The Voice of FRC-Summer 2025
- Tricia Gambaro
- Jul 24, 2025
- 10 min read
The Franklin Reformed Church
973-667-7022 Church Office
From the Pastor’s Desk
So, the Lord God formed a creature from the dust of the ground breathed life into the lungs of the earth creature, and the earth creature became a living being. The Lord God took the human being and placed the human in the Garden of Eden in order to have the human work it and guard it. Genesis 2.7 &15
Like some of you I have been reading Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental
Farmhand by Jeff Chu. Jeff talks a fair amount about composting in this memoir by a
New York city journalist who goes not only to Seminary as a gay, Asian man, but to
the Farminary, which is owned by Princeton Theological Seminary and worked by
My own composting story is short, and a bit sad. In the summer of
1983, I was finishing my first year at PTS, while Martin was working at the Richmond
Town Restoration on Staten Island. I applied for a summer position at Richmond Town,
as an historical interpreter. You might have encountered such an interpreter at one of
various historical sites in and around our area. I dressed in the style of a 17th century
Dutch wife of the town basket maker. What I loved most about that summer was
cooking over an open fire and in a beehive oven. To stay historically correct, I
decided that instead of contributing to the garbage heaps of New York City, I would do
what any good Dutch wife in the 1600's would do, I dug a pit for the kitchen refuse.
There are rules to composting. Who knew? Now I know that to compost for
reconstituting rich loam for the garden (thankfully I didn’t have to plant a garden!),
you need “brown” refuse, “green” refuse, light, heat and air. What I ended up with was
a pit crawling with maggots, and yes it was gross! So, I filled the pit back in with dirt
and opted for the NY Dept. of Sanitation.
But as Jeff comes back again and again to the compost pile at the Farminary, I
discovered some interesting parallels to it and theological thinking. Stay with me!
As the farm’s vegetative refuse is piled, it is pleasant neither to look at nor smell.
Every two weeks or so the pile needs to be “turned.” Under that first level, is often a
mess of bugs inhospitable to most humans. Going to the next level there is heat, and
further down death beyond any semblance of life, although here bacterial life is still at
work. Finally at the bottom of the pile there begins a process (if all is done correctly) of
the “refuse” becoming humus - a rich additive for the local soil. Life springs, literally,
In the second story of creation, yes there is a second one in Genesis 2, God creates a
creature out of the “dust” of the earth. Most probably in that area of the Levant (which
literally means east, as in the Mediterranean coast east of Italy) it was red clay. In the
Hebrew scripture this creature is called “ahdahm” literally a red man, or as one
interpreter referred to it, the dustling. The root of this Hebrew word is “dmm” or “ddm”,
which means to begin or produce.
After receiving the lifegiving spirit, the air, the creature comes alive! And God gives this
creature, made of the “refuse” of the earth, a job or maybe better said a vocation or a
mission. “... to work and guard” God’s good garden. Early humans were mostly hunters
until about 10,000 years ago, when agrarian cultures began to form around actual
Now when I first started thinking about this summer series about Creation Care,
I thought I was going to be encouraging you all to take care of this amazing creation, you
know recycle, reuse, reduce. But what I have found for myself and have shared in the
weekly messages onSunday mornings, is that we have, in some ways at least, lost our awe
of the creation itself. As I mentioned early on in the series a friend of mine is writing a
Substack called “Paying Attention,” which is all about the things in the natural world that she
intentionally pays attention to every day.
Over the weeks this summer I have also begun to pay attention to the creation. And indeed,
it is amazing, or as I have come to understand it, miraculous! And as I have attended to this
amazing cycle of life, I am more focused on how I can take care of this good gift.
I am grateful to be living this experience, for being directed to linger and watch and
learn about the cycle of life and death and new life. So, I am inviting you to join me, to
consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air that God so deeply loves. And in so doing to
begin anew, for some of us, to understand the preciousness of the natural world among which
we live.
This and That
From Pastor Jill: My apologies for the lateness of our Summer issue of The Voice of FRC.
Life, ministry and school have intervened! The deadline for the September newsletter is August
31st.
