Princeton UMC Budget at a Glance
We practice joy, delighting in God's presence and grace in every aspect of our lives. Our joyful responses to God's grace spark joy in those around us.
Following Jesus to the margins of society and experience, we seek to see, know, love, and share with those who are outcast, overlooked, oppressed, forgotten. Together we work for justice and restoration through our missions and outreach.
actively further our journey of discipleship, immersing ourselves in the community, tools, and guidance that form us, free us, and perfect us in love.
diverse creation and the fullness of God's kin dom as a fully inclusive, equitable, accessible, multi cultural, antiracist community in all aspects of our life together.
God given creativity to experiment, explore, try new things, embracing our failures and our discoveries. We are open to new ideas, expressions of faith, and ways of being church, paving the way for others.
page represents our operating budget for 2022.1 This breakdown distributes salaries and operating costs based on the proportions of budgeted expenses and staff time per area. This year we made several revisions to our budget report to increase transparency and clarity. This year's budget also includes the financial arrangement we have with Kingston UMC. While this budget is PUMC's alone, KUMC pays PUMC for some staff, program, and administrative services we have contracted with them to provide.
This
4
CONTAGIOUSJOY $256,553 COMPASSIONATE SERVANTHOOD $190,346 ENGAGEDGROWTH $165,518 We
CREATIVEINNOVATION $66,207 We embrace our
DEEPENINGDIVERSITY $148,966 TOTAL:$827,590 We reflect God's
1Want to know more? Request a detailed budget from the church office. You can also request information about our investment accounts, endowment, or designated funds, none of which are availablefor general operating expenses.
COMPASSIONATE SERVANTHOOD There has been a 16% increase in worship attendance with in person, online live, and online on-demand over 2019 (pre-pandemic). Average attendance so far in 2022 is 181, about one-third in person and two thirds online, including both live and on demand . CONTAGIOUSJOY In 2022,we’ve had4 baptisms, 17 new members, and20 participants in three newcomer groups. DEEPENING DIVERSITY $76,953 given to over30 agencies andorganizations, including The Maker’s Place, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and Not in Our Town. Growth In Numbers ENGAGEDGROWTH 6 joint small groups with Kingston UMC this year 2nd annual ecumenical VBS with fourother churches 11 leaders trained in Godly Play CREATIVE INNOVATION 9 months discerninga newsimplified governance structure 3 Design Team meetings to datewith 4 other United Methodist churchesto develop amultisiteministry in the region 5 Princeton Theological Seminary internsduring the spring semester and3 during this current academic year. 30 people from 5 churches trained in our updated and robustSafe Sanctuaries policy
OurFaithBloomsinWorship:Wefindjoywhen
helpedbypastoral andmusicstaff—wecanparticipateinleadingtheworship: themusic,theprayers,themessages,theritual.
Everyone could contribute their own artistic reaction to the worship service, such as this multimedia piece.
“PUMC providesopportunities forme to be a memberof afaith community. I am able to share my giftof service through communication andhelpingothers and to receive the giftof a caring and supportive community of friends.”
At Stonebridge, Pastor Jenny blesses communion.
“Since it's difficult forMarv and me to attend Sunday services in person, it is a real blessing forJenny and Jae to bring the communion service to us. And I love preparing the communion table with the bread andwine before everyone arrives. It's like a sacred time for me.“
Sarah Betancourt shares dance ministry.
6
—
CONTAGIOUSJOY $256,553 “Spiritually, it helps me. The people at the church are compassionate and warm, and I feel comfortable there.”
Edris Anderson
Pat Ostberg
BethPerrine
LAITY SPOTLIGHT:RAPHAEL ARYEETEY
“I grew up in the United Methodist Church in Ghana,” says Raphael Aryeetey, “exposed to Christianity and Bible stories, singing in the choir and playing piano, and I knew it was something I wanted for my kids.” The family [pictured right] recently moved to Princeton, where Raphael works at Princeton University and Harriet is at home with their three children: Andrew, Raphael Jr., and little Arianna.
