This year we have chosen Agnes Crespo, a music teacher in the New Brunswick school district. For years she has brought groups of her students to our Lunchtime Recitals, students she feels would benefit from a specific concert, sometimes it is because the performer plays the same instrument or another good reason to bring them. It must not be easy to do that since so many districts have trouble finding funding for field trips. But every year she comes walking with a group of students from the Livingston School to have these children experience some life music and a nice luncheon afterwards.

A sign up list will be posted for all to sign up to bring some breakfast items. We have some gifts for Agnes in the making to go with her Award. I hope that all of you can come and support us at the Award. The breakfast is open to all.

In February we will hold our Guild meeting on the second Sunday after worship, a Bible study is on the agenda.

Prayer shawls are still being made, either knitted or quilted. IF you have any material that you think can be used please let Erie know.

We are also in need of birthday cards for the residents of the Reformed Church Home. They really appreciate the token of attention, so if you have some cards that can be used, you can drop them off at church.

The concert was meaningful. It did not just celebrate the historic achievements of the Civil Rights Movement, but made it clear that our society has still much need for improvement. We talked, for example, about the recent attacks on the synagogue Beth-El in Rutherford, NJ and praised the efforts of Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli, who advised not only the synagogues of Bergen County to be on alert, but all religious institutions.

Raíces Cultural Center supported the efforts of the Rainbow Choir with several songs in Spanish language and performed by their own ensemble. This opened our ears to the international relevance of Civil Rights issues.

It was a great concert! Thank you, Ben, for your fine efforts in building a new community choir! And thanks to all the children whose enthusiasm was apparent!

The music featured the cultures of Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. In our quest for world music, the Rainbow Choir has gone a long way to discover the essence of songs from all over the globe. Kudos to these children who are so dedicated to their music. They will perform again at the Interfaith Earth Day event on April 22.

Finally, we learned one very important thing at the event: that in order for humankind to continue its struggle for peace among nations, we have to educate our heart’s mind, and better embody the virtues of honesty, loving kindness, and justice.

The event will be at the First Reformed Church, 9 Bayard St. in New Brunswick from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will be conducted by Brian’s Wine Store, Stelton Road, Piscataway. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward scholarships for needy and deserving New Brunswick high school students for post-secondary educational expenses.

The cost is $25 per person or $40 a couple and includes the wine tasting, light refreshment and valuable door prizes. Tickets may be obtained from the church office or the following members of the Hall Education Fund: Susanne Clark, David Waanders, Susan Kramer-Mills or Kathy Fekete. We hope to see you there!

We will open our series with a Dutch cultural event, which is an important outgrowth of our diverse heritage. This will take place at First Reformed Church on February 12, 2012 at 4:00pm. The descendants of Dutch immigrants kept our denomination alive in the New World, and New Brunswick was a haven for the first churches of the RCA (Reformed Church in America). We will learn how to sing traditional and modern settings of psalms, led by Professor Martin Tel of Princeton Seminary, see a performance of the Van Wickle Dutch Dancers, led by Erie Beemsterboer, and eat a delicious ethnic meal prepared by Ellen Hamilton, Janet Waanders, Mrs. Beemsterboer and others.

Please join us for this exciting celebration of culture. Price for admission is $20 per person, $16 for senior citizens, and $12 for students and children (each price includes food).

Here is the bit of history: On September 27, 1812, the congregation of First Reformed Church dedicated their sanctuary across from Hiram Square and we officially settled into our modern location. Two hundred years later, we look back upon our achievements and our ministry in the city of New Brunswick. This year, we plan to celebrate our rich history; at the same time, we want to look to the future and evaluate our place in modern society.

Joe and Allen provided much welcomed insight in the actual market value of the treasures people brought. However, I deemed it even more important that they provided much historical context for the various objects, and they proved extremely knowledgeable. Consider the range of things: We had everything from colonial jewelry and furniture over British etchings from the 1830s, a New England gingerbread clock and an art deco one from France, all the way to a tribal doll from Africa and a mysterious cloth document from centuries ago in India.

The Fundraising Team with Janet Waanders and Lauren Bernhofer in the lead had prepared the event well, and many contributed to the well-placed bake sale that added to the raised funds. Kathleen Boyles, a member of our Confirmation Class, did a fine job selling items. There remains only one question: When are we doing this kind of an event again?

It was long overdue that we met in this round. For some, it was the first time that they saw each other face to face. So there was a lot of sharing. We even started painting a community canvas together – something Raíces Cultural Center had introduced. It’s a canvas showing our community in the shape of a tree. Participants were invited to paint parts of the tree according to their own need for expression.

