Reopening for In-Person Worship

Dear FPC faith community,

After weeks of research and prayerful discernment, the Session of Flemington Presbyterian Church and your church staff are pleased to announce that we will reopen the sanctuary for in-person worship beginning on Sunday, May 16, with substantially the same safety protocols in place as in the fall. We will require everyone to enter through the playground entrance to sign in, wear masks, and practice social distancing while inside the building. We will also continue to live-stream Sunday morning worship services so that those who are unable to join us or who feel safer virtually are able to do so as well. There will be more details forthcoming.

On Sunday, May 16, the Flemington Presbyterian Church band will offer the music to welcome us back to worship God in our new hybrid model. Join us, either in person or virtually, at 9:30 a.m. to rejoice and give thanks to God!

In Christ’s Love,
Rev. Amy

As we move forward in reopening our church for in-person worship, Session has approved the following plan that includes safety protocols and information for gathering. Entrance will again be through the playground only, where participants will sign in and agree to the Gathering Covenant. We will continue to work toward carefully adding other elements to our church life together. This plan is subject to change depending on evolving conditions and restrictions.

Approaching Holy Week

Last night as I logged onto a Zoom meeting two minutes before it started without a second thought, I was struck by how far we have come since this time last year.

Approaching Holy Week 2021, we are different people than last year. A year of pandemic life has brought us through a sweeping variety of emotions and experiences. From the fear and uncertainty the virus delivered as the first impact on our lives, to the new skills we’ve learned (technology and mask wearing), to the courage and kindness of neighbors helping each other, to the grief of losses big and small, through the long months of wondering when life will feel more normal again, to now. We have grown and adjusted as individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and as a congregation.

I hope that you have felt, as I have, that God has been with us, guiding and strengthening us along the way. My hope is that this new framework of life and learning will enliven your reflection of Christ’s journey on his final week of life. As we worship this week remembering the celebration of Palm Sunday, the poignant last gathering of disciples with foot washing and the Last Supper, to Jesus’ fervent prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the ridicule and brutality of the authorities on Good Friday, to the silence of Saturday as Jesus lay lifeless in the tomb, let us intentionally make room this year first to feel the diverse emotions of the week. Let us not rush on our way to Easter joy. For the depth of God’s love for us can be found in this in between time.

May God’s richest blessings be yours as Holy Week begins! Stay safe and well.
Rev. Amy

A Lenten Challenge for All

The season of the church year called Lent begins on Ash Wednesday which falls on February 17 this year. The 40 days (not including Sundays because every Lord’s Day is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection) of the Lenten season are a time for growth in faith through prayer, spiritual discipline, and self-examination in preparation for the commemoration of the dying and rising of Jesus Christ. Reconciliation with God and with one another through the grace of Jesus Christ is a key theme in the season of Lent.

You and your family are invited to actively engage your faith and share it with us during Lent. Take pictures of your Shrove Tuesday pancakes or your Lenten practices and send them to pastor@flemingtonpres.org, and we may feature them in our next e-newsletter!

For my own Lenten discipline, I will record a two-minute daily Lent devotion following the 40 words listed in the Family Lenten Guide. So, please check out the church Facebook page each day during Lent for a brief inspiration from the word of the day.

Below is more information provided by the Christian Education Committee to help you learn and grow in faith through Lenten activities.

For older youth and adults in the congregation, we will also be focusing on learning the background and significance of the Belhar Confession which came out of the church’s experience of struggle against the unjust system of apartheid in place in South Africa. Good news! We have free copies in the church office of 30 Days with the Belhar Confession: Reflections on Unity, Reconciliation and Justice. Stop by and pick up your copy to read during Lent. Read more at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/apartheid

Brother Eric Hearst will begin leading a book study on the Belhar Confession, and I will be teaching about it in some of my sermons during Lent. The text of the Belhar Confession can be found at: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/wp-content/uploads/Confession-of-Belhar-text-2016.pdf

And remember to take a picture of how your family engages in a Lenten practice and share it with us! Maybe you will choose to add prayer? Or fasting from something? Or giving to others? We hope you will choose to learn and grow with us in faith this Lent!

