Good morning, all. I'm Susan Scherer, and I am happy to greet you today
on behalf of the Membership/Communications
Committee here at Rutgers. Our purpose is to welcome visitors and new members
into our fold and to nurture and support existing family members. Our
committee is small but enthusiastic, and some of them may even be sitting near
to you. They are: Ruth Munson, Roger Franklin, Alexandra Yu, Elinor Bowles,
Jackie Carpenter, Beverly Thompson and stand-ins at-large, including So Young
Lee and Jeremiah Rosario.
One of our favorite missions is to coordinate with our Pastor, Dr.
Shafer, the membership inquiry sessions where those who have expressed an
interest in our church and wish to learn more about Rutgers and the Presbyterian
Church gather together to ask questions and share their own experiences in their
journey of faith. We have in fact held two series of these sessions this year;
in April, at our Saturday night vigil service the day before Easter, we happily
welcomed seven new members: Sheila and Jon Smith, Jennifer and James Finn,
Nicole Byrns, Lloyd Spencer, and Debra Gryte. We are hoping now to receive a
few more new members in a very special service next Sunday, Oct. 17th.
In tandem with this joyous event next Sunday will be Membership's OTHER
favorite event: Invite-a-Friend Sunday. I would ask every one of you now to try
something for me. Close your eyes and imagine our very closest friend in all
the world sitting next to you on your RIGHT in the pew. Okay. Now
keep your eyes closed and imagine sitting next to you on your LEFT someone with
whom you have recently had a misunderstanding, a falling out, or an outright
fight. (Don't worry; that person has her eyes closed too and is probably
imagining you on HER left, in which case she would be outnumbered.)
Okay, so here you are with your very best friend on your right and a recently
disappeared one on your left—a sort of gathering of conflicting souls, perhaps
not unlike the United Nations or Yankees/Red Socks games or the presidential
debates. What to do?
This is what I would encourage you to do. First, open your eyes... I would
like you to bring that very close friend here to the Rutgers Church service next week.
But wait!!! I also would like you to bring that recently departed friend, you
know, the one on the left. Perhaps he could meet the one on your right (if he
hasn't already). Perhaps reconciliation will follow, or at the very least, an
interesting friend sandwich, with you in the middle. I, for one, would like to
meet all the sandwiches.
Which brings us to the Luncheon Reception, immediately following coffee hour,
on the Fifth Floor, where ALL of you can partake of yet more sandwiches.
In closing, I paraphrase from Psalm 84 that we all, as the Rutgers Family,
indeed may say: "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts." And I leave
you with the not-so-familiar words of Selma Lazarus, less famous sister of Emma,
who said: "Bring us your friend and neighbor, sister, brother, kindred heart,
and also your sad, your fed-up, your marginalized, down-hearted and grumpy."
We love you still, and we want you back with us. Make it next Sunday.
Let us close in prayer (from Daily Word, Oct. 10, 2004):
Dear God,
Looking into the world, we hold a generous, loving view—one that assumes and
expects the best of others, of ourselves, and of situations. With our vision
spiritually focused, we see only the highest and best within all people and all
things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.