Both Raphael and Harriet grew up in Methodist churches in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Raphael majored in psychology at the University of Ghana and recently completed his MBA at Rider University. He is the business manager at Princeton Institute of Materials. Harriet and Raphael met while earning their undergraduate degrees at the University of Ghana. It was not until after they graduated that they decided to pursue a life-long relationship. Raphael credits Harriet with making the connection that brought them together.It happened while Harriet was pursuing her master's degree in the United Kingdom and Raphael was settling down in the United States.
The two, who grew in love and were committed to each other, got traditionally engaged in their home country of Ghana, and married at the Christ United Methodist Church (CUMC) in Piscataway. They heard about PUMC through Phoebe Quaynor, also a Ghanaian, who was director of children’s ministry. Raphael says, “Given my background in music, I was super excited when I learned that the children had access to an excellent music ministry.” They believe their children’s inclusion in various aspects of worship services has broadened their understanding of the church and what it means to worship and praise God in spirit and truth. Raphael has been participating in worship by reading scripture and serving as a lay liturgist. Their sons [right] serve as acolytes, sing in the children’s choir, and attend Compassion Camp’s Godly Play sessions.
“I’m hoping that all of us can start to participate more,” says Raphael. “I am looking for ways that I can bring my talents and skills to bear and looking forward to having my entire family more engaged and involved in church and community activities. We think we have found a church home, and it is indeed a joy toworship and be a part of the larger PUMC family!”
7
“THE CHURCH HAS OFFERED A WAY FOR ALL OF US TO NOT ONLY CONNECT WITH THE BODY OF CHRIST, BUT ALSO TO LEARN AND GROW SPIRITUALLY.IT HAS ALSO PROVIDED A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE
AND FORM
BONDS WITH INDIVIDUALS
AND OTHER FAMI-
LIES FROM
DIFFERENT
WALKS OF
LIFE.”
HARRIET ARYEETEY
Our Harvest of Funds and Time Help Our Neighbors: With our hands-on work and our outreach offerings,
share with those who are outcast and oppressed. Together we work for justiceandrestoration.
Cornerstone Community Kitchen is serving again!
“I believe that to growin faith is to find the opportunities that speak to you andembrace them. To me, volunteering at CCK isfollowing the example of Christ inits truestform. You do forothers expecting nothing in return.You may not alwaysfeel itor see it, but the act can feed both volunteer and receiver.”
Tim Ewer
“While Iwas on the PUMCCommunications Committee, Ifeel like Iwas guided to start live streamingon Facebookto allowthose who can’t attend, are on vacation, or who have relocated, to continue to attend our Sunday services. Live streamingalso helped to increaseour attendance numbers.”
Robin Birkel
“That the Circle of Care faithfully doesmy grocery shopping isa blessing to me. I am also glad that Larry Apperson is looking after the Princeton PeriodProject, because I liketo support that.”
Pastor Skitch leading multi site ministry volunteers in Safe Sanctuary Training.
After streaming from just a cell phone camera, Bill Gardner’s tech team now has a multi camera setup. Shown here, Stephen Offer (left) and Bill Gardner.
8
we
COMPASSIONATESERVANTHOOD $190,346
Evie Lee
Over its long history, Princeton UMC has fed its congregation through worship and ministry, expanding offerings in response to the needs of its members and of the community. Thirty seven years ago, LaVerna Albury and infant Jen (her husband, Don, couldn’t stop being Catholic!) joined Princeton UMC, and from the start she got involved: choir, committee work, Sunday School. Over the last 20 years, she observes, PUMC's commitment to outreach has grown to provide more hands on support and ministry in the community, including the Clothing Closet in Trenton (now part of CCK), and the Back to School backpack drive.
One such effort is The Maker's Place, a ministry in which LaVerna is presently very involved. Founded in 2018 as a Hope Center serving Trenton, Maker's Place has as its most active ministry the Diaper Depot, which provides diapers to families across the city. "PUMC has been engaged with Maker's Place from its start, and several of our members serve on the Board and volunteer," LaVerna explains. When COVID hit, volunteers could no longer gather and prepare diapers for distribution. To make sure service is maintained, LaVerna volunteers to prepare bundles of diapers for distribution directly to families in five locations in Trenton on a weekly basis. "Maker's Place is a resource center that provides connection and caring during times of great joy and challenge," she adds.
