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.

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.

Jim Hance and Josh Bernhofer have offered to be in charge of running the shelter we will offer. There is a sign up sheet in Fellowship Hall. The men come in at 7:00 p.m.and leave by 7:00 a.m.. We provide coffee and a small snack at night and a light breakfast in the morning. And we share the responsibility of taking naps throughout the night.

Please check your calendar to see if you can “Sleep Over.”

If you have any questions, please speak to either Jim or Josh.

Our next big event is our Annual Advent breakfast. We have send save the date cards to many churches and invitations are going be sent soon. The songs, readings and our play have been planned. All we now need is people to help set up, bring food and clean up. For all that there is a sign up sheet on the board in the fellowship hall. Please have a look at it and decide what you can contribute this year. And of course all the women of the church are invited to come to the event. Babysitting is provided for the little ones.

We are still working with our Bible study book and are finding that it is a good book to get us discussing varying aspects of life. We will continue to work with this book in the New Year. Our January meeting will be on third Sunday again.

Prayer shawls are still being made, and very much appreciated by the people who receive one. We meet the second Wednesday of the month in the Randolph Room. But even if you cannot come to meeting, you are welcome to help out by making shawls at a different place or donating yarn or money towards yarn. See Erie if you have a request for a shawl or have questions.

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.

 I just wanted to share this picture of the last meeting of the group that prepared the 2008 Interfaith Thanksgiving. As you know, it was hosted by our Muslim friends from the Turkish-American Interfaith Dialog Center in Piscataway. For lack of a Muslim worship space within the bounds of New Brunswick, we celebrated the event in the inner court of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

We thank Rev. John DeVelder and the RWJUH administration for making the space available to us at no cost. EBRU -TV, a local turkishish tv station, donated the lavish dinner. But most importantly, we thank Dr. Nuray Tugrul Yurt and her team of the Interfaith Dialog Center in Piscataway for organizing the event this year!

But back to the picture! Great celebrations are fine, as long as they are not perceived as monolithic blocks in a landscape that offers nothing else. Our picture shows a typical moment in the many months of preparation work. It is in circles as the one featured here that the work of reconciliation between the great religions takes place. I am proud for our church’s support of these important endeavors. I am also glad that the group has already scheduled a December meeting. Undoubtedly, it will expand the focus of its work beyond Thanksgiving.

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.”

Yet Brother John had a slightly different response. “Taizé is foremost a life style,” he said, “an attempt to live the Gospel in simple and authentic ways, and not through verbal proclamation alone.” He explained that great numbers of youth arrived in Taizé the first decades after it was founded.

Taizé was not founded to attract youth. But founding Brother Roger understood their coming as a sign from God. Soon the community adjusted its worship and liturgy until it became what it is today: a leading voice in liturgical renewal, known for its simplicity and international approach.

As such Taizé is a life style, and it has impacted many other life styles all over the world. We appreciate it here at First Reformed Church, because we understand it as a genuine appropriation of the Gospel. It has helped shape our identity for years: We use chants from Taizé regularly in our services, and we have celebrated many a Pentecost in the tradition of Taizé. So we thank Rutgers Protestant Campus Ministries and Rev. Barbara Heck who organized this event at Second Reformed Church.

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 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.

When Voulda comes to our concerts, the residents entrusted to her care accompany her and it’s always a large group. To be memory-impaired brings a lot of challenges in daily life. Short-term memory is especially affected, and this has grave implications. Voulda said, “Residents become easily disoriented, which means that they often lose a sense of time, place, location and direction, and, as the dementia progresses, so, too, can the last vestiges of memories they possess. They also must be accompanied everywhere – even a stroll outdoors which so many of us take for granted.”

Our recitals at First Reformed Church help alleviate some of these problems. Voulda said, “We are very grateful for the Lunchtime Recital Series. Music can do wonders for the spirit and I’m always in search of trip locations on a monthly basis. I’ve come to rely heavily on the recital series as a multi-sensory event. Not only do the residents benefit from the musical performances, but they also benefit from the welcoming, warm environment that envelops us as we enter the church. Homemade soup is an added bonus, and the lunchtime gathering crystallizes the warmth and sense of community generated by these events.”