Blessings,
Rev. Amy

Heartache and Hope

“The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
– Psalm 34:18

You may remember that it was in January of last year that a young man in our congregation took his own life. Joey Drelich, Jr. joined the church as part of the Confirmation Class in 2019, went on the VIM Trip that summer, and was a freshman at Hunterdon Central. Active in hockey and scouting, Joey had many interests and friends and a family that cares deeply for his well-being. We had 800 people come through our church building to honor his life on the day of his funeral. He is beloved by God, by his family and friends, and by his church family.

On the evening of Tuesday, January 19, the one-year anniversary of the night Joey felt such despair, his family – Joe, Betsy, Grace, and Michael – and I will gather outside the church. On the sidewalk lined with luminarias beside a banner which reads, “Let’s Shine God’s Light on the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health Issues – YOU ARE NOT ALONE, YOU DO MATTER – in memory of Joseph Drelich, Jr.,” we will pray together.

Please, wherever you are that evening, say a prayer for Joey’s family and friends and for all people who are broken-hearted and crushed in spirit. At 5:30 p.m. that evening, we will also ring the church bell, along with other faith communities, in remembrance of those from Flemington Borough and Raritan Township who have died from Covid-19.

As you pause and pray on the 19th, ask God to be near to all who grieve, that they would find what they need to bring them to a place of hope. We are to be that light and support for one another. And, please, if you struggle, reach out to let someone know – a family member or friend, a Deacon, or me, your pastor.

Remember that each of us is beloved by God, unique in this life, and cared about by this faith community. Let us work to be a place of welcome for those who struggle so we can support one another by offering the healing love of God.

Yours in Christ’s Love,

Rev Amy

Yearning for Joy

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves. - Psalm 126:4–6

These words from the lectionary Psalm for the third Sunday of Advent are the prayer of a people who are survivors of a long season of struggle. They yearn for the end to suffering and a return to joy. These words connect us both to God’s people long ago and to God’s people here and now.

I think of healthcare workers – doctors, nurses, medical staff – who day after day go to work to help those who are hurting. They face the reality of the suffering around us, while many of us more easily deny it because it is not raw before our very eyes every day. As these weary professionals of healing take their knowledge to work each day, they sow seeds of loving care. And just as the psalmist lifts up the hope of recovery leading to joy and a return home with the fruits of their long labor, we too pray for life anew.

How many of us have not shed tears over the last nine months, for the losses brought by change and our longing for life to feel more normal again?

Here are a few of my favorite things that I miss doing with you this year: Christmas Caroling in nursing homes and riding on the bus, festive dinners in the fellowship hall, singing together in worship, hugging you to greet you and share the love of Christ, giving out cookies and hot cocoa to the community, the fullness of the sanctuary with joyful people anticipating the Christmas pageant, and the beautiful calm candlelight worship service where we pass the light of Christ to one another. Missing these precious times makes me sad. Knowing that God’s Spirit still connects us to one another keeps me from getting lost in the sadness. Holding onto God’s promises helps me know that there is hope; there will be a turning back to joy.

We like the psalmist can pray: Lord, turn the tears that fall from our eyes and hearts into delightful shouts of joy. Let us be like children who are not weighed down by the heavy concerns of providing safety and wellness, but who easily get lost in moments of playful laughter and happiness. Perhaps these moments will be our greatest gift at Christmas this year?

Lord, help us to hang on to hope this Advent. That as we live among each other with care in this season of waiting during the time of the virus, that the day will come again when we more easily live with wellness, joyfully and abundantly connected to one another again. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Yours in Christ,
Rev Amy

Important Update About Worship

I learned first thing on Monday morning from the Hunterdon County Department of Health, Hunterdon Healthcare, and the Office of Emergency Management that Hunterdon County’s Covid-19 Activity Level has again spiked to HIGH/orange* and therefore, I called a Special Session meeting that same day to discuss with our church leaders whether this changes our responsibility about offering in-person worship.