When she is not bundling diapers, LaVerna ministers to PUMC through her leadership of Love Lives On and Circle Of Care. In 2014, a group of surviving partners [upper right] formed a group to "support their journey of grief and faith," explains LaVerna. Eight years later, "We still gather twice a month for support and fellowship," she says. Although formed “for the purpose of learning to live with loss,” the
group now allows “faith and connections [to] deepen," offers LaVerna. "Its existence is a reflection of the spirit of the PUMC community and our compassionate care for each other."
In 2019, Pastors Jenny and Ginny formed a new ministry called Circle of Care as a way to "engage the caring spirit of our community," says LaVerna, who chairs the team. The group was commissioned to serve PUMC by living into the "Great Commandment to love God and our neighbor as ourselves," she adds. It meets monthly to share the needs of the church community and organizes resources and services to those experiencing acute distress due to loss, healthcrises, or other stressors.
LLO and Circle of Care provide a level of personal focus that worship may not. LLO, for example, "offers a faith based growth experience to those with a unique identity surviving partner—who seek such growth in a setting of shared compassion and Christian fellowship.” For LaVerna, involvement in outreach has nurtured her, as well as those on the receiving end of these efforts. "My faith journey has been enriched by the grace which abounds in these ministries," she says. To grow these programs takes more than people willing to serve; it also takes financial support. Contributing to PUMC's budget supports local ministries and agencies, including TASK, Womanspace, Arm in Arm, Mercer Street Friends, HomeFront, and Not In Our Town. Our financial gifts also support national, and global initiatives that, says LaVerna, "seek justice, show mercy and build God's kingdom."
LAITY SPOTLIGHT:LAVERNA ALBURY 9
Acolytes serve during worship. 10 TogetherWeTillDiscipleshipSoil:Toequipusandministertous onourdiscipleshipjourney,PUMCofferssmallgroupsforadults, CompassionCampforkids,andprogramsforteens. "The Youth Group allows me to be in a social environmentwhere I sing. I am challenged to improve on my singing and to step outof my comfort zone. I can hear the beautiful soundof my voiceand it is validated by an excellent instructor, Mr.Tom. I get to share my voice with the congregation."
Shermel Morgan
"My
friends atPUMC were like my secondfamily they helpedme get to where I am today...both emotionally and spiritually!” Lula Crawford ENGAGEDGROWTH $165,518 CombinedChildren’s andYouthChoirsleadingworship.
“I
loved attending Zoom and in person gatheringsfrom both churches. Sharing different small group opportunitiesoffers the chance to meetnew people, obtain valuable ideas and lessons, and most of all, feel inspired.”
Sandra Richardson
GODLY PLAY:WHERE SEEDLINGS SPROUT
When our church was founded, we were meeting to learn in small groups as John Wesley advised. How different the curriculum! This 1857 certificate [left] commends the student for Punctuality, Good Deportment, and Recitations. In contrast, our Godly Play curriculum children relate to Bible stories in creative, personal ways. Here’s how Pastor Tayler describes it:
“Through the use of story, wonder, and play, Godly Play nurtures the spiritual lives of children and adults alike. While Godly Play does not shy away from introducing to our children Biblical stories, its emphasis is on noticing the mystery of God's presence in our lives, noticing the Spirit's invitations, and responding authentically. I have recently been acutely aware of how the method of teaching is forming and refining the spiritual lives of our little ones. After each lesson, children get the opportunity to do their own work, which can be a number of craft activities, storybooks, or they can choose to reenter
Children entering the church, ready to learn!
“I watch them as they take the lesson materials off the shelf, carefully opening the box and letting their imagination take them on a spiritual journey. As they unfold the felt seas and carefully place the wooden disciples in the boat, I notice our children relating to the story in deeper, more personal ways. For our children, these biblical stories are not just words from a giant book. These riddles about mustard seeds and fishermen are more than ancient stories for the people of the past. The Godly Play method allows them to embrace the gift that these legends are an invitation into a journey with God, for them too.”
at the Fall Multi site cookout.
