Princeton United Methodist In This Issue July 2018 Newsletter Around Princeton United Methodist This Month In the month of July, we welcome our new Lead Pastor, Rev. Jenny Smith Walz and her family. We will also have several opportunities to get to know our new Pastor and her husband Robert and son Elliot. See more on page 6. This issue also highlights our All Church Jersey Fresh Picnic on Sunday July 22nd. Please also check out information about the Puerto Rico Mission trip, Summer Reminders and our Education Corner honoring our Sunday school staff. 1. Around PUMC This Month 2. Preparing for Worship & Upcoming Events 3. Notes from the Pastor 4. Notes from the Pastor Continued/ All Church Jersey Fresh Potluck 5. Welcoming New Lead Pastor, Rev. Jenny Smith Walz and family 6. Getting to Know our new Pastor 7. July Communion Offering 8. Summer Reminders from Stewardship Committee 9. Summer Pick-up Choir/New Door Schedule/Annual Backpack Drive 10. Education Corner 11. July Birthdays 1
PREPARING FOR WORSHIP Date Sermon Scripture Preacher July 1 Hunger Pangs John 6:24-35 Jenny Smith Walz July 8 Reaching for Mark 5:21-43 Jenny Smith Walz July 15 ASP Sunday ASP Team July 22 Me to We Luke 18:18-29 Jenny Smith Walz July 29 To Life John 15:1-17 Jenny Smith Walz UPCOMING JULY EVENTS Thursday 5: Monday 9: Tuesday 10: Thursday 15: Stephen Ministers Outreach Committee Communications Committee and Worship Committee August Newsletter Deadline Save the Dates Welcome Rev. Jenny Smith Walz - July 1 All Church Jersey Fresh Pot Luck - Sunday, July 22nd See additional dates to meet with Rev. Jenny Smith Walz below Monday 23: Membership Committee & Staff Parish Committee Do you have something you d like to see included in the newsletter? Committee news, or an upcoming event? Email both office@prinetonumc.org and commasst@princetonumc.org. The deadline for August s Newsletter is July 15th. 2
Notes from the Pastor Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.... -- John 1:16a I am so excited to meet you all! And I m excited, not just to meet you, but to go on a holy adventure together with you! Let me tell you why. Since January 27, when I first was called by our District Superintendent to become lead pastor at Princeton UMC, I feel like I ve been showered with gifts. It s all been a surprise, really, because I didn t expect to move this year. But from that first phone call, I have felt that God has been giving my family gift after gift, grace upon grace. Very quickly, on that chaotic Saturday when Rev. Davis called me, both my husband Bobby and I received a first great gift of peace. We knew next to nothing of PUMC or you, but we felt peace and confidence in saying yes. Each conversation with SPRC members, with Pastor Ginny, Pastor Skitch, and other staff members, with others who have been part of your congregation over the years, has been another gift. How beautiful is it that in each of my previous congregations, two of which are in Arizona, there are families who have called PUMC home at one time or another? These conversations have given me glimpses into who you are as a congregation and as people. I have heard about the excellent and hard work you have been doing: the intentionality with which you have made decisions, the new endeavors you have launched, the faithful conversations you ve been having. I ve heard about the gifts and graces you have, the strong leaders you are, the beautiful gifts to you are to one another and your community. You inspire me, and I have been so eager to jump into life with you. Gift after gift, grace upon grace! Over the past several years, I ve been in a discernment process, trying to hear where God is leading me in this season of ministry. This process has slowly been clarifying, and I had some sense of several possibilities that were converging for me. Yet, over these past few months, it s become clear that PUMC is where God has been leading me all along. I could never have put all of these pieces together myself, however. But isn t that how God so often works? We pray, we wait, we take steps forward as best we can, and then God surprises us with gift after gift, grace upon grace! 3
Notes from the Pastor Continued For all of these reasons, and more, I am so excited to meet you, to begin this holy adventure with you. I deeply feel as though YOU are the biggest gift that God is sharing with me. I believe God has very intentionally brought us together, and I trust that because of who you are, who I am, and especially who God is, God is already at work, getting us ready to build some strong loving relationships, do some powerful kingdom-building ministry, experience holy transformation all around. God is launching us on a holy adventure together, and I am so excited! And I truly hope you are too! Peace and love, Your Pastor Jenny On Sunday July 22nd we will have an ALL CHURCH JERSEY FRESH POT LUCK FOLLOWING WORSHIP. Bring your favorite dish made with fresh Jersey fruits or vegetables! 4
