Blog

Jesus in His Easter Best

By Marvin Lindsay
April 09, 2023
“The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he is girded with strength” (Psalm 93:1). Once when I read this psalm, my mind seized on the word “robe,” and then it went to my old plaid bathrobe I’ve owned for decades now. I ima...

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St. Patrick: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

March 17, 2023
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! (Please celebrate responsibly.) Patrick is a saint because he evangelized Ireland, drove the snakes off the Emerald Isle, and taught the doctrine of the Trinity with a shamrock for a prop. Or did he? A lot of what we think we know abo...

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2023 Cool Congregations Award

By Marvin Lindsay
February 28, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 28, 2023 First Presbyterian Church, Haddonfield, NJ is one of 18 National Runners Up in Interfaith Power and Light Cool Congregations Annual Award for Leadership and Sustainability Interfaith Power and Light Announces ‘Cool Congreg...

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Lent FAQ

By Marvin Lindsay
February 23, 2023
What is Lent? Lent is a season in the Christian year. The word Lent comes from the Old English word lencten, which means springtime. In the northern hemisphere, Lent falls during the spring. How long is Lent? Lent is the 40 days, not including Sundays, prior to Easter....

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The Color of Worship

By Marvin Lindsay
February 09, 2023
Recently in worship, Rev. Nikki noted that the paraments (those pieces of fabric that hang from the pulpit and lectern) had been changed from white to green in honor of the Eagles. That was a joke, and a good one at that! But have you ...

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Everything Is Awful. This One Weird Trick Can Fix It.

By Marvin Lindsay
January 15, 2023
While economists and consumers are worried about inflation, historian and writer Anton S. Cebalo is calling our attention to a “social recession” in the United States. Just about every marker of wellbeing is down. Life expectancy has dropped to 1996 levels. ...

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Bringing Gifts

By Marvin Lindsay
December 15, 2022
The Wise Men—who were they? We don’t know as much about them as we think we do. How many were there? Three? Matthew says that they brought three types of gifts to the Christ child—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—but he doesn’t say how many paid him a v...

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Superbloom

By Marvin Lindsay
December 14, 2022

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The Greatest Journey

By Marvin Lindsay
December 01, 2022
It was so nice of you to ask about my trip to Missouri and back last week. I quickly settled on a stock reply: “No tickets and no crashes.” Even better, my wife and son have now joined me here in New Jersey! The moving van is scheduled to arrive at our new home in Had...

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Stewards of God's Creation

By Marvin Lindsay
October 27, 2022
There is more to stewardship than donating to the church. This week, we are turning the roof of our education building into a power plant! Our partners at AllSeason Solar are installing solar panels on top of the church. We estimate the system will generate more than 63,000 kwh o...

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The How and Why of Giving

By Marvin Lindsay
October 06, 2022
There are many agencies out there worthy of your time and money. Why should the Church be at the top of your list of organizations to support? The Church is unique in this way: only the Church is the body of Christ. In the words of a Presbyterian catechism, “[Only Jesus Chr...

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Missing Hymns

By Peter Leibensperger
January 26, 2021
When I talk to various people in our church of late, I hear some common themes: Our choir members miss singing anthems in person every week to minister to our congregation; our volunteer soloists have missed sharing their talents in worship on a regular basis while the buildin...

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Lenten Devotional

By Anne Vial
January 20, 2021
The season of Lent is around the corner, Ash Wednesday a mere four weeks away. Lent provides the opportunity to focus, contemplate, and reflect. Individually we can use the time to reorient our sense of purpose both in the church and in the world. As a community, we can do the...

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Heavenly Reassurance

By Kris Bean
December 15, 2020
The Christmas Season has always been a time of immense joy for me. It has always brought a sense of peace to my life. I am trying hard to make that the same this year. There are so many things going on in December. Advent, my mom being hospitalized, Becca’s birthday, our ...

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Making Beautiful Music Together - The COVID Way

By Peter Leibensperger
December 01, 2020
Over the past few weeks, our church has shown two music videos in worship that were created by our five vocal choirs. The first music video primarily features our children and youth choirs singing “God is Here Today” by Tom Trenney. In the last verse of...