Voulda said also that it was important to have the students of the Livingston School attend many of our recitals because this made them intergenerational events. And it’s true: a memory-impaired older person is most likely not to interact with youth of middle school age from the inner city of New Brunswick. Our recital series, by contrast, has brought young and old together in such a way that Livingston School Band and Wind Ensemble performed a concert at the Spring Hills assisted living community this year!

In the end of our interview, I asked Voulda how we could enrich our music program. She was fond of Jazz, Bluegrass and ethnic music of the kind Putumayo World Music offers. She also mentioned Tim Janis, known for his recent PBS special, Celebrate America, and a Barbershop Quartet Chorus as a musical interest that would appeal to seniors. I thanked Voulda for a very interesting interview.

The accompanying pictures are mostly from our recital on Nov 12, 2008 with the Cambiata Trio: Katherine McClure (flute), Melissa Bohl (oboe), and Ivy Haga bassoon). Additional pictures show residents from Spring Hills at Somerset before one of the spring recitals and the Livingston School String Ensemble performing in Spring Cottage at Spring Hills.

Shows are every second Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Cash only at the door (ATMs nearby). Special price for children under twelve. Discounted tickets may be ordered in advance via our website.

Dec 13th - PETER TORK

Now Peter performs music in a new style. We think you’ll enjoy his show a lot. 
$35 advance / $40 at door / $10 kids

Opening Act
New Jersey identical twin sisters, Helena and Maria Mehalis, started out playing piano at the age of four and later picked up the guitar in high school when song writing came naturally. In 2006, Helena and Maria recorded their first album, Serene, consisting of original material (which can be found on iTunes).

Their songs reflect their emotional, sincere, and playful sides while adding a distinct element of sophistication.

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!

Pastor Hartmut

Dear Members of First Reformed Church:

I need to share a short biblical story with you, because it has a lot to do with us and our church: To this day we remember the reforms of King Josiah. They began when High Priest Hilkiah found the long forgotten Torah scroll in the temple in Jerusalem. It was not a scroll but the scroll, and it happened in 623/22 B.C. The event provided the prelude to far-spread religious and political reforms in Judah, the southern part of the Holy Land not occupied by the Assyrians.

Why did Hilkiah find the scroll? The ruling king, Josiah, had been upset with his predecessors’ administration and the fact that the temple was in disrepair. So he had ordered a large preservation program for the House of the Lord. In the course of this, Hilkiah found the long lost scroll. When the king studied its content he was reacquainted with the core of the Jewish tradition and realized that his administration required a different platform. Shortly thereafter, change began to take place.

Course corrections are part of history. We Protestants like to refer to the Lutheran and Calvinist Reformation of the 16th century. But have you ever thought that, once in a while, it is inevitable that local congregations discuss platforms of change? The days of ancient hierarchy are over. Today change comes as a group endeavor. Yet, as in ancient time, if change is to be successful, it aims to slough off former aberrations and misconceptions.

In its regular November meeting, our Consistory discussed for a second time the drafted revision of our church’s Revitalization Plan. This is a pretty important document. Its current version has coordinated the various ministries of our church during the last four years and serves again as base for all our committee objectives for 2009. We need a revision in place for 2010.

The current version is very straightforward. It sets as main goals increase in membership, financial stability, and reasonable building maintenance. But talk about sloughing off aberrations and misconceptions! Is the church really called to center on her own needs? During the discussion that Tuesday night, it dawned on us that our Revitalization Plan has not been much different from comparable corporate endeavors: so far, self-preservation and expansion are its main goals.

Help us now, dear reader, by slipping into the roles of King Josiah and his High Priest Hilkiah! We need to find a more faithful platform for our church’s ministry over the next five years. Below, you will find a draft designed to spur the discussion. Where our current plan focuses on numbers, the new one should focus on service; where it says now “expansion”, it should say something like “meaning” and “authenticity”.

When you are done reading, it will be time to act, to change and revise. For this purpose Consistory will provide a Visionary Forum at some time during the first half of the New Year. Its purpose will be to finalize the draft of the new Revitalization Plan. It will be open to everyone interested. The fruit of its work will be submitted to Consistory for adoption.

