Flourishing With Activity Since 1733 or 1878 or 1925??!

"Where is your church? Is it the one on South Street or the one on the Green?" When I became a Pastor here 4+ years ago at our beloved 276 year old Presbyterian Church in Morristown, I didn't expect to get this question almost weekly. But now I am accustomed to it. Our two church buildings confound most people who are trying to find our offices, nursery school, or our sanctuary and chapel. Among many we are known as, "The church in Morristown with the two church buildings."

So why would God grant us this blessed confusion? I am always glad when people ask because it gives me a chance to tell the amazing grace-filled story of reunion and reconciliation. In 1925, after worshipping apart ever since the split in 1840, (over many issues but mainly over the conservative vs. liberal theological issues), our Presbyterian Church on the Green and the South Street Church reunited! What a wonderful example of reconciliation and cooperation! What a chance to be an ambassador for Christ here and now!

We can use this remarkable history for the advantage of our church growth! You can share this story with others to encourage their participation in our place of reconciliation history by inviting your friends and neighbors to church to see our awesome historic buildings. I love showing them off to visitors and family! If they aren't interested in worship, then ask if they would like a tour of our church buildings. We believe the Holy Spirit leads hearts to Christ, so with no pressure, but with an "invitation" we are called to invite our friends and neighbors to come see who we are and where we worship. I have found that once folks come inside our buildings they feel a sense of the peace of Christ and become interested in attending worship. Maybe it starts with a desire to hear our massive organ play, or our reknown choirs sing or bells ring. Or maybe they are just curious about two women preachers leading an historic congregation....Whatever sparks the spirit working, let us all be conduits of God's grace and hospitality.

Summertime combined services are another example of cooperation and union. When we merge with the Methodist church on the Green, our church shines! In the Methodist church for combined worship in August, I know our congregation will be enthusiastically filling their pews as we do alongside the Methodists in our church sanctuary in July. We are an active vibrant congregation that shows up even in the heat of summer.

Help us keep our long tradition of showing up for church in the summertime in our union church services. We have a long history of combining resources and voices with the faithful. I am certain God smiles everytime you walk into our church (either on the Green or on South Street) or into the Methodist church in August. Let's make God smile a lot this summer!

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to God through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to God in Christ, not counting their sins against them. And God has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God was making an appeal through us...."

(2 Corinthians 5: 18-20. NIV)

Loving the Whole of Creation

OMD!! Oh, My Dogs!!

I love my dogs, Casey and Sammie. They are both NJ Puppy Rescues. Casey is a Black Lab/Scottish Deerhound mix and Sammie is a Black Lab/German Shepherd mix. They remind me daily of how important the creatures of the Earth are to us humans. Every creation is a gift as the whole Earth is a precious gift. It is up to us at the top of the food chain to cherish all of creation and to be good stewards of all that God has given to us. (Psalm 24.1)

God calls us to care for all of creation, and especially for the future of the earth. ("Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phil. 2:4)

The first Morristown Festival for the Earth event happens next Saturday, May 22nd, from 11am - 6pm on the Green. I hope you will take some time to join us in celebrating the Earth and educating ourselves on ways to help sustain it. See: http://sustainablemorristown.org/whats-happening for more information on next Saturday's event.

Let us take these words to heart as we ponder new ways to pray for the Universe we have been created within:

Love all Creation
The whole of it and every grain of sand
Love every leaf
Every ray of God's light
Love the animals
Love the plants
Love everything
If you love everything
You will perceive
The divine mystery in things
And once you have perceived it
You will begin to comprehend it ceaselessly
More and more everyday
And you will at last come to love the whole world
With an abiding universal love.
(Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

You are Called as a disciple of Christ to Advocate for Victims
Jesus had a special sense of mission to poor and oppressed people. At the outset of his ministry, sometimes referred to as Jesus' mission statement, Jesus stood up in the synagogue and read:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)

I attended an event called “Denim Day” last Wednesday. It was sponsored by the Morris County Sexual Assault Center, Jersey Battered Women’s Services and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. Denise Lang of the Morris County Sexual Assault Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital told the Daily Record newspaper that victims should not feel ashamed. "I think we as a society have made them feel guilty, rather than the crime victims that they are." Lang said, "Denim Day refers to an Italian Supreme Court ruling that said a teenage girl invited an attack by wearing tight denim jeans.”

