LiT Book!

This summer we are also reading a book together and talking about it, and this time we are reading Rob Bell's new book What we Talk about When We Talk about God. We've already discussed the first four chapters, and next week we will be talking about the rest. YOU can join us in our discussion if you've read it by leaving your comments. Here is a summary of the book:

New York Times bestselling author Rob Bell, whom the The New Yorker describes as “one of the most influential Christian leaders in the county,” does for the concept of God what he did for heaven and hell in his book Love Wins: He shows how traditional ideas have grown stale and dysfunctional and how to return vitality and vibrancy to lives of faith today.

Pastor Rob Bell explains why both culture and the church resist talking about God, and shows how we can reconnect with the God who is pulling us forward into a better future. Bell uses his characteristic evocative storytelling to challenge everything you think you know about God. What We Talk About When We Talk About God tackles the misconceptions about God and reveals how God is with us, for us, ahead of us, and how understanding this could change the entire course of our lives.

July 23 - Sweating for God

Today wasn't very exciting, but it was productive. We spent the day at the Elect Saints Trenton
location packing stuff onto a truck for storage and cleaning up, getting the building ready for sale. One
part of the day that was kind of exciting was watching the guys move the piano from downstairs to the
truck. By exciting, I mean terrifying. Still, by some miracle they got it up the stairs with no one getting
seriously hurt.

-Rachel

Singing about God's love

Today, July 17^th, we began our day of LIT by taking a tour of Resurrection Lutheran Church.  Pastor Nelson gave us an overview of the church; he explained the church’s mission as well as providing insight about its congregation.  We were then give an assortment of different assignments and off to work we went.  Despite the heat, Kevin and I worked together and trimmed branches of a tree growing into the parking lot.  Ed and Alexis worked on cleaning the various windows of the church and the rest of the group helped package food. 

Sweaty and feeling accomplished, we headed back to St. Bart’s for our third night of VBS.  Tonight our overall theme was that trusting in God helps us to stand strong.  The kids were taught the story of Jesus’ death and of his resurrection.  They made crowns during the craft and were given a delicious dinner consisting of chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and green beans (even though many kids passed on these).  At the end of the day we learned a new song called "the crazy song."  It got the kids excited and moving around.  It was really amazing seeing and hearing kids so happy while singing about God’s love.

- Matt

July 16 - A day full of friends

Our Day at LIT started bright and early at Mercer Street Friends in Trenton, NJ there we spoke to the Supervisor of the Program who gave us a very detailed over view.  She explained that Mercer Street Friends is non-profit organization that was started by Quakers and is now funded by the state and other private donations.  Mercer Street Friends has an Adult Learning Center which helps people work towards a GED and help get them job-ready. They also work with children (they have a daycare), they have various food banks and they help provide home health care for the elderly.

After getting the run-down on how everything works, we were to put to work.  We bagged over 75 bags of food for families. After we bagged food, we headed back to St. Bart’s for the second day of VBS. The theme of the day was "Family and Friends helps us Stand Strong."  We used the story of Queen Esther and the King, and how Esther stood for her people and through her they were saved.  My favorite part of the day was hearing the kids reflect on the day and how to see how they really understood the story and related to the story.

 - Alexis

July 15 - a Visit to St. Mark's and VBS at St. Bart's

A new week started for the LIT, and we continued our journey visiting the rest of the Lutherans churches in our cluster. That afternoon we stopped by to visit St. Mark's in Hamilton, which we met Pastor Linda Thurston. We had our daily midday worship her and then she showed us around the building.  She talked about when she stared worshiping there St. Marks and their mission statement/goal of the church. We the LIT asked a few questions about the church and more about the community that she worships at.    

After leaving St. Marks we went to start our first day of VBS and St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church. We  helped out cleaning and preparing the food for the VBS kids that were attending that afternoon. We did songs with the kids, played outdoor games, snack time, and story time with. The first day was fun and we  learned a few things from the VBS program. After all was done, and the kids went home we had our daily evening prayer, and we went home for the day.

