First Presbyterian Church of Hamilton
Square, NJ
▪
3550 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ 08690 ▪ 609.587.3683 ▪ fax 609.587.9459
Pastor, Head of Staff
Andrew Taylor Barton
Andrew, a native of the greater Pittsburgh, PA area, became senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Hamilton Square in 2007. He had served previous pastorates in Newville, PA, Brownsville, PA and most recently an eighteen year pastorate in Woodbury, NJ. He and his wife of thirty five years, Joyce, have three grown children and one son-in-law. The Barton’s used to be campers, but now enjoy their retreat place in Pennsylvania. When not in church you might find Andrew reading while listening to jazz or classical music, watching The Event or a new movie, taking pictures, driving his John Deere tractor at their PA ‘farm’, walking in the woods with Joyce or laughing with his family during a weekend get-together.
.
Moving Forward Pastor Andrew
Just about the time I really felt ready for Christmas, I realized it was already time to take down the tree. Christmas had passed. As I write this I am getting ready for January, unfortunately the month is already half over and it’s time to be thinking about February and Lent and time to be planning for March and Holy Week and Easter. Ready or not, life moves forward, time marches on.
In talking about “being ready” I am not thinking so much about having a schedule planned or having home activities or church services organized as much as I am talking about an inner readiness; making sure my heart is centered and my mind is focused on what I am doing and who I am doing it with.
I could make excuses for my lack of readiness—too many responsibilities, too many unexpected situations. Recently it has been several funerals and added meetings amidst the full holiday schedule that would make good rationalizations. But being ready, being centered and focused happen not on the spur of the moment, but in preparations made long in advance, in spiritual practices observed on a regular basis. I have no good excuses.
Just as an athlete does not run a race without months of training and a pianist does not perform without hours of practice, so in the Christian life, we cannot expect to engage fully in life and ministry without adequate preparation. Readiness comes from consistent prayer and worship, regular Bible reading and study and other Christian practices. If I find myself unready, it means I need to renew these practices in a disciplined way.
Are you ready?
Getting the Word Out
How do we communicate the Gospel to our community and how do we let people know about our church? As we continue to wrestle with how to “market” the gospel and “advertise” the church the following quotes from Christian Century Magazine are quite telling:
"If churches were doing what they're supposed to be doing, they wouldn't need advertising," says Brad Abare. He contends that if churches were more active in the community and addressing its needs, they would grow naturally from the original form of marketing—word of mouth.
Marketing Jesus: "What's frightening about the contemporary understanding of marketing," says Edward Stone Gleason, "is that whatever the product is that is being marketed, its creator will gladly alter and package the product to serve the desires and needs of the consumer. This is not the case when the product is Jesus Christ. Alteration is not necessary, but announcement is mandatory" (The Prayer-Given Life, Church Publishing).
So when it comes to getting the Word out, ministries that address actual needs in the community plus the witness of members in their neighborhoods and among their circle of friends is the best advertising we can have for our church.
Flock Articles
2007
2008 Flock Articles
January, February, March, April, May, June
July, August, September, October, November,
2009
January, February, March, May, June, July,
August, September, October, November,
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June,
July, August, September, October, November,
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June,
July, August, September, October, November,
2012