Little Falls School No 2 Nj: Fill & Download for Free

I spent fifteen years as a pastor in a mainline denomination. Here are some of the factors.1: Collapse of Christendom in the United StatesUnlike Europe, The United States never had a state church. However, Protestant denominations were given a fair amount of deference, especially on the local level. Retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and other places of entertainment were closed on Sundays via municipal ordinance. Educational curriculum reflected the Protestant world view. Clergy were given a tremendous amount of deference. If the local clergy association objected to a proposal for a nightclub or bar it wouldn’t happen. Similarly, denominational leaders maintained decency standards in movies and television. The director of admissions of the seminary I graduated from had previously worked as a network censor in the 1960’s and was instrumental in getting The Smothers Brothers taken off the air.The peak of mainline Protestantism in the United States was the thirty year period after WWII. Business and civic leaders tended to worship in the mainline congregations in their towns. While many did not attend every Sunday it was rare that a college educated professional did not belong to and contribute to a congregation. In the town I grew up in — an affluent suburb about ten miles west of Newark, NJ — people used to joke about “the three P’s” that were the mark of the upper middle class distinction: Princeton, Prudential and Presbyterian. If a twenty-something was a Princeton graduate, a junior executive at Prudential insurance and a member of the Presbyterian Church he would be tapped for membership in the exclusive country club and leadership in civic organizations regardless of how humble his family origins might be.In the period between 1965 and 1985 Christendom began to collapse in the United States. It didn’t happen everywhere all at once. But town by town, region by region, things like Sunday blue laws and public prayer come to an end. You could see a movie and get a drink at a bar on a Sunday afternoon. By 1985 it was no longer a cultural expectation that respectable people attend worship on Sunday. Denominational affiliation was no longer a factor when it came to choosing a spouse.2: Protestant Churches failed to adapt to the post-Christendom contextThe period between 1980 and 2000 was characterized by denial on the part of clergy and lay leadership in mainline Protestant congregations and denominations. Worship attendance began to fall. However, endowments and the giving patterns of people born before 1940 kept the institutions afloat. Also, worship attendance among baby boomers in the southeastern and south central regions of the US helped bolster denominational coffers which furthered the denial on the part of denominational leadership.Most mainline congregations continued to worship in facilities built between 1880 and 1930 with inadequate parking and huge maintenance costs. They did little to no evangelism or outreach beyond the sign in front of the building stating the time of worship. Most of these congregations continued to worship using the “bulletin order of worship” that was developed in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Most of the hymns used in worship were composed between 1880 and 1930. Rather than engage directly in mission most mainline congregations were content to send money to denominational headquarters where mission agencies engaged in mission on the congregation’s behalf.3: Competition From Non-denominational ChurchesThe period between 1980 and 2000 saw the rise of innovative, non denominational churches. These congregations ditched the bulletin, the organ and the committees in favor of multi-media, praise bands and inclusive teams. They met in modern, attractive facilities with off street parking. They ditched the dress code. Most mainline clergy who wanted to bring such innovations to their congregations were met with stiff resistance from people born before 1940 and denominational polity that mandated a committee structure.4: Towns that once supported five mainline congregations can only support twoDespite these changes there are still people who prefer mainline Protestant congregations. College educated, non-fundamentalists, professional people still prefer mainline Protestant congregations over their independent counterparts IF they attend church and send their children to Sunday school. However, that number is far smaller than it was in 1965 and there is little denominational loyalty as most people in this group are open to attending any mainline congregation regardless of which denomination they were raised in. In most towns only the largest congregations offering the most programs thrive. Mainline Protestant congregations thrive in affluent towns but struggle in working class and rural communities. There is more competition today for a dwindling constituency.Edit: From some of the comments it is apparent that many do not know what mainline Protestantism is and is not. We are talking about denominations like the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian, Reformed, Lutheran, United Church of Christ, United Methodist and American Baptist churches that trace their lineage to sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. These denominations are not fundamentalist, require their clergy to obtain both a bachelors degree and a Master of Divinity. They do not have a literal interpretation of The Bible and see no conflict between faith and science.