-Ed

Experiencing Creativity in Trenton

After meeting at St. Bartholomew and having out morning devotion, we started the day learning about a new kind of prayer. Pastor Aaron gave the eight of us a short lesson on “how to practice Lectio Divina.” This was of praying is done by reading a short passage of the Bible in a slow manner so that you can reflect on something that stuck out to you in the reading. We read the story of the good Samaritan, since most of us were familiar with it and could really pick a part that stuck out to us. As Pastor Aaron read the story to us, we closed our eyes and reflected in silence. The passage was read three times to really give us a chance to think about it and hear new things to focus on each time.

           

Today was also the last day of VBS with the Elect Saints congregation. When we concluded out lesson we drove over to PA for Vacation Bible School. When all of the kids arrived, we broke off into our groups according to age and had an overview of what we had talked about that week. Since it was raining and not the nicest day out, we had to come up with a couple inside activities. For our closing meal we had chicken and rice that was cooking in a Liberian sauce - that was really good.

            

For our last stop on a Friday evening we went to the 24-hour art show in Trenton. As we walked through the building there were many wonderful painting of people in a more abstract design. When we made our way through the building we were introduced to the man who ran the showing and he escorted us out to the side where they were constructing a garden with old, non-usable materials. It was really interesting to see the way they were taking things that seem to be useless and transforming an area with them to make it beautiful. Seeing a very different way to help the area through art really stuck out to me. No many people are familiar with the art scene in Trenton so it was great to see how it can make a difference for a small area.

- Kevin

July 11: Pure Joy

Today, we first met at St. Bart’s to do morning devotion and some prep work for next week’s VBS. We made decorations and did a lot of painting. We then headed over to Elect Saints to do "park day" at their VBS. Today’s was held at the old building, because the congregational meeting for the other church in their new building was tonight.

While we were waiting for the kids to arrive, a game of shuffleboard started up. Pastor Aaron and Kevin played against Lauren and Matt. After some of the kids got there, Lauren and I played a round of Cups with one of the young kids. We were all impressed with how fast he could go. (For those who don’t know what Cups is, you can find a large number of videos on YouTube).

Once most of the kids were there, we took them to the nearby park. We had basketball and a kickball game going, while most of the younger kids played around on the playground. There were a few minor injuries, but the weather cooperated and the kids had a lot of fun. For dinner, they had hot dogs with chips and lemonade. The lemonade was very refreshing after spending the evening outside trying to keep up with a bunch of kids.

There was one thing that really stuck out to me today. There was a seesaw on the playground, and the kids all wanted a turn. Most of them didn’t have legs long enough to reach the ground, so we had to manually rock it back and forth from the middle. The squeals of pure joy that came out of some of those kids reminded me of my own childhood, and how I used to find joy in simple things like that. It made me think about how we lose that as we grow older, and has made me resolved to let my inner child breathe a bit more.

- Rachel 

July 9: Weeding and Spaghetti

Today, July 9, 2013 was a fun day for all of us in the LiT. We stared out the day at St. Paul's church on Hyw 130. Their  sanctuary is beautiful and full of natural light. The rest of their church is full of functional and flexible spaces. We learned about their church community and about the many wonderful pastors who have spent time during their education helping run services at this very friendly and generous church. While we were there, we also spent some time weeding in their beautiful Memorial Garden.


On our way back to St. Bartholomew we had a minor car adventure. Matt's car sounded like it had a flat tire but when we pulled over to fix it we were perplexed when all the tires were intact. Only after a few circles around the car to double and triple check the tires did Matt notice a warning light on his dashboard. Apparently his traction assist and/or his Brake Assist System encountered and error. Once we looked in the owners manual we made our careful way back to St. Bartholomew's.

Then we helped Elect Saints with their Vacation Bible school which went much smoother then the day before as we actually were able to put together a plan of action. For dinner we served the children delicious spaghetti with sauce made by Alexis' brother. YUM!! The spaghetti was a great hit and we ended the day with a closing prayer and discussed some T-shirt design ideas as well as our plan for the rest of the week.


