The Millstone Times November 2019

PET PAGES Blessing of the Animals “Love is a Four Legged Word” By Pam Teel Pastor Jackie Burgess is an Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church in Creamridge, NJ. She has been serving in churches since 1983. She was appointed as a pastor in the Greater New Jersey Conference since 1992. She came to Emley’s Hill in July of 2015. Her focus is on spiritual development and community building.

Every year the Pastor performs the Annual Blessing of the Animals – Love is a Four-Legged Word, at Emleys Hill United Methodist Church & Green Bough Stables. Emley’s Hill UMC celebrates the Season of Creation in September. This season culminates with a service of Blessing of the Animals on the first Sunday in October recognizing the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. The morning wor- ship is outside with the congregation’s 9:29 a.m. worship and then the Blessing of the Animals at 10 a.m. This year there were nine dogs present at the church for the Blessing. (All are welcome to participate in the worship time.) Four years ago, a church member, Kathleen Beeg, brought Pastor Jackie Burgess to Green Bough Stables to perform a blessing at the stables. Pastor Jackie has gone on to include other farms and stables by request – adding a pig, cattle, ducks and cats to the list of animals blessed. At Green Bough, Beverly& Jim Kenney invited others to their beautiful stable there. The animals and their human partners received Pastor Jackie’s blessings for love, health, and healing in the com- ing year. In all, she blessed 13 horses, 19 dogs, 2 donkeys and a pony and a more than 15 human companions.

The Season of Creation was begun by the Lutheran Church in Australia to introduce a holy season into the Christian Year (like Advent and Lent) that Celebrates God’s beautiful creation, especially in light of the challenges creation is facing globally. It has grown to be a Church-Wide movement with statements of support from the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and many other Communions. The Season of Creation is a special time for the Creator and each other. From September 1 to October 4, Christians around the world celebrate the Season of Creation. Some congregations pray, some do hands-on projects, some advocate. During the Season of Creation, Christians from all over live out their faith to care for creation. The Season has themes for a 3-year cycle. This year the focus was on the Holy Spirit as the Web of All Creation. Their weekly themes were: Animals, Oceans, Storms, and Cosmos. Each week at Emley’s Hill, a member of the congregation shared their thoughts and experiences on the weekly theme. The Season ends with a Celebration of All Creation. Emley’s Hill UMC has the celebration on the first Sunday in October. Emley’s Hill UMC, in the Cream Ridge area of Upper Freehold Township, is a small congregation with a great passion for outreach into the community. The church originally began in 1790 as a part of what Methodists call a 3-point charge with Imlaystown and Clarksburg. It was the smallest of the three. The congregation that began with holding revivals on Screaming (or Hollering) Hill is the only one that remains. (By the way, that’s how their neigh- bors at the Screamin’ Hill Brewery got their name. Their family was part of the original founders of the church) The current building was dedicated on Christmas Day in 1855. In May of 2015, they celebrated 225 years of continuous worship in this building. Emley’s Hill UMC’s outreach includes the Good Samaritan Food Pantry, which is openWednesdays at 5:30 p.m. It has served as many as 200 families in a given year. The Pantry also gives out Thanksgiving Dinners on the Wednesday a week beforeThanksgiving. Their newly created Emley’s Hill Community Crew will be doing outdoor cleanup along the roadways and in parks in the area (look for their neon green t-shirts). The Blessing of the Animals is also a community outreach as Pastor Jackie will come to your farm or stable by request. You can reach her at: pastorjackieburgess@gmail.com. Emley’s Hill UMC also has a Christmas Eve service of Lessons and Carols led by members of Brothers in Harmony (a Barbershop Chorus). They have been sharing half of their Christmas Eve offering with another community need. This past year they were able to help the New Egypt Elk’s work at Camp Moore for children with intellectual disabilities. They have an Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m. in the cemetery, with refreshments following, and an Annual Bazaar on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. UMC is located at 69 Emley’s Hill Road in Creamridge. To find out more about the church go to: http://www.umc.org/find-a-church/church/13878 - follow them on Facebook.

64 The Millstone Times

November 2019