Enjoy the reading and share your comments with us!

With good wishes,
Pastor Hartmut

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)

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.

We all have heard this story at one time or another titled Stone Soup. It goes like this: “What are you doing?” a woman asked of the two travelers. “Fixing stone soup. All you need is a little water and some stones,” one replied. “Of course, it would be better if we had just a bit of potatoes,” said the other. “I have some,” she said, and going off, shortly returned with them.

Others passed and stopped to question the strangers. Each time the two travelers explained, and each time the townspeople volunteered to provide the necessary ingredient. At the end of the day, every imaginable vegetable, herb and spice had been added to the pot. That night, the two travelers fed the whole town on the most delicious soup anyone had ever tasted. (Elizabeth O’Connor,The History of The Church of The Saviour in Handbook for Mission Groups, pp 42-43.)

Our church’s ministry is a bit like making stone soup. One person comes and suggests, “We need to mow the lawn ourselves.” Well, as we all know, we are overworked. Yet, in the end, the list of volunteers gets filled, and generally speaking, the lawn gets mowed, and people fulfill the task. I give thanks for this quiet, not loudly stated, fulfillment of promises.

Like in the stone soup story, each person comes to the pot and quietly inquires about what’s needed. It seems to me that in our small congregation, we do just that. (It takes a village, right?! We are that village.)

One day, we bring food for the lunchtime recitals, or for Elijah’s Promise soup kitchen, or for the community suppers. On another day, we bring ourselves to volunteer at the House of Manna or Men’s Shelter. Others of us get involved with the Interfaith dialogues, the SNAP ministry, or teaching our children. While still others of us use our swift hands by knitting a prayer shawl, or making cookies for a fund-raiser.

All these little additions to the soup of our congregation’s ministry add up, and, moreover, it makes the soup tastier. Slowly, the soup is cooking. Hopefully it will bubble. As you look amongst these pages of our newsletter, may we each find places to add to the soup. I believe that there is so much we can do and provide. It might not be the large donation; rather it might be similar to the poor widow’s tithe of two copper coins as it is written in Luke’s Gospel.

She gave the most of what she had. If we consider this in these days of economic recession, perhaps that is the fear, more than anything else, that we as Christian face and need to address. Together, when we each add to it, we can make this ministry a wonderful blessing. Yet if we fear it and hold
back, we all starve.

But isn’t that why we open each of our worship services with these words: “Our help is in the name of the Lord” We say this to address the fear that we all face in the world, and that fear which we are called to overcome with love and faith. That is the help which we call upon - the stone with
which we feel able and willing to make our soup.

Thanks be to God!

~ Pastor Susan

At the end of the forum, however, Pastor Susan produced a giant papiermache squirrel that Julius Fekete and she had created in early October. It is a cheeky looking rodent, reminiscent of the sixteen squirrels that were trapped in our office before our Education Building received its new roof.

This giant beast is, too be sure, nothing but an unusual piggy-bank. It will attend our congregational events from now on, silently soliciting donations for our preservation project. It holds an acorn-tabloid in its paw that reads, “Drop a coin, Hear it clunk, And I’ll say, Thank you much!”

We named our squirrel Elias B. Squirrel, mindful of the fact that, in 1814 Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten provided a substantial donation to Queen’s College. At the time, the college was an institution of our denomination. It is now better known as Rutgers University. Rev. Van Bunschooten is buried in the graveyard of our church, together with four of the early presidents of Rutgers University.

On Nov 19th, we will gather again in the Randolph Room. This time, all are invited to bring with them their favorite Thanksgiving memory and to share with the group their family traditions.

Mark your calendars, please!

We have four Raggedies that are almost ready for hair, one of which is Asian. While we don’t often receive requests for specific ethnic Raggedies, special orders are handled with ease.

We could use volunteers to apply the yarn hair.

Also, we received loads of non-perishable items from Corpus Christi Catholic Church in South River. They are closing their food bank and asked Joan to take all the items left over. She filled two carloads, which were carefully distributed amongst the House of Manna patrons.

Please remember that you, too, can join the volunteers from all over on either a Tuesday or Thursday evening. The volunteer staff has several folks coming regularly and they share a good atmosphere.