2015apr frc (1) (1) (1)

Inside...

First Wednesdays ...................................................... 2Easter Egg Hunt ...................................................... 2Full House for Quartet .............................................. 3Music is in the Air .................................................... 3theTABLE ............................................................ 4Music Notes .......................................................... 5Palm Sunday Skit .............................,........................ 6Consistory Corner .................................................... 7Notes from Men’s Shelter ........................................ 7Benevolence of Month Pine Grove Scholarship Fund .................................... 8

From Pastor’s DeskIt is very special to receive four young new members atonce! And yet, this continues a trend that began in 2013when we received seven new members. In 2014 it wasfour. Our church is becoming a lot younger! Let meintroduce our new members here:

Pete Connolly came to thechurch first inspired byFawn and then because hefound this church familyvery open. He comesfrom a Roman Catholicbackground and wasimpressed how activelypeople are involved in the life of the church, and how wetake turns regarding the things that need to be done. Petecomes from a family of four brothers. Some of hischildhood experience he sees reflected in how we relate toeach other here at the church.

Ashley Petersen andBrendan Kaplan firstencountered our churchduring a candle lightvigil with Women Aware.Then they attended theAnnual Rally of NewBrunswick’s DomesticViolence AwarenessCoalition hosted by our church in 2014. Both have a deepcommitment to this social justice issue. Brendan’sprofessional background includes Marketing, GovernmentRelations, Arts and Computers. He also has interest inperforming arts, music, and community development.Ashley is a Community Manager and Associate MarketingManager with interest in yoga, cats, theatre, strawberrypicnics and books. Ashley will be baptized on EasterSunday.

Meghan Trivett came to ourchurch because she likedthe rainbow sign by ourdoors. Not every house ofworship is open andaffirming, but when it is, itusually houses a veryworld-open congregation.Meghan moved recentlyfrom Middletown, NJ to New Brunswick. She is an ExerciseScience student at Georgian Court University. In her freetime she enjoys snowboarding and her new membership ata CrossFit gym. Meghan enjoys her time here FRC andappreciates the warm welcome.

There are two moreyoung people withinterest in FirstReformed Church,Marilie Coetsee andIsaac Cowell.However, Marilie andIsaac prefer not toformally join at thistime. I would like tocontinued on page 2

Newsletter of FRCApril 2015

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introduce them nevertheless, because they are very faithfulin attending worship and other functions of the church.

Marilie was born in Pretoria, South Africa but grew up inthe United States. She comes from a Christian ReformedChurch in California. She is currently enrolled in a Ph.D.program at Rutgers University where she studiesPhilosophy. As several of our members, Marilie loves coffeehours and small groups.

Like Marilie, Isaac is a graduate student at Rutgers,enrolled in a Ph.D. program for English. Growing up, hehas lived in different countries. He belonged to the Churchin Scotland, and later to the Episcopal Church in thiscountry. Isaac and Marilie feel drawn to our churchbecause of its friendly members, its music program and theslightly academic sermons.

We will receive the new members during worship on EasterSunday. It will be a very festive service and include apresentation of Ralph Vaughan Williams “Five MysticalSongs”. Until then, I wish you a meaningful remainder ofthe Season of Lent!

With fond wishes, Pastor Hartmut

Unique Session of “First Wednesdays”— by Pastor Hartmut

Afterspending thewintermonths tryingto familiarizeourselveswith theissues andsocial justiceneeds of domestic violence, our First Wednesday’s adulteducation class will shift gears on April 8. And yes, inorder to avoid Holy Week, this represents a delay of oneweek for the class.

We are fortunate that Rabbi Bennett Miller from NewBrunswick’s Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple has acceptedour invitation for April 8 to speak to us about ReformZionism. Zionism is a movement in support of Israel as theJewish homeland. What is interesting in the approach ofReform Zionism is the fact that it pursues Israel as a Jewishstate but with religious pluralism.

This will be interesting for us as Christians in the ReformedChurch in America! We are part of a denominationalstruggle, if not with religious pluralism, then withtheological and ethical pluralism. Just think of the issuesthe Open & Affirming movement has raised in our classes.

Rabbi Miller will bring a lot to the table when he comes.Installed in 2012 as the national chair of the Association ofReform Zionists of America, he represents 25,000members. Bennett holds doctorates from Hebrew UnionCollege in Cincinnati and from Princeton Seminary. He hasserved Anshe Emeth since 1974. From 2009 to 2012, hewas pivotal to the fundraising for our historic preservationproject when he met regularly with me to share his advice.

We look forward to a lively discussion on Wednesday, April8 at 7:00 PM in fellowship hall. If you have a chance,please let us know that you are coming, so that we canplan better. The church office number is 732.545.1005.