To show our support for the victims of sexual assault we were to wear denim to this event. But for those who had to wear dress clothes to work, they made buttons to wear as a sign of solidarity with the Denim Day theme. (See photo). After the event I was getting coffee at Greenberry’s Coffee Shop. A man asked about this button that I was wearing. I told him about Denim Day’s purpose. He said, “Isn’t the victim always believed even when it isn’t true?”

This man’s attitude of assuming victims tell lies about sexual assault is a sad reminder of a common reality many assault victims suffer. Many crimes are never reported because the victims worry that they will not be believed and they feel ashamed of what happened to them. Telling the story of the assault and going through a very thorough evidence collection medical exam can be very intimidating, too. But the Prosecutor’s office understands this and does not force people to involve the police. The state of New Jersey provides funds to Morris County to enable the SANE nurses to give the medical care and evidence collection free of charge and allows the victim to decide later if they want to take the case to the police for investigation and prosecution or not.

In the spirit of our Lord and Savior who cared deeply for victims of oppression in all its forms, I offer this prayer for those suffering from abuse:

A Healing Prayer for Victims of Abuse
God of endless love, ever caring, ever strong,always present, always just:

Gentle Jesus, shepherd of peace, ease the pain of all who have been hurt in body, mind, and spirit. Hear our cries as we agonize over the harm done to our brothers and sisters.

Breathe wisdom into our prayers, soothe restless hearts with hope, steady shaken spirits with faith: Show us the way to justice and wholeness, enlightened by truth and enfolded in your mercy. Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts, heal your people's wounds and transform our brokenness. Grant us courage and wisdom, humility and grace, so that we may act with justice and find peace in you. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
(adapted from a prayer distributed by the United Conference of Catholic Bishops. See: www.usccbpublishing.org)

Eastertide Joy in Weeping

I love weeping willows! This photo is of a cherry willow in our front yard that we planted after our dog, Foxy, died. It is our way of memorializing the wonderful 7 years we enjoyed with our precious lab. I still miss Foxy, but her tree gets prettier every year. It is our Springtime reminder of renewal and hope.

Matthew 28 tells the story of the women leaving Christ's empty tomb with "fear and great joy" as they ran to tell his disciples. Then Jesus appeared and greeted them. They "took hold of his feet" (where the nails had been driven), "and worhiped him." Even though the women at the tomb were weeping, the risen Christ came to them and their joy was renewed. Although we don't often get to see and hear the voice of Christ come to us so clearly as he did to the women at the tomb, I believe Christ still comes to us when we weep.

The shortest verse in the Bible is, "Jesus wept." (John 11: 35) It shows that our God cries along with us and is present to us when we suffer loss and heartache. Knowing he is with us can give us comfort and peace as we journey with God together in the sufferings and joys in life. Christ is Risen, He is Risen indeed! And his rising assures us that he is still with us "to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:20)

You wept at the death of a friend, O Christ, you showed sorrow at the suffering of others. Grant us the strength to express sadness and the confidence to call forth new life. Open our eyes to see every family as part of one family. Open our lips to speak words of hope. Amen (from: Celtic Treasure: Daily Scriptures and Prayer, by John Philip Newell) http://www.johnphilipnewell.com/

Rejoice in the Lord Always

Dear Readers,

I just read an article about why pastors should blog. It suggested blogging to: write, teach, share something of ourselves, to interact, and to recommend helpful things. My goal with this blog is to humbly do all of the above. But most of all, to share my journey of faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior as I continue to seek a closer relationship with our love-creating God.

I am a second career pastor who answered a persistent call to ministry after many years of being a psychiatric nurse therapist, clinical instructor, wife, mother, Parish nurse, forensic nurse, and more recently a pastor. It has been an incredible journey pro Christi amore (for the love of Christ).

First, I will share one of my favorite scriptures. Today I love to meditate on Philippians 4: 4-9 --

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (NIV)

May the peace of Christ be with you and fill your soul with a deep sense of God's love today and always.

Pastor Cindy

P.S. The photo is one I took of the floor at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. I highly recommend going to see this amazing place the next time you are in NYC!