I want to give you an illustration, but I will use myself as an example so as to not break trust. However, the underlying principle is the same for many of us. In fact, I suspect that it shapes much of our life experience far beyond the walls of the church.

As you probably know, I like music, the history of ideas, adult education, preaching, and visiting with people. I used to not like numbers, brick and mortar, and social networking. Ah! Social networking was the worst! I would always prefer a library or archive room over against a ballroom. Yet… and you know the rest of the story.

As I indicated, several of us share similar experiences. We like certain things, but life employs us differently. And this is not limited to the realm of the church. Few of us are able to stay faithful to their college majors through the rest of life. Is this not so?

And so I am wondering what it means. As we grow older, we ask ourselves perhaps a bit more often to what degree our life has been successful. But what is success? Prior to understanding this as a spiritual question, we might simply identify success with reaching a pre-set goal. A goal could be to successfully build a career in a certain field of interest. The degree by which we deviate from this goal would then be a measure for failure and success.

This is pre-spiritual, I said. For I am not sure Christians can ultimately think that way. There is always this one word of our Lord in the way, and no earthly power can remove it: “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” (Mark 14:36) It summarizes our religious experience that God may have different plans, that his thoughts are not our thoughts.

Recently, my father-in-law sent me a collection of religious sayings. One of these turned out to be a modern footnote to the quote from the Gospel of Mark: “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” At first, this may just be a surprising swap of terms. But wait a moment, perhaps there is more! Have you ever thought that ending up in a life-place other than the intended may contribute to your inner growth?

By contrast, if we only follow the things we planned our inner growth may never reach its full bloom. However, I want to be careful here. When Jesus said, “not what I want, but what you want,” he was not talking about a plan for his future life, but his death on the cross. Our comparison must stop at this point, where we remain behind, allowed to plan our lives, when he was not.

I greet you with these thoughts and wish you all a blessed a meaningful summer.

Dear Friends,

This morning was a different morning than usual. Children’s voices echoed throughout the education building of FRC. Pine Grove Nursery School hosted a performance of Peacemaker, a short play produced by actors from the George Street Playhouse. It was humorous. Moreover, the children’s enthusiasm was noticeable. And, we staff persons stood in the back with smiles on our faces.

What a joy to have so many children here, their parents and caretakers! So many people using our large buildings on a Monday morning; one can’t call this church a “stained glass aquarium” as the cartoon denotes. We’ve broken the bowl!

And that causes us to pause and say maybe “Ooops!” or “Yeah” In any case, it is a bit scary!

I think all of those feelings come along with that acknowledgment. We have become a different church: one which supports a diverse set of groups coming and going in our buildings. Also, our ministries are changing and refocusing as well, because our outreach and openness to the community keeps shaping our vision of what we want to offer, and how we wish to express that offering.

To give you just another example: at the May consistory meeting, the request for usage by a local group known as Collaborative Arts (a non-for-profit organization) was accepted. They will use our sanctuary for several weeks in August to perform Romeo and Juliet. It reminded me so much of the times when our congregation put on Godspell, which was many years ago. This production, though, will be somewhat intriguing because the arts group plans to spice up the production in a multicultural way: Romeo’s family will be Afro-Caribbean, and Juliet’s will be Latino. Certainly it will be a new way to look at this classic play!

This re-use of the sanctuary and the close bond that the Building Usage Ad-hoc Committee has developed with some of our groups, which use our buildings, is rather remarkable. We don’t see folks as just “renters” but rather as “partners”. Their usage helps us gain new contacts within the fabric of the community, and our facilities provide an affordable venue for many. We all win through the usage and the developing relationships. Who knows where this “relationship” may creatively grow? What opportunities may develop out of working together? Interfacing is a new way to provide new ministries to our community, and it seems that the more we break open the “stained glass aquarium” the greater the possibilities will become.

Did you ever think that our buildings would be a way to evangelize and do outreach? Quite a turn around indeed!

Fondly,
Pastor Susan

As appealing as dumpster and truck technology may be to several of us, including myself, dumpsters are at the same time powerful symbols of how we should deal or not deal with our heritage and tradition. There is a fine line to be observed. Oftentimes, it is all too easy to throw just about everything into the dumpster and to start over with something new.

Even here at First Reformed Church, we sometimes succumb to this temptation. But then there are moments where we become aware of this. That’s when our sense of stewardship comes to bear, and we realize our obligation to preserve a tradition that is greater than our momentary whims.

