The Voice Online of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark
Online Edition - Wednesday, November 2, 2016

From the Bishop
The Bishop's Blog: Signs of God's Grace
The Peace as an act of post-election reconciliation
Posted by the Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith on November 2, 2016
The Peace as an act of post-election reconciliation

I remember a play-fight a classmate and I had with each other in the fall of 1960. We were in the fourth grade. We acted out our parents' allegiance for different candidates in the upcoming Presidential election: he was for Kennedy; I was for Nixon. We were laughing with each other as we wrestled, and in the course of the scrum the small telescope he was holding accidentally hit me on the forehead. We were both surprised at the sizable lump it created (it looked worse than it felt); and somehow we came to an immediate but unspoken realization that our friendship was more important than our difference, and we continued walking together.

Fifty-six years later, I yearn to see some play-fighting as we prepare to elect our next President, but I don't think anyone has had any evidence of it. The insults, threats and accusations have been ugly and vicious. There is nothing playful about it. Hardly anyone is laughing. A winner will be declared in the wee hours of November 8, and while there may be some relief that the presidential sweepstakes is over, there will no doubt be lumps and scars to deal with. And the fear and anger-so viscerally present during the run-up to Election Day, may spill out in some nasty ways. The wounds will linger. It is hard to imagine, at least in some quarters, that people will realize that friendship - or at least mutual respect, will be more important than difference.

This is where the Christian faith, particularly as we live it out as Episcopalians, comes in. Read more.
 
Events in Our Diocese
Diocese of Newark congregations "Elect to Pray"
Elect to Pray

This election season, congregations across the Episcopal Diocese of Newark are "Electing to Pray" - and they are inviting their neighbors who wish to join in community prayer for our country, or who simply seek a safe place for quiet, individual reflection, to join them.

Churches that are holding special services, or opening their doors for reflection, on Election Eve, November 7, Election Day, November 8 or one of the preceding days, are listed here. Any additional election-related events a congregations may be having are also noted.
 
Mission in our own backyard
Mission in our own backyard
Thursday, November 10 - Saturday, November 12
At Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center
We're looking for youth in grades 8-12 (and their chaperones) and young adults to join us in making a difference for their neighbors here in northern NJ. This is an amazing & affordable opportunity for young people to engage in fun, interactive community service and explore how caring for our neighbors helps us live out our faith. Find out more.
 
Listening Tables have an important role in shaping Convention
Didn't have a chance to participate in September?
You're in luck - three new opportunities have been added!
Listening Tables
In response to the capacity attendance and spirit-filled engagement at our first three Listening Tables in September, three new opportunities to attend Listening Tables have been scheduled:
  • Tuesday, November 29 at Episcopal House, Newark
  • Thursday, December 1 at St. Matthew's, Paramus
  • Tuesday, December 6 at St. Peter's, Mountain Lakes
    6 - 6:30 PM Registration and refreshments
    6:30 - 8:30 PM Listening Tables
Diocesan staff and leadership are using the feedback from the Listening Tables to significantly redesign this year's Convention. Therefore...

All Clergy and Convention Deputies are encouraged to attend a Listening Table before Convention.

Find out more. Space is limited - register online now!
 
News & Features
Feature
Multi-church book group holds frank conversations on race
By Kirk Petersen
Multi-church book group holds frank conversations on race
Three Essex County congregations are confronting issues of race and justice in a seven-week study of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness.

The 2010 book, by Michelle Alexander, argues that much like Jim Crow laws replaced slavery as a means of subjugating black people, mass incarceration now serves as "a stunningly comprehensive and well-disguised system of racialized social control that functions in a manner strikingly similar to Jim Crow." Read more.
 
Dispatches from Joining God in Shaping Our Future
St. Andrew's, Harrington Park experiments with Dream Boards
By Barbara Djimopoulos
St. Andrew_s_ Harrington Park experiments with Dream Boards
Acting on a promise made at Diocesan Convention, last June four teams of clergy and lay leaders developed innovative experiments to help the diocese find new ways to do Jesus' work in a rapidly changing world. The Going Local guiding team for St. Andrew's, Harrington Park was so intrigued by one of these experiments - using portable "Dream Boards" at churches and public places to enable people to post their dreams, hopes and visions for their congregation and their community - that they decided to try it. Going Local guiding team member Barbara Djimopoulos reports on what they've done so far and, more importantly, and what they've learned. Read more.
 