Easter Egg Hunt at FRC by Fawn Stephens

As always, several of the FRC women pulled together tomake sure this year’s Easter egg hunt will be taking place,despite the small detour of construction taking place in thearea where the egg hunt usually takes place. This year, theeggs will be filled with items other than sweet treats, inorder to encourage healthier habits amongst the youngones. With the added assistance of soon-to-be FRCmember Pete Connolly, the eggs will be hidden in the frontplayground area and supervised before the egg hunt is totake place, weather permitting. Otherwise, the eggs will behidden somewhere in the building. We are all lookingforward to watching the children enjoy this annual Springactivity.

Pastor’s Page

Newsletter of FRCApril 2015 3

Music Is in the AirBy Janet Waanders

The early March opening recital in the Spring Series of theDowntown Lunchtime recitals was a beautiful performanceby Timothy Urban, who played a variety of recorders andalso sang, and Kathleen Scheide on the church’sharpsichord. They drew the audience in with a 20thcentury series of variations on the familiar tune“Greensleeves.” then, in a different kind of variation, theyperformed three different 16th and 17th century pieces bydifferent composers on the same tune, Amarilli, mia bella.”Next we heard a sonata by Johann Jacob Bach, JohannSebastian Bach’s brother. For some of us, this was anintroduction to the composer. Finally they returned to the20th century for a delightful two short-movement piece byDaniel Pinkham.

The Downtown Lunchtime Recital Series opens the monthwith April 1’s program by the Manhattan SaxophoneQuartet. We hope that you put that on your calendarearlier as you may not have this issue in time to bereminded.

On April 22nd at 12:15, we’ll welcome two musicians whoteach at the Academy of Indian Music in Edison. This willbe an introduction to South Indian music Violinist Gowri Ramakrishna and SaraswathiChandrashekar, who plays an instrument called the veenawill present the program. The veena is a plucked stringinstrument that, in its South Indian form, is a member ofthe lute family. It is used in both the traditional andcontemporary music of South India.

Come and hear!

Full House for Manhattan Saxophone Quartet— by Pastor Hartmut

Lunchtime Recital No. 2 this season was blessed with a fullhouse! Nursing home and rehab center residents of thetwo Chelsea’s in Monroe and East Brunswick had joinedwith residents from Summerhill in Old Bridge and a largeclass of third graders from Livingston Elementary School.There were also quite a number of individual attendeesand two children from Pine Grove Nursery School. It couldnot have been more diverse! The music was superb andincluded compositions from J.S. Bach, Martin Bresnick,Eugene Bozza, Tom Turpin, Scott Joplin and Philip Glass.Especially the pieces from Turpin and Joplin, both part ofArthur Frackenpohl Ragtime Suite, won the audience’sheart. We thank the musicians Jordan P. Smith (soprano),Andrew Steinberg (alto), Dan Kochersberger (tenor) andJay Rattman (baritone). But we also thank the great teamthat makes all of this happening: Janet and DavidWaanders, Margaret Coakley, Joan Fekete, Ben Berman,Lolly Schenck and Lillie Suabedissen.


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Music Notes– by Benjamin T. Berman

The Rainbow Children’s Choir has the honor of performingat the annual “Value of Women in our Community” awardsceremony at JFK Medical Center in May. Given the church’sconcern with ministry to women – in particular our annualAdvent Breakfast, our Dina’s Dwellings Project, and ourposition as the seat of the Women’s Guild – thisperformance is a unique combination of music outreachwith that other great cause. The Peace Islands Institute willrecognize small business owners Mimi Tenglei and DenizOzyildiz in this yearly event in Edison, NJ. It will be held onSunday, May 3 from 4:00-6:00pm. Please make everyattempt to be there to support both our Turkish friends andour Rainbow Choir singers.

In the past, Susan Kramer-Mills has spoken at this event,and so First Reformed Church has a history on theprogram. Also, the Peace Islands Institute are the folkswho sent our members to Turkey in 2009. And so, withsuch a long history of collaboration, it was only natural tofit the Rainbow Choir in to the works. Furthermore,several young girls from PII have sung with the RainbowChoir for a few years now. Singers from Anshe Emeth andLivingston Elementary School also appear regularly withus.

The Rainbow Choir performs three times a year: at theAnnual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, at an event whichwe created to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. with song,and at a spring event which usually celebrates Earth Day.This spring, we celebrate women’s leadership in thecommunity.