Stuffed with yummy sghetti,
- Emma

Monday July 8: "Let the children come"

 Today was a very long but amazing day. First we spent the first part of our day at Living Waters (Lutheran Church) in Ringoes. Living Waters is a Mission Start Church and is a beacon of light and acceptance in a community that sometimes can be closed minded. After getting a tour of the church, Pastor Lee talked to us about some things LiT could help with this summer. She has a great idea for us to come back and work on a service project with the youth in her congregation. Of course there is always weeding as well, something we started working on today. Working with LiT, it is always important to remember that you are serving God no matter how small or unimportant your task may seem. Weeding is a great way of showing your love of God and the environment! And Living Waters looks better after we had put in a half hour of weeding and bonding. 

After the tour of Living Waters we drive over to Elect Saints new location in Moorisville (PA). We helped with running their Vacation Bible School. It is very different from what I am used to at my home congregation, but it was a blessing to see so many young children ready and willing to hear the word of God. The first night of VBS is always hard as the children to get know the adults and the adults get to know the children, and tonight was no different. We were all tired at the end of the day; however, all of us were filled with the spirit as we look forward to more weeks of Vacation Bible School. It is always joyous when you see the light of Jesus shinning in the eyes of children.  And of course no day of LiT or Vacation Bible School is complete without pizza!!!

 “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” – Matthew 19:14

- Katrina 

The Lutherans in Trenton 2013!

Hey guys! I’m Alexis from Elect Saints of, Pa.* I’m 19 years old and a sophomore at Mercer County Community College, majoring in nursing. I’m from Trenton, born and raised. Today (7/2/13) was my first day of working with LiT. I decided to join LiT because last year, two members of my church did this program and told me about how much fun it was, and so I said, why not? I never thought my first day of work could be so much fun! Even though the road trip made me kind of tired, once we got into conversation I was wide awake. It was especially fun finding out how many things we all have in common. The most inspiring part of the day was walking on the beach. The moment when I felt God’s presence was when we were walking on the beach and this couple, I assume who live in the neighborhood, greeted me with a smile, instead of looking at me a certain way! That kind of made my day!

*Elect Saints Lutheran Church until recently was located in Trenton but has since moved across the river into neighboring Morrisville. They currently still have a relationship with the NJ Synod.

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Hello everyone, my name is Edmond. I’m 19 years old and worship at Elect Saints Lutheran Church in Morrisville, PA. I was born in Trenton NJ. I’m attending Buck Community College, which is located in Bristol, PA. I’m part of Lutherans in Trenton 2013. I decided to join LiT this summer to learn more about God, meet new people, and help out around my community. During the program I hope to learn more about faith and have a stronger relationship with God. I like to experience new things, get to know people, and enjoy working with others.

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Hi! My name is Katrina and I am an alumi to the LiT program. Last year I had such a great time working in the city of Trenton and the surrounding communities that I could not think of a better way to spend my summer. I currently live in Trenton and attend St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church. During the school year I live in Ewing as I finish up my senior year at the College of New Jersey. I hope to have a job teaching history in an urban high school next year, and I believe working in the community of Trenton and with the youth of Trenton, I will gain a larger understanding of the difficulties people encounter and the prejudices people have about an urban environment. These things will aid me in my future classrooms and in aiding my students in overcoming the obstacles in urban living.

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Hi, my name is Matt. Since before I can even remember I have been a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Hamilton. I live close by in Bordentown and in the fall I will be attending my freshman year of college at Valparaiso University in Indiana. There I will be studying mechanical engineering. A few weeks ago I began wondering how I would spend my summer. One day, while walking through my church, I found a poster advertising a job with the organization Lutherans in Trenton, aka LiT. I read the poster and was immediately hooked. Here was an opportunity not only to secure some financial stability before college, but to help those who need help at the same time. From this job I hope to really learn more about people who may be different from me and to also to grow spiritually. I truly believe this is an opportunity to both help others and learn more about who I am.

