The First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Moorestown will host a special service of remembrance to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Friday, Sept. 11, from 7 to 8 p.m.
The events of 9/11 affected the lives of so many, including Associate Pastor and Contemporary Worship Leader Rev. Wes Allen, who was in his sophomore year of college. For Allen, that day ‘seemed to change everything,’ he quipped. A month before the attacks, Allen remembers having visited Switzerland, where he purchased a pocketknife and played with it on the plane. That all stopped the next month.
He also remembers how before 9/11, airport security wasn’t as tight. Anybody could go through a gate without having to show a boarding pass, he shared. Given that he was already an adult when the attacks happened, he believes that’s why he feels the impact more. Since becoming the pastor at FPC in 2021, Allen has always led a 9/11 service. This year, being the 25th anniversary, he wanted to do something big and special.
Music for “When the Night is Long” will be led by Trumpeter Christopher Michael Stevens, whose parents used to sing for the church, and FPC’s Director of Music Spencer Domer. Stevens is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, performer and arranger who has regularly performed on some of the largest stages in music. “When the Night is Long” will be modeled after a New Orleans jazz funeral. New Orleans jazz music in a funeral setting takes people from moments of remorse and sadness to hope and resurrection, Allen explained.
“I think it will be a moving service that doesn’t dwell on the negative and the horror of that day but celebrates the hope and change in life that has come from even the most horrific circumstances,” Allen said.
“There’s a great Paul Laurence Dunbar poem that says, ‘The clouds grow thickest when the summit’s nigh,’ and that is how I view it,” Domer said of his thoughts on the service. “It starts in this murky desolation. We start with a solo trumpet and a really rich organ, starting in that darkness. But as the service looks towards… The next day still rose, and the next year still happened. We still rebuild and grow.”
For Allen, Sept. 11 is not just a day of sorrow and sadness, but also a time when he saw the best and worst of humanity. For example, at the time of the attacks, he worked for a radio station in Philadelphia, so he and his co-workers filled 18 tractor trailers with supplies for recovery efforts that were delivered to Manhattan.
“That was a big part of my early adult life and formation of the way that the world functioned and how it changed, yet here we are,” Allen said. “Some things have changed since; some things have gotten worse… But my view has completely changed, and I think that, for me, is spiritual growth and God reminding me that you need to love your neighbor.”
The community at the FPC is about more than loving your neighbor. Following the Sept. 11 service of remembrance, FPC will host a Blessing of the Animals, a collaborative event with the church’s Prayer and Discipleship Committee and Membership Committee, on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 3 to 4 p.m. The Blessing of the Animals is a tradition inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, known for his deep love of all God’s creatures. People bring their pets to participating parishes to be blessed, acknowledging the bond between humans and animals, and recognizing them as gifts from God, according to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. A church elder had mentioned the idea of bringing the service to the community to Allen and Pastor/Head of Staff Rev. Stuart Spencer, and they were both immediately on board. All pets are welcome. The service will include scripture, prayer, a brief message and individual blessings for the animals, and all are welcome to stay for refreshments and fellowship afterward.
A collection of pet supplies will be taken for the Animal Welfare Association. For everyone’s safety, dogs must be on leashes; cats and other animals must be in secure carriers or cages; owners are responsible for cleaning up after their animals; and animals who are sick, aggressive or extremely anxious should remain at home.
“If you’ve ever lost an animal, you realize how much that animal becomes a part of your family, and there’s a deep sense of grief and loss that comes when you say goodbye to an animal,” Allen said. “They’re meaningful to people and their homes, and I think that, in a way, what we’re honoring, is how these animals are really part of our family even though they’re very different from human beings.”
Allen’s five-year-old coonhound mix Artie and Domer’s eight-year-old basset beagle Pumpkin frequently visit their dads at work, serving as the church’s resident dogs. Artie was adopted from the Burlington County Animal Alliance in Moorestown when he was a puppy, and Pumpkin was adopted from the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees. Both Artie and Pumpkin always receive friendly greetings and treats from staff and visitors, and they both love to play and get scratches.
“In South Jersey I’ve found, in this area especially, dogs are so a part of the culture,” Domer said, who feels he got lucky with how chill Pumpkin is. “They’re a part of daily life, so we really try to foster a community where dogs are valuable members and companions to our lives.”
For event updates or more information, visit www.fpcmoorestown.org.
First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Moorestown’s Associate Pastor and Contemporary Worship Leader Rev. Wes Allen (left) with his coonhound mix Artie, and the FPC’s Director of Music Spencer Domer, with his basset beagle Pumpkin. The church will host a Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, Oct. 3.