After prayerful consideration and debate, and acknowledgement of our collective disappointment that it has come to this again, Session voted to suspend our in-person worship option in December until such a time that the county’s Covid-19 Activity Level reduces to MODERATE/yellow. We will offer in-person worship this Sunday November 29 and return to virtual only worship on December 6.

While we have done an excellent job as a church adhering to safety protocols when gathered, Covid-19 cases are spiking and people will be tempted to gather in mixed groups. This is further complicated by the virus being carried by asymptomatic people. As a result, we believe it is unwise to put our members at risk of contracting the virus. Ironically, it is evidence of loving each other to distance ourselves physically for now. Rest assured, we will continue to live-stream worship on Sundays with a link from our website www.flemingtonpres.org, so that we can continue to be connected with one another even as we are apart.

This has been a tough year, pressing our understanding of responsibility to one another and extending our connectedness in new ways. You have done a fantastic job of being resilient and I pray that we will continue to thrive together as we lean into new ways of being a faith community. Please reach out to me or to your Care Group Deacon for questions, concerns, and support in the months ahead.

Wishing you a happy and safe Thanksgiving! I am grateful for each of you and for the chance to serve alongside you in ministry. For even though much in our lives is different this year, God remains the source of every good and perfect gift that we enjoy and so it is right to give our thanks and praise.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Amy

*as measured by Case Rates per 100,000 people, percent daily visit to ER with Covid-like Illness, and percent of total positive Covid-19 PCR tests out of all Covid-19 PCR tests performed as a 7 day average – See https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/topics/NCOV/COVID_19_Report_Week_46.pdf

In-Person Worship

Dear FPC members and friends,
         I hope this newsletter finds you and your family safe and well. As the air turns crisp and cool and the leaves change color, we shift to the traditions of fall. Hearty soup, mums, fireside chats, hayrides, pumpkins, apple cider and doughnuts, and football are some of the joys of the season.  In addition, this fall, as we begin to offer an in-person option for worship in the sanctuary at FPC beginning October 4, there are a few important changes you need to be aware of to safely join us.
         It will be wonderful to see some of you again in person to celebrate World Communion Sunday! Keeping safety as the top priority, please bring your own mask, print your bulletin at home if possible, and bring your own communion elements (cracker or bread, grape juice, or water). Please plan to arrive at 9 a.m., staying socially distanced, and entering only through the playground entrance to the building. There you may use hand sanitizer while signing in, agree to the Gathering Covenant, and find your seat in the sanctuary in time for the 9:20 a.m. start of the prelude.  To prevent the spread of the virus, while in worship there will be no responsive readings, singing, passing of the peace, or fellowship afterwards.  There are new wooden offering boxes mounted on the front wall under the exit signs in the sanctuary where, at the end of the service, you are invited to place your offering envelopes.
         Please remember, especially for those in higher risk categories, our online Facebook live stream option will continue, so that if you are not well or are not yet ready to venture out to gather inside of a building, you may still be an active part of our worshiping community going forward.
         A special word of thanks to the staff, Property Management and Worship Committees, Clerk of Session, and Session who have worked hard to put our new safety protocols in place so that we can “love our neighbor as ourselves,” as we come back together.  Please know that your compliance with the established guidelines is of the upmost importance in assuring that we can continue the in-person option for worship through the fall.  We pray that a virus resurgence will be avoided and that eventually a vaccine will make it possible for us to gather in what we remember to be a more normal way. Please let me know if you have further questions before returning to worship.  Together we will learn new ways to make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the Earth. Hallelujah!