This does not make us preservationists at all cost. On the contrary, we are quite aware that preservation as an end in itself will mean the end to all living tradition. In order to survive, tradition needs change. Here at the church, we have found a good middle way for this. We have subscribed to preserving our outside by the strict standards of state sponsored historic preservation. Yet, we found ways that led Pine Grove Nursery establish a playground in front of the church. At the same time, we are remodeling our interior to fit a new time. The upstairs of the Church House is currently adjusted so that it can accommodate the nursery school.

We have finished the updating the downstairs, especially the new bathrooms. Now, we are looking forward to the emergence of plans regarding the remodeling of our sanctuary. The old and the new — in this balance, our church is thriving.

]]> http://firstreformedchurch.net/the-last-of-the-dumpsters/feed/ 0 http://firstreformedchurch.net/the-cracks-and-flaws-make-life-interesting/ http://firstreformedchurch.net/the-cracks-and-flaws-make-life-interesting/#comments Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:59:36 +0000 Rev. Susan Kramer-Mills http://firstreformedchurch.net/?p=2566 Dear Friends,

Our Preservation Project Architect, Margaret Westfield, shared this insightful Chinese proverb with us:

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it; while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.” The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers which then decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”

The lesson to this story: ‘Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.’

At times, Hartmut and I see these church buildings like the cracked pot, especially when yet another squirrel finds its way into our office through the broken soffits. (I guess that’s part of the reason Margaret Westfield sent us this story.) However, there are so many advantages to these dear old buildings. And it’s more than their charm of the history that they breathe. More than anything, it is always amazing how they can seem to be falling apart, but they are able to be fixed, adapted, renovated, and to house so many different groups. Strangely, in the midst of the terrible storm at the beginning of March, most of New Brunswick lost power. There were manhole fires, and emergency repair vehicles worked on George Street for days. Yet, our church had power. In fact, even the NJ Gay Men’s Chorus was able to hold their Cabaret show. It was as if we were a ship in the midst of rocky sea. The ship did not sink.

Similarly, our congregation has such ability, even if it is small and our concern about the finances be true. Still, there is so much potential and willingness of many to do things that it is possible to hope for the future ministry. Why, just take a look at the great renovation of the women’s bathroom if you doubt it!

So many hands were involved in it’s renovation. And so many others cleaned out other nooks and crannies that we were able to fill a huge dumpster (see pictures on pg. 10). Who would have thought there was still so much to throw away?

Hopefully, you will not see our church facilities nor even our congregational members as just “cracked pots.” May it be so that you see the flaws but also the great and wonderful possibilities in all, so that you too are inspired with all that we are doing.

Fondly,
Pastor Susan

These insights may be one of the reasons, why the phrase ‘commuter church‘ has such bad taste. It seems to refer to congregations who evade the test of life by meeting in communities to which they have no connection. First Reformed Church was a commuter church from the 18th century on. Large parts of its congregation came to church by horse and buggy, because they came from the surrounding farms. Today, we have only a handful of members residing in the city of New Brunswick.

However, is this reason enough to scoff at the word ‘commuter church’? On Jan 30th, Susan, Jim Hance and I attended the stated winter meeting of our Classis. Much of the morning was spent with a workshop on new church starts. We had denominational staff presenting– a good use of Classis dues, if you ask me.

What excited me most that morning was the offer of new language (and I am always interested in language, as you know). One of the two presenters talked repeatedly about the ‘magnetic church’ as a new term for ‘commuter church’.

Oh, if we could adopt these terms here at First Reformed Church!

It would do two things for us. First, we would rid ourselves of the negative connotations of the term ‘commuter church‘. Second, we would turn around the perspective on ourselves. Rather than viewing ourselves as a deficient commuter church, we could actually celebrate the fact that our church provides so much meaning that it draws, Sunday after Sunday and week after week, so many of us from the surrounding areas. In many ways, we have become a magnetic church, and it’s time to claim this part of our identity as well.

Pastor Hartmut

With so much physical work, it is necessary that we take care of our spiritual balance. The time of Lent offers itself for this, as it provides us with some great opportunity to find center in our worship life. As every year, we will begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, Feb 17th, at 7:30 p.m. with a collegiate worship service here at First Reformed Church. Folks from the Highland Park Reformed Church, Second Reformed Church, and the Suydam Street Reformed Church will join us for the occasion. Our organist and choir director, Ben Berman, has found great music for the combined choir.

