Rev. William Stell

William Stell graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in May 2016 and began serving as our pastor two months later. Before studying at Princeton, he lived and worked in the country of Jordan at a school for Deaf and Deaf-Blind children. Although his familial roots are Presbyterian, William was raised in a black Baptist church, and he has spent significant time in Methodist, Catholic, non-denominational, and other church traditions. We are grateful for the enthusiastic spirit and visionary leadership that he brings to our congregation!

 

Click on this link to read the article published in the September 2017 publication of the Bordentown Current

http://www.bordentowncurrent.com/2016/09/02/121111/preaching-his-truth

 

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and

yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

And can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your span of life?”

(Matthew 6:26-27)

 

The first time I went to Israel-Palestine, I was traveling with a group of 20 other college

students, led by one of my New Testament professors. At the end of our 10-day trip, at the

airport in Tel Aviv, I was the last of the students in line to get my boarding pass, and when I gave

the employee behind the counter my information, she said, “You’re on a different flight. Your

plane doesn’t leave until tomorrow.”

 

My heart started pounding, and my mind melted. Thankfully, my professor was right behind

me, and he immediately stepped up to the counter to facilitate a productive conversation…

when all I could do, in my agitated state, was sputter my disbelief that such a thing had

happened. The employee told us that a ticket for the right flight would cost $1200. I said I’d

need to call my parents and have them check to make sure that I had that much money in my

bank account. But my professor said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it for now. We can

figure out the payment once we get back home.” He handed his credit card to the employee,

and I managed to mutter “thank you” as I started to cry.

 

After the employee returned the card, my professor put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in

my tearful eyes, and said, “If it’s the kind of problem that money can solve, then it’s not a

problem worth worrying about.”

 

I have repeated that line many times over the years—most often to myself, whenever I feel like

I’ve unfairly lost a few bucks. Of course, money is necessary for life, and it is perfectly

legitimate to feel worry over whether or not we can afford adequate food, housing,

transportation, healthcare, and so on. At the same time, though, it is important to put our

worries into perspective; to interrogate our anxieties and consider setting them aside, at least

for a time, as best as we can; to regularly remind ourselves that God feeds the birds, and God

helps us get home, and God guides us through the ups and downs of our days and years. “Look

at the birds of the air.”

 

Peace,

William

 

 

First Presbyterian Church of Bordentown

420 Farnsworth Ave.

Bordentown, NJ  08505

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