Finally, the round decided to engage in some community service together. We discussed two possibilities: The Family Dinner Program “House of Manna” always appreciates accompanying offers. It would not be difficult for our various groups to rotate their presence during the meal times of House of Manna. Another possibility was the idea of a kiosk prepared by our groups for young people in New Brunswick, preferably during sports games at various locations. The kiosk would offer an invitation to our groups and thus offer an alternative to hanging out in the streets.

Upon conclusion, we all agreed: The block party was an evening filled with laughter, fellowship, serious talk, planning for the future and, last but not least, good food from our Lebanese neighbors.

On January 7, from 1-4PM, Joe Bodnar (Bodnar’s Auction) will be speaking about antiques and appraising anything and everything that comes through our doors. The Historic Preservation Fundraising Team is sponsoring this event to raise funds towards our matching grant. There will be refreshments, contests to test your antiques knowledge, and plenty of opportunity to share the stories behind the stuff!

We need everyone’s help to sell 100 tickets at $10 per appraisal (includes admission) and make this event a success! For the spectator only, the entry fee will be $2.00 at the door.
Please invite everyone you know!

** Note – The appraisals are for fun and enlightenment, not insurance purposes.

Please tell everyone you know about this event and help us to make it a Huge Success!

Under the direction of Dr. Sheng-Hwa Yu, the chorus sang beautifully and with such joy that the audience clearly caught the spirit, appreciating both the skill of the singers and their emotion. We at First Reformed Church have been privileged to know the YueYue group for a long time and on this occasion were privileged to receive its gift of music. All of the donations made by audience members are designated for the church’s Historic Preservation Fund and will be used to help complete the replacement of the slate roof.

Our thanks go to every member of the chorus, to Dr. Sheng-Hwa Yu, and to Artistic Director Maestro Sharon Yuan. Also, one of our members, Julius Fekete, used the occasion to sell his spectacular woodcarvings and to donate profits to the Preservation Fund as well. The soon-to-be-completed roof of the sanctuary certainly covered and united a throng of talented and generous-spirited people on this hopeful Advent night.

$ 8.00 per person / $20.00 per family
Contestants eat for free!
There will be Prizes for the 1st, 2nd and, 3rd best chili.
Cornbread, Salad, Cheese, Sour Cream, Dessert and Ice tea and Lemonade will be provided. Hot Dogs & Buns will also be provided for those who like chili less!
All proceeds will be used to cover the cost for new lights in Fellowship Hall

All in all around 65 women and 2 men enjoyed the home made treats and fellowship. I would like to thank all of you who donated time and or breakfast items. Without all your help we can not keep this tradition that is enjoyed by so many. Every year again I hear comments from the visitors that they are all looking forward to our breakfast as it gives them an opportunity for fellowship and reflection in this busy season.

On another note, one of the ministries of the Women’s Guild is card writing to the residents of the Reformed Church Home. Each resident received a Christmas card from us! Phew! That was a lot of writing!! We are now out of all Christmas and Birthday cards. Please see if you have any at home that you can donate for this.

Our Prayer Shawl ministry is still on-going. We accept both knitted and quilted shawls or lap-sized throws. I hope to bring another quilt to be tied during our next meeting. At that time we will also work on our plans for the Martha Award, planned for March 5th.

Our next meeting is January 15th, this is the THIRD Sunday as there are meetings planned after worship on the second Sunday. Every women of our congregation is welcome to attend!!!

First, our guests from the Colts Neck Reformed Church arrived: A large part of their Senior Choir, to sing with us. Some choristers from Colts Neck were well known to us, as they had participated in previous years in the reconstruction of our bathrooms. We had a great dinner time together – with pizza, homemade under Erie’s leadership.

Now the music and choir directors took over: Maggie and David Tripold from the Colts Neck Reformed Church and Ben Berman for us. Not that we were allowed to sing any carols! Instead, we had a singing campaign with each choir giving samples of its more difficult repertoire. In the end, we mixed and sang the first Chorus from Handel’s Messiah together: “And the Glory of the Lord…: See the pictures of the listeners, especially the ones that show Sandy and Walter and Julius and Allison.