Following the Ash Wednesday service, we will offer a special confessional liturgy during the beginning part of our Lenten Sunday worship services. This liturgy centers on the baptismal font and is based on words from Psalm 51. Each time, we will pour water into the font, reminding ourselves of the beginning of our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In doing so, we will adapt a format that comes to us from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

In addition to this special worship liturgy, we offer a Lenten Adult Education Class. It has the title, Living Your Faith in a Messed-up World, and comes to us from our sister denomination, the Christian Reformed Church. Each session will focus on a short film or interview that provides an exemplary insight into the relevance of the Reformed faith today. The sessions will be held on Friday nights at 8:00 p.m., beginning on Mar 19th. We are trying to hold these sessions in various homes rather than at church. If you would like to host a session, please call our church office (732-545-1005).

A Presbyterian Lenten liturgy and a Christian-Reformed adult education class — this also reflects where we are as the people of First Reformed Church: firmly embedded in our Reformed tradition and, yet, always eager to broaden our horizon and outlook.

May this year’s Lenten journey be meaningful to you!
Pastor Hartmut

Looking at the lectionary passages set for Jan 1st, I was confronted with the Matthew 25:40 text which states: ” I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these you did it to me.”

The folks listening to Jesus at that moment were wondering what he was referring to. “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?” When? Whenever, is Jesus’ response. What better”call to action” for a new year! What is more arousing than to hear that every time we respond to those in need that we are responding to our Lord Jesus.

Let’s look at our record. Truly, we do respond to such needs by participating in the Men’s Overflow Shelter (this month — Jan 10 – 16) by offering our kitchen and hall for the Family Feeding Program — House of Manna, by supporting the Hall Education Fund — which provides scholarships to New Brunswick needy children going onto higher education, by providing gifts for kids in needy families, by offering space to many groups: the Hyacinth Foundation, the Prom Dress Exchange group, amongst others. And so forth. Isn’t it wonderful that this list has grown over the years? Our commitment to “the least of these” has increased!

So, with a new year, it is time to think about new means of helping the “least of these” That being said, a team of folks has been working for some time discussing some strategic planning for our facilities. Stef Beemsterboer cleverly coined the name for this team: Building Vision Group. Its task has been exactly that: building a vision for our buildings, in particular, for the building of our sanctuary. For one thing, it has been determined from the usage of our BTUs that the sanctuary uses about two to three times the amount of energy (heating & electric) than our education building. We were shocked with this information! Simply because the sanctuary is used only two evenings per week and all day Sunday, while the education building is used almost all week for many hours per day. We realized, with this information, that we are not utilizing the space that the sanctuary provides to the best capacity.

Can we do something better? That’s our quest, if you will. So the group has met with various architects and planners trying to determine how we could possibly address this under usage, or how to better use that space in a greater capacity. The Building Vision Group brought before the consistory, in December, a few ideas, but in order to make plans, it is clear that a feasibility study of the sanctuary space must be completed by an architect. Thus, we are in the process of employing one, who will then provide us with such a study.

Along these same lines, the Building Vision Group has been looking into developing a 501(c)3, which is a nonprofit organization — something we will have to apply for through the federal government. At this point, we have written a Vision Statement in which the paragraph reads: “The Town Clock Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization, sees its historic buildings as a welcoming home, infused with early nineteenth century charm, offering the people of New Brunswick many types of community spaces and shelter opportunities.” As you see, we are clearly putting the least of these before us and considering how we might better serve our Lord. And what better way than through these large buildings that we have which can offer shelter, education, a warm meal, spiritual nurture and so much more.

Fondly,
Pastor Susan

Well-tried tradition has it, rather, that Advent is a time of penance and confession, a time of serious preparation for the coming of Christ. This uncomfortable truth may be one of the reasons why the notation of Advent has disappeared from most of the secular calendar books available at common office supply stores.

Penance and confession – what does that mean? Certainly, I do not employ these terms just because my office commits me to a certain amount of religious jargon. Penance and confession – do these words still have meaning in our time?

We do not need to theorize much at this point. Look, for example, at our weekly worship attendance. As a congregation, we are in a growing mode, having received ten new members this year, and nine in 2008.

However, all too often our Sunday morning attendance does not reflect this development. I am concerned about this. There are too many empty spaces in our pews.

Of course, we all live very busy lives. In addition, we have travel plans, chores at home, or the problems of advancing age. It also remains true that the grace of God is unconditional, and that salvation does not presuppose a perfect score-card, as far as worship attendance is concerned.

