There are some smaller issues that remain. The northern set of the handrails in front of the church will be repaired; the roofing of the pediment cornice on the Bayard-Street side of the education building will be replaced, and a permanent sign explaining the significance of our buildings will be installed by the main entrance of the church.

Then I have to submit a Final Report to the State, and from then on an annual report with pictures, providing evidence that we honor the Easement and keep the property in good shape. But, boy, am I happy that the reporting will diminish. In 2011 alone, we submitted 234 written pages and 208 pages with pictures to the State. I can only thank Architect Margaret Westfield, Project Manager Brian Monteith and Treasurer Stef Beemsterboer for always providing me with the needed documents on time!

This, of course, was only Phase I. We still have substantial building problems. The stained glass windows are sagging; the upper parts of the rose window in the steeple have even separated from the frame. Our walls need repointing very badly, and we still have unaddressed foundation problems. We will deal with these things in due time. For now, we need a break to regroup and to grow our ministry.

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.

Pastor's Corner

Brother Roger, the beloved founder of the Taizé Community in France, once observed, “Throughout my life, I had the desire not to prejudge anybody. In relating to everyone, it was essential for me to rather understand than to be understood. In order to understand, faces are even more important than words.”

From here, Brother Roger went on to describe his appreciation of the human face. We, here at First Reformed Church, have been blessed with manifold opportunities for following Brother Roger’s intent. For years, we have participated in the tradition of Taizé. We have also come to realize that peace on earth is only possible if people begin to understand each other and develop empathy and appreciation for each other’s situation.

For this reason, we co-hosted with our Turkish neighbors from the Peace Islands Institute another friendship gathering on Oct 25th. We enjoyed Turkish food and fellowship with one another and engaged in an interesting PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Levent Ko on modern political and religious history in Turkey.

“How is this my history?” you might ask, and Brother Roger would respond that it is more important to understand than to be understood. If global peace depends on relationship building, then sharing in our Turkish neighbor’s perception of the world is in our own interest.

By now,you may have had a chance to encounter yet another culture on the premises of First Reformed Church. On Oct 28th, Raíces Cultural Center opened its Day-of-the-Dead Exhibition in the cemetery and inside our buildings. The exhibition includes artwork and small religious objects. It will end on Nov 5th.

What do we know about the Day of the Dead (el Dià de los Muertos)? It’s a Latin American holiday with origins in a pre-Christian Aztec tradition, now connected with the Roman Catholic holiday of All Saints Day. It is celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday, but in other countries as well, including Brazil and Spain. Customs include gatherings of friends and family to pray for and to remember the ancestors. This includes the building of private altars as well as the visiting of graves with small gifts.

We Reformed people do not have altars, and we have preference for worshiping collectively. And yet we, too, know that there are many ways of encountering God. At the same time, we want to understand and lay the foundations for empathy and appreciation. From this vantage point, we can only be grateful for the exposure Raíces Cultural Center is offering us at this time. Come and marvel at cultural expressions that have significantly contributed to the diversity of our life experience.

MPG, our general contractor has been extremely caring regarding warranty and damage issues. Earlier last month, they replaced broken leaded glass in a door in the steeple that most of us do not even know exists (please see the attached picture). In addition, their subcontractor for painting the steeple louvers came right back when we discovered a small paint problem. Due to inclement weather, we are a little bit behind schedule regarding the replacement of the church roof.

However, we still believe the majority of the work to be accomplished before Easter. In addition, Paul Nulton will be back for the Sexton’s House this month. The current white color of the façade is just primer and will soon give way to a reddish brown with the shingles on the second floor dark brown. The amber of the trim will stay. In all this, we follow Margaret Westfield’s specifications. Remediation of groundwater following the removal of the underground oil tank is ongoing. We are currently in a phase of data collecting in order to decide on next steps. I am very happy that Lauren and Gary Bernhofer have accepted the appointment from Consistory to join me in a little Remediation Task Force. Lauren and Gary’s background in science has already provided great help in better understanding not only the reports from our contractor PTS but also the requirements from N DEP. I am also happy to report that we received this past month another reimbursement from the state for the work being done.

Unfortunately, as of now, there is no indication on when we might be able to close the case.

On July 16th, we were privileged to use the Crossroads Theater for a fund-raising concert we called A Spiritual Crossroads. The theater’s own name and philosophy inspired us to think about our congregation’s experience over the years of engaging with people from many origins and faith traditions.

