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Pennington Presbyterian Church
March 25, 2021
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March 28 is Palm Sunday. Worship will be live-streamed at 10:15 AM.
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Scripture Reading
Zechariah 9:9-10
Mark 11:1-11
Preacher
Rev. Casey Aldridge
"Cities in Waiting"
Liturgists
Rev. Nancy Mikoski
Dr. Christine James |
The Sunday worship service will be live-streamed at 10:15 AM.
You may reach online worship from the home page of the Pennington Presbyterian website.
The link to the bulletin is on the worship page below the video player..
If the video and your browser do not work well together, consider rebooting your browser or PC.
The recording will post for on-demand viewing after the live-stream is completed.
An alternative is to go to PPC's YouTube channel from your smart tv or browser.
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Today and in the week to come, Lord, show and tell us who you are. Subvert our expectations of what it means to be saved; set us free from the false messiahs we project our desires upon. Holy One, teach us to see you as you are, not a military general but a savior, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and nailed to a cross just days later. Amen.
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- Registration for the special Palm Sunday (3/28, 4 PM) event for children and their families over Zoom has been extended until tomorrow (3/26). Young families, your registration information is in your inbox, but if not, see the invitation poster below with the registration link.
- PPC Holy Week details are summarized below. You will also receive the Holy Week schedule, What's Next update, and Easter special offering envelopes by mail this week. (Look for a dark blue business-sized envelope from the church.) You already received the One Great Hour of Sharing envelope with your Lenten devotional mailing. You also have the option to make a special offering through the online portal by using the memo/notation feature.
- Our neighboring churches let us know about Good Friday services and you are welcome to attend. (a) Pennington United Methodist Church will hold "a contemplative Good Friday Service set to the music of Taizé at 5 PM by the labyrinth adjacent to the church parking lot at 60 S. Main St. In case of inclement weather, the service will be held via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6095104324." (b) The St. Matthew's Episcopal Church will hold their traditional Good Friday services at "April 2: 12 pm - BCP Service and 3 pm: Family Service."
- Please continue to support the local food drive- items can be left at the church in the vestibule between the glass doors or you make take your donation directly to the Hopewell Valley Mobile Food Pantry. Diaper donations continue for HomeFront families in the containers at the front doors of the sanctuary. Thank you for your faithful support.
- Please consider the several Matthew 25 initiative events over Zoom in April and May. These are great ways to learn how racism and poverty are being addressed locally.
- There is still time to learn more about the program for communicating with the incarcerated to encourage their faith and growth. The Zoom session is a small commitment of time with no further commitment required at this time.
- The Hopewell Valley Senior Services has announced the Spring 2021 Explorations classes, daytime learning experiences for seniors over Zoom. There are 4 options, running 4-6 weeks each. Course fees have not changed. Download the 2-page course descriptions here. Classes begin April 12 and registration closes on April 8. This year's offerings include culture, drama, music, and poetry. How to register is on the flyer.
- We suffered a connection issue at last week's Gardening event sponsored by OAM, so attendees missed attending. Therefore, we prepared a 3-page summary of the excellent presentation by A.R. Willey, a local expert. Happy Gardening! If you have issues downloading this document, email or call the church office. (office@pennpres.org or 609-737-1221, extension 10)
- In the prayer section, we are sharing a video teaching how to pass the peace using American Sign Language.
- All child, youth, and adult Christian Education programs will occur on Palm Sunday over Zoom but not on Easter Sunday. Please contact Rev. Casey Aldridge, or if you are already registered, look for his emails.
- All Easter flowers have been spoken for. If you ordered and not paid, 3/30 is the deadline for payment. Clarke Walker will contact those who requested flowers to arrange for your pick-up. In general, weather permitting, pick-up will be from the ramp from 1-3 PM on Easter Sunday. If you cannot make it by then, the remaining flowers will be in the vestibule between the double glass doors off the courtyard for pick-up at your convenience.