Yet, it is also true that none of the missing is replaceable on a Sunday morning, really none. It is that easy. Every one of us was created in a unique and special way. None of us shares the same background, the same experiences and feelings. If your pew is empty, someone else cannot fill it the same way. Consequently, our worship gathering remains incomplete that morning.

Enough of this, lest I sound like a stern Calvinist of another time! Yet, if you have not come to church in a while, please draw some of the conclusions yourself. Your church family needs you. Perhaps, Advent this year can become a special time of renewed attendance, a time of celebrating the new stage of completion our new members have given us. May you have a blessed season!

Pastor Hartmut

The nautical experience portrayed in the New Testament is ambiguous. On one hand, it reflects moments of fear and anxiety, as the stilling of the storm in Mark 5:35-41 for example. On the other hand, the New Testament also reflects very successful fishing experiences, as in Luke 5:1-11 or John 21:4-6. In short, the New Testament views the nautical world not differently than the rest of the world. It is a place where good and bad can happen simultaneously.

On Sep 13th Susan and I spent the late afternoon on Manhattan’s South Side and on Governor’s Island. We enjoyed the festivities of HUDSON 400, the anniversary of Henry Hudson’s famous arrival in Manhattan. Our nautical experience that day was unambiguously positive. Using a ferry from Liberty State Park in New Jersey to Manhattan, we saw the beautiful tall ships cruising from Upper New York Bay into the Hudson River. The largest was the Brazilian built barquentine Peacemaker. Yet the most unusual were a fleet of flat bottom boats from The Netherlands. These boats with single mast had traveled the Atlantic with folded rigging in the hull of large Dutch freighters.

Now, ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy accompanied the spectacle, proudly displaying the national flag of the Netherlands. When you look at the accompanying pictures of a few of the Dutch flat bottom boats, you can see their traditionally curved form. Instead of a keel, these boats feature two retractable boards on either side for stability against the pressure of the wind. This enables maneuvering in very shallow waters. For more information use the Dutch website www.spts.nl and click on Language: English.

I can just imagine what the TV images of these boats with their Dutch flags must have meant to viewers in the Netherlands. Live coverage was, of course, substantial. At the same time, I wondered what this might mean for us, our church with its Dutch roots and its members that come from many ethnic backgrounds.

My response is simple: Old and moderate is well tried and beautiful. There is a lot of serenity in watching a flat bottom boat of the old design spreading its sails before the sun. Does this not hold true for a church like ours? Of course, as there are many different ships in New York Harbor, church buildings can be avant-garde or modern, suburban or warehouse style, or sacramental looking, or cathedral-like. They can be smaller or bigger than ours is, and convene many more or many less people for regular worship.

But just as the nautical world would be incomplete without the flat bottom vessels of the Dutch, so would the world of New Jersey churches be incomplete without a church like ours. Indeed, as manyvolunteers gather to keep a tall ship running, many of us volunteer on workdays and beyond to keep our steeple in the skyline of New Brunswick. When the tall ship then begins to travel, it fulfills its mission beyond the display of wood and canvas. Tall ships train naval officers, provide intercultural exchange, and serve as ambassadors of their country. Similarly, our church fulfills its mission first when we look beyond brick and mortar: We worship God, provide education and cultural exchange; we feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. We also sit with those who mourn and visit the sick.

In the light of this, I think it makes sense when we view the images of the Dutch flat bottom boats as images of the church itself. This is, at least, what I wish for us during this fall season: Water under the keel and fresh wind in our sails, so that we may display our colors for the greater glory of God. Come, and sail with us!

Pastor Hartmut

With this in mind, on Rally Sunday we will get a chance to start up the new Fall season and the return of regular programming of our church. With the start, we will celebrate newly painted pews, new upholstery on the chancel furniture, and even a new Communion set on the Communion Table. That’s a lot of new-ness! And to add to our celebration and new things list, over the summer we were informed by letter from the Acting Commissioner, Charles A. Richman that Governor Corzine signed into legislation funding for NJ Historic Trust, which includes our state grant for the historic preservation project.

This may sound a bit surprising and scary in these economic times, especially since the grant is a matching one. However, may we continue to remind ourselves of several things: First, that we have four years for this project and the fund-raising; second; we are free to limit our 2010 preservation efforts to a very conservative scope. With that said, it is clear that, at this time, we want and need to address the steeple and the church roof, the beam in the church attic, as well as the soffit of the education building.