Three of those origins and traditions were represented by the gifts of music at the concert. Raíces Cultural Center Ensemble played music from Afro-Cuban rumba spiritual masses and batá chanting and drumming from the Orishas or forces of nature. Jeanel LeBlanc sang hymns and spirituals originating in or important to the African American experience. And Wind of Anatolia played Turkish folk music in the Anatolian tradition. By evening’s end, audience members were dancing first in the aisles and then, at Pastor Susan’s invitation, on stage with Wind of Anatolia.

We truly experienced a time at a spiritual crossroads. And the historic preservation fund is $2,000 larger, thanks to ticket sales, to ads purchased for the program, and to donations beyond the ticket price.

Many thank-yous to many folks have been expressed, but we thank Ben Berman again for his leadership in planning and organizing the event, and Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission who, through the auspices of Johnson & Johnson, offered us the space and technical staff.

The Date and Time? July 16th at 7:00 p.m.

What are we celebrating? Over the years, First Reformed Church has developed close ties with several groups that represent different parts of Christianity, different parts of the world, and different faiths. We have benefited greatly from these associations and want to celebrate that with music.

Who will perform? Come to hear Jeanel LeBlanc sing African-American Spirituals, the band Wind of Anatolia play and sing Turkish spiritual music, and the Raices Cultural Center Ensemble perform music from Afro-Cuban Spiritual Masses.

What does the concert cost? Ticket prices are $20 for premium seats, $12.50 for general admission, and $5 for children 12 and under. Call (732) 545-1005 to purchase tickets, or visit www.firstreformedchurch.net to purchase them online. You may also purchase tickets the evening of the concert; but don’t wait, because premium seats will go quickly.

What does the concert benefit? The historic preservation project at First Reformed Church is striving to raise $487,000 to match our grant from the NJ State Historic Trust to restore the exteriors of our historic buildings, all on the National Historic Register.

The next step is replacement of the huge slate roof on the sanctuary. Imagine that your ticket will purchase some slates for that project! See you on the 16th.

Crossroads Theater was made available through the generosity of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Middlesex County
Cultural and Heritage Commission/Board of Chosen Freeholders and the New Brunswick Cultural Center.

Progress may feel slow, but it is steady. And what is more important, it has proven to be sustainable! It is truly remarkable how far we have come.
Meanwhile, we have to thank Paul Nulton from our Regional Synod. He used his skills last month to renovate the little entry foyer to the Randolph Room. This means that, whenever we worship again in the Randolph Room, latecomers will not have to fear that the glass door entrance to the education building might be locked. It may very well be, but now we can enter the Randolph Room directly from the outside.

Finally, a thought regarding the often-asked question whether it is not more important to donate towards one of our ministries and programs instead of the Preservation Fund: In conversation with various potential donors, this question has come up again in recent weeks.

Here is my response: Our preservation project is not luxurious at all. It is neither a beautifying project, nor is it primarily something that satisfies historians or people with special aesthetic interest. From the church’s point of view, the main purpose of the project is to protect us from calamities like leaking roofs or more collapsing walls. The old truism applies in our case especially well: If we did not provide dry and safe space for our programs and ministries, we would not have these programs and ministries much longer.

To prove my point, I’d like to point out the brownstone windowsills that fell off the building on the Bayard Street side. There are currently no plans of putting them back in. Why not? Even though they are unsightly, still they do not pose a safety threat. We have filled the holes behind them. Unfortunately, we cannot afford energy or resources at this time to correct the situation.

Truly, even with this huge preservation project, we are doing only what is absolutely necessary to keep our interior dry and safe. We are at a point where every single donation towards the Preservation Fund benefits almost directly our programs, such as our family feeding “House of Manna”, the rotating homeless men’s shelter, or even our great lunchtime recital series. So that’s why our preservation project is so important!

We have added two new board members: John Keller and Ursula Cargill. John, who lives within the bounds of the city of New Brunswick, and thus meets the board’s requirement of having a of its membership from the city. John is also a great connecter to various other organizations, including Collaborative Arts Group. Ursula’s expertise is with finance and will be our board’s Treasurer. Already she and Stef have been communicating
back and forth regarding which financial program would be best to use. We are thankful to have each of them on the board.

We have received from the IRS our official nonprofit status. This was thrilling because of all the paperwork that the application required. We are thankful and glad that it is finally completed.

