Pastor’s Note
“Icamethattheymayhavelife,andhaveitabundantly.”-John10:10
We talk about “the fullness of life” quite a bit around PUMC - have you noticed? It’s in our church’s mission statement: We are a diverse faith community, engaged in enlivening spiritually thirsty people to joyfully respond to God’s love and grow as disciples of Christ, so that together we may experience the fullness of life. It’s also part of our vision: PUMC empowers people to embrace the fullness of life offered in the life, death, and resurrection ofJesusChrist.
But what does it mean to embrace or experience the fullness of life? Have you experienced it? Are you embracing it? How do we know? Is it something we stumble upon, or a gift we receive, or something we strive and struggle for? It’s possible that I have more questions about“thefullnessoflife”thanIhaveanswers!
I also know something of what the fullness of life is not. It’s not the same thing as the “American Dream” or just “being happy.” Like joy or hope, it’s not dependent on one’s life circumstancesbeinggood,orsortedout,or“allgoingmyway.”ItisnotjustsomethingIhave formyself,irregardlessofwhetherothersaroundmehaveittoo.
The fullness of life is connected to God’s kingdom / kinship intention for our life together. I believeitisaninvitationandgiftofGod’sgrace,andalsosomethingthatwecanchooseor not. I believe it is something we seek, but not in the same way we seek “success” or work to meet a goal. Lately, the word “flourishing” is helping me get my head, my heart, and my imagination closer to what we mean by the fullness of life. Flourishing involves circumstances, but it also points to something in our being, in our souls, our hearts, our minds,ourrelationships.Whatstirsinyouasyouthinkofwhatthefullnessoflifemeans?
Asawayofopeningourimaginationsandlivestowhatthefullnessoflifeis,we’llbelooking atthe“IAM”statementsofJesusinthebookofJohn IAM thebreadoflife;thelightofthe world; the good shepherd; the vine, the way, the truth, and life; the resurrection and the life All of these statements are statements about being more than doing They are about relationships,aboutgrace,aboutflourishing.
IwonderwhatinvitationGodisgivingyoutoembraceorexperiencethefullnessoflife-right now!Today!Evenforjustamoment.Mayyoupracticelisteningforthoseinvitations.Mayyou continue to imagine, with me, what the fullness of life looks like for us and our evermore belovedcommunity.
The Rabbit
byKatherynRanta
ItwastheEasteraftermyhusband’sdeath.Thedaysweredifficult.Howtomake itthrougheachdaywasbeyondme,letalonehowtomakeitthroughEaster.
Ihadtwoyoungchildren,asix-year-oldandafour-year-oldwhoweretryingto understand why the father they loved so much had been taken from them. We werea“lost”family,missingsoterriblythepersonwhomadeuscomplete.What were we to do about Easter? We decided to spend Easter with my dear cousin and her family in Atlanta Maybe their love could help us as we struggled with ourloss.
And then on Easter morning, the rabbit appeared an enormous white rabbit sitting on the patio. We all gasped in wonder as we watched the rabbit watching us. Was he resting from a long journey or was there another message? It was an unforgettable experience. Somehow that rabbit touched my heart as if he was reminding me of the beauty of life and God’s world Although the pain and sorrow of loss were still with me, I had hope that the children and I could begin to learn how to live without the person we loved so dearly
Laity Spotlight: Jeaneatte Klink and Princeton Community Housing
byJeanetteKlink
We all know how difficult it is to find affordable housing in New Jersey It’s impossible for an individual or a family to flourish unless they have a safe place to live. You may know about Princeton Community Housing (PCH), a local non-profit community organization which provides affordable, wellmaintained rental homes for individuals, families, seniors, and people with disabilities with very low, low, and moderate incomes. You may not be aware thatPrincetonUnitedMethodistChurch(PUMC),alongwithtwelveotherfaithbased organizations, is a founding sponsor of PCH since its formation fifty-six yearsago!
Together with the support of its sponsors, PCH closely collaborates with the Municipality of Princeton, Princeton University, and other local and regional organizations to fund and create affordable housing opportunities and support the social services essential to our residents' success and the continuedsuccessofPCH'smission.
For the last twelve years I have proudly served as a member of the volunteer Board of Trustees of PCH representing PUMC, a founding sponsor. I have witnessedfirsthandtheresultsofthemanysupportiveservicesprovidedtothe PCH residents, applicants and communities, which include Elm Court, Harriet Bryan House, Griggs Farm, and Princeton Community Village. Social services coordinators are on staff to connect with residents and provide them with individualized supportive services to help insure their successful transition into theircommunities.
For the last several years, PCH has awarded college scholarships to deservinghighschoolseniors.With the help of its sponsors and other fundraising efforts, PCH provided rental assistance to many residents who were in difficult situations due to the pandemic. I am happy and proud that several PUMC congregants have been residents of our communities over the years and were able to avail themselvesofPCH'smanyservices andprograms.
PCHpridesitselfonthequalityand maintenance of its affordable housing rental units. It is continuously searching for new opportunities to expand its inventory of quality rental units and to fulfill its affordable housing obligations. Government funding has
has been greatly reduced in recent years and PCH looks to its sponsors and supporterstoallowittocontinueitsimportantwork
The time had come for me to leave my board position at Princeton Community Housing and for another volunteer to represent Princeton United Methodist Church on the board. I am proud of the relationship between PUMC andPCHandhopeitcontinuesformanymoreyears.
Jeanette Klink was on the board of Princeton Community Housing when this 25-unit complex opened last year It is named for the late Jim Floyd and his wife, Fannie, recognizing their work for the nonprofitandthewidercommunity.
CommunitySpotlight: TheMaker’sPlace
The Maker’s Place is a local non-profit dedicated to connecting neighbors by forming relationships through a mindset of abundance and distributing diapers to the families of our community’s youngest members in need. This Mother’s Day (May 11), we have partnered with them to raise money to continue to provide such a crucial piece to these littleones’day-to-daylives.ThisMother’sDay,pleaseconsidergivingamonetarydonation totheMaker’sPlaceinhonorormemoryofaspecialwomaninyourlife.
TheChallengesofDiapers
Ababyusesupto12diapersaday. 1in2parentsstruggletoprovidediapers. Theaveragefamilyinpovertyfallsshortby19diapersamonth. 27%ofallindividualsinTrentonliveatorbelowthepovertyline. Femalesage25-34makeupthelargestdemographicgrouplivinginpoverty. AverageDDmemberisage31.
Demographics
293,000 diapersdeliveredin2024
5,563 memberfamilies
684 childrenpermonth
"Since operations began in 2019, The Maker's Place has distributed over one million diapers through the Diaper Depot program, " says Executive Director and native Trentonian, Callie Crowder. "Thanks be to God, our work in Trenton goes far beyond diapers. We are on an amazing journey. With the support of UMC churches and other community partners and donors, we draw near to hundreds of mothers experiencing hardships with big and small acts of love, month after month. It is such a joyful and rewarding waytoserveacommunityoffamiliesthatneedus."
Weareadiversefaithcommunity, engagedinenliveningspirituallythirstypeople tojoyfullyrespondtoGod’slove andgrowasdisciplesofChrist, sothattogetherwemayexperiencethe fullnessoflife.
SpecialthankstoourNewsletterContributors
BarbaraFox
KateLasko KatherynRanta
JeanetteKlink
Rev JennySmithWalz
AbbyGillette
TylerMathiasen
