Three Reflections on LiT for Thursday July 26

            Hello my name is Leela Gibson and I am a member of Elect Saints Evangelical Lutheran Church. I am 18 years of age; and I currently attend DeVry University. I can describe myself as this big ball of energy that can light up the room.  I am an open-hearted individual that see people for who they are from the inside.

            The way I envision LIT was that we would be doing a lot of hard labor, and also helping around in the Trenton area. I also thought we will be meeting all kinds of people that are in need. Also to understand that there are churches here to help with open hands.

            My experience so far with LIT has been different, but also good. The reason I say different is because you get to meet new people, but I am not use to being as relax as I am working for a paycheck. There has been so many times that the heat made me think of giving up. But I also remember that I am working for GOD.

                                                

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Hi, my name is Rachel and I go to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Princeton Junction. I live in Hamilton New Jersey and currently attend North Park University in Chicago. I joined LiT because church is what I want to do with my life, and it sounded like a good way to gain experience beyond participating at my home church. I’m also having fun getting to know the others, and have made several new friends with whom I hope to keep in touch.

I came into LiT not really knowing what to expect. Despite having lived near Trenton my whole life, I’ve never spent any significant time in the city or with the people.

So far in LiT, I’ve had to exercise several of my particular talents, mostly in playing the piano both for morning devotions and at VBS. Over the course of those two weeks, I had a couple kids come up and ask me to teach them how to play, and even successfully taught one to play ‘Twinkle Twinkle’. Seeing kids wanting to learn despite having difficulty with it was, as a musician, very heartwarming.

I am looking forward to spending time with my fellow LiT-ers, and using my gifts to help support the ministries in Trenton.

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Name: Melissa

Age: 20

Church member of: St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

Birth Information: I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but raised in New Jersey.

Why I joined LIT: I joined LIT because I wanted to reconnect with my faith. I also wanted to be more involved in Trenton.

What I plan to learn or experience: I hope to have a better understanding of the City of Trenton, since it is our capital.

My experience with LiT so far has been a different experience. I am meeting people I never what have thought I would meet. I wasn’t sure what we were going to be doing or what I should expect. Even being here everyday, I still don’t know what to expect, but that makes everyday much more exciting.  For example, Vacation Bible School at Elect Saints was an eye-opening experience that would be dynamic and different each day.  I loved working with the kids, especially with the younger ones.  They were hysterical, constantly making us laugh.

Everyday when I go home, I feel both physically and emotionally tired, but to me that’s not a bad thing. If I go home tired, it means I worked hard that day, and that I’ve done something to help. 

LiT Book Discussion

On Friday we will be discussing The Color of Water by James McBride, chosen to be our LiT book of the summer because of its themes relating to race, faith, urban life, and identity. Read along with us and post your comments on this or future posts. From a review on Amazon.com:


The son of a black minister and a woman who would not admit she was white, James McBride grew up in "orchestrated chaos" with his eleven siblings in the poor, all-black projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn. "Mommy," a fiercely protective woman with "dark eyes full of pep and fire," herded her brood to Manhattan's free cultural events, sent them off on buses to the best (and mainly Jewish) schools, demanded good grades, and commanded respect. As a young man, McBride saw his mother as a source of embarrassment, worry, and confusion—and reached thirty before he began to discover the truth about her early life and long-buried pain. ...

Interspersed throughout his mother's compelling narrative, McBride shares candid recollections of his own experiences as a mixed-race child of poverty, his flirtations with drugs and violence, and his eventual self- realization and professional success. The Color of Water touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son.

Reflection on Tuesday, July 24

This week the LiT program learned to think on its feet. Though we planned on serving at Elect Saints, however Pastor Agnes is away in Liberia. So, today we worked at St. Bart and had fun getting dirty for the Lord. We painted and stripped and painted some more. Though this may not seem like the most important work, or the most important serving work to be done in the community of Trenton, today was very significant to the community of and surrounding St. Bart. The outward appearance of a church does matter, and by repainting the windows and the fence, we helped St. Bart’s congregation show their community that they care. That St. Bart is a church that cares about how the community looks, that St. Bart is a place that not only cares about their physical community, but for their spiritual community as well. That truly was a faith building experience!

While driving home, after a very long and hot day, I had my mom drive past the front of St. Bart, and a couple coats of paint on the fence really did make a difference. It is a bolder image for the church, a more polished look. Little work can go a long way in giving a lift to the image of the church and the spirits of its congregation. I know driving past, I had feeling pride in my church, and a feeling of pride to see how much the we can get done in a day when we work together!