At the Annual Congregational meeting this year, the Consistory brought three scenarios
for the future of the congregation. Copies of these are available through the church office.
Basically, they are: Sell the church campus and relocate the ministry. Partner with another
church(es) or a nonprofit organization. Distribute our assets and request the Classis to dissolve
the congregation and return the buildings to the Classis. The Consistory depends on the
feedback of the congregation as we move towards a decision. Speak to any member of the
Consistory or join us as we will dedicate the first half of an hour at our Consistory Meetings in
August and September to this topic. We do want your feedback!
The Consistory will meet next on August 3rd, after worship.
We will have a second, special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, October 12th, after
worship. At that time the Consistory will update the Congregation on how each of these
scenarios is currently unfolding. A reminder that only Active Members are eligible to vote
at Congregational meetings. If you do not know your current status as to church
membership (active, inactive or an adherent) please be in touch with the church office,
and we can clarify your membership status.
Generally, Communion occurs on the first Sunday of each month, unless otherwise
decided by the Consistory. We will celebrate communion next August 3rd, and on
September 7th.
Discovering God, our Adult Christian Education program, will gather again
on September 14th to choose a theme for the 2025-26 learning year. Some of the topics
under consideration are stories of Joseph or Jacob, the letters to the churches - the Epistles,
Paul’s missionary journeys, food in the Bible, the roads that Jesus traveled, conflict and
conflict resolution in the Bible. Join us on the second Sunday in September and help us
choose!
Join us for a movie night on Saturday, August 2nd at 7pm. We will be viewing “The
Biggest Little Farm” a documentary about John and Molly Chester’s acquiring and
establishing a self sustaining farm, Apricot Lane Farms in Moonpark, California.
The movie is 90 minutes long. Bring a snack to share; cold beverages will be provided.
Hope you will join us.
Our book study this summer is Good Soil: The Education of
an Accidental Farmhand by Jeff Chu, a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the RCA.
We will gather on two Thursday afternoons at 4:00pm for 90 minutes of discussion.
The first session will be on Thursday, August 7th and the second session,
on August 28th.
The RCA in partnership with the Christian Reformed Church in Northern America,
produces a quarterly newsletter called “Breaking Barriers” and deals with disability
issues in the church. If you are interested in receiving this newsletter by email, go to
rca.org and look under “Publications and Media” or type “Breaking Barriers” into the
search line. The form to subscribe is at the bottom of that page.
We want to assure folks that the new doors for the east side of the Community House
have been ordered. When they arrive, our contractor will schedule a time to install them.
It takes a church! I am grateful to God for all those who have lent a hand, taken on a
task and shown their commitment to the ministry of our congregation over the last
month:
• Jainie, Tricia, Pastor Jill, Lin, Loretta, and Gail who delivered Welcome Kits to Camp
Sunrise this year
• Those who have assisted in making sure that the trash and recycling goes out for
pick-up
• Jim T. who looks after the Cemetery
• Robert W. who continues his father’s legacy by tending to the church buildings
• Those who attended the internment of Rafael Gonzalez
• doorjam for their ministry of music in Ocean Grove
• Consistory members who have agreed to extend their terms on Consistory one year
to provide consistent leadership for this time of transition.
We are celebrating the 170th Anniversary of the founding of this congregation in 2025-
26. Currently we are planning a Quilt Show and Open House, a Sunday School Reunion in
the summer months, with a picnic - Jeff reminded us that the Sunday School, established
prior to the Church, will celebrate 200 years of learning in 2025, a field trip to the Van
Bunschoten homestead in Sussex, NJ, an Anniversary Dinner, and doorjam’s Christmas
Concert. If you are interested in helping to plan any of these events, and we do need your
help, please be in touch with Pastor Jill or any member of Consistory.
As a reminder: except for Elders meetings, all church gatherings are open to every
member of the Congregation, including Consistory meetings. If you are interested in attending
any gathering that is announced, contact the church office for more information. Consistory
minutes and financial reports are always available upon request.
Tuesday Morning Bible Study: Tuesday Morning Bible Study has completed their study of the
book of Joshua. We will return to our regular schedule on September 9th and will be studying
the book of James in the New Testament.