11
Pilgrimage offers ways to learn about the hurt, hope, and experiences of our neighbors. In June we made the prayer pilgrimage in person; now find the guidebook on the Discipleship Tools page of our website.
“I try to remember that each person is taking their own faith journey, that we each come from different backgrounds, were nurtured differently and that our faith journeys will often not be similar to another’s growth journey along that road. Thus, the need to be tolerant of differences in perspectives. I’m especially grateful that we can gather in person again that facilitates a special 'tie that binds.’”
Katherine Burt
“It's so important to me that PUMC continue its long history of welcoming students. When I visited my future husband, John was a student, and I was welcomed at PUMC. Then for many years he was on the board of the Wesley Foundation, which helps to support the work of Skitch and Tayler. This is a calling of our church.”
12 sharing food from different cultural heritages. the Church with worship and confirmation.
WeRevelinGod’sDiverseCreation:Weaimtobea fullyinclusive,equitable,accessible,multi community. DEEPENINGDIVERSITY $148,966
“At the Continuing Conversationson Raceand WhitePrivilege, sponsored by Not in Our Town Princeton, Ifind it therapeutic to be in the setting of like minded people where you can truly express how you are feeling.” Ulanda Frisbee
Carol Kuhlthau
LAITY SPOTLIGHT:PRAFULL SHIROMANI
“My dream,” said a pastor many years ago, “is that for World Communion, people from all over the world, of different ethnicities and races, will come down the aisle.” That pastor’s and the hope of many Christians around the is being realized at Princeton UMC, and Prafull Shiromani wholeheartedly embraces this experience.
“On World Communion Day, we mingled with people of different ethnicities and enjoyed a variety of ethnic food,” he says, noting that he and his wife Smita [left] brought a spicy vegetable dish, called patra, to share. “We are blessed that we can worship with people from different ethnic backgrounds. This may be compared to a rainbow with its different colors which when they go through a prism (church) they coalesce to form white light (from heaven).”
Diversity in the family is also part of the Shiromanis’ experience. Prafull and Smita met at pharmacy school in Mumbai, India. Theirs was not a traditional arranged marriage far from it, because Prafull is Christian and Smita devoutly practices the Hindu religion. Though Methodism is the primary Christian denomination in India, being a Methodist there is not always easy. Prafull’s grandfather was a Methodist minister in a small village in the western state of India, but when Prafull’s father moved to Mumbai, he changed to a Hindu sounding name because it was difficult to get hired bearing a Christian name. Prafull’s sister, also a strong Christian, married a man of the Hindu faith, and Smita’s uncle is married to a Muslim.
Though they worship separately, the Shiromanis share a profession. Both earned pharmacy degrees in Mumbai, studied for their master’s degrees in Wales, and earned their PhDs from Rutgers. After 25 years in research management at Novartis and Merck, where he worked with Iver-
mectin the drug used to cure river blindness he spent 10 years at the Food & Drug Administration in Maryland. Smita also worked at Merck, where she was friends with another PUMC member, Vinette Jones.
Now retired, the Shiromanis spend more time with their children. At Thanksgiving they will host their son and his wife, traveling from Germany with preschoolers Maya and Hugo. In 2007, after they moved, to Princeton, Prafull transferred from Bridgewater United Methodist Church to Princeton UMC. “I came to the church because I have been a Methodist all my life. I did not look at a website. I did not know that I might have a Korean friend or an African American friend. My only consideration was that it was a Methodist church.”
Prafull keeps the text of the 23rd Psalm on his refrigerator and recites it to himself, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” on his daily walks. He looks back with joy at his growing up years in the church, especially in the Methodist Youth Fellowship. At PUMC he served on the Worship Committee and looks forward to supporting youth work and contributing time and talent to PUMC. He likes the way PUMC welcomes those with different abilities and backgrounds: “For diverse people to take part in the services is very uplifting! People who are handicapped in some form or other—they are treated equally, following Jesus’ example.”
In retirement, Prafull began to paint. Is it any surprise that even his art reflects diversity? His painting [right] is included in Princeton YWCA’s “Beyond Pink” Art Show, on display through October on weekends at MarketFair. The title: “Diwali Stick Dance,” to honor Hinduism’s most important holiday.
time by the lake at the September Multi Site cookout.
the
Above, our Multi site family enjoying themselves with plenty of food for everyone at the September cookout. Right, a prayer labyrinth offering new ways of engaging with God.