Heights were faced, paint was discovered in the strangest of places, and no matter however hot (or however bad our sunburn) we helped out a congregation today, and there is no greater feeling than that.  As we are no halfway finished with the LiT summer program I cannot wait to see what the rest of the week’s hold in store for us!

-       Katrina

Reflecting on Monday, July 23

A brief note: Due to the new and untried nature of the LiT program, unexpected bumps are bound to happen. But even so, our LiT group proved that they could be flexible and proactive in an unexpected situation, especially with one leading pastor out of the country and another was with youth at the ELCA National Youth Gathering that weekend. Kudos to our LiT participants! 

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Monday was an interesting day.  Originally, we were supposed to do some sort of community service work for Elect Saints.  Everyone straggled in Monday morning, and we sleepily discussed our weekends.  By 10, we realized that our plans weren't going to work.  You see, Pastor Anges, who is in charge of directing us at Elect Saints, had left the country and had forgotten to leave instructions for what we were supposed to do.  We decided as a group that we should do something (I was all for everyone coming to my house and making grilled cheese).  Really, we had two choices: one of our options was to visit the hospital, as someone we knew was there as a patient.  Our other choice was to visit the Synod and learn about what they do there.  Can you guess which choice we chose?  Unfortunately, there are no pictures.  I always seem to remember the day after that I could have taken pictures.  Tuesday's pictures should be fun!

Did you guess that we went to the Synod?  Going to the hospital with all 10 of us was decided to be too overwhelming.  So the idea to visit the Synod won out.  We visited, talked to some of the staff, and helped out a bit with collating data.  Of course, we also ate lunch.  We ate outside, and I took the opportunity to throw a frisbee around with some of my fellow Lutherans in Trenton.  I was surprised at who knew how to throw a frisbee and who didn't!  I did enjoy teaching, though.  Overall, it was a very relaxing and made-up-as-we-go-along day.  I'm glad it turned out so well, and that we took the opportunity to do something useful together, instead of choosing to just go home.


- Amanda 

Reflecting on Wednesday, July 18

Hey! My name is Kevin Nowak. I am 19 years old and a member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Princeton Junction. My hometown in Plainsboro New Jersey and I have lived here all 19 years of my life, well, except for at college at Springfield College in Springfield Massachusetts. I joined the LIT program because when I heard about it I thought it would be a great experience working through the churches in Trenton. During my time working I am hoping to learn how to identify the needs of a place or group of people in need and helping as best I can.

Today, on July 18^th, I was at Reedemer with the whole group. I was a very interesting day because there was a storm rolling through and Vacation Bible School was canceled. The kids from this church come from different places that are pretty far away. Most of them come to Reedemer on a van so bringing them home in a storm would have been not only hard but nerve racking. So today it was the LIT kids and Pastor Raymond. We all helped do some little things around the Vacation Bible School area like fix up chairs change posters and clean up the nametags. The biggest part of the day is when Pastor decided we were going to change the air conditioning unit in the window. Boy, were those things heavy. To be honest we did not even finish putting the new one in because we had to take all of the wood holding the old one in because the new one did not fit.

Today I saw Jesus in disguise through the storm even though VBS was canceled. I thought that the heat was unbelievable and has been for a few days. The storm was well needed for many people around the town and city. I was actually surprised that it did not rain until the very end of the day because the clouds did look threatening.

Keep up with all of our posts! I will be writing again soon!

Reflecting on Tuesday July 17

Reflection, Tuesday July 17

Hello, my name is Olivia! I am 19 years old and am a sophomore at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I am a member of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Ewing, New Jersey. I joined LiT primarily to do something productive and meaningful with my summer by serving others. But, I also joined because I plan on working in an urban environment in the future and I wanted to have an experience in that setting to confirm that goal. From this experience, I want to gain a sense of fulfillment from the work we will accomplish, a growth in my faith, and new connections with the other nine members of LiT, as well as with the churches we are working with.

This week, all ten members of the group are working with the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, mainly assisting with their Vacation Bible School program. Last week, we were split into two groups so it is great to all be back together again to do work. Pastor Raymond Collison, the pastor at Redeemer, is leading us this week and many members of the congregation are volunteering to lead VBS. We have had about 50 children participate so far and it fantastic to see so many young people come to VBS.