Church News
Churches and neighbors join to address weekend hunger among local school children
By James Porter
Churches and neighbors join to address weekend hunger among local school children
On Sunday October 9, Christ Church in Teaneck hosted a group of volunteers from St. Paul's Church in Englewood and several community groups to assemble 700 weekend snack packs for The Center for Food Action. The snack packs will be distributed to local children who often face hunger on the weekends, when school meals are not available. Read more.
 
"Geeks for God" Blog
Prepare for internet disruptions on Election Day - just in case
Posted by Nina Nicholson on November 2, 2016
Prepare for internet disruptions on Election Day - just in case
I have some technology-related advice to prepare for Election Day: If you need to go online to look up directions to your polling place, or research the candidates or public questions on your ballot, do it now and print it out before November 8. Read more.
 
Joining God in Shaping Our Future
Seeking photos and videos for Mission Minutes
Seeking photos and videos for Mission Minutes
We're seeking photos of members out in neighborhoods and engaged with neighbors, living into our Convention theme of Joining God in Shaping Our Future, for possible use in a Mission Minutes video at the January 2017 Convention. Find out more.
 
Upcoming Convention deadlines
November 11, 2016 - Resolutions (contact John King for more information)
December 2, 2016 - Nominations (see Offices for Election and the Nominations Form)
December 5, 2016 - Deputy Certification (forms will be mailed to churches by mid-November)
December 5, 2016 - Exhibits (see Exhibit guidelines and forms)
 
News from
Episcopal House
2017 Open Enrollment is underway
For active clergy & lay employees
Open Enrollment for 2017 health insurance plans began October 24 and runs through Wednesday, November 9. This is the once-a-year opportunity for eligible clergy and lay employees to change their medical and/or dental plan elections and to add or remove eligible dependents. It's also a time when you may have questions about plan changes or about benefits. For 2017, one plan has been added, and one plan is no longer provided by the Medical Trust. Find out more.
 
Confirmation
Confirmation 2017
Youth must be registered by November 18
For youth 18 and under to be confirmed in 2017, a registration form must be submitted by the church's clergy or warden no later than Friday, November 18. Please note that youth must be in 8th grade or higher to be eligible for Confirmation. Adults can be registered through March 1, 2017. Go to the registration form.
 
Clergy ministry transitions

Ordinations
  • The Rev. Deacon Nathan G. Huddleston to the Priesthood - October 29
Arrivals
  • The Rev. Richard Hogue, Vicar, Christ Church Harrison & Jersey City Missioner - September 25
  • The Rev. Ronnie Stout-Kopp, Interim Priest, Holy Trinity Church, Hillsdale - October 23
  • The Rev. Lesley Hay, Priest-in-Residence, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Montville - November 1
  • The Rev. Richard Maxwell, Interim Priest, Grace Church, Madison - November 7
Departures
  • The Rev. Marge Lindstrom, Chaplain & Field Education Supervisor, Seamen's Church Institute - December 21
See all clergy ministry transitions in 2016.

Upcoming diocesan e-newsletters
The next issue of The VOICE Online will be published Wednesday, November 16. Submit items for consideration by Wednesday, November 9.

The December issue of Leadership News - key information for clergy and lay leaders from Episcopal House - will be published Wednesday, November 30.

Manage your diocesan e-newsletter subscriptions at dioceseofnewark.org/e-news.
 
News from
The Episcopal Church
A season of prayer for an election
Prayer resources for the election
This election season has been among the most contentious in recent memory. But whatever our politics, as Christians we always have something we can do: we can pray. Forward Movement is calling Episcopalians and all others to join in a time of prayer through the day after the election, and is providing online resources in English and Spanish. Find out more.

See also Resources for Election Season in our diocesan Liturgical Resources.

Call is issued to stand with Standing Rock on November 3
The Episcopal Church community on the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North Dakota has issued a call for the Episcopal Church to stand in solidarity and witness with those protecting water on the Standing Rock Sioux Nation in North Dakota. Read more.
 
Episcopal Church Young Adult Service Corps accepting applications for 2017-2018
Young adults (21-30 years old) have an opportunity to transform their own lives while engaging mission and ministry in the Anglican Communion by joining the Young Adult Service Corps. Now, applications are available for 2017-2018 placements in the Young Adult Service Corps, commonly known as YASC. Find out more.
 

 

The VOICE Online is a publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark with news, events and feature articles of interest to members and friends of our diocese. It is published twice a month September-May (first and third Wednesdays) and monthly June-August (third Wednesdays only).


Questions? Please contact Nina Nicholson, Director of Communications & Technology, 973-430-9907.

 

Contact Episcopal House: 31 Mulberry Street, Newark NJ 07102 | 973-430-9900 | Staff Directory

 

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