- Update on scouting at PPC: There will be a Troop 44G. Five young ladies have signed up. Troop 44 wanted us to let you know that they are sensitive to concerns about drawing girls away from Girl Scouts. They wanted us to express their happiness about girls engaging in any Scouting they find nurturing. They wanted us to clarify that Troop 44G is simply a different offering. Troop 44G is for "girls who are not already in some form of Scouting, have left Girl Scouts for any reason, who want a co-ed Scouting experience, who want to be with their brothers and friends, who want some aspect of the BSA program that they cannot find elsewhere." If you know of someone who is interested, contact the church office and we will put you in contact with the Troop 44G leaders.
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March 28: Live-streamed worship at 10:15 AM from the sanctuary. Access it from pennpres.org.
On Palm Sunday, we recall and celebrate the arrival of Jesus Christ, God's messiah, in the holy city of Jerusalem. "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" Yet it soon becomes apparent that this messiah is a very different messiah than many people expected, or perhaps wanted. Riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus makes clear that he is no military general or authoritarian strongman. On Palm Sunday, Jesus tells us both who he is not, and who he is. Join us as we listen to Jesus and as we kick off our Holy Week journey into Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.
One Great Hour of Sharing will be received on Palm Sunday. The donations go for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People projects. The special envelopes were in our Lenten mailing along with the devotional, or you may designate a special donation for this purpose in the online donation portal.
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March 31: Worship at 7:30 pm over Zoom; link will be emailed on Wednesday the 30th.
The worship will include scripture, a reflection by seminarian Matt Heisler, prayerful music from the community of Taizé in France, and communion. Please prepare your own communion elements of bread and juice or wine.
Maundy Thursday is the day we remember the time Jesus shared with his disciples in the Upper Room before his betrayal and crucifixion. We remember three events in particular: his washing the disciples' feet, the institution of the Lord's Supper, and his giving what he called "a new commandment." Maundy is from the Latin word for mandate so you can think of this day as "New Commandment Thursday."
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 April 1: The Good Friday service will premiere at 7:30 PM on the church website and then available later from YouTube. (1)
Good Friday is the day we remember Jesus' death on the cross and acknowledge our complicity in killing Jesus. Our voices are among the crowds calling on Pilate to "crucify him." Calling this day "good" seems counterintuitive, but the good news of Good Friday is that Jesus is not only with us in life; he is also with us in loneliness and in death.
Our Good Friday service will be a pre-recorded service and a tour through Pennington, Trenton, Princeton, Portland, and Philadelphia via the vantage point of our unhoused neighbors. It will call on us to take the crucified poor down from modern-day crosses. Based on Rev. Cláudio Carvalhaes' Good Friday walking tour in his book Liturgies from Below, the service will take us to corners of our communities that we might normally overlook, but which are matters of life and death for those on the margins of society.
(1) The link will be shared with the congregation on April 1 or you may search YouTube.com for Pennington Presbyterian Church NJ for our channel.)
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April 4: The Sunrise Worship will be at 6:30 AM in the church courtyard (2) and live-streamed to the online worship page of pennpres.org.
This will be a joyous outdoor celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ including music, scripture and prayers, a brief homily, and the Lord's Supper. The communion elements come individually pre-packaged so that COVID-19 safety protocols are maintained. Masks and physical distancing are required of everyone.
Dress casually and bundle up if necessary. Please bring your own lawn chair or blanket. If for any reason you would like the church to provide a chair, please contact the church office (609-737-1221, extension 10) by Friday afternoon, and a deacon will assist you.
(2) If it rains, the outdoor service will be canceled and the worship leaders will live stream the service from the sanctuary so you can worship at sunrise from home. The recording without communion will be available on the church’s YouTube channel.)
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 Easter Worship Celebration, April 4: Live-streamed worship begins at 10:15 AM and available through pennpres.org. Later in the day, the video of the service without communion will be available on demand on pennpres.org or the church’s YouTube channel.
Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! This is the most important day of the whole year! Easter flowers will brighten the sanctuary as we sing and pray our Alleluias for the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The service will feature beautiful music, scripture, a Time with Children, and an Easter sermon, along with prayers and Holy Communion. The Easter offering will be received.
