Why do I keep thinking about no room in the inn when it’s time to be thinking about Good Friday and Easter? Some of us on the Building Usage or even the Invitation and Outreach Committees could answer that question. Better yet, ask our Sexton, Robert Longo, and he will tell you about all the groups – large and small – that have been using our facilities lately.
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. [ more » ]
Tagged as:
building usage,
Items of Interest,
Pastor's Desk
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
Who was the philosopher who overlooked the skyline of a city of his time and then remarked that 150 steeples cannot all be wrong? Was it Gottfried Leibniz or John Locke? I don’t know, but the story was brought up by Prof. Adam Heinrich who sat next to me at the retirement dinner for Bruce Hamilton. Here, by contrast, is a much more earthly picture, not of our steeple but of the tower of the church house. A steeple is supposed to point towards the glory of the eternal realm of the heavens. Yet our picture here was taken from the profane vantage point of the upper level of the Wolfson parking deck. I thought you might like it anyway, since it provides proof of the steady progress our preservation project makes. We are bringing God’s House back to order. May later philosophers theorize over what this might mean!
Tagged as:
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 Free Spirits
Our Seniors’ Club, Free Spirits, recently exercised great skill when choosing an appropriate location to seal off their program year and go into the summer break: they went for a lunch in the town of Hopewell. What a prophetic name this is! And the Bistro is very special there and well known by those of us who enjoy genuine Hungarian cuisine.
The accompanying pictures give a true sense of our table talk that day:
“God and the world, and Pastor Susan holding up the specials.†Yet it is true, if there is one group in our church that tries to be informed about everything, from the Sunday School curriculum to the seriousness of brick-and-mortar, it is our Seniors’ Club. A church within the church, they hardly allow any item to escape their attention, and many of their reflections have had an impact on the ministry of our church. Thank you, Free Spirits, for yet another year of faithful caring for God’s church!
Tagged as:
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