Blessings,
Rev. Amy

FPC Phased Reopening Plan

Dear FPC members and friends,
            After diligent prayer, research, and discussion, Session approved the revised FPC Phased Reopening Plan, including details of safety protocols for gathering in person for worship.  I am pleased to let you know that our staff and leadership will be working to have these in place with the goal of offering an in-person option for worship in the sanctuary beginning Sunday, October 4, World Communion Sunday. Of course, these plans are dependent upon requirements from local and state health officials as the virus situation evolves.
            We understand that for many of you in high risk categories - or in regular contact with those who are higher risk - this will not yet be the best time for you to return to in-person worship.  For this reason, in addition to the positive response we have received from so many of you about the live-streamed worship services, we will continue to offer these on Facebook Live on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. as we have done since March.  You will now regularly have two options for gathering as a faith community – online or in person.
            For those who will choose to worship in person, please know that we will have safety protocols in place requiring face masks, social distancing, agreeing to a Gathering Covenant, and modifications to the way we interact with one another.  To ensure that people feel comfortable joining us, we will require that there be no physical contact, no singing, no coffee hour, and for now we will ask that you bring your own Communion elements (bread, cracker, juice box).  At this time, our Sunday school will remain virtual only, following plans of the local schools, and we will carefully work to gradually add in other elements of our church life together.
            Remember that we are the Body of Christ in the world and individually members of it. When we love our neighbor as Jesus teaches, this necessarily means that we consider their wellness and safety as well as our own. It will be a joyful celebration when we can all safely gather again, and we believe that these are smart first steps towards making that a reality. Please refer to the Phased Reopening Plan information sheet and the Gathering Covenant for important details about participating in in-person worship.
Please know you and your families remain in my prayers as you settle into a fall routine, and I am certain that God will continue to do vital ministry in us and through us to be a blessing to the world.  Please reach out to me with any questions about our plans or any pastoral needs you may have – 908-782-3227, ext. 11.

Yours in Christ, 
Rev. Amy Lincoln

What does it look like to thrive as a faith community in 2020?

This question may seem like a joke because of all the boomerangs that have been thrown our way already this year.  The Covid-19 pandemic and a renewed awareness of racial injustice have knocked us off our well-worn paths and into the tangled branches alongside. But I am sure that as we slow down and look with new eyes, we are learning lessons to carry forward with us as a church. There may be more things ahead to trip us up in 2020, but I genuinely believe God is with us shaping us on the way to what we are becoming. 

As the pandemic hit in March, we went home and hunkered down, holding onto our loved ones and the basics of life with the hope of getting through this.  As we did, some priorities came into clearer focus.  Flemington Presbyterian Church is a place where God leads us to build meaningful connections, share stories, learn together, and support one another and the community.  In this time of change, we have innovated, reframing what it means to be the church without being together in person, and we have continued:

To Grow in Faith – Through online worship on Sundays, the Soul Feast and Acts Bible study groups, Lectionary studies, and virtual Sunday School and Vacation Bible School – our faith has been challenged to reach further to stay connected and sustained.

To Be Good Stewards – Property Management has continued to work on upgrades to the physical building, taking advantage of this opportunity as we are not currently occupying those spaces.  And church giving has been generous, so we remain in a relatively good place financially – thank you!

To Actively Help the Community – You have continued to be generous in supporting the No-Contact Food Drive for the Flemington Food Pantry, sending PPE and meals to Hunterdon Medical Center, and giving to support VIM and MATE even though the trip cannot happen for the first time in 40 years.

Well done, FPC!  Do these examples reflect a thriving faith community to you?  Let us continue to focus on growing spiritually in our learning, loving, and giving as we are a thriving part of the Body of Christ in the world.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Amy

God's Loving Care

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.  You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

These verses, and those that follow, from Psalm 139 bring me hope and reassurance of God’s loving care in these ever-changing times.  When I start to fret about planning, I remember God is with me and is guiding me.  Then in prayer I try to tune in to God’s leading and trust in God’s guidance as I take each day a step at a time.

Holding onto faith amid a pandemic is not an easy task.  I hope that you are finding the support and guidance you need as you make decisions each day for the well-being of yourself and your family. Questions such as: Should I go and get my haircut or is that too risky for me?  Should I send my child back to school in the fall or does that feel too risky?  Should I go to the store for groceries or should I ask a friend or family member who is less at-risk to do that for me?  Do we travel or do we not?  These sorts of questions are our new reality, as are mask-wearing and social distancing, to care for ourselves and those around us.

