A consecration to remember: St. Peter’s in Morristown, one century ago

Note: St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown will mark the centennial of the building’s consecration with a 7 o’clock service tonight, Nov. 2, officiated by the Right Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop of Newark. A musical celebration is scheduled for 4 pm on Sunday, Nov. 6, followed by a reception in the Great Hall. The Rev. Canon James Elliott Lindsley, who wrote a history of St. Peter’s in 1951, plans to attend.

By Bruce Rand

On Thursday, Nov. 2, 1911, President William Howard Taft received a 3,690-gun salute as he reviewed most of the U.S. Navy fleet.

People were still talking about the World Series that ended the Thursday before, won by the Philadelphia A’s over the New York Giants in front of 20,485 fans at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Frank Baker became known as “Home Run Baker” for his two home runs in that Series.

In New York, people were looking forward to the opening of Vera Violetta at the Winter Garden Theatre with Al Jolson in the cast along with a buxom 18-year old named Mae West.

The Life Magazine issue for Nov. 2 had a full-page ad for Packard Motor Cars, which cost $3,200. That was an expensive car to buy – even a Cadillac cost $1,600! Not many people could afford such luxury, since the average annual income was $983. A loaf of bread cost 5 cents, a quart of milk cost 8 cents, and a pound of steak cost 20 cents.

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In Morristown, South Street was a dirt road. The Library and Lyceum on South Street near the Green was still an entertainment center, with the Friday Evening Club having drawn the great entertainers of the day to Morristown over the years, people like violinist Fritz Kreisler and the actress and singer Lillian Russell. Even Mark Twain had been in town to visit the political cartoonist Thomas Nast.

At the Robert D. Foote estate on James Street, 500 people gathered for a breakfast prior to the Consecration Service at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at the corner of South Street and Boyken Street (now Miller Road), marking the completion of its construction after more than 24 years. This was the second church built on the same site, the first having been built a year after the church’s incorporation in 1827.

At St. Peter’s, a choir of trombones and trumpets was getting ready for the start of the Consecration Service at 10 a.m. The church was filled, with 63 clergy in attendance. The Rev. Wynant Vanderpool, a parishioner, was there. He had worked so tirelessly with the architect, Charles McKim, to envision what St. Peter’s would look like.

And Alfred Mills was there. The former mayor of Morristown was 84 years old, having served St. Peter’s as a warden since 1866. At a service the evening before, the Rector, Philemon Sturges, said of Mills: “His record of devoted service is, I believe, without parallel in the history of this parish or the American Church, and his labor for this parish he loves has been unique, not only in its long number of years, but in the value of the wisdom, the conservative judgment and single-hearted devotion which he has without rest bestowed upon the work of St. Peter’s Church.”

From the Tower Gallery, we hear the sounds of that trombone and trumpet choir. The service is about to begin…

Bruce Rand is co-warden of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown.

READ MORE ABOUT ST. PETER’S

Healing Touch Therapy

On Sunday Morning, October 30 at 9:15, the Presbyterian Church in Morristown will be hosting a seminar on Healing Touch Therapy with speaker Carole Reifsnyder RN, NHB-BC. Carole is a Board Certified Holistic Nurse and Integrative Medicine Coordinator for Atlantic Health System. She offers Holistic Health Assessments, Healing Touch, Jin Shin Jyutsu and Guided Imagery at Atlantic Healthy Lifestyles Center located at Morristown Medical Center. Carole also coordinates the bedside energy therapy program for inpatients at Morristown Medical Center.

“Laying on of hands” is and ancient spiritual tradition which in Christian churches has been used at both a symbolic and formal method of invoking the Holy Spirit for healing purposes. Healing Touch is an energy therapy methodology using gentle touch to assist with balancing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being. Studies have show that people who received Healing Touch in conjunction with other forms of treatment report a sense of inner peace that enhances their sense of spiritual connection. Research has further shown that these techniques can help with pain and stress, lower blood pressure, improve heart rhythms and help one’s mental attitude.

Join us at the Parish House (65 South Street, Morristown) this Sunday morning to learn about this relaxing, nurturing energy therapy and experience a Healing Touch self-help technique for daily use.

Retired Ugandan bishop tells Morristown congregation how he risked all for gay rights

By Marie Pfeifer

Retired Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, who has risked his own life and that of his family as an advocate for gay-, lesbian- and transgender rights, shared his experiences and beliefs at the Adult Forum at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown on Sunday.

In 2007, Senyonjo was relieved of his duties as a bishop in Uganda. “They never formally put me out of the church, but simply took away my duties,” he said.

 “Prejudice and homophobia drive drastic measures such as the current laws on homosexuality in Uganda carrying sentences of up to 14 years in prison,” he told the group. In October 2009, a controversial bill was proposed to the Ugandan Parliament that called for broadening the criminalization of homosexuality in the East African country and introducing the death penalty in some cases.

The bill has been temporarily withdrawn, but it is expected to be reintroduced, Senyonjo said.

Currently, more than 80 countries criminalize homosexuality, he said. “They believe it is a crime against God and nature. Their ignorance prevents much needed educational programs that would aid in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.”

