Princeton Presbyterians to climax 250th anniversary celebration

Two congregations to worship together at McCarter Theatre on Sunday

By: Jake Uitti
   The year-long celebration of 250 years of Presbyterian presence in Princeton will have its grand finale when the congregations of Nassau Presbyterian Church and Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church come together again in worship at McCarter Theatre 11 a.m. Sunday.
   "Our year-long celebration has been about learning, celebrating and lamenting the history that is unique to our congregations," said the Rev. David A. Davis of Nassau Presbyterian Church. "We have forged new relationships and introduced new generations and new residents to our important past. By God’s grace, we look to build upon this full year that we might continue to pursue racial reconciliation and work for matters of justice in our community and in the Princeton schools. As two congregations sharing our Presbyterian heritage, we will continue to seek a unity of voice and service in response to our experience of the faithfulness of God."
   Rick Ufford-Chase, executive director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and founder of BorderLinks, a binational organization that seeks to connect and educate people of faith on both sides of the U.S. and Mexico border, will preach on the day’s theme "Partners in Faith — the Journey Continues."
   The two congregations will celebrate their faith at the joint closing worship service through music, song, dance and spoken word, with Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church’s Men’s Gospel Choir and combined choirs from Nassau, Witherspoon Street and Princeton Theological Seminary.
   The service will also feature a liturgical dance ensemble directed by Maria Potts, as well as the People’s Verse Speaking Choir led by Dr. Cecelia B. Hodges.
   Childcare is available at McCarter Theatre for infants and young children. A boxed lunch will be available after the service.
   "The desire to continue the collaboration between the Witherspoon Street and Nassau churches is very strong," said Benjamin Colbert, co-chairman of the Celebration Steering Committee. "The theme Partners in Faith — the Journey Continues, inspires and directs the congregations of both churches to strengthen its bonds and to do the work of peace, reconciliation and justice for all time."
   The two churches are currently working together to build a Habitat for Humanity house in Trenton and are planning a civil rights pilgrimage for next summer.
   Highlights for the year-long celebration include four hand-stitched banners, created by 28 women from both churches, which represent different aspects of the churches’ shared history, as well as concerts, educational lectures and forums, breakfasts, fairs, parties and trips to commemorate the milestone.
   Throughout the celebration year, each church displayed two of the banners at events connected with the 250th anniversary. The four banners will be reunited at the Sunday service.
   "They will be brought in at the beginning of the service as part of the opening, much like the Olympic flag is presented at that ceremony," said Nancy Prince, co-chairwoman of the Celebration Steering Committee. "Once they reach the stage area, they will be clipped to a bar and all four will be raised for viewing at one time. It is quite a dramatic and moving display."
   Presbyterians began worshiping in Princeton in 1756, when the College of New Jersey, later Princeton University, moved to town. Before then, Presbyterians in this sparsely populated area traveled to Lawrenceville, Pennington and Kingston for services.
   For more information on Sunday’s worship service at McCarter Theatre, call Nassau Presbyterian Church at (609) 924-0103 or Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church at (609) 924-1666.