top of page
Search


Newsletter June 2023 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, As I flew home on Monday, May 22, I reflected on my 10-day journey to take part in The National Evangelical (Presbyterian)...

Pastor Bruce
May 29, 20233 min read


May 2023 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, Early this year, I was invited by The Outreach Foundation to make a second trip to Lebanon and Syria. Not long after that,...

Pastor Bruce
Apr 28, 20232 min read


Newsletter April 2023 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: As some of you know, one of my favorite poets is the late Ann Weems, who during her life was called by some the poet...

Pastor Bruce
Mar 29, 20231 min read


Newsletter March 2023 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, I am pleased that after two years of Lenten Suppers Minus the Calories (that is, Lenten Supper Worship via zoom), this year...

Pastor Bruce
Feb 26, 20231 min read


Newsletter February 2023 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: I am excited to share with you that Rev. Butros Zaour, Pastor of the National Evangelical Church (Presbyterian) in...

Pastor Bruce
Jan 27, 20232 min read


Newsletter January 2023 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: Celebrating 200 Years of God’s Grace and Glory As you know, 2023 will be an exciting year for First Presbyterian Church of...

Pastor Bruce
Dec 30, 20222 min read


Newsletter December 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, Recently, as I’ve glanced at my December calendar, I’ve been reminded that once upon a time in the days before COVID, here...

Pastor Bruce
Nov 29, 20222 min read


Newsletter November 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, Nineteenth-century English poet John Keats once wrote: “Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced.” I discovered the...

Pastor Bruce
Nov 1, 20223 min read


Syria Day 7: Not Much of Anything
by Pastor Bruce Ballantine Thursday, October 20, 2022 The previous day had been a long one. The Outreach Foundation Team which is...

Pastor Bruce
Oct 21, 20224 min read


Newsletter October 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, As you know, we will celebrate the bicentennial of First Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood NJ in 2023. As we prepare to mark...

Pastor Bruce
Sep 29, 20222 min read


Newsletter September 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, As we make our way through life, inevitably we face situations which cause us to fear. At times, fear can be understood as...

Pastor Bruce
Aug 26, 20222 min read


Newsletter June 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, While the word lazy has a negative connotation, I cannot help but look forward to the lazy days of summer. For many of us,...

Pastor Bruce
May 28, 20222 min read


Newsletter May 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, This month, I’ve decided to use this space to write a stewardship article, but not the kind of stewardship article you...

Pastor Bruce
Apr 30, 20222 min read


Newsletter April 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, During the early days of the pandemic, when it was not safe to gather, our worship services were pre-recorded and made...

Pastor Bruce
Mar 28, 20222 min read


Newsletter March 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, Four years ago during Lent, we created a midweek worship service combined with a simple meal. During its early years, the...

Pastor Bruce
Feb 21, 20221 min read


Newsletter February 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: As January gives way to February, I think of Valentine’s Day. And of course, Valentine’s Day makes me think of love. The...

Pastor Bruce
Jan 24, 20223 min read


Newsletter January 2022 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: As I sit down to type my first First Press article of 2022, I am reminded of the practice of adopting New Year’s...

Pastor Bruce
Dec 30, 20213 min read


Newsletter December 2021 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: It was a number of years ago, a few days before Christmas, and my mom wasn’t feeling well. So she went to see her...

Pastor Bruce
Nov 26, 20214 min read


Newsletter November 2021 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: As he often does when writing to the churches, the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the Philippians with words of...

Pastor Bruce
Oct 26, 20212 min read


Newsletter October 2021 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Consecration Sunday Is Coming: Sunday, October 24! Congregations which approach financial stewardship from a biblical perspective do not...

Pastor Bruce
Sep 27, 20212 min read
bottom of page