Trigger Warning (School shooting)…I won't specify much other than its something more modern, not as innocent language wise, and underspoken of on this answer…It is from my point of view, but some parts are real while others are made up.2015:Dear Diary,Today I got you from a school sale. Its for the Schoolastic fair. Since it was my birthday a little bit ago, I had money to spend.I am in fifth grade now, Mrs Palmeri is my English and history teacher. Ms Stacknik is my math and science teacher. I'm not really sure what to write in here, so I'm just going to write whatever!Oh!! Before I go do my homework, I got into Student Lighthouse and I think Abby and Clara are mad. We had to write an essay during english (or was it history) last week. I also am soooooo super close to getting my first star in School!Bye Diary! SarahJuly 2015:Dear Diary,My new sister was born today! Her name is An- Anastasia Cierra! She weighed 5 pounds 15 ounces my mommy said. She's so tiny but so adorable!!School is over until August, but I got my star!!! I put it in front of the computer room.I'm going to go swimming now! We're at my moms friends house and my brothers, sisters, and I are swimming with their son.Bye!July 2016:Dear Diary,I haven't written in so long! I lost this and a lot happened. In October, my grandpa died, the day before daddy's birthday too. Easter Monday Grammy died, then May Second Cassandra died. Its been a really hard but fun year.I was in student lighthouse again for sixth grade, but I was also on the WIG team, Dismissial Announcer, Tour Guide and something I forget. I also got four more stars put on my tile from last year! I spoke at Leadership day and Ms Linzenbold kept it a surprise for me. Ooohhh she also selected me to speak for the Moving Up Ceremony! I got Honors in Reading and Math, and I got the William D Scott Memorial Student Leadership Award! My parents said they were proud of me! Justin never got that many awards, and neither did my other siblings.I really miss Cassandra. Emily doesn't play dolls with me the right way. She's soooo boring! Anastasia is turning One July 27th though, and my mom.said its going to be a big party…a sad one though…Bye!June 2017:Dear Diary,I'm in seventh grade now and I'm on B Team- well finishing up seventh grade. I've done a lot in school this year, but guess what!? I was in “accelerated math" which was where the gifted students were on A team.I did Bear Swamp (puppet show, both days), Trout in the Clssroom, and I even did PALs for a quarter! Science with Mrs Utess is so much fun!!!!We did these “Team Awards" today and I was given two of them. The first was a “Hardest Working" Award for the B team, the second a compost bin for “Always going to Science class with a Positive Atitude! “ Brooke was not happy but oh well! I was also given an honors certificate for Social Studied and Science.Bye!!!!!!!!!!May 2nd, 2018:Dear Diary,So I'm in eighth grade now, and I was just inducted into the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)! I'm the first in my immediate(not step) family! It was so exciting, just kind of bittersweet as today makes 2 years since Cassandra died.I have all her old teachers again on S team. Mr Wher is my favorite- he's the English Teacher. I did PALs this year, but stopped for keystone prep the last quarter. I'm really upset about it, WoodTech is boring! The best part about it is having Carina in the class, we've known each other since fourth grade.I'm taking French I this year, and its the only cass I ‘ll have a final for until next year in high school.I have to go, my mom wants to take pictures!May 2019Dear Diary,Its been a year since I wrote in here. I'm finishing up Freshman year and I wanted to highlight a few moments-Quarter One: started Honors Biology and got like a 71 on the first test; final quarter grade- 85Quarter 2: In December, we took our Evolution test and prior to that, I was doing really bad in the class. I got a 99% on the Evolution TestI started Envirothon for ForestryEnded Quarter 2 with a 95 in bio :)February: I tested to place on a team for EnvirothonI made it on team 2April: I went to NCCD Enviothon (AKA County)My team came in secondTeam one came in firstI had the fifth highest forestry scoreMay: Keystones! I'll update with the scoresWent to State envirothon with my schoolJeffery never did his work; everyone was glad I was going anywayWe came in 12/64!My forestey test score increaded by 10%; these are college level testsUpdate- I have the scores for the keystones….Algebra- Advanced.Literature- 14 stupid points away from advanced; ProficientBiology- 1600 out of 1800 :) AdvancedSo this year has been great, I'm about to finish bio on the wall of acheivements for an overall 90% average….Edit- So… I got a 100% on my final ecology project, 90% on essay part of final, 90 something on the pratical, and 100% on the scientific journal Article (one of three). I ended the course on the wall with a 93%, highest in 2nd block!November 25, 2019I'm typing this while we're on a school lockdown… I'm hiding in a science classroom that I was in for Envirothon. We have dodgeball for all who want to go, and I'm in my old bio room for Envirothon. We were playing trivia.Okay, I stopped typing after here, I was too scared to keep on.As I was answering a forestry question, we heard the fatal announcement from the teacher and school secretary moments later: “Guys, run to the back. We're under a real lockdown.” from the teacher; “ Attention Students and Staff, we're currently under a code red interrior lockdown. This is NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL"It was my worst fear come true. I scurry to help barracade the doors since there are only ten kids or so and I know the lockdown procedure in this room. The teachers, Veronika, and I are all rushing to barracade while we hear gunshots down the hallway. The lights are off and we're all trying not to cry.We finish barracading the doors as we hear the sounds