What are you struggling most with right now? Isolation? Confusion? Despair? Being pulled in too many directions? Worrying for the well-being of another?  Please lift your feelings and doubts and wonderings up to the one God who created you, loves you, calls you, and cares for you, and God will meet you where you are and bring you through.  Remind yourself of this Psalm 139 and the promise that our God knows you inside and out and loves you fully, guiding you through each day.  Please reach out if you need to talk or pray with me at pastor@flemingtonpres.org, and I will be glad to connect with you either in person, via Zoom, or over the phone. 

May your summer days be blessed as you hold onto the promises of God, knowing that God is still at work for good in our world.  And may we be alert to the ways God is calling us to step into and further the work of God’s kin-dom.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Amy

The Gospel in Action

My soul is troubled. If I genuinely believe that every person is a child of God and that Jesus calls us to action in loving one another, then I understand it is my responsibility to work for that sacred worth of every person to be protected equally.  There is a disconnect in our church and society when we value some people’s lives more than others because of the color of their skin; that is SIN.

As a Matthew 25 church, we are called together to respond with action when our brothers and sisters in Christ are crying out for justice. We may not all help in the same way, but our compassion is rooted in the very ministry of Christ himself to those whose voices have long been silenced.  It is the long tradition of our denomination to act for racial justice. More than 50 years ago, here is how the Confession of 1967, from the Book of Confessions of the PCUSA puts it:

God has created the peoples of the earth to be one universal family. In his reconciling love, God overcomes the barriers between sisters and brothers and breaks down every form of discrimination based on racial or ethnic difference, real or imaginary. The church is called to bring all people to receive and uphold one another as persons in all relationships of life: in employment, housing, education, leisure, marriage, family, church, and the exercise of political rights. Therefore, the church labors for the abolition of all racial discrimination and ministers to those injured by it. Congregations, individuals, or groups of Christians who exclude, dominate, or patronize others, however subtly, resist the Spirit of God and bring contempt on the faith which they profess.

In 2016 the PCUSA adopted an Antiracism policy which you can read here: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/resource/facing-racism-vision-intercultural-community-churchwide-antiracism-policy/

This work is not politics; it is the love Jesus embodies - the gospel – in action. Paul makes our unity clear in I Corinthians 12:26, “If one member suffers, all suffer with it; if one part is honored, all rejoice with it.”  That is why I will be present (with a mask and wearing a clerical collar) at the Peaceful Protest at noontime on Saturday at the Flemington Courthouse. I will stand with my brothers and sisters of color in opposition to the killing of George Floyd and others, so they will know we are Christians by our love.
 

Yours in Christ’s love,
Rev. Amy

Look to the One Who Loves and Sustains Us

Dear Ones,

I miss you. I miss seeing you and talking to you and hearing your stories. I miss your smiles and handshakes and worshipping and singing with you in church.  I miss the warmth and excitement in the Fellowship Hall as the choir practices and families gather just before worship begins on Sunday mornings. I miss visiting with you after worship over a cup of coffee and praying with you in your homes.  It is not quite the same right now, but these are a few of the necessary changes we live with to keep us all safe from the coronavirus. As we love one another, we stand apart for now.

How are you coping with these sorts of losses?  I am looking for things to be grateful for, like finding joy in new ways of connecting online with Facebook live and Zoom meetings.  I am thankful for Sunday school teachers who keep their classes going through online learning.  I am happy that the Deacons are calling their care groups to check on you and to stay connected.  I am praying for all of us to stay well and for God to help guide us to keep the momentum of the ministry of the church moving forward in new ways.  I am proud of the outreach we have done to help support the front-line medical workers and Flemington Food Pantry. 