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Palm Sunday Skit BroughtSpecial Meaning— by Pastor Hartmut

It’s a long-standing tradition nowthat we have a special play duringthe Palm Sunday worship service.This year, the stage setting wasthat of a dining room in a 1st

century Roman house. The actorsembodied a mixture of apostlesand other followers of Christ.They were immersed in aconversation about key events inthe life of Christ when a courier(Bruce Bothwell) arrived with apackage and became interested in the subject of their talk.It was the story of an emerging faith and well fitting ourchurch’s current experience when, for three years now, wehave received many younger adults into our fellowship. Wewant to thank John Keller for directing the piece.


Notes From the Rotating Men’s ShelterBy Lolly Schenck

Once again we have entertained the “Gentlemen of theEvening” for a week, and we are grateful for theopportunity to serve them. It was a bitter and snowy winterand our gratitude for the chance to house our men ismatched only by our gratitude that we had warm homesand jobs to go to after our night in with the men.

Yes, it’s hard to stagger off to work with not much sleepand no shower or much breakfast, but we know that we willbe tucked up in our homes by nightfall. Our men don’thave that luxury and it is a gift to be reminded of howmuch we have and how little others have.

So thanks are in order, because this happens in our churchfamily and when all participate we become stronger as afamily and more able to do the Lord’s work here in oursmall part of the world.

Huge thanks to:

To Jim Hance and Joan Fekete and Nicholas Cruz for thefirst night set-up and to Joan for shopping help. GaryBernhofer and Fawn Stevens and Nick Cruz (again! kudos)for Monday night. Special thanks to Isaac Cowell andHartmut for gallantly stepping in to help me on Tuesdaywhen my helpers didn’t show! Susan K-M stayedWednesday with Isaac (again! kudos) and Marilie Coetsee,Steven Scibetta and Signe Cruz (not Nick’s sister).Thursday our professors stayed. Thank you DavidWaanders and John Coakley! Ben Berman and NicolaMammes held the fort for us Friday night, and JoshBernhofer, Bruce Bothwell and Thakshila Upasena not onlystayed Saturday night, but helped transport all the stuff tothe next church and then cleaned up Fellowship HallSunday morning. We never even knew the men had beenthere!

Thank you, thank you, all of you!! This ministry is soimportant to our church, as well as to each of uspersonally, but it could not happen without all of you andyour dedication to walking in Jesus’ footsteps and reachingout to those who have (lots) less than we do.

Enjoy the summer and I hope to see some of you nextJanuary when we will do it again. Thank you!!!

Consistory Corner — by Fawn Stephens

Consistorymet one weeklater thannormallyscheduled,due to theMen’s Sheltertaking placethis pastweek. Themostnoteworthyresult from

the meeting surrounds a somber topic. Pine Grove NurserySchool has officially announced that it may have to close itsdoors in June. There is a slight chance that it mightcontinue, but smaller than before and with a new focus.

In the coming months, Consistory and the congregation ofFRC is going to have to make many decisions about how toproceed from this new change. As a result, an ad hoccommittee has been created within the Personnel andBuilding Usage committee, to solely work on this newtransition that needs to take place. We are a congregationthat is constantly evolving and rise to the challenge of anychanges that may take place in our small family.

Consistory also completed its drafting of a WelcomingStatement for our church. This Statement will greet peoplefrom now on from the title page of our worship bulletinsand in other places as well. Here is the text:

Welcoming Statement of First Reformed ChurchRecognizing the great diversity in which God createdhumankind, First Reformed Church of NewBrunswick welcomes you as God’s own in body and soul:young, old or somewhere in-between. You may live alone,as a couple or within a family. You may identify withparticular racial and ethnic groups. You may come withyour own sexual identity and gender expressions. You mayhave unique physical or mental abilities. And you may befirm in your faith or seeking your path. You will be welcomehere. Come and find God’s love for you in this communityas together we journey in faith and life. (Adopted by Consistory 03/24/2015)

First Reformed Church9 Bayard Street,New Brunswick, NJ 08901phone: 732-545-1005; fax: 732-545-1139email: [email protected] site: www.FirstReformedChurch.net

Benevolence of the Month--The Sarah KochSchatzkin Memorial Fund, Pine Grove NurserySchool— by Lolly Schneck

The benevolence for the month of April is Pine GroveNursery School, and Lolly Schenck would like to tell youwhere your donations gor.

Thanks to your contributions to our scholarship fund, wewere able to offer a whole scholarship to a deservingfamily, who would not otherwise have been able to attendthe school. They and we are very, very grateful! Thankyou!!

The scholarship fund is named for a child who died whileshe was a student at Pine Grove. Her parents set up thefund, with the designation of funds to be for families whowished to attend the school, but did not have the financialability to do so.

For more than twenty years the Sarah Koch SchatzkinMemorial Fund has invited deserving families to be apart of our school. Most of our fundraising effortsthroughout the year are earmarked for this fund and weare proud and grateful that FRC has joined us in thiseffort.

Thank you again for your generosity!

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