get louder. At this point, the teachers, Veronika and I all rush to the lab tables away from the door, the one with metal lockers on the other side.We all start panicking. The teachers each have young children, the students are witnissing their greatest fear come to a reality. My brother was with most of the school in the gym, my cousin God only knows where she is.As we're trying not to be seen, we hear the door next door open. I look at Mr H and Mr T, we all share a knowing look with Veronika. The teacher next door was out sick… We can only hope the barracade holds true.Not even ten minutes pass of us all hiding in groups of two to four at lab tables, huddling together, trying not to have a panic attack, and we recieve a notice on Mr H and Mr T's iPads: “The intruder is on the opposite side of the school, one floor down. EVACUATE ASAP SCIENCE ROOMS"We share the news amongst ourselves, and exit from the room next door. Luckily, no students were there. We rush down the stairs right next to Mr H's room down to where the gym is. We all assume they left and don't stop.We run out the school when I fall and feel a searing pain in my leg. Ignoring it, I keep running. Mr H and I know exactly where to go so we lead the way. We run and run until we reach the wooded path winding behind an elementrary school.We all stop and regroup once we are there. Mr T takes a quick role call, and we're all there. We rest for a minute to check for injuries, and it seems as if Veronika, Annabelle and I are the only three injured, and thats just from falling at some point during the run.Determined to keep going, we quickly finish wlking the path and end at the Middle School where everything goes black.I woke up in a hospital bed in a room with Veronika and Annabelle as well. It wasn't the ICU or anything, our parents requested we stay together for now.We do all have broken legs and concussions though. The other two girls have not woken up yet, but I do wake up to see Mr H and my mom talking….This may not have been as childdish as you all may want, but its still relevant. School Shootings are all to common in America. I should not be going to school in fear of being killed by a shooter.Everything leading up to November 25th is true. Yes, my school hosted in school dodgeball then, but thank God we were all safe in school. This is perhaps my greatest fear, yet I also feel safe hiding in a science room in case an intruder were to enter. We have chemicals for chem and microscopes for bio. Not to mention tons of broken glass…I wrote this to raise awareness for Gun Violence. The other week, or month, there was a threat to a school. It was thought to be my school, but it was a NJ school. My friends and I were terrified for our lives. I didn't go to school that day and neither did most of my class/school~Sarah 🍂🍁 [I can't get the DNA from my amazon device I'm using :( ]

I was pelted with sharp rocks in 6th grade.It was right after 9/11. I grew up in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood in NJ. When we first moved to that town, I was in 2nd grade, we happened to have an apartment in a rather racist and trashy neighborhood. But anyway, as a kid, you don't realize these things, all you care about is making some friends and having a good time.This proved to be very difficult for me at first, I had a bit of an accent and I was the only "brown" kid in the complex we lived in. But after a few months, a few fights, eventually I became really good friends with the kids in the neighborhood.Gradually, my friends realized I was different, I couldn't date girls, didn't eat pork, couldn't watch certain movies with them, and every once in a while had to run back home to pray - which confused the hell out of them btw. But even with my quirks I eventually was fully accepted, or so I thought I was.Fast forward a few years, they say everyone remembers exactly where they were when a major tragedy occurs. I was in 6th grade, taking a little bit too long getting water at a fountain in school, when all of a sudden my best friend turned the corner. I can almost remember his exact words "Kareem! Dude did you hear what happened to the twin towers?!?" When I said no he said, "Man, they went krrrrrwwww and fell straight down after an airplane crashed into them." I was too young to fully grasp what happened, so I went back to class, but the funny part is that I clearly remember my friend laughing about them falling down and how he excitedly continued on his way.I had no idea that my life would never be the same again.I went home that night, my parents are immigrants and we didnt have cable tv so we weren't aware at the level of animosity Muslims were facing. But by the end of the day we were getting calls from family friends and we realized that people might not be so taking so kindly to our identity anymore. I still had no idea that anyone could blame me or express hatred towards me for something I had nothing to do with, something that I in fact hated. Schools were closed for a couple days, so I spent the next day or two (I can't remember) at my parents laundromat.Upon returning to school, the differences were immediately tangible. At the bus stop, I walked up to my friends, as I usually do, and as I approached them, they turned and looked up at me and then screwed up their faces, and turned their backs to me. Remember that friend at the water fountain? Yeah, he was the ringleader. So, I thought it was a prank, I kept trying to joke around, ask them why they are doing this, but they kept ignoring me. The bus came, I was pretty sad and sat by myself, trying to think what I did wrong. I still didn't put 2 and 2 together. I don't think I had ever experienced discrimination before so I just thought they were being, I don't know, weird?When I got to class, it was a very solemn setting. The home room teacher tried to explain to us what happened. The principle came on the loud speaker and said a few words and we had a moment of