Please prepare your own bread and juice or wine for communion in advance so that you can participate in the sacrament. If you wish to honor or remember a loved one with Easter flowers, the donations are due to the church by March 30. You will also receive by mail a special Easter donation envelope. The Mission, Peacemaking and Justice committee, as approved by Session, will divide the offering equally between Urban Promise in Trenton and Living Waters for the World to support our long-term commitment to our partners on the Yucatan. You may also designate a special offering through the offering portal on our website. (In your Easter mailing, look for a letter about the Easter offering with more information.)
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Opportunities to Engage and Learn Locally
about Racism and Poverty
Save these Dates in April and May
According to the Presbyterian Mission Agency, Matthew 25:31–46 “calls all of us to actively engage in the world around us, so our faith comes alive and we wake up to new possibilities.” In keeping with this charge, our Matthew 25 task force is sponsoring two opportunities to engage with others who are actively involved in issues of racism and poverty in our area.
April 13 - Meet with Rev. Karen Hernandez-Granzen, pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Trenton, and several lay leaders from the congregation. Westminster Pres. has a rich and varied history of working to eradicate systemic poverty and structural racism in Trenton. We will have an opportunity to learn about the good things going on in Trenton, the needs they are seeing, and their hopes for Trenton. Should be a great conversation!
May 11 - Meet with Melissa Mantz, Executive Director of Urban Promise Trenton. This will be an opportunity to learn about the great work that Urban Promise is doing, and opportunities for engagement from our congregation.
Both of these will be via Zoom! We will announce how to request these links closer to the events. If you're interested, please mark them on your calendar.
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Pen Pal Ministry with People Who are Incarcerated
Do you like to write notes and letters or send cards?
Would you like to be involved in something that will make a difference to someone, and also to you?
Barbara Pratt, Vicki Wheeler, and Rev. Nancy Schluter are working with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) to develop a pen pal prison ministry. Writing out a note or a card may seem like a simple thing to us, but it can be the only contact a person who is incarcerated has with the outside world. That can be life-changing!
AFSC has a program in place to provide orientation and training, and to help make connections between interested members of our congregation and people who are incarcerated. All that's needed now is you!
There will be a no-commitment opportunity to learn more via zoom coming soon. (Currently the target dates are either April 13 or 20, 1-3 PM.) If you are interested in this opportunity, please call or email office@pennpres.org or 609-737-1221, extension 10 with your name and contact information. That’s it! One of our 3 dedicated organizers will get back to you to answer your questions.
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May be Peace be with You and Yours ...
Let's learn how to pass the peace in American Sign Language
(We are grateful to Ellen White for creating this video for Ash Wednesday's service. We'll share it here for a while so we can all practice. This was created for the PPC family so please don't post it on social media. It is available only by the link embedded above.)
Pray for our Community ...
- Our neighbors at the Pennington United Methodist Church
- Our healthcare workers, essential workers, and teachers who are doing heroic work
- All those focused on getting Americans vaccinated and those taking the vaccines
- All those marked by COVID19
- All the 'helpers'
- Our fellow Americans who are bein
- g mistreated because of their heritage and feel afraid
A Prayer for Healing ...
"Holy One, in whom we live and move and have our being, we ask for healing for those who are ill. Bless the professionals who treat them, and where their treatment stops, let your healing continue. Help us to eradicate illnesses caused by injustice, indifference, hatred, and strife by making us agents of your peace and justice. In the name of Jesus, who healed the sick of body and spirit, Amen." (Source)
A Prayer for the Grieving ...
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can comfort others in their sorrow, with the consolation we have received from God. " Amen. (Source)
Continue to Pray for … (We have some updates this week.)
