Historical Tidbits

Princeton UMC’s second pastor, Israel Saunders Corbit, was said to have been a brilliant orator, and church membership increased by 150 people during his tenure. Corbit was quite rigid, and actually removed Oliver Bartine and others from the Church rolls for failing to attend class meetings! Bartine left and joined the Cedar Grove church, but returned when Rev. Samuel Monroe was appointed as our third pastor.

Corbit was responsible for setting up our church’s record keeping system. (SEE “Princeton Station” 1850 steward records below) In April 1849, the Conference changed Princeton M.E's status from Circuit to Princeton Station.

The new building was dedicated on October 17, 1849. At the time, the church still had $1,600 in debt. A special offering was asked for that Sunday, but the offerings came up short, so the trustees approved of "the females" setting up a fair to help liquidate the debt. The fair was a success, and enough funds were raised to pay off the debt. (Go Methodist Women!)

In the end, Dr. Oliver Bartine (the man Pastor Corbit had removed from the rolls) got his revenge, and was the first man to be married (to Miss Mary Cotrell) in the church in 1850.

Princeton Methodist Episcopal’s steward records from 1850.

Tech Team continued from page one.

One of the first tasks of the new ministry team was to decide its mission going forward. How does one set specific goals when technology changes so rapidly and the needs of a church can expand unexpectedly? Their answer: "Our mission is to enable the use of technology by anyone in the church that needs it and to provide an enduring solution [to those needs] that is easy to work with," states Bill. Assisting the Ministry Team is the Audio/Visual Team which prepares and runs all live-streamed events for the church, including Sunday worship and all special services. The A/V team includes Ian Macdonald, Stephen Offer, Pastor Skitch, staff, as well as many seminary interns. He adds that the A/V team is always looking for new volunteers and members: “No technology skills required!”

The team has been working on enhancing the church's live-streaming setup, including a stateof-the-art soundboard and professional streaming studio. "Our goal is to simplify our livestreaming so that anyone is able to participate in the production effort," explains Bill. Beyond refinement of live streaming, the team is “looking to improve adoption and data sharing across our various applications (Breeze, Mighty Networks, Google, etc.),” he adds. Additionally, and of great importance, “We are working to secure our data and protect the privacy of our members.” In prioritizing projects, the team meets monthly with Pastor Jenny and works to “determine the balance between areas of need and achievable projects in a reasonable timespan,” he explains.

During quarantine, Bill Gardner worked behind the curtain, so to speak, helping to turn the balcony into a sound and projection studio. Now, as head of the church’s newest ministry, Bill and his team move front and center in using technology in the best ways possible to enrich PUMC.

Such a commitment takes a lot of time, and while it is clear how the church benefits from Bill’s generosity, what draws him to volunteering? “I always saw technology as something I did just to earn a living. At church, I can use my skill set to deliver solutions that bring comfort and joy to members who cannot always come to church. It is a truly fulfilling position, and I am glad I can give something back to so many people who have always supported me and my family,” he explains.

Pastor’s Notes continued from page two.

With such thoughts, I find solace and strength that the Bible given to us is rooted in these very moments of uncertainty. Joy is the attitude that God’s people adopt, not through circumstance, but because of their hope in God’s love and promise. Through the spectrum of tale and message in Scripture, the thread of joy is woven throughout with reminders that “weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Ps. 30:5). Joy is not the absence of suffering, but that suffering is not the final answer. Though we live in a fallen world struggling with our own fallen natures, we are able also rejoice in tandem to our suffering because there is an answer in the personhood of Jesus Christ. The beauty of this call to live in joy, beyond the horizon of the darkness before us, is that we are called to live together. The Holy Spirit leads us together through our differences, through our weaknesses, and through our despair, that we and the world may see the Kingdom of God on earth. As we venture into our exploration of this Contagious Joy, I pray for fateful encounters with the Holy Spirit, and that like Paul, we may learn the valuable skill to surf the tidal waves of sorrow with rejoicing (2 Cor. 6:10).

- Pastor Jae