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus interrupted the musical gathering with a loud “Ho-Ho-Ho!” Bruce had jumped in at the last minute, and Lolly was a most attentive wife. We had so much fun. In the end, Bruce summarized, “There’s a lot of ham in Hamilton!” Just as funny was the pageant rehearsal that followed. In true European-proletarian tradition, Erie and Lolly brought in this humungous, paint-covered ladder when it was time for the angel to appear. And there he was, this Gabriel in blue jeans, with something like a misappropriated white plastic tablecloth over his shoulders and a golden halo in his hair. It was a sight to behold, and it was driving home the point that Christ was born, not in the royal chambers of the eternal city, but in a feeding trough, which may even have smelled.

All the while, our Colts Neck guests enjoyed a tour of the church and a visit to the grave of Dr. John Henry Livingston, the pastor whose work in the late 18th century had laid the foundation of our American denomination’s independence from the mother church in the Netherlands.

Now, you tell me, was this a well-rounded evening or not? I am grateful for all the support from many sides that had made this possible. I am especially grateful for the rather meaningful relationship that is developing between Colts Neck and us.

On January 7, 2012, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.,, Joe Bodnar (Bodnar’s Auction) will be speaking about antiques and appraising anything and everything that comes through our doors. The Historic Preservation Fund-raising Team is sponsoring this event to raise funds towards our matching grant. There will be refreshments, contests to test your antiques knowledge, and plenty of opportunity to either share the story of your item or hear the story behind another’s treasure!

We are limited to 100 tickets at $10 per appraisal, so don’t delay! For spectators only the entry fee will be $2 at the door. Tickets will be sold through the Church Office, 732-545-1005.

Please tell everyone you know about this event and help us to make it a Huge Success!

performing Mozart, Rutter, Praetorius, Holst, Shaw
Saturday, December 10th at 7:00pm
Suggested Donations: $20 general, $16 seniors, $12 students/children

Anyone is welcome to bring a 1-gallon pot of chili to be judged. It can be vegetarian or otherwise.
Family and friends are welcome too. Just come to taste the wide range of chili varieties.
$8 per person/ $20 per family; contestants eat for free.
There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for the best chili.
Cornbread, salad, cheese, sour cream, dessert, ice tea and lemonade will be provided.
Hot Dogs and buns will be available for those who are chili-less!

The voices of our children create a rainbow of peace and understanding. How can a child grow in community with other children? There is no greater gift than the gift of song. Help us harness that gift so the children of New Brunswick can sing together once again: in a vast community of children from different faiths, cultures, and ethnicities.

We are looking for singers in grades 3-6 to join the Rainbow Children’s Choir and sing the music of our diverse heritages. Contact Benjamin T. Berman at First Reformed Church, 732-545-1005 or at benjamin.t.berman@gmail.com for more information.

Shea Velloso, who has been so gracious to offer us this marvelous program, is a graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts where he earned his bachelor’s degree in organ performance. Shea’s teachers have included Antonius Bittmann, Mark Trautman and Paul Hoffman. He has pursued post graduation organ studies with critically acclaimed organists Gordon Turk and Paul-Martin Maki. In 2004, Mr. Velloso was the recipient of The Elizabeth W. Durham Award for Excellence in Performance and Scholarship. He has performed recitals throughout New Jersey and New York City and has appeared in concert on the NPR show Pipedreams and on Metuchen Television.

As Director of Music at United Methodist Church at Milltown, he is the organist, director of the church’s three choirs and is responsible for planning the church’s concert series. He previously served as Director of Music at the Presbyterian Church of Jamesburg. In addition to his job at the Methodist Church, Mr. Velloso serves as the High Holy Day organist at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple and accompanist for Philomusica Choir. During the summer months, Shea enjoys working as an accompanist and rehearsal leader for the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.

While this concert, like the others to follow in the series, is free, we are asking for donations of $20 for general audience members, $16 for senior citizens, and $12 for students to benefit the preservation of the historic buildings of the First Reformed Church. The concert will be in the historic sanctuary of First Reformed Church, at the corner of Neilson and Bayard Streets and the building is handicapped accessible.

Call 732-545-1005 for additional information. First Reformed Church, the “town clock church of New Brunswick”, is raising money to support the Historical Preservation fund to renovate its historic buildings. We hope you can join us to continue being a part of our series of concerts. Please bring a
friend, and help us spread the word.

The film was shocking and extremely disturbing. Several folks who were unable to attend the viewing have requested another viewing. We will try to set a date for January or February.

The Raices Cultural Center did a fantastic job in hosting the event! We all enjoyed the appearance of Spook Handy, who played Gospel songs and demonstrated how these were eventually changed into protest songs. He inspired the entire crowd to begin to voice their own protests. The words, “No more fracking!”, sung to the tune of “Amen!” was quite a hit. Are we on our way to some new hymns?!