As you can imagine, there are still many things on our buildings that will need to be worked on. Let me just mention the worst problem, which is the structural situation beneath our sanctuary floor. These must do building issues seem overwhelming, though. Inevitably, when we look at the big picture, they appear to be impossible. And so we loose hope. But, as my grandmother used to say, “To eat a whole cake, you have to take one bite at a time.” I think that it is the same for our building needs.

How can I respond so hopeful? Well, let me just remind our doubtful minds of how our pew painting project went this summer. At first, it was awful. We started out sanding lightly, then washing it down, then spot-painting it with primer. And, wow, after two weeks it appeared to be done. Then, we noticed that the paint was pealing. OH NO!!! So we had to start all over again, only this time we did it more thoroughly.

Several of us thought that we were doomed, and it would never be finished. “Impossible!” they claimed. Yet, YOU ALL responded to the call for help. In total, there were 13 church members who helped Julius Fekete accomplish the impossible, not counting the numerous helping hands that brought lunches and other support. Yes, we did it together. One day, it was two other volunteers. Another day it was a whole family. A little bit at a time. And now, it is finished.

It is our calling to remain hope filled even in the midst of uncertainty. Likewise, with the grant monies and our fund-raising efforts for our buildings: we have to do it one step at a time – together.

Hopefully yours,
Pastor Susan

But was it intended that way? Did God add midlife into the mix of his creating modern people, so that they would have something else to grapple with? Or is our negative perception of midlife the result of our doing?

Let’s scale back here a bit and look at midlife, not in terms of human biography, but the midlife of just one year, the year 2009, and let’s focus on the life of our church in 2009 in particular. During the first half of this year, we returned from a wonderful church retreat to Turkey, continued to integrate nine new church members, and were awarded a preservation grant of $487,797. We have also enjoyed the work of Ben Berman, our energetic new organist and choir director (Buxtehude cantata!). And we celebrated the first anniversary of House of Manna, the family feeding program we designed in conjunction with Elijah’s Promise.

At the same time, the markets have depleted our funds significantly. This summer, we find ourselves in the middle of a discussion regarding the feasibility of our personnel situation, as well as our preservation project. At times, this feels like midlife hitting reality.

Obviously, we cannot ignore the changes in our fiscal situation. It is, however, imperative that we respond to these changes with Christian faith and not only with the tools the rest of our culture offers. How anxiety-driven will our response be, and will it reflect our trust in God’s guiding hand? To what degree do we elevate money into the rank of our motifs and will we allow other motifs as well? Will the new concerns throw us into a mode of focusing primarily on us, and our well being, or will we be able to solve our problems without losing focus on the world, which we are called to serve?

It seems to me that this summer of 2009 provides us with a challenging opportunity of appropriating the joy of the new life in Jesus Christ, of which many of our liturgies speak so eloquently. We may as well start this process by harvesting inwardly the wealth of produce yielded during the first six months of 2009. It’s a good way of softening the onslaught of midlife that we experience these days.

With warm wishes for a good summer,
Your pastor, Hartmut

One such opportunity offered itself on June 13th when Joan, Susan and I spent a Saturday morning on the street behind Elijah’s Promise, managing one of the tables of Elijah’s Promise’s Health Fair, the table of First Reformed Church.

We met so many people this way! Each received a sandwich bag filled with information on our church. We explained House of Manna and the benefits of the Hall Fund, pointed people in the direction of our steeple, and assured them that everyone would be welcome there.

Will it bring fruit? At the very least, it contributed to our Kingdom work. This is how church growers label work that grows the kingdom and not primarily the church. Why was this Kingdom work? Because we spoke with many high school students who then translated to their Spanish speaking mothers that the Hall Fund provides college scholarships, while the House of Manna brings food on the table for a growing number of families.

We are truly looking to be moved by the Spirit into doing new things inside this church and out in the world. We are like those disciples and followers of Christ who were waiting for the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) to come. So it really wasn’t a coincidence that on Pentecost Sunday the Invitation and Outreach Committee held another Getting to Know You Coffee Hour which, judging by the volume of conversation in Fellowship Hall, was quite animated. The questions provided for discussion were asking about risk taking. What was the riskiest thing you ever did? (Many folks answered “getting married”!). But we also asked “what was the riskiest thing you did because of your faith?” That drew a variety of answers, from throwing a Bible onto the table of a business meeting to handing out flyers for the church, or going on a mission trip.