The way to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, he said, is by decriminalizing “something that people cannot change about themselves, thereby opening the door to education about the spread of HIV/AIDS.”

 Redeemer was the last stop on Senyonjo’s latest tour spreading the word and seeking funds to continue his counseling in Uganda of marginalized people. Senyonjo councils not only the gay, lesbian, transgender community but people with addictions, single mothers and HIV/AIDS workers because, he said, he believes God loves everyone. He sees too many young people leaving the church because of discrimination over who they are, he said.

Senyonjo has been able to keep his Kampala-based St. Paul’s Centre for Equality and Reconciliation in Uganda open because of the benevolence of people like the Rev. Cynthia Black, Redeemer rector, and the parishioners at Redeemer, who provided $100 a month for a year to pay the rent, and performer Elton John, who gave a grant for two years for an HIV/AIDS program.

 Black asked Mary, the bishop’s wife, “How are you able to continue this work?”

Mary responded: “God called Christopher to do this work, and I believe in God. I did not want to be a stumbling block in Christopher’s life.”

 It will take some time for change to occur, Bishop Senyonjo said. “When my church evicted me, I did not feel evicted by God. God loves everyone. There are still many spiritual people.”

 “The bishop has a fair amount of support from the bishops in the U.S.,” Black said. “John Cane, bishop in Washington, D.C., raised $11,000 to replace Christopher’s failing car with a new used car. My dream is to help raise money for a library in his counseling center.”

Mary and Christopher Senyonjo are the parents of 10 children and grandparents of eight. Christopher served as a bishop for 24 years and has been  counseling people for 10 years. The couple plans plan to return to Uganda and continue to follow Christopher’s calling, counseling people in need and fighting discrimination of marginalized people.

 

Presbyterian Church in Morristown Welcomes Charity Wicks as its Interim Music Director

The Presbyterian Church in Morristown will now be featuring regular features highlighting its members and staff in its blog here on morristowngreen.com

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Psalms 150:2-6

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our new Interim Music Director, Charity Wicks. We are so lucky to have Charity as a part of the Church community!

Charity holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Temple University, a Master of Music degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music from Temple University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Instrumental Accompanying from the Manhattan School of Music.

Charity has considerable experience as the director of music ministries at a number of churches in the Northeast and as a conductor, music director and rehearsal pianist on Broadway, with such credits as Spring Awakening and In the Heights, along with numerous operas. In addition to bringing strong professional credentials to the job, she also brings a natural exuberance that makes her a pleasure to work with and will bring new vitality to our already thriving music program.

Charity is assuming the responsibilities for directing the adult choirs, and she will be the church organist and pianist. We are excited for the vision Charity has for the music program, both through the worship services and otherwise.

Charity will be with us until a permanent Director of Music is in place.

Video: A day at the bleach for Morristown church hammered by Irene

Liquid Church is a successful evangelical congregation in Morristown. But Tropical Storm Irene turned the Bethel A.M.E. Church into a real liquid church–with four feet of swampy water that devastated its basement hall.

Compounding the misery was an oversight that left Bethel A.M.E. without flood insurance.

Bethel Pastor Sidney Williams sent an S.O.S. to the community.

The response for Saturday’s cleanup was a beautiful thing. Members of area churches rolled up their sleeves on a Labor Day Weekend for a labor of love.

They came from the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, which shares roots with Bethel. They came from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. They came from St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. They came from the United Methodist Church. They came from the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints.

Calvary Baptist Church sent food.

Morristown First Lady Mary Dougherty waved the flag for Assumption Church. Her husband, Mayor Tim Dougherty, lent moral support. The Red Cross dropped off more food. (Sorry if we have left out anyone!)

“We’re blessed,” said Bethel member Gwyn Burnett.

Amen, Sister.

READ MORE ABOUT TROPICAL STORM IRENE

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Morning services canceled at St. Peter’s, Redeemer in Morristown

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown has cancelled services for today, as has its South Street neighbor, the Church of the Redeemer.

A notice on the St. Peter’s website, Services Cancelled today, August 28, 2011, reads:

Both morning services, at 8 o’clock and 10 o’clock, are cancelled for today, Sunday, August 28, 2011. The Morris County Office of Emergency Management is advising residents to stay indoors until conditions improve.  Power is out in some places.  There is flooding in many areas, and the winds are unpredictable.  THE MCOEM says that “these conditions make it unsafe to be outside.”

The MCOEM is posting Hurricane Irene updates, including reports of floodings and road closings.   Please do follow their advice and stay inside until the storm passes.

God bless you and keep you safe.

Redeemer has posted this notice on its website:

All activities at Redeemer have been canceled for 8/28/11.

There will be no church services, church meetings, or Ramadan dinner on Sunday, August 28th. We hope to reschedule the Ramadan dinner.

READ MORE ABOUT HURRICANE IRENE

Happy Easter, Morristown

To all of our friends who celebrate today, we wish you a joyous and Happy Easter.

