First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown

We hope you all know that the soldiers in Afghanistan are fighting hard for us. They are trying to make friends with the children in the area, but the children are scared of the soldiers. They have asked us to send hard candy for them to give out as a gesture of friendship and peace. Bring in your hard candy and place it in the box in the Narthex (no candy that will melt or go bad). Danielle Devlin and her 3-5th grade class is doing this for the children of Afghanistan so that they are not scared. We’ll be collecting candy through the end of May.

This activity has caught the interest of the local press.  Read more at CentralJersey.com

In case you either missed the videos taken during the recent mission trip to Ghana that were shown at Mission Trip Sunday or want to see them again, they are available on YouTube.

Children Video

Clinic Video

Partnership Video

Our group has arrived safely home and have lots of stories to tell. Come hear those stories on Sunday, March 13 at 10:30 am.

Children in Kindergarten through 8th grade are invited to join Farmers Against Hunger to glean apples at Summer Hill Orchards on Thursday, September 9. Two years ago, 1,500 lbs of apples were gleaned and last year, we topped the scales at 3,000 lbs.

Farmers Against Hunger gathers the gleaned apples and takes them to a church in Trenton. The apples are then shared with eight other inner-city churches that distribute them to people in their surrounding communities. We will meet at the church at 9:30 am. After gleaning we will enjoy a barbaque.

Be sure to RSVP to Mary Maleski at (609) 448-0055 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to ensure we have enough hot dogs and cookies for everyone.

We are happy to tell you that the members of our adult mission trip to Ghana returned home last Sunday and all are well. They had a very successful trip. They are going to share their experiences with the congregation during worship this Sunday, March 7. Please note that this is a change in schedule. Come join us on Sunday and share in the memories, photos and experiences of our mission trippers. They are anxious to tell you their stories.

The offering for One Great Hour of Sharing will be taken on Sunday, March 28th.  Here is a link to a calendar from PCUSA that is a good thought provoker as you go down your journey of deciding how much to give to this worthy cause.

Thanks From Your Mission Committee

I want to thank you in advance for your offer to support the First Presbyterian Church's mission trip to Ghana. As you probably know, over 540,000 women die in childbirth every year! This is often due to issues resulting from fistula and poor birthing practices. It is hard to think that there are places in this world where a child can lose their mother simply because they did not have access to a routine doctor visit. In a modern world where we have technology, why do so many die needlessly?

This year the First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown is sending 10 adults to Ghana to help with a maternity clinic. We believe that this mission trip is going to really make a difference in the lives of expectant mothers in Africa. We will be on mission the last week of February. It is not often that we are given a chance to change a community in such a dramatic way.
Not only can we think of the lives a clinic like this will save, but we can also think about the families that we will be able to keep healthy and intact. However, as you can see in the photo, a lot of work still needs to be done! They hope to be ready to roof by the time we arrive in February.

While in Africa, because of the skills of those going, we will not just be working on the clinic, but will also be working on training, teaching nursing skills, agricultural skills and much more! By our witness of work and love we will truly make a difference in this community.

How can you help?

Saturday, January 30 - Come to Dinner at 6:00 PM!
Not only will you feast on a wonderful meal, you will hear interesting facts about Africa, be entertained by the noted illusionist, Gary Filson, and you'll try to outbid your neighbor on fantastic Silent Auction items. It's a night that's not to be missed! The community-wide dinner will be held on Saturday, January 30, at 6:00 PM in Fellowship Hall at the First Presbyterian Church.

We would appreciate your support by coming to this event ($20 per person or $50 per family suggested donations), providing a Silent Auction item, or by making a free-will donation to our mission. Anyone donating a Silent Auction item will be mentioned in our dinner program. Tickets to the event are now available - call the church office at 448-0055 or pick them up at church after worship from any member of the team. We're Ghana Make a Difference! T-shirts will be available for a $20 donation. Place your order now.

Thank you again for your offer to help! It will make such a big difference. Your donation will help us aid many expectant mothers in Africa live past childbirth to raise happy and healthy babies.

Rev. Bryan James Franzen

Just a reminder that the next planning meeting for the Adult Mission Trip to Ghana in late February will take place Thursday, September 24 at 7 PM in Fellowship Hall.

If you are considering going on the trip or would like to know more about it, please join us.  Feel free to call Bryan. Franzen or email him at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any questions prior to the meeting or if are interested but cannot come Thursday night.

The Western Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana is located at the Western part of the Republic of Ghana.  The Presbytery stretches between two Regions - Central Region (beginning from Mankessim, Cape Coast, Assin Foso, Twifo Praso) and the Western Region (excluding Wassa Akropong and Sefwi area).  The total population for the political districts within the Presbytery is about two million (2,000,000) and cover an area of approximately nineteen thousand, four hundred and six (19,406) square kilometers.

In order to build a strong Presbytery, the Presbytery Council led by the Chairperson, Rev. W.N.B. Appiah is seriously working in the areas of evangelism; income generating projects such as sachet water production and large-scale poultry farming to strengthen the Presbytery's financial base; educating members through the publishing of newsletters and periodic workshops, etc.

Missionary work in the Presbytery is very demanding yet interesting and we look forward to partner any foreign church to share in the area of cultural and spiritual exchange and any other area that would be beneficial to both..