Flemington Presbyterian Church, you are a vital congregation of compassionate and gifted people, and I do hope that you will commit to staying engaged in our life together even as our ministry evolves in this new reality. Please let us know if you have needs – to talk or pray with someone, to pay a bill, to bring a meal or to get groceries for you, etc.  Our faith community stands ready to be a caring presence when you are in need, so please let us know.  And even as we are apart for now, let us each look to the one who loves and sustains us, Jesus Christ, who promises to come to us and be a loving presence with us every moment of every day.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Amy

Embrace God's Signs of Hope

I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.  Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. - Psalm 116:1-2

This is a Holy Week like we have not experienced before. We are not shopping for Easter dresses or coming together in person for our usual services and celebrations. Instead, we are urged to stay home to protect ourselves and others. Strangely, it is out of love that we stay apart for now.  Yet a part of this week rings true throughout the ages; God's people cry out to God, God hears their cries, and God responds with self-giving love.

While many people today are hurting, sick, grieving, and worked-to-the-bone because of the coronavirus pandemic, we are praying wholeheartedly for healing and strength for them; lifting our voices to God on their behalf.  And now we wait in the valley of the shadow of death for the promise of God to be fulfilled.

It may not feel the same this year, but we are eternally Easter people, as we hold onto the sure and certain knowledge of Christ's death and resurrection. Where once there was death, now there is an empty tomb!  So, let's take every chance to embrace God's signs of hope and new life springing up around us, even as we cry out for healing and strength for our world. Hosanna, dear Lord, save us!  Alleluia!  Amen. 

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Amy

Let Us Wave Our Palms

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” – Matt. 21:9

Dear Ones,

You may be asking, how are we to celebrate and wave our palms this year when so much around us has shifted? How can we be joyful when there is sickness and grief and fear, and the future is unknown?

In times that our lives are full of change and worry, let us never forget that God is our anchor in the storms of life, and God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Our Lord comes not to rule over us with pompous oversight flaunting an extravagant lifestyle, but our Lord comes from humble roots - with compassion that sees the outcast, and power that heals the suffering and mends the brokenhearted. Our Lord Jesus is servant and friend to all who seek him.

We can be jubilant even amidst sorrow and despair, even amidst uncertainty and fear; because we know that God’s love reigns supreme in all the fullness of our lives, even as we are separated from each other for now.  Despite the distance we are keeping for the well-being of one another, remember God’s community is woven together by the power of the Spirit at work in our hearts and lives. Let us celebrate the fact of our unity on Palm Sunday and in the week ahead; the presence of our loving Christ is with us now and always. For this reason, let us wave our palms, finding joy within the heartache of these days and holding onto hope in God for what will be.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Amy Lincoln

Advent: A Vision of Peace

On December 8th in worship we will celebrate the second Sunday of Advent, focusing on scripture passages from the prophet Isaiah and Matthew’s gospel that set forth a vision of peace for God’s kingdom. 

Isaiah highlights the contrast of our world with this new sort of peace, illustrating unexpected pairings, placing the wolf and lamb together, a leopard and baby goat, a calf and lion, a cow and bear, as they are content resting and eating together. What?!  That doesn’t make sense.  And yet the prophet tells of a time when animals that would naturally resist each other will live in harmony – “they will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain” and things will be made right in God’s kingdom.

Matthew’s gospel describes the ministry of John the Baptist out in the wilderness getting the people ready to receive a different kind of Messiah than they are expecting. “Repent – turn your hearts towards God and God’s ways – instead of toward your own interests.” Preparing for God’s coming calls us outside of ourselves and our own concerns and asks us to pay attention to the people around us asking, “How abundantly are they living?” 

This Sunday, God will issue a challenge for us to get unstuck in how we perceive the world and God’s actions in it, and instead open our hearts and minds to the new things that God is working in our midst as God’s kingdom draws near. 

Come and worship with us on Sunday to find out more!

Rev. Amy

Becoming a Matthew 25 Church

Matthew 25 Church Announcement:

Jesus said, “for I was hungry, and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me...
Truly I tell you, just as you did It to one of the least of these
who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
– Matthew 25

The Session of the Flemington Presbyterian Church voted this week to become a Matthew 25 church! This means that as we join our ministry with God’s mission in 2020, we will intentionally focus together on cultivating congregational vitality and eradicating systemic poverty. The Session celebrated that we are currently building vitality in our life together by offering welcome and hospitality to multiple community groups with whom we share space and are beginning to cultivate relationships. The groups include AA, four Scout troops, a robotics club from the local school, PFLAG, Family Promise hosting, and the Islamic Center of Hunterdon County who hold Friday evening classes for children and youth at the church.

