Notes from the Pastor

Pastor Jenny Smith Walz

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” - Jesus (John 6:35)

PUMC Feeds People! You’ve been hearing that a lot lately, from the invitation to offering each week in the service and on social media, to the current worship series we are in “Feeding the Flock”. A few months ago we started thinking about how to sum up the many things we do as the people of Princeton UMC as succinctly as possible, and this is what we came up with: PUMC Feeds People!

PUMC feeds people literally, though it’s changed some with the pandemic. Many of the weekly inquiries we get in the office are from people looking for food. Gratefully Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen continues to give out dozens of meals each week. Our Outreach Ministry and special offerings throughout the year are working to eradicate food insecurity near and far. And I trust that someday we will be able to come together again for fellowship meals and holy communion in ways more like what we knew pre-COVID.

PUMC feeds people spiritually through worship and formation ministries, like Sunday School, Youth Group, small groups, our Online Campus, and music ministry. How have you been fed spiritually? How are you feeding others through these ministries with your engagement, your insight, your experiences?

PUMC feeds people through this community of people. Have you ever noticed how nourishing it is to connect, pray, care, love, share, talk, and just be with and for others? Meals and groceries have been shared among congregants who are grieving, celebrating, and just going through a challenging time. Countless prayers, phone calls, note cards, emails, texts, visits, and zoom calls, have been shared among you, for countless reasons. You feed one another.

PUMC feeds people through our connection with Princeton Theological Seminary and our incredible interns, who are simultaneously fed by and feeding this church. And this is all so they might go on to lead other churches to do likewise.

This is a lot, but it’s not an exhaustive list of the ways PUMC feeds people. The rest of this November edition of our Newsletter is dedicated to the ways PUMC feeds people, how the people of PUMC are fed, and the ways God is calling us to feed (and be fed) even more.

We hope it will help you discover ways PUMC is feeding people you didn’t previously know about. We hope it will help you name for yourself ways PUMC is feeding you and ways you are also feeding others. And we hope it will inspire you to invest in PUMC and partner with PUMC to continue to feed people in a multitude of ways.

You’ll find included here a letter and a pledge card from our Stewardship and Finance Ministry Team asking you to pledge your financial support for 2022. Pledge Sunday is November 14! Bring your pledge cards to church or pledge online. Some congregants have generously offered to tri-

ple any increase for 2022 that you make over the amount you pledged or gave in 2021.