We have several applications for funding sent in and are waiting for approval – without this funding we are in a holding pattern for the drafting of the plans for the sanctuary re-design. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or anyone else who is serving on the CDC Board.

The General Synod Council announced that it has selected Tom De Vries as the candidate to be presented to the General Synod to serve as the next general secretary of the Reformed Church in America.

De Vries’s nomination will now go before the General Synod at its June meeting. If approved by the General Synod, De Vries would become the fifth general secretary of the denomination, replacing the departing Wes Granberg-Michaelson, who has served the RCA for 17 years. De Vries is currently lead pastor at Fair Haven Ministries in Hudsonville, MI and has served as a member of the General Synod Council from 2005 to 2010.

On March 14th, Sherri Novack, Ben Berman and I took a chance and followed an invitation to the Fort Washington Collegiate Church in Manhattan. We wanted to take part in a somewhat historic moment when the presidents of our three denominational colleges came together here on the East Coast to nurture the relationships with our students and churches here. You are not sure you know our colleges? They are all located in the Midwest: Hope College in Holland, MI; Central College in Pella, IA and Northwestern College in Orange City, IA. The picture shows the three presidents during a question and answer session with students and parents.

The evening was fun and informative. We had a chance to talk with some of our national leaders, enjoyed a great Dominican dinner, as well as a step-dance and rap performance by ensembles of the Fort Washington Church. There was even opportunity for a picture with our retiring General Secretary Wesley Granberg-Michaelson. We also enjoyed the historic surroundings of the church. It is part of the famous Collegiate Corporation of the Manhattan’s Reformed churches. In driving home, we agreed: it was a worthwhile journey to the center of who we are as a wider church.

It was an ascent into dizzying heights. But I was impressed: together, we represented five levels of quality control. And the test was hard. Back on the ground, Margaret received us with a long questionnaire recording the answers in an extensive chart. It was especially helpful to have Glenn Ceponis as a state representative with us. After all, the State is spending as much money on the project as we are, and will have a natural desire for strict quality control. Similarly, it was good to have Tom Loughlin from the City of New Brunswick there. The City supports the project with $25,000 and restores the faces and hands of the clock in addition to this. Here, too, we can expect a natural desire for checking out the work.

Look also at the rest of the accompanying pictures. See how the steeple scaffolding dwarfs the two carpenters on it? Later, I took a close-up of the man. Too often, we pay respect only to the leaders of a project and not to those who are carrying out the physical work.

Then there is the aerial view of the education building. What looks imposing from street level is dwarfed from this perspective – almost a parable on life itself when viewed from the perspective of eternity.

Then see Christ Episcopal Church. I had to grin when I took the picture: The British may have taken our Dutch colony in 1664, but we are still taller!
Finally, enjoy the area views. The new Route 18 in the distance, the American flag shining through our scaffolding, the cemetery and the church entrance from above.

I also want to point out the angel head and the capitals on the wooden pillars and other details of that heavenly realm. You could not see any of this from the ground. Perhaps, these features were not really meant for human eyes to enjoy, but represent something like a praise offering to God whose house this is.

We are blessed to be able to do something for its preservation.

During the congregational meeting on Oct 31st, a point was raised about seeking outside “Reformed” architectural expertise. John Coakley has been assisting us in that search. We are hoping to have a person lined up soon.

Finally, at the congregational meeting, a request was made that a survey of the congregation be made, which asks for their input as to how the re-designed sanctuary space should look like and what “must” be included. We hope to have something out to the congregation by the end of January, 2011.

The next steps include: determining which architectural firm to use; securing legal advice about writing a lease agreement between First Reformed Church and the CDC; developing a budget for 2011; securing funding and a pre-development loan; and settling the question about which population we will house in the units– with input from the congregation. There is still much to be done, and we oftentimes feel like we are moving slowly. We hope, though, that this slow pace will allow everyone to get acquainted with the project and its dreams. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask any of us on the board: Liz Hance, Ellen Hamilton, Joan Fekete, Stef Beemsterboer or myself.

Please pass the word along. Bring friends, family members, even scout troops to this wonderful event. The re-enactors, attired in period costumes, will be speaking about their lives, as well as the history of New Brunswick and our nation spanning the late 1770′s until about the early 1900′s.