14 “I’m grateful that ‘church’ can be more than sitting in the pew. It can be collaborating with art,walking a labyrinth, making prayer beads, or doing amoving meditation, as with our small group, Embodied Faith.” “In 2023, the simplified board modelwill afford us the opportunity to think creatively across
interactive functionsand ministries of the church. It affirms our dependenceon one another to be the churchwe are called to be.”
LaVerna Albury
We Use Our God-Given Creativity: Whether it’s with art, movement, crafting, or technology, we find new ways toexpressourfaith. CREATIVE INNOVATION $66,207 Enjoying
AT PRINCETON UMC
Find the resources mentioned here, sermon recordings, and more at princetonumc.org!
For Lent [above], we learned to “Release” by using daily spiritual practices to encounter forgiveness in all kinds of ways.
If you’re reading our October Newsletter online, click on the caption for each image to find further resources!
For our 2021 Advent series, “Art Incarnate,” we took part in spiritual practices that allowed us to encounter the Incarnation through creativearts,and we found inspiration in the art of our PUMC churchfamily.
For our “Powerful Purpose” Epiphany series [left], we learned how to make a Rule of Life: a set of choices, practices, habits, and rhythms that center us around God’sgrace.
This summer, we explored what it means to experience “Contagious Joy” amidst the struggles of our world.
Andlastmonth,wetookalookat different“Perspectives” listeningto thestoriesofourcommunity,helping ourneighbors,andfindingourown perspectiveonourlives.
At Easter, we were “Building Bridges” through the Community Heritage Prayer Pilgrimage to learn about the experiences of our neighbors in the Witherspoon Jackson Historic District.
15
H APPY B IRTHDAY FROM P RINCETON UMC! 16 O CTOBER 2022 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Paige Allen Evangeline Burgers Lindsey Jodrey 2 Sean Jones Sarah Wrone 3 4 Barbara MacGuigan Alex Roth 5 6 7 8 Joi Lucky 9 Anthony Lee Blaine Rinehart 10 Joshua Rowe 11 Andrew Hayes Laurel Jones Eunice Prakash 12 13 14 Bruce Henry Annie Pasqua 15 Sharon DiStase Jodi Landis 16 Earl Chen Nicole Kahn Rich Tunkel 17 Joseph Kane 18 Amy Gardner Emily Koblin Kate Potts 19 20 Andrew Aryeetey 21 Nancy Dawn Jones 22 LaVerna Albury Amanda Nicol 23 24 25 Doug Fullman 26 Horacio Cruz Mendoza 27 Judy Manley 28 29 Carly BartowKettelhut Lukas Gessner Erin Kiesewetter 30 Khaya Malabie 31 Mary Beth Perrine
Rev. Jenny Smith Walz, Lead Pastor
Rev. Skitch Matson, Kingston Campus Pastor
Rev. Tayler Necoechea, Associate Pastor for Children’s and Adult Formation Ministries
Rev. Jae Hong, Pastor of Pastoral Care
Hyosang Park, Director of Music
Tom Shelton, Director of Youth Choirs
Julia Hanna, Accompanist
Tyler Mathiasen, Office Manager
Evangeline Burgers, Dir. of Communications
Gilmar Enamorado, Princeton Campus Sexton
Mario Villatoro , Custodial Ministry
Santos Gonzales, Custodial Ministry
Brielle Easton, Nursery Care Lead
Kaylen Parady, Nursery Care Lead
Princeton, NJ 08542 609-924-2613 Princeton United Methodist Church is Do you have something you’d like to see in the newsletter? Ministry Team news, or something to feedour congregation on our discipleship journey? Email news@princetonumc.org The deadline for the December issue is November 10th. Rev. Tayler Necoechea Rev. Jenny Smith Walz Mikaela Langdon, Editor KJ Applegate, Editor 17 Lori Pantaleo Barbara Fox Kate Lasko THANK YOU TO OUR OCTOBER NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTORS
