On March 15th, we finally sat down to watch the movie, The Whale Rider. This was an activity we had planned for our last retreat but never had gotten to do. Thank you, Janet, for getting us the movie! We all enjoyed it very much. We invited the others who where still around to join us. The kids soon decided that the beginning was too scary to keep watching, but those that stayed enjoyed it. It is a powerful message that is crafted into this story. If you were not able to watch with us, I can recommend it to watch it yourself! [ more » ]
Tagged as:
Children,
General,
volunteers,
Women's Guild
by Rev. Dr. Hartmut Kramer-Mills on August 19, 2008
in General
Most of us by now have noticed the empty corner on our property. It is right at the corner of Bayard and Neilson streets. The tree has come down, but what should go up? It would be nice to have a sign there stating who we are, what we stand for and that we welcome everybody.
The Invitation and Outreach Committee is looking into such a sign, but they are far from cheap. It will be a little longer until we have a sign there, so bear with us. We will keep you apprised of our plans and how the congregation can be included in this project.
Tagged as:
Fund Raising,
General,
History,
Items of Interest
by Rev. Dr. Hartmut Kramer-Mills on August 19, 2008
in General
In a church as filled with members of the teaching profession as ours, it is very important to know that one of us received a special honor this past month: Pat Shiffner received the New Brunswick Teacher Award and the N.J. Governor’s Teacher Award. For this she was nominated by the staff at Paul Robeson Community School. Two other teachers were also nominated. They each had to write a nomination statement to be reviewed by a committee. Pat was informed in March that she had been chosen.
And here is a little information on Pat’s career:
She graduated from Hope College in 1972 and received her Master’s Degree for Bilingual-Bicultural Education from Rutgers University. She has taught ESL (English as a Second Language) for one year, Bilingual/Monolingual Grade 2 for 35 years, and Bilingual First Grade this past year.
Reformed and education, this has been a good pair throughout the centuries. We are grateful for Pat keeping up this well-tried tradition and wish her God’s rich blessing for the coming school year.
Tagged as:
Christian Education,
General,
Items of Interest
by Rev. Dr. Hartmut Kramer-Mills on August 19, 2008
in General
Nothing happens if you don’t move! A few years ago, it looked like we had reached a fork in the road where this parental word proved true. Our Lunchtime Recital series had lost much of its audience, our kitchen team was exhausted, and our partner, Christ Episcopal Church, pulled out. But then we moved! Under new leadership, we redirected our focus and became deliberate in whom we wanted to serve. [ more » ]
Tagged as:
Children,
General,
Items of Interest
by Rev. Dr. Hartmut Kramer-Mills on August 19, 2008
in General, History
Heavy machinery – ah, we workers in the Lord’s vineyard have a special affinity to this. Perhaps this is so because much of our daily work centers on spiritual matters that are just so different from a decent back hoe or a nice round tanker truck. Well, on Jun 9th, we had all of this and much more at church, as PREFERRED TANK SERVICES began the work of retiring our underground oil tank. [ more » ]
Tagged as:
General,
History,
Items of Interest
by Rev. Dr. Hartmut Kramer-Mills on June 9, 2008
in General
Anyone who goes fishing knows about the mercury pollution of New Jersey waters and fish. For this reason, frequent government warnings advise against fish from this or that area or tell the fishing population what fish to avoid, and how much of another species is safe to consume. But the issue is far bigger, because mercury pollution does not stop with the fish. Mercury is a problem in New Jersey. [ more » ]
Tagged as:
General,
Pastor's Desk
by Rev. Dr. Hartmut Kramer-Mills on May 15, 2008
in General
Have you ever watched This Old House on TV? If you have, chances are that you have already encountered Mark Schaub and his work crew from Chimney Savers. For the rest of us, there was a great chance of seeing him in action during the week of Apr 14th through 18th when he worked on replacing the liner of the chimney on our Education Building, the “Church House†as we are used to say. Please note the red trucks in front of the building and the long hose that reaches up to the chimney.
Why are we doing all of this? We do it because it is part of switching our heating system from oil to gas. This will be cheaper, environmentally more friendly, and for us easier to maintain. Hopefully, I can report to you in the next newsletter that we have retired the underground oil tank and that we are running on gas. But we will see. There is still some work to be done by Buist, Inc. before the Preferred Tank Services can move in to retire our tank.
Tagged as:
General
