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Newsletter February 2025 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: Several years ago, I preached a sermon at First Pres in which I encouraged us to keep the fourth commandment: “Remember the...
Pastor Bruce
Jan 312 min read
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Newsletter December 2024 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, Christmas is typically experienced as a day and a season filled with great joy! But that is not how everyone experiences...
Pastor Bruce
Nov 30, 20241 min read
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Newsletter November 2024 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, Recently, a First Pres member asked me, “What do we mean when we say that we are a Matthew 25 congregation?” Good question....
Pastor Bruce
Oct 30, 20243 min read
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Newsletter October 2024 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear First Pres., I am pleased to share with you that we will conduct our annual Stewardship Campaign during the month of October,...
Bruce Ballantine
Sep 30, 20242 min read
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Newsletter September 2024 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, In July, I was privileged to attend a seminar, Gratitude in Worship and Preaching, at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand...
Bruce Ballantine
Aug 30, 20242 min read
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Newsletter June 2024 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, It's been said that lessons learned as a child will last a lifetime. When I was a child, my mother began each day with a...
Pastor Bruce
May 29, 20242 min read
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Newsletter May 2024 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, I’m sure you’ve heard by now that First Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood is a Matthew 25 Congregation! In Matthew 25:31–46,...
Pastor Bruce
May 2, 20242 min read
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Newsletter March 2024 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, One of my favorite verses of Scripture is Psalm 119:105, which reads: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my...
Bruce Ballantine
Mar 1, 20242 min read
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Newsletter February 2024 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends: I am pleased to share with you that during its May 2023 meeting, our Session made the decision that First Presbyterian...
Pastor Bruce
Jan 25, 20241 min read
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Newsletter December 2023 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, I daresay that for most people, Christmas is eagerly anticipated as a time marked by festive gatherings of family and...
Bruce Ballantine
Nov 30, 20232 min read
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Newsletter September 2023 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
Dear Friends, What a joy it has been to celebrate the bicentennial of First Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood, NJ during 2023! The mere...
Pastor Bruce
Aug 31, 20232 min read
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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
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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
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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
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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 27, 20231 min read
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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
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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
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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
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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 30, 20222 min read
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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
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