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Hey LiT! My name is Kevin, and you make have read some of my posts last year since I am returning for my second year of Lutherans in Trenton. I am a 20 year old psychology major and will be a junior at Springfield College in MA. I am from Plainsboro NJ and attend Prince of Peace Lutheran Church where I have attended all my life. I am back working for LiT because I would really like to help this program grow because I had a really great experience last year.  I hope this year I will continue to learn how to help others have the same experience I had. This year is looking great already so I hope you follow along!

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My name is Lauren and I am a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in East Windsor, NJ. I have been a resident of Robbinsville all my life and continue to live there while I’m not at school. I attend the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and will be a sophomore this coming fall. I have yet to decide in a major. I decided LiT would be a great opportunity for me after one of my pastors – Pastor Lydia – suggested it. I decided that I would really enjoy getting the chance to explore my own community in a way that I had not been able to before. Simultaneously, I would have the chance to make a great new group of friends that I could share this experience with. I hope that I will be able to accomplish these two goals – a hope that I think is very possible considering the awesome people I have met so far in LiT.

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My name is Emma, I am twenty years old. I belong to St. Mark Lutheran Church. I have lived in the Hamilton area my entire life. I attend Marywood University in Scranton, PA where I study architecture. The reason I chose to apply to LiT was because I enjoy helping people. I also hope to develop strong relationships with the people I will have the pleasure of working with this year. The bonus to this job is that service will look good on a resume. I hope to have wonderful experiences this summer in getting to know my fellow LiT members as well as learning more about the community I live in and doing what we can to better it in any way.

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My name is Rachel. I attend Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Princeton Junction. I am 21 years old and have lived in Hamilton NJ all my life. I go to school in Chicago where I major in music at North Park University. I was in LiT last year and decided to return because of how great that experience was. Also, working in church is what I want to do when I graduate, and it is such a great way to gain experience and make connections. This summer I hope to really get into the community and help in whatever way I can. I also hope to truly renew the knowledge of how blessed I've been so that I can set myself aside and be a blessing to others.

2013 LiT Kick Off Retreat, Day 1

Hello! My name is Lydia Nelson, and I am one of the pastors of St. Paul Lutheran Church in East Windsor. I am one of the local pastors who is involved with the Lutherans in Trenton project (I am "in charge" of this blog and I will be facilitating this year's book discussion). I am not from around here - Wisconsin is where I was born and raised, and I spend my college and seminary years in the Midwest as well. I decided to be part of LiT because I am dismayed by the tension between facts and opinions people have about Trenton. From living here for almost two years I have learned that this is a hurting city with people doing their best to get by, abandoned by their dysfunctional government, abandoned by the rest of the state, and too often abandoned by its suburban neighbors. Jesus didn't command his followers (us) to help only the people we like or who are like us - Jesus calls us to serve where we are planted. And for now, Jesus has planted me just outside the city of Trenton, NJ. This summer, I hope to see and experience this city more deeply, and also get to know a group of dedicated young people of faith.

Our LiT experience began (July 2nd) with an overnight retreat on Long Beach Island, thanks to the generous hospitality of Zion Lutheran in Bernaget Light. We listened to one another and shared with one another - we found many surprising similarities along with some interesting differences. We bring a rich amount of life experiences to the table. Together with Pastor Aaron of St. Bartholomew's in Trenton, who lead the retreat, we covenanted with one another about how to behave during the summer. But the day was not just all about the hard work of community and trust building - we took a field trip out to the beach and waded in the ocean and had pizza for dinner. The coolness of the air at the beach was so refreshing, and I felt so relieved to be out of the humidity at least for a little while.

Due to my own obligations, I was sad that I had to leave that evening, but I can already tell we have a very special group of young adults who are eager to be servants. God is going to use them to do some really great work this summer, and we ask that you would pray for them for the next six weeks.

During that time, you will be reading their reflections on what they are doing and experiencing. Please feel free to comment, sharing prayers or encouragement. LiT 2013 has officially begun!

God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
Psalm 46:5