Barb Sergeant (2); Evelyn Marion Keneman (2); Nancy Russell (3); David Anderson (4); Marji McAvoy (5); Bob Fletcher (6); Virginia Silliphant (7); Bob Macek (8); Anna Hillman; Nancy Trismen Ronquist at the death of her father Don Trismen; Hal Wittlinger's wife Marilyn and his family; Galen Meyer and his family; Edna Neu; Jean Cooper's family and friends; Ruth Morewood's family; Edna Stout; Robin Hepburn; Elsa and Charles Koczan; Shirley Norton; Corinne Beyer; Bill Sherman; Marge Ryan; Michael Berkowitz; Karen Kelly; Dawn Cocco; Caroline Woodward; Jayne and Jay Neary; and all families who are grieving and lonely.
(1) Barbara is grateful for the prayers which have supported her return to full health.
(2) Evelyn is grateful for your prayers and she is feeling better.
(3) Nancy’s shoe boot will be removed next week after 6 weeks of steady recovery, and she thanks you for your prayers.
(4) David’s recent heart procedure went well and he appreciates your continued prayers.
(5) Marji is working hard to regain her strength. Clark is taking great care of her and she is grateful for your prayers and cards but is not up to visitors at this time.
(6) Bob is making steady improvements in what he can eat and is walking every day. He just had good MRI results. Please continue to support him with your prayers.
(7) Virginia is slowly adjusting to assisted living, and her family asks for your ongoing support through prayers.
(8) Bob and Suzanne appreciate prayers to date and ask for continued prayers for Bob's ongoing healing and strengthening, and the availability of home health aides so they can go home from assisted living.
Pray for Our Church Family ...
We pray each week for those listed alphabetically in our church family directory: Jane Simpson and Carl Christensen; Wendy S. Smith, Tyler Longo, and Trevor Boden; Pat Stillwell; Dick Stives; Nils and Edna Stout; Ronald, Anne Marie, and Mackenzie Stricklin; Nancy Swaim; Eva Szakal; and Barbara Tashjian
Pray for the People of the World …
Please continue praying for the world. All nations are being impacted by the pandemic, on top of the daily universal challenges that include climate change, and economic, food, and physical insecurity. Let us also pray for our Living Waters for the World partners and all those literally thirsting for clean water for the basics of life.
Prayer Chain ...
Contact Nancy Lehman to request prayers. She will distribute the request to the PPC's Prayer Chain. If you want to use a telephone, please call Barbara Pratt.
Let Us Pray ...
"God of creation, you formed us out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into us. By your Spirit, breathe new life into us. Lead us to life eternal by the mighty love of Jesus Christ, who suffered on the cross and was raised from the dead. You lifted him to glory, where, with outstretched arms, he welcomes the world in his strong embrace of salvation. In his holy name, we pray. Amen." (Source)
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Recurring Schedules at a Glance
It's never too late to sign up for any Christian Education, Youth Group, or other repeating events. You may send an email to office@pennpres.org to be put in contact with the program leader.
Sunday Schedule
9:00-10:00 am - Adult Education: Bible and Theology on Zoom (No class on Easter Sunday
9:15-9:45 am Age 3 - Grade 4 Church School and Music with Mr. Phil on Zoom (No class on Easter Sunday)
10:15 am Worship via live stream connected through our website (pennpres.org)
11:30 am - Virtual Coffee Hour on the first Sunday of the month (Find the link on the online worship page.)
11:30-12:30 Grades 5-8 Church School on Zoom (No class on Easter Sunday)
11:30 - 12:30 Grades 9-12 Church School on Zoom (No class on Easter Sunday)
6:30-7:30 pm Sunday Night Central Youth Group (grades 5-8) on Zoom
Youth Group Events
Please contact Rev. Casey Aldridge, Youth Minister, if you are interested in programs for young people in middle-school and high-school. Registered youth and their parents will receive an invitation to Church School and youth activities with the link to a Zoom meeting or other information about the activities or events.
Weekday Christian Education and Fellowship Events
Wednesdays, 9:30-11:30 am, Shalom (a women's study group) on Zoom) Contact Madeleine Mansier if you are interested in joining.
Thursdays, 2:00 - 3:00 pm, The Racial Inequity Study Group meets over Zoom. Both men and women are welcome to join in. Contact Nancy Schluter.
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