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Advent, Version 2020

By Anne Vial
November 25, 2020
When the lockdown began last spring, we were in the midst of Lent. Many commented then on the appropriateness of our COVID isolation to a season of contemplation and sacrifice. On Sunday this week, we begin the season of Advent. In most years, this time of year can take on ...

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Speaking the Truth in Love - Coming in January!

By Rev. Nikki Perrine Passante
November 05, 2020
I am writing to you early in the morning on Day #3 of the presidential election. I am NOT going to talk about anything related to the election, to the current state of affairs in our country, et al. What I want is for us to focus on the things that we can control. A...

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Time Like an Ever-Rolling Stream

By Anne Vial
October 27, 2020
I have always liked the way hymn writers of bygone days describe time. The imagery depicting God’s time is expansive, making the span of both eternity and history a degree more comprehensible: When we’ve been there &nb...

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In Praise of Spiritual Disciplines

By Rev. Nikki Perrine Passante
October 20, 2020
Just this last week I took a week of study leave – a reading week. This accomplishes a number of things. It allows me to process all the conversations I’ve had, names I’ve tried to remember, and sit down with the details of people’s lives and actually a...

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Faith of Our Fathers

By Peter Leibensperger
October 13, 2020
Perhaps, one of the most regrettable parts about losing a parent when you are young is that you are robbed of those “adult” conversations—the conversations that you just aren’t capable of having at age thirteen, or eighteen, or even twenty-five. My moth...

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Life Cycles

By Rev. Dr. Doug Gerdts
October 09, 2020
I just spent most of the previous two weeks attending an interim ministry training. It's the second of three parts toward certification as a Transitional Pastor and required six days of eight hours of Zoom engagement. (As a side note, I now have profound empathy for stud...

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2020 - An Uncomfortable Opportunity

By Rachel Davis
September 29, 2020
2020 has been an uncomfortable year to say the least. In mid-March, the rhythm of our lives was abruptly disrupted beyond anything most of us could have imagined due to COVID-19. Not only was our congregation not able to congregate, we also said goodbye to our beloved Pastor ...

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The Rest of the Story - Acceptance

By Rev. Nikki Perrine Passante
September 22, 2020
As I look around my living room it’s kind of a mess. There are political signs waiting to be assembled, cardboard boxes stacked up beside piles of toiletries, clothes, paper goods – all things to send to Oregon to my stepdaughter Isabella. Because of covid-19 a...

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Connecting Structural Racism and Mass Incarceration

By Paul Urian
September 15, 2020
Editor's note: Many thanks to Paul Urian for contributing this week's blog post. Periodically over the coming weeks, guest writers will share information and expand the discussion of First Presbyterian Haddonfield's commitment to the PC(USA)'s Matthew 25 initiative to dismant...

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Walking the Labyrinth

By M. Elizabeth (Betsy) Westermaier
September 08, 2020
Walking the Labyrinth The Labyrinth is not a maze but a single path. The way in is the way out. ...

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Read Any Good Blogs Lately?

By Anne Vial
September 01, 2020
Blogging is a popular way for organizations to shape their message and personality. For readers, they are a way to hear thoughtful voices expressing shared concerns. What are the blogs – or podcasts – that are meaningful to you? Share any you recommend by emailin...

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What I've been reading since arriving in Haddonfield!

By Rev. Dr. Doug Gerdts
August 25, 2020
Other than the riveting history of the town, This is Haddonfield, from which I quoted in my first sermon, I’ve read a few other books which are representative of my interests! 1. The Age of Eisenhower by William Hitchcock (2018) Given that I'm a child of the 1950s,...

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Stephen Ministry – Is It for You?

By Rev. Nikki Perrine Passante
August 12, 2020
When I began the interview process with you all in October of last year, one of the many things that became clear to me was this church’s desire for Stephen Ministry. I will share freely to anyone who will listen: It will be my greatest joy to work with you all to bring...

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Smoothing Life's Roller Coaster

By Anne Vial and Ed Hess
August 05, 2020
Ed Hess hangs out at the church a lot – not as much these days, of course, but still his work goes on. If you happen to see him, he is likely to be collecting and/or distributing coats, backpacks, food, and water to neighbors throughout Camden County. Ed wears two hats ...

