envious or boastful or rude. Paul on the labor of love. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Paul called it the more excellent way. But he never wrote that it would be easy. The followers of Jesus have to labor at it. Labor at love.
Your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Persistent hope. “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Rom 8:24-25) Constant hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”(Rom 15:13). Always hope. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all”. (Eph 4:4-6) One hope. Steadfast hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Not just your hope. His hope. Your work of faith in Christ. Your labor of love in Christ. Your steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. “Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three” Paul wrote to the Corinthians. And to the Thessalonians he gave thanks and remembered before God their “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I served on one of the agency board’s of the Presbyterian Church USA for several years. I learned so much from one of the ruling elders from Denver who was the board chair for a season. At every meeting, every board call, every committee gathering, he would take time right at the outset after the opening prayer and right at the end before the closing prayer to thank the board members and staff for their time, their efforts, for the good work of a board meeting, for stepping away from work and congregational life to serve the church, for the gifts each and every one offered. His leadership style was one of gratitude. It’s easy to run by right the Apostle’s Paul thanksgiving in his epistles. They’re just part of the structure of the ancient letter form. They’re rather formulary in their style. No one uses their highlighters on the thanksgivings. Students of Paul only pay attention when the thanksgiving isn’t there; like in Galatians. But preachers and pastors and church leaders ought not to be too quick to pass by and maybe Paul deserves a bit more credit for his expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving to God for the Church of Jesus Christ. Besides, don’t you get tired sometimes of hearing the preacher tell you what you ought to do, what you need to do, wagging a finger all the time and telling you that here in this old mainline protestant church gig we just have to do this better, and get better at that, and do more, do better. YADA YADA YADA.
Well, Nassau Presbyterian Church family and friends, we always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God your work of faith, your diligence in discipleship, your desire to share in prayer and to grow in understanding, the robust spirit when you gather in this place for worship, your expectations about gospel proclamation and relevance to your life and relating to the world, your collective present here each and every Lord’s Day, your yearning to pass forward what has been entrusted to you when it comes to fellowship and education and service and outreach and advocacy, for how you as a congregation make the effort to work on your faith. For your labor of love; for your decades long effort to welcome refugees, for your advocacy for Dreamers and your embrace of the LGBTQ community in our midst, and for how you have tried to get better at hospitality on Sundays, for your inclusion of children in worship, for working on loving one another when you may not always agree, for singing a song you may not like, knowing that someone else in the room does, for the always diligent care and compassion of the board of deacons, for your unending support of your pastors and staff and for the history you celebrate and live into, a history of advocating for the hungry, and serving and supporting efforts in Trenton, for caring for those in prison…for your hard work of love.
And for hope. For over and over and over again, coming into this room to witness to the hope of the resurrection in the face of death. For constantly fanning the flames of a kingdom imagination, daring to see the world that God intends and praying for it and working for it and yearning for it. For your witness amid storms and tumult, after turmoil and suffering, your witness to one another, and to this community and to the world, your witness in word and deed that Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed. For your constant and robust affirmation to a world that long ago declared the end of the mainline church, for your bold and courageous commitment of time and talent and money to an institution and a practice and faith that many of your friends and family long ago thought was worn out and done with and no longer relevant, for your hope-filled witness in just being here and speaking up with your lives, proclaiming to the world, that here at Nassau Presbyterian Church, we’re not dead yet. Because Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.
The Body of Christ, today at Nassau Presbyterian Church. For your work of faith, your labor of love, your steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ…..thanks be to God!
In November we dig into challenging issues of mental health, refugees, international politics, and peace between people of different faiths.
Sundays, 9:15 a.m, in the Assembly Room unless otherwise noted.
For a look at Adult Education offerings through December, download the brochure: Adult Education Nov Dec 2017 (pdf).
Dealing with Depression and Suicide
Larry Alphs
November 5
Depression and suicide are common mental disorders that have an impact on our ability to function. They severely impact those living with these disorders and their families and friends. Globally, more than 300 million of God’s people suffer from depression, the leading cause of disability. Explore new insights into understanding and managing these diseases.
Larry Alphs currently works for Janssen Pharmaceuticals and serves as co-moderator of adult education at Nassau. He is a psychiatrist and neuropharmacologist by training. For the past twenty-five years he has worked as a clinical scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, doing Phase I-IV work in a variety of disorders including schizophrenia, suicidality, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, and traumatic brain injury.