I love working with kids so I have really enjoyed working with the children at Vacation Bible School. I try my best to make them feel important and special by sitting down and talking to them right when they arrive and saying good-bye to them at the end of the night. Though a bit tiring, because my energy level is so high for the few hours that the kids are there, it is a happy exhaustion that I feel when the night is finished because I know the we have helped to make the experience fun and meaningful for them.

Tuesday’s theme of the Sky Bible School curriculum was “no matter how you feel, trust God.” Throughout the night I reflected on this theme and saw how relevant it is to the kids that are coming to VBS at Redeemer. These kids are coming from many different backgrounds, arriving at VBS in different states of tiredness or hotness or excitement. Some of them share their home stories that are not so pleasant and we, as “special helpers”, have to really show them that God can help them through anything. Some of the kids even stated that VBS is an escape, a happy part to their day because they do not have to be at home. To know that their night, and our participation in it, needs to be positive because it may be the only positive thing that happens that day really made me feel sad but also happy to be doing something that made such an impact on them.

I never really thought of VBS as that big of a deal before working with both St. Bartholomew and Redeemer, and I am really glad that I have been able to see the amazing experience that it can be for kids. It is such a fantastic evangelism and witness ministry because the kids leave singing the songs, knowing the truth that they can always trust God, and excited to be returning the next day. 

Reflecting on Friday, July 13 Part 2

Name?

Trokon

Age?

18

Church you are member of?      

Elect Saints

Where are you from?

Trenton, New Jersey

Why did you join LiT?

To help people see Trenton’s potential

What do you hope to learn or experience?

I hope to learn how to contribute in a group working towards a better cause.

I was at Elect Saints Lutheran Church for VBS on Friday. I worked with my fellow co-workers Melissa, Kevin, Rachel, and Leela. It was very interesting, because we learned how to buff the tile floor. I felt excited that we were all able to partake in the charity act of cleaning. Another thing that made it interesting was Leela’s  funny stories about buffing the floors at her old school. The hardest part of the day was probably towards the end of our work when were almost ready to leave, but it was probably just the heat getting to me. I saw Jesus in Disguise as us, because we were doing something very selfless with all of our hearts. My previous ideas were challenge by how efficient we were when we worked as one. I say this being that most people don’t do well in groups, but I think we are the exception. I don’t have a Bible verse for Friday but I do remember the movie clips we watched after cleaning. My favorite of all of the clips was the clip when Jesus comes and tells his disciples about their past deeds; which was hilarious because of his sarcasm. Something that surprised me was how blessed I was to see the kids from the VBS like my co-workers. One thing I think we will remember from this summer’s vacation Bible school is one of our young people Jeremiah’s random outburst and cool dance moves.

Reflecting on Friday July 13 Part 1

Name?

Nulah Genue

Church you are member of?      

Redeemer Lutheran Church

Where are you from?

I was born in Monrovia, Liberia

Why did you join LiT?

I joined the LiT to help the youth in Trenton to keep focusing on God and stay put of trouble.

What do you hope to learn or experience?

I hope to learn from others who I’m working with and their view toward the VBS.

Where were you?

We were at St. Bartholomew. We cleaned up and arranged the things during the early afternoon hour and during the evening we witnessed a movie.

Who was there?

Those who were there were Nulah, Catharina, Amanda, and Olivia.

What was it like?

It was fun when we were done.

What was the hardest part of the day?

The hardest part of the day was when Amanda and I were caring the big fan upstairs.

Where did you see Jesus in disguise?

I saw Jesus in disguise when the fan felt apart and the bottom dropped on Amanda but she didn't get cut.  

Reflection: Tuesday July 10

HI! My name is Katrina Andrejco! I am 20 years old and going into my junior year of college. I have lived in the city of Trenton my whole life and I wanted to work with LIT to experience my city through the eyes of my Lutheran peers. I am really excited to look back and reflect on all that we have accomplished this summer.

Today was our second day doing Vacation Bible School at St. Bartholomew (my home church). Only half of the LIT group was at St. Bart, and the other half traveled over to Elect Saints to help out with their vacation bible school as well. It is hard not working closely with some of the friends you have made, but it is great to come back together at the end of the day for devotions to hear about what another church is doing and how two groups of children are hearing God’s word at the same time across Trenton.  I really enjoyed leading the children in learning a very exciting Bible story! The story of Lazarus is always an interesting one, but when you are making it real to elementary students it becomes something very different.

