Events

The first weekend in December is celebrated at the Van Wickle House in Somerset with the visit of Sinterklass (the Dutch Saint Nicholas) accompanied by traditionally-clad Dutch Dancers from First Reformed Church. The merriment will take place between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Be sure to attend!

By Susanne Clark

Are you looking for the unusual as you start your holiday shopping? Do you want to find unique gifts for those on your list? Then plan to shop at Ten Thousand Villages at 320 Raritan Avenue in Highland Park on Saturday, December 6th. You will find many interesting handcrafted items from developing nations to purchase and you will be supporting a worthy cause as you shop. The Hall Education Fund will benefit from all sales made on Dec 6th as a portion of the profits on that day will be donated to the Fund. Members of the Hall Fund will also be there to assist you with your gift decisions.

The Hall Fund has a long history of helping New Brunswick students with demonstrated financial need secure an education. Since its inception in the early 1800’s when it was established to “educate the poor and needy in New Brunswick,” the ministers of, and people with ties to, First Reformed Church, the Presbyterian Church and Christ Episcopal Church have supported its mission. In its continuing effort to raise funds to provide college scholarships to deserving local young people, the Hall Education Fund is sponsoring this shopping opportunity at Ten Thousand Villages. We hope to see you there on Saturday, December 6th.

Matthew 25:40 - “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me.’”

Sunday, December 14th through Saturday, December 20th, First Reformed Church will again host the Men’s Shelter. During this week, we will provide space for the men to sleep. At this season of the year, there is no room at the Oznam Shelter, just like there was no more room in the Inn at Bethlehem that fateful night two thousand years ago.

Think about what it would be like to have no place to go except the street. Rain, snow, frigid temperatures — it makes no difference; they still must find a place outdoors. [click to continue...]

Now that we are approaching the New Year, take out your new calendar and go to January 31st. Put a big mark on it, as we have planned a full evening for you.

To start the evening, we will have a Silent Auction, sponsored by the Women’s Guild, which you can enjoy at your leisure while sipping drinks and enjoying wonderful appetizers and desserts. While you are digesting all this and contemplating your choices at the Auction, the Gay Men’s Chorus of New Jersey will be entertaining you.

The Gay Men’s Chorus has generously offered to perform a concert to benefit our historic preservation project.

Details are yet to be finalized, but we’ll get the word out soon about tickets. In the meantime, please mark your calendar. Plan to support this event with your presence, with contributions of items for the auction (items from home or gift certificates from businesses you patronize) and with your invitation to family and friends.

On November 9th, Second Reformed Church in New Brunswick had invited to a prayer evening with Brother John of Taizé. It was a great evening, and representatives from several area churches had come, including several Reformed churches.

What was so special about it? Was it the chanting, the sea of candles, or the open faces one encountered upon entering the sanctuary? All of this was true, but it was more. The key to understanding Taizé-related things lies in the question what Taizé stands for. “Of course,” you might answer, “this is quickly said: Taizé is a village in France now famous for the monastic community that makes its home there.”

[click to continue...]

Here at First Reformed Church we know how to throw a party. This last one took place November 16th at the Kramer-Mills house and involved our thirteen Turkey travelers together with a group of our Turkish friends. We received our flight tickets and the itinerary. We discussed the center points of our trip: Istanbul, Izmir, Ephesus, Antalya, and the old Ottoman capital of Bursa.

Several of us signed up to provide more detailed information on subjects that will all of us affect: Places of Judaism in Istanbul, The Life of Orhan Pamuk, The Gülen Movement, to name a few. Then we had a lavish potluck that mixed our cultures in very appealing culinary ways. In the end we all agreed: let’s have one more of these events in December, before we start for Turkey after Christmas.

For everyone of our members and guests above the age of 65, please come to the Free Spirits Christmas Party on December 10th at noon. We usually meet in the Randolph Room and enjoy each other’s company by eating our brown bag lunches.

For this year’s party, Pastor Susan will make coffee and provide cookies. Please bring a picture of one of your Christmas celebrations from years past, so that we can share stories.

Friends are welcome to join the Par’tee.

On December 20th, we will have our annual Christmas party beginning at 6:00 p.m. As usual, the children will have their final practice for the Christmas pageant in the afternoon beginning at 4:00 p.m. This year’s play is entitled, Not Forgotten.

Starting at 6:00 p.m., the kids will make their own personal pizzas for dinner, and the Invitation & Outreach Committee will make larger homemade pizzas for the adults. While we are waiting for the pizzas to finish, Lee Ratzen – a Jewish friend of our congregation – has offered to teach us some dreidel songs and games to commemorate
Hanukkah.

After dinner, Santa is supposed to visit us again bringing gifts for the children. The adults are invited to bring a wrapped gift in the value of $10, and will then take part in a gift exchange. This is not mandatory. So please only bring a gift if you would like to participate. The evening promises to be a fun-filled event with something for each age group.

The pizza will be served with salad and a dessert. Cost is $15 for a family or $5 per person. Please let Joan or Erie know if you are planning to come so we know how much dough to make!

INTERFAITH DIALOG CENTER
17 Academy St Suite 701 Newark NJ 07102

True thankfulness in one’s heart is manifested through the conviction and acknowledgment that all bounties are from God, and then ordering one’s life accordingly.
Fethullah Gulen, Honorary President of IDC

Interfaith Dialog Center (IDC) hosts this year’s

Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service

Participating congregations include:
First Reformed Church at New Brunswick
Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple
Christ Episcopal Church
Emanuel Lutheran Church
United Methodist Church at New Brunswick

We would be honored if you could attend.
Please R.S.V.P. via e-mail to idc_central_nj@yahoo.com by November 23.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Henry Schwartzman Courtyard
One Robert Wood Johnson Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08903

November 25, 2008
7:30 PM
(Dinner will be provided from 6:30 to 7:30)

On Monday, November 24, beginning at 7:00 p.m., there will be the Hanging of the Greens in the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall. It seems just yesterday, but, yes, the celebration of the birth of Christ is just around the corner.

It seems so distant while thinking about the fears and concerns during this economic crisis. Yet even in this time of difficulty, we are still called to celebrate - a bit more simply, perhaps, but that makes it all the more special. So even in this midst of worries and concerns, we decorate our worship space with greenery.

Why do we use greens for Christmas decorations? Well, the color green stands for new life, for freshness, and new birth. Plants like pine trees, holly, and ivy are called evergreens because they never die. They always keep their green color. And we decorate our sanctuary with greens because God has promised that the church will never die.

Advent is a time when we remember that death could not hold Jesus in his grave - and neither can it hold us either.