Have you noticed the scaffolding? If you’ve been anywhere near 9 Bayard Street in the last couple of weeks, you have probably let one eye follow the piping up to the roof line of the education building and kept the other eye trained on the ground to find your way into the building. It is exciting to see such clear evidence that the preservation work is going forward.

Fund-raising is inching forward. The September 23rd figure for pledges and donations is $300,832.

The fund-raising committee needs a broader group of people than the committee to be actively involved in efforts to reach potential donors in the New Brunswick community. Committee representatives will train you and work with you. Please call Pastor Hartmut, Sherri Novack, or Janet Waanders to volunteer.

Throughout the year, a mixed group of graduate and undergraduate had worked on this Preservation Plan.

You might remember that 75% of the corresponding Preservation Plan for our buildings was funded with $50,000 planning grant from the NJ Historic Trust. This gives you an idea how expensive these kinds of plans are – even if the Preservation Plan for our cemetery is substantially shorter. Now the students presented their findings to a public audience in a very involved PowerPoint presentation. They started by delineating the existing conditions of the cemetery. The results were compiled in a digital database, easy to store, expand and share with others in years to come. It includes pictures of our grave stones – an irreplaceable documentation of the current status quo.

Following this, the plan entailed treatment recommendations, beginning with a chart of priorities and concluding with a cost estimate for restoration. Finally, there were the treatment reports. Again, at no cost to the church, the students had cleaned 46 grave markers with an architectural antimicrobial. They had also repaired two grave markers that had broken apart.

It was an evening of interesting speeches, much appreciation for our history, and a good fruit punch in the end. A great thank-you goes to Erie Beemsterboer who presented Christine Miller Cruiess with one of her beautiful handmade quilts. We also thank Ethel Salamone, Joan Fekete and Pastor Susan for the wonderful reception afterwards.

The construction of Pine Grove Nursery School made our summer hot. We received a sprinkler system on both levels of the education building, remodeled both stairways in the building, had new carpet laid, new phone lines brought in, and a host of other things. This brought contractors, inspectors, fire officials and a great number of volunteers into our building. We are proud that everything has been accomplished and that the school is up and running. Oftentimes, Susan and I looked at each other and said, “If the school wins, we win as a church.”

But now the hot fall comes. With the receipt of a new grant, the remediation work on the site of our former oil tank will resume in October. We had to negotiate the date carefully, because now we have scaffolding on our education building. This will have to be removed before a large drilling rig can make it onto our premises. The rig is needed to install a DEP mandated groundwater well that records water contamination.

Meanwhile, we have learned how the reconstruction of George Street affects our neighborhood. During working hours, lower Bayard Street is a two-way road, too narrow for a rig that requires piloting through town. But somehow the officials in charge showed heart for our church, and with God’s help, the rig will arrive on October 18th.

I have spent much of the beginning of August negotiating these things. Sometimes I closed with the remark that I lost my notes from learning these things at seminary. This and other remarks prompted Bill Gaventa, director of The Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities at UMDNJ, to suggest a new sermon title to me: “Getting Through the Jungles to Church”.

That would be a funny title! But I hesitate using it for fear that this might deter us from coming to church. We cannot afford the reputation of not being accessible on Sunday mornings. The reason is simple: if worship here at First Reformed is not the most important part of our life as church, then everybody will think that construction is. This would be a fatal error!

In reality, the opposite should be true. Construction should boost our attendance, because it is very special to come to church at such a historically significant time. I know, I sound like a child of the world when I talk like this. As if attending worship could depend on a lure! But I admit to being driven in part by the fact that our numbers were just so low over the summer. Yet, even if my motivation is theologically entirely off target, it remains part of my human emotions nevertheless.

Be this as it may. I think it is important that we all commit ourselves to increasing our worship attendance this fall. Rally Sunday on September 12th will provide us with a great kick-off. It is part of a special Song-Gift Weekend with star musician and composer Lorraine Nelson Wolf, a voice from deep inside the Reformed Church in America.

Lorraine and her family will perform a special concert on the anniversary of September 11th. Please see the poster in this issue of the newsletter. During worship the following morning, she will present our church with the gift of a special song, written and composed just for us. It might become the anthem of our church. Please make sure you’ll come on Rally Sunday.

Come for a night of inspirational songs and stories with the Billboard & ASCAP award-winning composer, singer, and pianist. Lorraine’s husband, Godfrey, and daughter, Lauren Nelson, are her special performer guests.