 I have never understood this Bible story or questioned it as much as have today. For example, through all the times that I have read or listened I never thought about it as deeply as I had to for today’s Bible story. I never thought about the fact that tombs were re-used in bible times, and how bad Lazarus would have smelled after three days.  However, what one child brought up something I never thought of before. She asked me, “Why did Jesus not come and help his friend right away? That was very selfish and mean of him.” It was hard to find and answer to that. There is still so much of the Bible that I don’t understand, and I do not know if I will ever understand why Jesus did not come to help Lazarus until after he died, except to bring glory to God. 

I love doing Vacation Bible School; it has to be one of my favorite times of the year.  It is a chance to truly see God through the eyes of his youngest children, and understand the bible from their point of view.  I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings for the children, flying through the SKY with God at St. Bart.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in love, in faith, and in purity.”   -  1 Timothy 4:12

First Day of LiT!

After months of prayerful preparing and planning, the first day of Lit has finally arrived. As part of the Action/Reflection model that will be an integral part of the daily processing for LiT participants, we will be asking each of our ten young adult to be blogging about their experiences as the program goes on. Here is a model/example, a reflection on the very first day of the LiT program.


My name is Lydia Nelson, and I am the associate pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in East Windsor, NJ. St. Paul is not located in Trenton, but we are part of the Lutheran Church cluster of Mercer county. I am originally from the Midwest and lived there my whole life until now, and before we moved to NJ most of the things we heard about Trenton were negative. I am participating in this program to support my colleagues in their work in Trenton and to see for myself what God is "up to" in Trenton.


Yesterday (July 2) was the very first day of our seven week LiT program. We met at St. Bart's Lutheran Church and Pastor Becky from Abiding Presence led some getting-to-know you games while everyone arrived. Together we learned that some of us live in Trenton and some don't, some were born in the US and some elsewhere, some play sports and others are musical, very few of us prefer summer, and one of us knits. Then it was off to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) where we met the Executive Director Dennis Micai. He gave us a tour and then we hopped in line and had lunch. Two things struck me: 1) there were not a lot of people there. Dennis told us that the beginning of the month is pretty slow, though it picks up a lot as the month goes on, becoming full to capacity at the end of the month, when money is the most tight for many families, and 2) It was bright and airy, especially since bright paintings and art from local artists decorated the walls. It was a very cheerful place to be in. I typically picture dark and sad places when I thought about soup kitchens, and TASK changed my perception.

We then drove to The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer to visit with Pastor Raymond and to walk around the area. The whole downtown area seemed to be under construction, so getting there was an adventure all of its own. Once we arrived, Pastor Raymond told us about what his congregation is like and gave us a tour of the building and beautiful sanctuary. Then we got an impromptu tour of the Lutheran Social Ministries building which is connected to Redeemer. They were so excited to meet us, and they showed us a ESL (English as Second Language) class, where we and the ESL students took turns introducing ourselves to one another. It was very powerful to see people from all over the world helping one another learn English, and we were glad to help them practice. We may be able to help LSM in one of the later weeks.


We walked around a bit downtown and saw both vibrant life and boarded up businesses. Our next stop was Crisis Ministry of Mercer County, where the Executive Directer Carolyn Biondi told us about what they do - giving aid both with food and with homelessness prevention programs. Three students from the Princeton Theological Seminary are doing internships there during the summer, plus one AmeriCorp volunteer, and all of them shared with us their passion for helping others. They also shared about how the community reached out to THEM when their building burned down last December.


In the last picture, Pastor Aaron is giving us his own highlights of the downtown Trenton Area.


As will be the pattern, our first day of LiT began with a devotion (morning prayer, scripture, and song), and also ended with reflection as a group and midday prayer. To listen as our young adult participants share such insightful and honest reflections on the very first day floored me - it revealed to me the depth of dedication that this group already has for this project. I can see that God is already at work among them.


As our day came to a close, we sang together a new verse to an old song:


When we're in Trenton, Lord walk with me.
When we're in Trenton, Lord walk with me. 
All along my pilgrim journey, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me. 


Please continue to pray for these brave young people and their leaders. You will be hearing more from them in the coming days and weeks.

Photos from Kick Off Pot Luck July 1

These pictures are from the LiT Kick-Off Pot Luck held at Pastor Aaron's house on Sunday, July 1. Much delicious food was had by all, and the beginnings of the LiT community was formed. 

 Above: Katrina, Amanda, Nula, Rachel, Olivia, Kevin, and Pastor Raymond (Redeemer Lutheran in Trenton)

Above: Trokon, Leela, Genevee, and Pastor Beau (Resurrection Lutheran in Hamilton Square)