On a recent Sunday, the families of the robotics club were sharing their projects with our congregation after worship during our fellowship hour. Our fellowship that week featured a Soup Off contest where eight church members brought soup for everyone to have a taste and vote for their favorite. While church families learned about the robotics program, the robotics families sampled the homemade soups and voted on their favorite along with us. What some may call chaos because the Fellowship Hall was packed for that hour, others dubbed congregational vitality as we cross pollinated our lives, learning about each other, and sharing space.

Session also named that by giving regularly to local helping agencies that alleviate poverty and hosting Family Promise families in the church for two weeks during the year, we are taking small steps in the direction of eradicating systemic poverty. One way we will build on this in 2020 is by sending members of our Mission and Outreach team to visit those helping organizations which we support to see them first-hand, put names and faces together, with the hope of building more meaningful relationships. Stay tuned as 2020 may bring us more clarity about who we are as servants of God’s people. In the meantime, you can read more about the Matthew 25 initiative of PCUSA here

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Amy Lincoln

Fall is Here!

The days of crisp air, fluffy sweaters, beautiful leaves, and plump pumpkins make me sing for joy! This festive time of year fills me with gratitude for the goodness God has shown to me throughout my life. The fall season leads me to pray; deepening my connection to God with thanks and wondering how best to offer my abilities and resources in ways that further God’s work in the world. Creating justice, celebrating loving-kindness, and walking humbly with God are my goals this year as I work to serve and to guide others in serving God.

I’d invite you also this fall to consider all that God has given to you in abilities (your human resources) and in financial well-being that you might offer toward the church’s work in God’s name in our congregation, community, and beyond to those who need it most. What might your goals be for the fall in following God’s leading to give of your time, talents, and gifts this Stewardship season? Keep your eyes peeled soon for a mailing from the church which includes your 2020 pledge card and some colorful reasons to celebrate! We are counting on you to help us continue to live into our promises as the church of Jesus Christ!

Yours in Christ, Rev. Amy

Building Bridges

Did you know we were building bridges last weekend at FPC?

Well, not with hammer and nails, but with our hearts. Last Saturday morning, our Women’s Association reconnected with the Presbyterian Women of New Brunswick Presbytery by hosting the PW breakfast in the Fellowship Hall. First, we welcomed, prayed, and shared fellowship with sisters in Christ. Then we listened and learned from Erlinda Quesada (who spoke Spanish) and Karla Koll (who translated for us). These women are International Peacemakers visiting the presbytery to raise awareness about the vast, lucrative pineapple plantations in Costa Rica and their cost to the well-being of the nearby people. Harm is being done to the land and to the people due to deforestation and the wide use of pesticides which seep into the groundwater, killing fish and causing grave health issues for animals and humans alike. These brave women are telling the true story of how the lives of regular people are negatively impacted by this big business and how the unchecked greed of the powerful is causing pain to those with less power. You can learn more here about how our purchasing choices may help make a difference.

That same morning at FPC, the Robotics Team was working hard upstairs in the youth room, while the Faith in Action workshop was happening in Room 22. The three young women who participated in the Faith in Action workshop learned how to mobilize people’s passions around an issue in the community and then work together toward social change. Casey Aldridge, a student from Princeton Seminary, taught the workshop thanks to our Coordinator of Christian Education, Eric Hearst. They brought a message of empowerment to these young women, teaching them that they can work together to build momentum for social change.