Welcome Rev. Jenny Smith Walz and Robert and Elliot Walz on July 1st July is the time for welcoming our new Lead Pastor, Rev. Jenny Smith Walz, her husband, Robert, and four-year old son Elliot. Jenny s first day with us is Sunday, July 1, and she will be preaching that Sunday and on July 8, 22 and 29. Over the last three months, we have been working with Jenny to plan for her transition to PUMC. She is anxious to be with us and be involved in the life of our church. Our transition team (Pam Bradley, Ginny Cetuk, Rick Engel, Tracey Feick-Lee and Iona Harding) is planning opportunities for all of us to meet Jenny and her family. We now have three appointed clergy Jenny Smith Walz, Ginny Cetuk and Skitch Matson. Here is a summary of who will be doing what. As our Lead Pastor, Jenny will be focusing her ministry on worship, preaching, discipleship and membership and growth, and will be supporting our music and discipleship staff and ministries: Skitch Matson, Hyosang Park, Christopher McWilliams and Tom Shelton. Skitch continues to serve as our Assoc. Pastor of Discipleship, leading our youth programs and adult ministries and supporting Phoebe Quaynor who continues as our Director of Children s Ministries. Ginny continues as our Administrative Pastor, focusing on finance and stewardship, the work of the trustees and our outreach ministries. Ginny will continue to support Debbie Block, our Office Manager. She will also be coordinating our caring ministries and working with Gerri Fowler, Jenny and Skitch to plan special adult programs in spiritual direction. Next year, all of our pastoral staff and our Certified Lay Minister, Cindy Gordon, will be involved in our caring ministries. Our clergy team will be on retreat in July to plan for the year, so stay tuned! We are so blessed to have Rev. Jenny Smith Walz join us at PUMC. I know that you will all warmly welcome Jenny and her family on July 1 and in the months to come! SPRC 5
Get to Know Our New Lead Pastor Rev. Jenny Smith Walz During July and August, we are planning opportunities for you to meet and be in conversation with our new Lead Pastor, Jenny Smith Walz. Gatherings will be in people s homes and at the church. We will be adding more dates and locations, so check the weekly Happenings e-blast, the bulletin and our website. While the gatherings in people s homes are geography based, if it is more convenient for you to attend one in a geography other than your own, that s fine. We are trying to keep the attendance at each home gathering at about twelve to allow for maximum conversation. Here is the schedule so far for geography-based and special gatherings: Date/Time Tuesday, July 10, 7:00 pm Friday, July 13, noon Tuesday, July 17, 7:00 pm Sunday, July 22, 11:30 am Tuesday, July 24, 7:00 pm Location/Host/Address/Phone Princeton -- At the home of Iona Harding, 28 Fisher Avenue, Princeton ifkharding@gmail.com 973-479-2783 Lunch at Stonebridge, Skillman NJ Hosted by Helen Curtis in the Stonebridge Dining Room LHCURTIS116@comcast.net East Windsor/Monroe -- At the home of Pam Bradley, 2301 Winton Ln East Windsor NJ pbradley8084@yahoo.com All Church JERSEY FRESH POTLUCK LUNCH in Fellowship Hall Lawrenceville and PA -- At the home of Ed Sproles, 20 Andrews Dr. Lawrenceville NJ ess@ieee.org 609-510-5658 Sunday, July 29, Lunch for families with children at the church following worship 11:30 am Hosted by Tracey Feick-Lee children s activities provided Sunday, August 5, Gathering at PUMC after Worship hosted by Deena Prakash 11:30 am Monday, August 20, Gathering for families with middle school and high school youth 7:00 pm At the home of Laurel Jones, 74 Stonicker Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ Saturday, August 25, West Windsor Brunch at the home of Susan and Vasanth Victor, 10:30 am 7 Cliffview Ct. Princeton Jct. NJ 08550 susan_victor@hotmail.com 609-462-6387 Please let us know if you will be attending one of the gatherings. You can register via Sign Up Genius at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f48aeac2ca02-gatherings or sending an email to Tracey Feick-Lee at tracey_feick@hotmail.com or calling the church office at 609-924-2613. Also, let Tracey know if you would like to host an event at your home this summer. 6
July Communion Offering Puerto Rico Mission Trip On September 20 th, 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico with Category 5 winds of 155 miles per hour, knocking out power to the entire island. FEMA s response plan, designed for a Category 4 storm, never met the needs of the people of Puerto Rico. In response, Bishop Hector Ortiz of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico invited UMCOR to assist in rebuilding the damaged homes, churches and lives of the people of Puerto Rico. As part of that response, the Greater New Jersey Conference, through its Volunteers in Mission, began a new program, Esperanza for Puerto Rico. Under this program PUMC is sending a team of 14 to Puerto Rico this coming October from the 6 th to the 13 th to take part in the rebuilding. The conditions will be difficult. The team will be staying at one of three Methodist camps that have been repaired for this purpose, or at a local church. The average temperature in October is 88 degrees; average humidity