A weekly publication for telling and hearing the stories
of this extraordinary time

Friday, March 27, 2020
From the Editor
During this time when we are restricted from gathering with one another, communication is more important than ever. Therefore, beginning April 1, and for as long as the situation requires, The VOICE Online will be published weekly on Wednesdays and sent to all subscribers of both The VOICE Online and Leadership News . (Publication of Leadership News as a separate entity will be suspended temporarily.)

The VOICE Online Weekly will include messages from our Bishop and Canons, important diocesan announcements and resources - and stories. We want your stories (and photos) of this time. What is your congregation doing that's different or new, that might help or inspire other congregations? What is your congregation experiencing that will be important to remember? We want to share those stories! The submission deadline will be 10 AM Friday for the following Wednesday's issue; see the Submission Guidelines. (If you'd like to submit something for next week's issue, please do so by 4 PM today.)

This is an interim issue as we transition from the Bishop's weekly Friday message to weekly Wednesday e-newsletters. Please encourage parishioners who are online to visit dioceseofnewark.org/subscribe and sign up for The VOICE Online. A special issue of The VOICE Digest printable PDF with highlights from this e-newsletter can be downloaded here to share with parishioners who are not online.

Nina Nicholson
Director of Communications & Technology
From Our Bishop
Be a sign of life in the wilderness
Though we may be physically distant we are connected to a God who loves us, and we are connected to each other, and all of the people that God loves. We may be in the wilderness for a while but I promise you every day of that wilderness we will be a sign of life or we will see a sign of life.
Click on the video at right to watch (time: 5:30), or click here to read the transcript.
From Our Canons
Worship and wilderness
By the Rev. Canon Dr. Andrew R. Wright
Clearly, these are not normal times. Nonetheless, we do continue to worship, to be formed together even while distant and separate from one another. Our first and primary community of worship is our own household, whether that is shared with others or not. We can open our hearts and our homes to become sacred spaces. We may be in a fast of public worship, but we can create a rich and powerful experience of worship in each of our spaces. Read more.
Diocesan Announcements
Episcopal House is closed to routine operations at this time. Staff are continuing to work remotely from home, and can continue to be reached via their usual work emails and phone numbers as listed in the Staff Directory.

All diocesan events scheduled in April have been postponed or canceled. This includes our Confirmation services on April 25 and 26. A decision about May events will be made later in April.
COVID-19 resource landing page
News and resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including messages from Bishop Hughes, are collected online on this page (also in the main menu): dioceseofnewark.org/covid-19

New on the page:


Home worship on Sundays, from Canon Wright
Where to find online worship
As we refrain and fast from public worship during the COVID-19 pandemic, here are churches that are worshiping and posting sermons online. Read more.

Please email updates to Nina Nicholson at nnicholson@dioceseofnewark.org . Updates received after 4 PM Friday will be posted the following week.
Are you producing online worship?
Here's an important tip: If you have online giving, include a link to it where viewers will see it every time they participate in online worship, such as in the live stream description or the Zoom meeting instructions.

If you don't yet have online giving, then you will want to read E-Giving: It's easy and essential! by Cynthia McChesney, Advisor to the Bishop for Stewardship. She lays out four simple steps for getting set up with Vanco Payments, the diocese's preferred provider for online giving.

And if you haven't yet, you will also want to read How to make online worship easier and more accessible by Nina Nicholson, Director of Communications & Technology.
The VOICE Online is currently being published weekly on Wednesdays
for as long as needed