Then we asked folks to imagine our church in five years and asked them to consider what risky things we could possibly be doing then in various areas: outreach, programming and with our buildings. There were many responses to all of these areas. And the Invitation and Outreach Committee has collated these responses and will be presenting the results to the various committees: Worship and Christian Education, Finance and Fund-raising, Building Vision Team, and even the Invitation and Outreach Committee itself. Each committee will receive the results for their area so that they can be inspired by some of the thoughts recorded.

The Spirit is moving us; we just need to learn how to listen better. This is one way of doing just that. Nevertheless, let us not just end these ponderings in a committee. May they influence our further thinking and discussions in all that we do: worship prayers, dinners, social interactions.

For it was the Holy Spirit which broke into the hearts of the people. Mostly, it is imperative for all of us to hold up before ourselves some of the same questions that our cheery choir director, Ben Berman, asks in his article: how are we expressing the love of God to one another — choir with congregation, congregation with community? Where do our passions lay — ones that assist us in considering taking risks, stepping out into unexpected territory?

In all of this, though, let us remember these words of Jesus, our Lord: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Mt. 28:20b)

Fondly,
Pastor Susan

And, indeed, the times are grim. There is hardly a family not affected by “changes in account value”, by loss of a job, or intensifying working conditions. And all of it is surrounded by the beauty and color of the reawakening nature of our Garden State.

But we Christians have more than the dichotomy between nature and economy! In this sense, we are wealthier than those who go about their days without awareness of the divine presence. Paul brought this to a point when he wrote in Romans 1:17, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” This profound statement does not mean that we should all become spiritual ascetics now, ignorant of our worldly needs and focusing on some spiritual realm alone.

Our Reformed branch of Protestantism was never good at splitting heaven and earth like this. We rather tend to apply our faith in the world. To live by faith in the current economic landscape provides us with the means of coping with our anxieties. First, we have trust that God will see us through. Second, we are well used to counting our blessings and to reevaluating our needs accordingly. Gratitude is an indispensable trait of true religion.

Thus, our faith can provide us with the willpower of cutting through our culture’s ideology that unlimited growth is necessary for our lives to be happy and successful. The righteous live by faith, not by economic expansion. Finally, our faith will always point us towards those who need our compassionate responses. Serving others is a good remedy for anxiety and depression.

This being said, I invite you to the following pages of our newsletter. They provide eloquent witness that our faith is neither dead, nor in retreat, but active within the various communities we serve. First Reformed Church – it’s a good place to be in these ambiguous times!

Your Pastor,
Hartmut

To give you an example, the last Friday through Sunday of March our buildings were almost never empty. It started with the Eric B. Chandler Health Center of UMDNJ holding a luncheon in Fellowship Hall. Also, Lisanne Finston dropped off dishes, bowls, and cups for the House of Manna. Of course, the Youth Empowerment Services were in the Music Office during the day. On Friday night, two congregations celebrated worship here.

Saturday morning, while a group of 20+ women and girl scouts cleaned the downstairs, a music doctoral student practiced on our organ, and the Young Life group moved into the Music Office, too. Yes, we have three groups using the Music Office: Ben Berman and Erie Beemsterboer for our music program,
Youth Empowerment Services, and Young Life (which is a campus ministry organization). Phew! Can you imagine that they are all able to work at different times in that space?

Also on Saturday, the Stoney Mae Productions held a concert, which was visited by over 200 people. Robert finished cleaning up at 2:00 a.m. And then Sunday we were all here again: First Reformed Church, Calvary Chapel, Word of Life, and Triumphant Covenant House of God, as well as the Dutch Dancers.

That’s right, the buildings were hardly ever empty. Can you believe it? In fact, on a regular basis we have diverse groups using our buildings: local theatre and arts group, weddings, concerts, songwriters, karate classes, choral ensembles, and so forth.

Our greatest difficulty at present is figuring out where to put things; hence, the ‘no room in the inn’ dilemma. Some of you have seen the beautiful chairs which were donated to us from Vien, a Vietnamese refugee whom our church sponsored many, many years ago. There are 70 chairs, which are too fine to use for regular use and are now stacked in the Randolph Room.

And then we have other ‘space’ issues. The House of Manna wants to hand out clothing, which is now hanging in Fellowship Hall, next to the wonderfully cleaned up choir robes. What can we do with these items? How can we accommodate the needs? Yikes! We are running out of space. Is that possible in this
huge place?

