Monster Squirrel at First Reformed!

You might remember our October 19th Congregational Forum on The Markets & the Church. That day, we discussed the impact of the current financial crisis on our communities and how we, as Christians, can respond to this. Liz Hance was so kind to provide us with a meaningful presentation, analyzing the reasons for the crisis and ending with a number of ethical considerations.

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.