silence. Then the bell rang for class but my teacher asked me and another kid to stay behind for a few minutes. I didn't think anything of it. She said to us, "Listen, I just want to make sure you two are okay, and that no one is bothering you or bullying you about 9/11. It's not your fault what happened and if anyone says or does anything to you, (and this part she said it fiercely, passionately) you come and tell me right away."She said it with so much care and warmth, but I laughed it off and told her don't worry no one has done anything to me and that I'm not worried about that, that I have a good relationship with everyone. Anyway, the rest of my classes were uneventful, on the bus ride home, my friends were still acting weird, and it was at this point that I started to suspect that maybe this was what my teacher was talking about earlier.The bus dropped us off, I saw my friends heading to the neighborhood sandlot, I dropped off my bag and headed to the park. I went there with the intention of figuring out what the hell was going on with them. As I approached the sandlot, I saw them flailing their arms and yelling something at me. I remember at first nervously laughing because I thought they were actually calling to me, y'know maybe it was just all a big prank, but not totally sure. Until I got closer, I could make out what they were saying and it was a lot of cursing and terrorist.I was embarrassed by what they were saying, there were people walking around, I turned red and I kept going towards them because as a kid, the worst feeling is to feel singled out - and I acutely remember thinking I don't want these other people to see me as a loser who is not accepted by these guys. Stupid kid thoughts you know? Because right then, they turned violent.It was the escalation that surprised me. And I don't really know how to describe the crushing moment where the only friends you have in the world, start pelting you with rocks, chasing you away from them, trying to physically damage you. The physical pain was compounded by my subconscious understanding that these people were totally rejecting my identity. They hated me.I don't know when I started crying but as I was running away, trying to avoid the 6 kids catching up to me and throwing rocks, I saw a middle aged lady running towards me. She was screaming and cursing at them to back off. They yelled back at her saying I'm a terrorist and other things. She embraced me and I completely broke down in her arms. For, what seemed like a really long time she just held me, patted my head, and soothed me, telling me that everything was going to be fine. Telling me that none of this was my fault.I never told my parents, my sisters, or anyone else what happened that day. Mostly because if my dad had found out, I think he would have done something outrageous and if my mom had found out she would never have let me hang out with them again. That's the funny thing about all this, even after that, I still wanted to reconcile and be friends with those kids. I had no character. This inferiority complex still made me want to be accepted, to have my identity accepted.A few weeks later my parents store was vandalized and they couldn't afford the repairs, they didn't have insurance. Also, the business took an extreme turn for the worst, no one was coming to the store anymore. Customers adopted the hatred the world had for Muslim people. I remember the car we had defaulted payments for was removed from in front of our home one morning. One of the nights we had missed public transportation and couldn't afford a taxi, had no one to get us back home so we ended up sleeping on the floors of the laundromat - my baby sister took the couch.We had no relatives in the United States, no support, and so when I tell you that we sold equipment that was originally bought for few hundred thousand dollars - a loan from my fathers family back in Egypt - for $5K you can understand why this was the lowest point in our lives. I felt like the entire world had turned against us. After we closed up the shop, my father picked up a few paper routes which he would take my mom and sister with him to help him successfully complete the deliveries on time because of the enormous volume he needed to deliver in order to keep our family off the streets.Somehow, we were fed everyday, and somehow we still managed to have a pretty great time. Eventually my friends made up with me. As the years passed the things they had hated me for, they praised me for. For example, when all of my friends became addicted to drugs, or were throwing away their lives for the pleasures of partying all the time - during highschool - everyone kept saying how proud they were of me for keeping to my principles and values.The irony of the story is that down the road two of my friends ended up wanting to learn more about Islam and as a result they ended up taking on the oath of faith. Now, I am not mentioning this to make Islam seem triumphant. In fact, I respect all the good religions in the world. I think any sort of faith that is positive and peaceful can be such a profoundly positive force of good in the world. But what I am hoping to underscore is that, this thing that at one point, their ignorance and emotional short sightedness propelled them to absolutely vilify, to the effect of wanting to inflict pain upon their friend - they found this thing, for them, to be a most honorable way of life.This story started with two skyscrapers that tragically fell in NYC. And with those two towers fell also my identity. Today I'm an architect building skyscrapers in NYC. With every tower I build, with every little positive impact I hope to have on those around me, by servicing this country through my profession, I hope to continue to reinforce and build my identity. Because with each passing day, I feel more and more American, and hopefully this is just one little way in which racism, bigotry, and hatred can be overcome.