As your building usage coordinator (some of you might not have known this), I have often enough reported to the consistory that I receive about two building requests per week; however, recently requests have increased. I think it can best be explained that folks have heard about our church, since so many people are using it, and people know that we try to make accommodations; thus, we have become a community church, because our in space there is room for all.

Blessings,

Pastor Susan

I brought in from our garden a fallen stem heavily laden with sunflowers and placed it in a vase. Each day we marveled as a circular row of disc florets (the seed part) would push forth, all at the same time, stigma crowned with pollen. It looked bejeweled. For every thing there is a season and a time. But the orderly fashion of how it offered itself for pollination, and thus the possibility of bringing forth fruit (seeds, in this case) is amazing to observe. Each day a new row would offer its pollen together without fail.

Even more fascinating is seeing the bees when they discover the stigma full of golden powder, and watching as they walk literally in circles touching each one. Through their touch, the wind from their wings, and the motion of their legs, they help the flower produce its fruit.

Contemplating this steady process of the sunflower’s disc florets, I wondered how this reflects our own

lives, more specifically our spiritual practices. Of course, it reflects the good work and routine brought back to us in this season. Each day is marked with a new row of golden stigma. Yet, it also bespeaks of how each day is an opportunity to engage with life, to offer one’s self and all that we have (golden pollen, anyone?) to all the possibilities.

Moreover, it means interaction, just as the flower will not produce if the bee doesn’t touch it; so too, the fruits of our labors are brought forth by involvement with others. And when you consider this also as a metaphor for our worship life: the regular, daily offering of ourselves is a spiritual practice, followed by outreach and service, which are the ways we demonstrate how God has pollinated our hearts.

As we enter into the season of Autumn and look forward to all the opportunities that our congregation puts forth for pollination, my hope is that in you (as well as in many others) the seeds of inspiration and renewal will grow!

Peace ~

Pastor Susan

About a month ago, a visitor came in to speak with Pastor Hartmut. “You’re doing all the right things,” he said encouragingly, “but you’ve forgotten a few places to knock on doors and to meet folks.” So he pointed those places out, suggesting how our church with a few folks could penetrate the oftentimes closed doors of particular apartment buildings. This visitor’s special interest was quite remarkable since he belongs to a local synagogue, but his words brought up a reoccurring concern of our congregation: how do we respond to our community directly? Where do we meet folks, find out their needs, concerns, and offer support while at the same time expressing our faith?

Now you might think: we’ve done so much to welcome people in. And that is true. If we look at all that is reported in our newsletters, they certainly are a chronicle of our activities and our outreach. Truly, we’ve begun to be a special place for some people through the Lunchtime Recital Series, the House of Manna, besides all the other small groups which use our facilities: Princeton Songwriters, Martial Arts, Amachi Program, Yue Yue Ensemble, to just name a few. But these don’t generally offer an opportunity for cross-pollination. In other words, where we meet them and they us; when we get a chance to talk about what moves us to be here.

On the other hand, let’s take stock in our communal lives: it seems the more unusual our worship services, or our dinners, or even our trips are, the more participation and excitement folks express. Moreover, people bring their friends and invite their extended family. So what’s that telling us? And even though, some of us are looking into our buildings and wondering how they could be changed structurally; while others of us are looking into how we can become a place of learning ‘spiritually’ by providing special lectures, and still others consider how to get more community groups in to use the building.

All of these things are helpful, yet it seems that we are missing the point: How we are expressing God’s calling as a Christian people? The Apostle Paul writes in Romans: “…thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.’” [15:20-21].

If we took this passage as a challenge, I wonder what we would discover? Have we really been reaching folks who haven’t yet experienced the good news who are in search of a loving and supportive community but just don’t know where to find such in this developing city?

Adding this to our summer reading list, perhaps while sitting by a pool or even at the beach, please take a few moments to reflect on how we proclaim the good news. How do we interact with others and have simple conversations about our faith? When do we offer a few words, even a prayer, that indicate to our friends and family why we spend so much time at FRC? I think that this statement, said by a friend who visited our worship for the first time, recently, expresses it all: “Well it was simple, really. It’s just that Pastor Hartmut asked me to come.”

How can we be ambitious like the Apostle Paul, inviting, proclaiming, praying and speaking about the One who moves and inspires us?

Enjoy your summer!