is 76% year round. There will be no electricity, no phone service, no refrigeration, and no hot water. Food options will be limited. Work boots, work gloves, long pants, and t-shirts will be worn at work sites. The team will be providing its own tools; electric tools must be battery-operated. Each team member will be responsible for paying their own travel costs as well as lodging and board at the camp or church. Group costs will include a van for travel, tools for the group, and insurance. Given these expenses, the Outreach Committee has asked for the congregation s assistance through the July Communion Offering. Outreach also asks for your prayers and personal support for folks going on this trip. In the end, this work for Puerto Rico will be possible because of you. There are still spaces available for the Puerto Rico trip. Please contact Karen Longo-Baldwin as soon as possible at klongobaldwin@gmail.com if you are interested or just want more information! 7
SUMMER REMINDERS FROM THE STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE: Princeton United Methodist Church is now on its summer schedule with services continuing at 10 am each Sunday. In addition, we have many of our year-round operations continuing at full force requiring the financial resources of the church & meeting our weekly obligations. Although each of us may miss some of our church services, and gatherings, the need for your attendance, prayers, and financial underwriting are important as our church operation expenses remain constant. As you enjoy the summer, please consider this checklist for participating and supporting our fellowship and church. CHECKLIST FOR SUMMER CHURCH PARTICIPATION: Attend PUMC s 10 am service each Sunday when in town Keep your financial support and pledge payments up to date Bring your youth and children to the summer church school program Meet and welcome our new minister, Jenny Smith Walz Take advantage of the nursery for your babies & toddlers Choose a way to participate in PUMC s Got Talent Participate in one of the musical programs: Congregational singing prior to each service, participating in one of the pickup choirs or sharing your instrumental talents. Choose and sponsor an Above and Beyond project Help with the Community Kitchen one or more Wednesday evenings Invite a neighbor or friend to attend services with you Assist with the worship by being a reader, greeter or usher Volunteer to serve coffee hour or sponsor altar flowers Pray for our church, your family, our community and world 8
Calling Singers - Summer Pick-up Choir SUMMER PICK-UP CHOIR will be singing on July 15th, August 5th and September 2nd ***We rehearse in the morning at 9am in the music room. New Door Schedule For security purposes, our main doors will be locked during the service, beginning this Sunday, July 3rd from 10:15 am - 11:15 am. If you arrive late, please walk around to the front entrance. Annual Backpack Drive We interrupt your summer holiday to remind you that September and Back to School shopping is just around the corner! As you prepare for this most wonderful time of the year, please consider contributing backpacks and school supplies to Princeton UMC s annual backpack drive. Watch for details and drop-off points later this month. School supplies that would be helpful to our neighbors children: Crayons, markers, pencils, pens, colored pencils Erasers, Glue/Glue Sticks, Rulers, stencils, highlighters, post-it notes Notebooks of all sorts and sizes, folders Book-bags, Water-bottles, Dictionaries Thank you. We now return you to your regularly schedule summer fun! 9
Education Corner Thank You! Sunday School Teachers & Youth Staff The picture below is what Christian Education is all about! This picture is of the parents, teachers, siblings and peers commissioning our high school seniors at the final Youth Group meeting. This picture is also an illustration of the essence of what our teachers do, both in and out of the classroom. They stretch out their hearts to teach, bless and prop our children up with repeated affirmations of God s love. The courageous love and commitment which drives them into the Sunday School rooms each Sunday morning and evening is what I wish to highlight with gratitude this month. THANK YOU! Drew McClendon John Distase Sharon Distase Sydney Distase Christine Wong Steve Wong Marie Griffiths Maria Blomgren Janis McCarty Mae Potts Tracey Feick-Lee Andrew Hayes Yvonne Macdonald Laura Felten Summer Sundays @PUMC July DRAMA...7/1 GAMES....7/9 ART..7/22 Sp. Disc.7/29 August DRAMA...8/5 GAMES....8/12 ART..8/19 Sp. Disc...8/26 Barbara Sageser Lorie Roth Carla MacGuigan Alison Koblin Barbara Fox Iona Harding Chris Cunningham Rev Skitch Matson Jacob Davis Anita Tong Robert Scheffler Charles Phillips Larry Curtis Tom Shelton 10
Rev. Jenny Smith Walz, Lead Pastor Rev. Ginny Samuel Cetuk, Administrative Pastor Rev. Gerri Fowler, Spiritual Formation Pastor Rev. Skitch Matson, Discipleship Pastor FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES Deadline for the AUGUST Newsletter July 15 office@princetonumc.org and commasst@princetonumc.org 11