The 2025 Flower Chart is posted outside of the Sanctuary. The flowers may be given for
special occasions, birthdays, anniversaries, in memory of a loved one, etc. The cost for each
Sunday is $30. Jeff G. handles the orders. While blessing us with beauty on Sunday mornings,
the flowers are given to a member or friend of the church after each worship service. They go
with our prayers for those who receive them. If you know someone who might be blessed by
receiving the flowers, please let Jeff know.
The RCA General Synod made decisions in 2022 regarding the annual assessments.
Each congregation is being assessed according to a percentage of their annual income, as
opposed to the number of members that we record with the denomination. The Classis of
Passaic Valley and the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics have made a decision to do the
same. We are grateful to those who have made their contribution towards the assessment
amount in 2024. Assessments for 2025 are $137.00, or if you use the 3 Assessment
envelopes in your box set it is $46.00 per envelope.
From the Historian
In recent months I have come across typewritten articles written by Frank B. Speer as
well as the first report made by Rev. John S. Lott in 1860: "This congregation, which has been
planted by the right hand of the Lord, and which in previous years has received his special
approbation, has not, during the past year, experienced evidences of his converting grace.
We have lately been permitted to welcome only one into the fold of Christ. But we rest in
hope. Prospects are encouraging. During the past six months the attendance in Divine services
has been gradually increasing. There is a marked interest and attention manifested in the
Sabbath exercises. Some, we trust, are inquiring for the ways of salvation. The Sunday School
has lately received large accessions; and we hope that the seed sown there during former years
will spring up and bear abundant fruit. We have encouragement temporarily as it is shown by
increased contributions, and the spirit for erecting a church edifice."
In 1860 the congregation had 48 members, 50 families, and gave $20 to Domestic
Missions. The groundbreaking was in April of 1861. The cornerstone was laid on July 9, 1861.
Frank Speer reported that the cost of the building was $4,000 and wrote: "The erection
proceeded slowly because of the economic conditions brought about by the Civil War. The
basement was first used January 17, 1864, at 3:30 p.m., the upstairs not being completed
until 1866. The congregation numbered 45 at that time."
"Out of Past" - Recollections of Rev. Stuart's daughter and Ernest Lionel Broadbent:
"Mary Stuart played the organ - Ernie Broadbent sang tenor in the choir. Harry Cueman
pumped the organ with a handle from the music box extending to the hallway in the rear of
platform - this was about 1893. The pumper after Harry was Frank Speer who acted as Cupid
sitting between Mary and Ernie on the platform while the sermon was being delivered - each
wrote notes in the hymn books and Speer delivered them back and forth - The "Him" that Mary
liked best was Ernie - still does. The first musician in the Church was John Van Winkle who played
violin and lived at Passaic Avenue and Kingsland Street. There was a flute in the choir at times.
Christian Endeavor was held on Sunday nights in the basement before Church - not having any
place to go after Church either Stony Day or I would go in the furnace room when Cal
(Calvin Tuers) went upstairs to ring the Church bell."
The June 25, 1925, Franklin Reformed Church Bulletin informed the congregation that the
Consistory had accepted the resignation of Mrs. Ernest L. Broadbent after so many years as a
faithful organist. At its June meeting, the Consistory had unanimously adopted a resolution
on behalf of the congregation with sincere appreciation of her services.
From the Hart
I’m calling it the Vacation That Almost Wasn’t (spoiler alert: it turned out just fine). Last
month I traveled to London with my college friend, Carol, for a cruise through the British Isles.
I was so excited to be able to go after all my medical issues. We got to Newark Liberty and
through Security just fine. But when our flight was called, my passport was nowhere to be
found. They would not let me on the plane, and they would not let Carol get off. I saw my
vacation disappear before my eyes as I frantically pawed through my carry-on bags. Security
did not have it. I was sweating profusely. By the time I located it under the chair I had been
occupying, the gate was closed, and no amount of pleading would change that. So, Carol took
off for Heathrow, and I waited four hours for the next flight. I am happy to report that the
next two weeks were delightfully trauma-free, and we had a really good time. But I will never
forget my 15 minutes of absolute panic!
Have a great summer and see you in September!
Lin
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