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SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Beloved Kingston pastor retires

By Mary Brienza, Staff Writer
   The Kingston Presbyterian Church was close to capacity Sunday with more than 300 church members, guests and well-wishers attending a service commemorating the retirement of the Rev. John Heinsohn and his wife, Shirley, after 36 years leading the congregation.
   ”(The) time was right (to retire),” said the Rev. Heinsohn, 65, from his new Nazareth, Pennsylvania, home Tuesday. “(It is) good for the church; (it) needs younger leadership.”
   The special service filled the historic church on Route 27 with people, music and laughter during the afternoon celebration reflecting on the pastor’s achievements during his almost four decades of service.
   ”(This was) a happy ending to a great career,” church member Linda Williams said. “(It was) a wonderful service.”
   During the celebration, the Rev Heinsohn and his wife were presented gifts that included a pillow, a poem, a photo album, a sketch of the church from 1973, a music score, an item signed by past and present members of the church and a quilt that was made by 125 family and friends.
   ”The quilt was the big event,” the Rev. Heinsohn said. “It represented the families in the church.”
   Members worked on the quilt for almost a year and had the names of almost all the families in the church, the Rev. Heinsohn said.
   The church, which is almost 300 years old in the historic village, was founded in 1723 in a log cabin near the Millstone River, according to the church’s website.
   ”Kingston Village is divided between three counties, (which) presented challenges for community unity,” the Rev. Heinsohn said. “(Churches are) part of (the) unifying forces for the village.”
   The Rev. Heinsohn was one of the first members of the unique Kingston Initiative organization in 1995 that approached the governing bodies of the communities that set their boundaries through the village.
   The organization, now called the Kingston Village Advisory Committee, presented the Rev. Heinsohn with its Community Service Award for helping to unify the village and address the quality of life issues with the townships of South Brunswick, Franklin and Princeton, committee member Ann Zeman said.
   ”(Rev. Heinsohn) made Kingston a better place,” Ms. Zeman said. “We held many of our early meetings in this church.”
   Ms. Zeman also said the Rev. Heinsohn was one of the members of the Kingston Historical Society and helped get some 200 acres of open space for a greenbelt surrounding the village.
   One of the highlights during his term as pastor was his involvement in starting two new churches to serve other growing ethnic communities of Taiwanese, Hispanic, Korean and Japanese worshipers.
   ”(One of my fond memories) is being part of the establishment of two new churches — (Taiwanese/American Fellowship Presbyterian Church and the Iglesia Presbiteriana Nueva Vida, the Hispanic Congregation),” the Rev. Heinsohn said.
   Allen Hwang, of North Brunswick, who is a member of the Taiwanese/American Fellowship Presbyterian Church, was a guest at the celebration and said he could remember the early days of those new churches.
   ”We used to share this building to worship in 1974,” Mr. Hwang said. “This was our host church between 1974 and 1984.”
   Church member Nancy Wright coordinated the celebration and tried to include as much of the Heinsohns’ accomplishments as possible.
   ”(There were) 50 people working with me,” Ms. Wright said. “He was a wonderful pastor.”
   She has been with the church since 1970 and has known the Rev. Heinsohn “since he came in 1974,” she said.
   The speakers during the service were chosen for a specific purpose, Ms. Wright said.
   The first speaker was a seminary intern, the second was a youth in the church, the third had a mission aspect, the fourth showed the ethnic congregation, and the fifth showed “pastors have spouses” who have an informal and important job in the church, Ms. Wright said.
   David Ridell was the speaker who was a youth in the church and spoke via Skype from France during the service.
   ”(It was) nice to hear David Ridell from France,” the Rev. Reinsohn said. “(I) thought it was great.”
   Nathan Jones, 27, of Plainsboro, wrote the “Anthem for Celebration” especially for this service, he said.
   The choir director asked if he would write a piece, and he wrote the piece based on a text from the first book of Corinthians in the Bible, he said.
   ”(I) try to do my best for John and Shirley,” Mr. Jones said.
   During a reception following the service, volunteers served food to those attending in the crowded downstairs room.