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 » ]
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building usage,
Items of Interest,
Pastor's Desk
Dear Friends,
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? [ more » ]
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Pastor's Desk
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 » ]
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General,
Pastor's Desk
by Rev. Susan Kramer-Mills on May 6, 2008
in General
Dear Friends,
We do spend a lot of time together. Sometimes it is in worship, other times it is at meetings, or a clean-up day, or a special Saturday evening event. We see a lot of each other. However, sometimes we don’t really spend time in such a way that we really get to ask each other some ‘deeper’ questions —questions which allow us to know each other a bit better, to understand who we are, where we came from, and possibly why we are a part of this particular congregation. [ more » ]
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Pastor's Desk
by Rev. Dr. Hartmut Kramer-Mills on April 3, 2008
in General
You may have read Nathaniel Philbrick’s recent book “Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War“ on the founding of the Pilgrim Fathers’ colony Plymouth in New England.  When the colonists first set out to found their colony, they had to bring on board their ship all aspects of later life: people and tools of governance and administration, medical personnel, military, religiously trained people, craftsmen and farmers, and women and children as well.
Not that I would want to transfer us back to the 17th century, but our March Saturdays here at First Reformed were somewhat reminiscent of the founding of a colony. We had every craft and profession under the sun represented in our fellowship hall, including the two dogs “Ariel†and “Jackâ€. [ more » ]
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colony,
craft,
new world,
Pastor's Desk,
pilgrim,
volunteer
by Rev. Dr. Hartmut Kramer-Mills on March 4, 2008
in General
Dear Friends,
“Who are we?” This seems to be a very appropriate question during a time like Lent, when our church litergy points us in the direction of self-scrutiny and self-reflection. Today, nowever, I have more than an individual piety in mind when I bring up this question.
 Who are we? If an entire church seeks an answer to this question, it becomes rather complex. And if we do this as a denomination, the challenge may prove insurmountable. Who are we?
Here at First Reformed Church we have spent the last few years developing our ministry in an unusual variety of ways – or so it seems. Our activities include providing temporary shelter for homeless men, warm meals to poor families, an Autism confirmation class, friendship with Jewish and Muslim neighbors, an annual lunchtime concert series for school children and elderly, a long range preservation projgram, and fundraising, fundraising, fundraising. [ more » ]
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Pastor's Desk
by Rev. Susan Kramer-Mills on January 30, 2008
in General
Dear Friends,
Several of you have been following intently the exciting development of our combined project of feeding families with Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen. It has been three years of planning and, it is hard to believe it, but we are about to open our doors for the first time on Feb 19th! In fact, the intensity of the last few months has been a bit surprising, since it all started out so slowly. We have been meeting and emailing excitedly with Lisanne Finston – Director of Elijah’s Promise, Yvette Molina – Director of Community Health Services for Elijah’s Promise, and even Robert Wood Johnson’s University Hospital’s Community Health Promotion Program through the good support of Mariam Merced, who are new on the scene with our project; however, through their support various health education opportunities will be made available to the families while they come for dinner. [ more » ]
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General,
Pastor's Desk