We hope you can spend this day with the special people in your life…and that the sun will shine upon us all!

Holy Week Services at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown

Everyone is welcome at services for Holy Week, April 21-24, on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil Saturday and Easter Sunday at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown. There is plenty of room – bring family and friends. Services are located at the Church on the Green, 57 Park Place, Morristown. For information go to the PCM website or call us at 973-538-1776.

Maundy Thursday, April 21 – 7:45pm violoncello prelude by Marnie Kaller followed by 8pm Service of Tenebrae with Rev. Dr. David Smazik
Good Friday, April 22 – 11:30am organ prelude by James Hicks, Director of Music, followed by 12 noon service led by Rev. Cynthia Alloway with the Chancel Choir and guest instrumentalists
Easter Vigil Chapel Service, April 23 – 8pm candlelight service with both PCM pastors, Dr. David Smazik and Cynthia Alloway, with music for five-part chorus and organ
Easter Services, April 24, at 9:15 and 11am – Both pastors lead the celebration of the Resurrection with banner procession and music provided by all nine choirs, brass quartet, timpani and organ.

Reflections on Holy Week in Morristown: a time for the bigger picture

By Barbara Snyder

This is Holy Week in the Christian calendar.  And how lucky we are, I often think, to have at the heart of our faith a sweeping, epic story and its playing-out in real time.  Because it is a gift, really, to have time set aside in this way; when this week comes along, day-to-day concerns about money, family, work, relationships, and etc. – concerns about these things recede into the background for a little while, and the epic of life itself comes into focus.  And that for me is a real relief; during this week I have time to consider another, bigger, story not solely my own.  Yet the other story is also mine, because it’s really about the larger sweep of life – and our part in it as members of the human family.

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, just about my favorite holiday of the Church year.  It’s a day of huge contrasts and incongruities, and probably that’s exactly what appeals to me.  It starts off in a sort of jolly, hearty delirium, as worshippers – often dressed in red – wave palm branches in celebration of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.  We sing “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna” – that means, in Aramaic, “Come save, we pray!” by the way – and often make a procession, singing, around our blocks and neighborhoods.  Of course, though:  the day ends in despair at Golgotha (the “place of the skull”) and at the Cross itself, and the “sacred head, sore wounded” put to death.

And that is just what the world is like, in fact, isn’t it?  We poor human beings live delirious one minute – and crushed and lost the next.  We often feel killed by life – just as we kill God, again and again.  We kill the thing that loves and wants to save us, but we cannot accept the help; it is too much for us.  We want to keep help at a distance, if at all possible.

But today I think:  people of faith – it’s Passover, too, another holy week – are really lucky. We’re lucky to have an entire sacred week – a week upon which nothing else can intrude.  We’re lucky for all the holy days and weeks of the year, each bringing with it some aspect of living to consider and ponder in our hearts.  There are feasts – and there are fasts; High Holy Days – and days we’d rather not face, really, if we could help it.  Good Friday – this Friday – is one of those.

Here are the first words of the Good Friday service, the collect that opens the day:

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

That is simply a quiet prayer of gratitude for grace, when all other words are inadequate.  On Friday, we sit still and consider the world and its sorrows, for a time.  And that is  important, because even when my own personal situation is good, I remember that millions of my fellow human beings exist in poverty or in distress – or simply in suffering of some kind, great or small.  There are more people in slavery of various forms today, it’s said, than there have ever been at any time in the history of the world.   People are daily made homeless by poverty or disaster – or stateless by war.   Hundreds of thousands will go to bed hungry tonight – while I have enough to eat, and more than enough.   People still suffer through torture and pain – just like Jesus upon the cross – and people still work their whole lives only to remain desperately poor.  People still suffer through the deaths of people they love, and through personal tragedies of all kinds.     People – all people – still cry and hurt and need help.

Holy Weeks – this week and others like it – give us sacred time to look past the immediate moment and to get a more complete picture of reality; they are a free gift to us, given for the sake of memory.   They help us call to mind again the truth of the human condition.  They give us the gift of time outside of time – and they help us remember that God knows and understands us.   I sometimes wonder what would happen if I didn’t have this yearly reminder of the bigger picture – but I am very grateful that I do.

This is a week of adulation, terror, peace, distress, joy, sorrow – just about every emotion a human being can possibly feel.  It’s a week of life, really, writ very, very Large.  Or, perhaps, condensed and then amplified – or maybe both.  And every human being has at some time felt all those things.

For me, this week – the majestic, ineffable mystery at the heart of my faith – makes it all comprehensible.  God has been and is there, too, and understands – even when I don’t.

A blessed Holy Week and Easter, and a good Passover, to those who celebrate them – and blessings of the season, too, to those who don’t.

Barbara Snyder is member of St. Peter’s in Morristown; she likes to sing.

Chag Sameach, Morristown!

To all of our Jewish friends, Happy Passover from MorristownGreen.com. May you celebrate a joyful holiday with the special people in your life.

MORE ABOUT PASSOVER:

New book from Morristown rabbi offers tips for Passover Kashrut

Giving thanks for my first Seder

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