On April 15 and 16, two of our young adults, Janelle Grant of St. Paul's, Paterson and Ben Miller of St. Paul's, Englewood attended the Missional Voices 2016 Conference on the campus of Virginia Theological Seminary. According to its website, Missional Voices "began with a simple question: What if God is up to something really big and global but it can only be discovered through the small and local? It was through the exploration of that question that Missional Voices was born... gathering for the sake of reimagining church and transforming neighborhoods."

Here in our diocese, we have been pondering a similar question. In thinking both about who might represent the Diocese of Newark at the conference and how we can invite young adults into the ongoing conversation and learning here in our diocese of joining God in shaping our future, it seemed obvious to myself and Kai Alston that we ask two young adults to attend. Ben and Janelle share their reflections on the Missional Voices conference below. Read more. 

 

Remember the Going Local congregations we heard from in March? The June 15 issue of The VOICE Online will feature coverage of their next regular gathering at which they will share what they have learned from their experiments and their plans to continue experimenting and creating meaningful space to listen to people's stories.

You will also hear more about the Action Learning Pilot Initiative announced at Diocesan Convention last January. Over the past six months, four teams of lay and clergy have been using an intentional problem solving approach to come up with recommendations for actions on two key challenges we face in our diocese. In June, they will be suggesting experiments to engage these challenges that impede our journey.

 

 

[PBS NewsHour] Last November, the Most Reverend Michael Curry became presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, one of the oldest Christian denominations in the U.S. Curry's ascension comes at a time of crisis and change, and the church, like most mainline Protestant congregations, is facing declining membership. Judy Woodruff talks to Curry about how he plans to tackle these challenges. Go to the video and transcript.

 

 

 

Walk with Bishop Beckwith across the diocese from the Delaware River to the Hudson River. This is an opportunity to be part of a prayerful pilgrimage in which we look for how we can join God in shaping the future of our diocese. You can participate for an hour of worship, a day of walking, a meal, or the whole pilgrimage. Find out more.

 

Episcopal House will be closed Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day. 

 

The Bishop's Church Emergency Fund (BCEF) provides financial support for church buildings in the diocese needing repairs and renovation, usually with a special focus on emergency and unforeseen needs. Through the BCEF, you can support the critical needs identified by the Bishop. The second BCEF call of 2016 is for an access ramp at the Church of the Holy Communion in Norwood. Read more. 

 

 

During June, July and August The VOICE Online will be published once a month on the third Wednesday. The deadline to submit items to be considered for the June issue on Wednesday, June 15 is Friday, June 10. The June issue of Leadership News - key information for clergy and lay leaders from Episcopal House - will be published Wednesday, June 29. You can manage your subscriptions at dioceseofnewark.org/e-news.