Ongoing through May 13
In-Depth Bible Study: First Corinthians
George Hunsinger
9:15 AM
Maclean House
Class will be held on: November 12 & December 3, break for the Holidays and resume on January 7 (no class January 14)
George Hunsinger returns for the 21st year to lead this verse-by-verse examination of the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. Bibles are available for use during the class. Find them on the Deacon Desk by the church kitchen. Class meets next door in Maclean House (Garden Entrance).
November 5, 12, 19; December 3
A Romp through the Bible (Fall: Old Testament)
William R. (Bill) Phillippe
9:30 AM
Niles Chapel
True to the definition of romp, “to play boisterously,” Phillippe will move participants quickly through the 39 books of the Old Testament and do it with a style he believes the writers would approve, even if the some biblical interpreters might not. One reviewer of Phillippe’s book says, “Phillippe’s work will be seen by some as blithe and brash. That’s the best part. He takes us on a tour of what and where and why the Bible happened, and by peeling off the dusty old trappings he brings to light an enchanted story about people, and a God, we’d like to know better.” Copies of the book will be provided free to the first 12 participants.
William R. (Bill) Phillippe, upon retirement, chose to move to Princeton primarily so he could worship and engage at Nassau Presbyterian Church. He is a retired Presbyterian minister and author of A Romp through the Bible, and most recently, The Pastor’s Diary. Bill has served a number of churches as pastor, was a Synod Executive for 10 years, and has served as Acting Executive Director of the General Assembly Mission Council.
Classes in Niles Chapel are not recorded.
Refugees Matter
Deborah Amos
November 12
Deborah Amos of NPR will bring us an update on current refugee resettlement developments, with a focus on the Canadian scene. Deborah is taking a Princeton University class to the province of Manitoba to report on Canada’s private resettlement program, where individual Canadian families sponsor a refugee family until they get established.
Deborah Amos covers the Middle East for NPR News with reports heard on “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered,” and “Weekend Edition.”
China’s Rise and U.S. Security Interests in Asia
Tom Christensen
November 19
How does the growth of China’s economic, military, and political power pose challenges and opportunities for the United States and its Asian allies and security partners? Explore the response to North Korea’s nuclear weapons development and China’s maritime disputes with its neighbors.
Thomas J. Christensen is William P. Boswell Professor of World Politics of Peace and War and Director of the China and the World Program at Princeton University. At Princeton he is also faculty director of the Masters of Public Policy Program and the Truman Scholars Program. From 2006-2008 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs with responsibility for relations with China, Taiwan, and Mongolia. His research and teaching focus on China’s foreign relations, the international relations of East Asia, and international security. His most recent book, The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power (W.W. Norton, 2015) was an editors’ choice at the New York Times Book Review and was selected as “Book of the Week” on CNN”s Fareed Zakaria GPS. Before arriving at Princeton in 2003, Professor Christensen taught at Cornell University and MIT. He received his B.A. with honors in History from Haverford College, M.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University. He has served on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and as co-editor of the International History and Politics series at Princeton University Press. He is currently the Chair of the Editorial Board of the Nancy B. Tucker and Warren I. Cohen Book Series on the United States in Asia at Columbia University Press. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Board for the Schwarzman Scholars Program. Professor Christensen is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Non-Resident Senior Scholar at the Brookings Institution. In 2002 he was presented with a Distinguished Public Service Award by the United States Department of State.
This class was not recorded.
Muslims and Christians Working Together in Peacemaking
David Shenk
November 26
In a world where complex conflicts sometimes divide Muslins and Christians and where mutual suspicion can build walls, come and hear several stories of partnerships and meaningful dialogue between Muslims and Christians committed to peacemaking. The goal is to build bridges of loving and respectful connection between Christians and Muslims, while faithfully confessing Christ.
David Shenk spent much of his life as a Mennonite missionary among Muslims in Somalia, Kenya, and the US. He was born in Tanzania to frontier missionary parents. He now continues to travel and teach worldwide about Christian/Muslim dialogue. A prolific writer, his most popular book, originally published in 1980, is A Muslim and a Christian in Dialogue by Badru Kateregga and David W. Shenk.
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