On Sunday after worship, many of you gathered outside for brunch and fellowship, connecting with each other over an abundant potluck feast. Committees brought colorful displays listing opportunities to engage by helping the faith community. Twenty-six of you stepped forward to offer your Time and Talent (T&T) to help with the needs of the church. I am still looking for a couple hundred other yellow T&T forms. Our membership is 523 – where are the others? If you haven’t already, please fill out and return a Time and Talent sheet to Rev. Amy at the church office, so we can know your areas of knowledge and passion to help further the ministry of FPC.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, I walked across the street to the mosque where I was warmly welcomed as I offered our welcome and well wishes to the Islamic Center of Hunterdon County (ICHC) just before the parents had a walk-through of the Creighton building. We are beginning a new friendship as the ICHC will begin holding “Sunday school” on Friday evenings here at FPC. So, if you are at church and see people wearing hijabs or who may look a bit different from you and me, please help them know that they are welcome.

You see, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be bridge builders – to outstretch our hands with warmth and our hearts with welcome to those who speak Spanish, to young people who want to mobilize to improve life for others, and to work hand in hand with our Muslim neighbors teaching love and peace and working for justice. This is our work together in God’s name. Please make the time to engage with your faith community at Flemington Presbyterian and help us to be bridge builders. We need your participation in order to become all that God is calling us to be!

Yours in Christ, Rev. Amy Lincoln

A Pastor Reflection on Spiritual Gifts

“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, Serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (I Peter 4:10)

Dear FPC faithful,

Summer is here and so the brighter, warmer days arrive and hopefully with them some time to down-shift for time with friends and family to reflect on the transitions of life. My prayer for each of you this summer is that you get to carve out a bit of time for yourself, doing those things that bring you joy and sustain you through the year. With the goal of some intentional Sabbath time for myself, I will be reading the book that our Christian Education Coordinator Eric Hearst is inviting us all to read this summer, Wrestling with Rest, by Nathan T. Stucky. On the evening of August 26, the author will then come to FPC to talk about his book.

Summer is a wonderful time to drink in all that God has blessed us with, holding onto it in a spirit of gratitude. Logically, we may also consider reallocating our time and energy once the fall rolls around. I try to actively ask myself: how can I balance all the things I care about in a way that honors each of them and still keep me, at the very least, intact, and even better, thriving?

Here are some questions I offer to you for consideration this summer as they relate to your participation in the life of the church:

• What do I know how to do/do well?
• What do I enjoy doing? How do I enjoy serving?
• What would I like to help make better?
• What gives me energy?
• What sort of help may God be calling me to do for our faith community?

Throughout the summer my preaching will focus on spiritual gifts, some of these abilities are given to us by God and some of them we can work on to shape within ourselves through spiritual discipline. Amid the hazy, lazy days of summer, don’t forget to come and worship with us so that your spirit is fed, and you are connected to those who care for you.

Blessings and Peace,

Rev. Amy Lincoln

Hope for the New Year: Epiphany Star Words 2019

You may have heard that last week in worship on Epiphany Sunday each person in the congregation was invited to choose a yellow paper star out of the offering plate with one word written on it as a gift for the new year.

The congregation is encouraged to read your word, think about its meaning, reflect on what that word has meant for you in the past and what it might mean in your life going forward.

Explore how your word connects to who you are and how you live.

Look it up in the dictionary to get a fuller sense of its meaning.

Search for it in the Bible, as part of a story in Scripture, and pray about what God might be telling you through it.

Put it someplace you may see every day – on your mirror, on the fridge, at your desk – so that you can revisit it over time and let it work in you.

My star word last year was “friendship.” What I found through the year is this word helped me to be more intentional about nurturing my important and life-giving friendships. I reached out more often with calls, emails, and texts to my good friends and the blessing that came is the renewal of connections with dear ones in my life.

Perhaps your star word in 2019 will help jump start a blessing for you? Maybe it will challenge you to grow or to begin a new spiritual discipline? Perhaps it will bring a moment of insight or realization? My prayer is that you find some meaning in your Epiphany star word and that it helps lead you towards renewed connection loving God and loving others in 2019. Next year in worship on Epiphany Sunday there will be a chance for volunteers in the congregation to share how their star word connected with and blessed them this year.

{If you were not in worship on Sunday and you would like a star word, please let me know and I will get one to you as there are extras in my office. Email Rev. Amy at pastor@flemingtonpres.org}