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My Love/Hate Relationship with a Garden

By Mark Cole
July 28, 2020
Gardening has become a major part of my life during these past eight years. I relocated to the “Garden State” from Central Pennsylvania with a vision of hopes, dreams, and high expectations. Little did I know that no matter the best laid plans…life doesn&rs...

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Way Beyond My Comfort Zone

By Kris Bean
July 21, 2020
When Nikki said we would all take turns writing a blog, I smiled and nodded my head. But my palms started to sweat and I had butterflies in my stomach. I am not one for putting my thoughts into words, so forgive me in advance. By definition, a comfort zone is a psychologic...

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Gratitude

By Rebecca Mannion
July 14, 2020
In one of my favorite books, One Thousand Gifts, the author Ann Voskamp thoughtfully deconstructs the word Eucharist to help her define the principle of gratitude. Voskamp refers to the passage where the term Eucharist is found and it reads, “He took the bread, he gave ...

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Radical Kindness

By Anne Vial
July 07, 2020
Radical kindness. I have been leaning on this phrase as a sort of shield against the period of social vitriol we slog our way through these days. “Kind” is often used as a mild, watered-down version of “generous,” as a delicate action without oomph. I a...

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Facing Uncertainty with Curiosity

By Rebecca Bryan
June 30, 2020
COVID is a thief. As 2019 ended, I was anxious about 2020…for how busy my calendar was going to be! I was just starting a new position at Rutgers; my consulting business, through which I offer training on how to become trauma-informed, was taking off too. I was schedule...

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Harry Potter Got Me Through Quarantine

By Gabrielle Heimerling
June 23, 2020
Harry Potter got me through the first few months of quarantine. Let me explain. I am a big reader. I love adding to my “to read” lists and adding completed books to my “read” list. I love to talk about books, read book reviews, get book recomm...

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Uncomfortable Prayers

By Peter Leibensperger
June 17, 2020
What is the most difficult prayer for you to pray right now? The answer to this question likely will be different for everyone, and I’ve been reflecting on it quite a bit lately. I think of Jesus’s prayer in the garden, “Yet not as I will,...

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You Are Mine

By Nancy Ruth Wainwright
June 09, 2020
What do you hear in your head, especially in this time of pandemic, isolation, death, and violence? I have to limit or even shut off news and commentaries; I cannot process or handle the enormous negativity and fear-inducing reports. At all times, I am grateful for words remi...

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What is the FPCH Staff Reading?

By Anne Vial
June 04, 2020
Whether we make it to the beach this summer or are still hunkered down at home, nothing beats reaching for a good book to help us reflect, to rouse our spirits, to give us a laugh, or to make us feel connected to worlds nearby and far away. With the simple instruction “T...

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We reach out to you...

By Anthony Sharp
May 28, 2020
Anthony shared the following poem during worship on May 24, 2020. Thank you, Anthony, for all the gifts you share! We reach out to you, our dear heavenly friend so much of this world we cannot comprehend Viciousness verses vulnerability verses virus We pray for a reality ...

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The Rest of the Story - Speak Truth in Love

By Rev. Nikki Passante
May 19, 2020
“The Rest of the Story” How do we learn to speak truth in a world that doesn’t recognize it? One of the most important facets to speaking truth is to do it in love. Ephesians 4:15 says ‘But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in eve...

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On the Cusp of a New Season

By Nadia VanderKuip
November 26, 2019
Today we are standing on the edge of a new season. Today is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday in the liturgical calendar, the church’s New Year’s Eve if you will. It is a relativity new addition to the church calendar, if you consider ...

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When I Am Here with You I Am Home

By Judy Grantham, "Stewardship Moment," Sun., Nov. 10
November 13, 2019
In the little song “I am the church!” The children sing… The church is not a building; the church is not a steeple; the church is not a resting place; the church is a people. When I look at you I see the church, the vibrant, beloved body of Christ. ...

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The Second Mountain

By Bill Getman
August 06, 2019
Dear Family of Faith Members, In his book The Second Mountain, David Brooks reflects on the nature of commitments today. He accurately observes that we have many choices - too many choices - when it comes to the ways in which we devote ourselves to work, play, personal health, s...

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First Presbyterian Church
OF HADDONFIELD

20 King's Highway East, Haddonfield, NJ 08033
(856) 429-1960

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