From the Presiding Bishop | |
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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Christmas message 2022: ‘Love always’
"Jesus came to show us how to live, reconciled with God, and with each other, and He taught us that the way to do it is God's way of love. For God's way of love is God's way of life. It's our hope for our families, our communities, our societies. Indeed, it is our hope for the whole world.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and love came down at Christmas.
"And as some of us are beginning to say in this Episcopal church of ours, 'Love always.'”
Watch and share the Presiding Bishop's Christmas message. (English and Spanish PDFs also available.)
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Moving Forward with Jesus:
The Gospel, the Kingdom and Getting Unstuck
A study group with Bishop Hughes and Canon Clark for churches without full-time clergy
5 Tuesday evenings, Jan-Feb 2023
In these unsettled times, it can be challenging for churches to discern where God is calling them – a challenge that can feel particularly overwhelming for churches without full-time clergy. Taking into account churches with no clergy or part-time clergy as well as churches currently in transition between clergy, this description fits more than half the churches in our diocese.
Knowing this, Bishop Hughes is making her 2023 Study Group an opportunity for lay leaders from these churches to join her and Canon Clark, the Canon for Congregational Life, in prayer, study and conversation about how to get unstuck and restart in what seems like a whole new world.
If you believe that this is something that would be beneficial for your church, register your team by 5 PM Wednesday, Jan 11.
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Alleluia Fund stories: All the Way Up Adult Education Center | |
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Thanks to the support of donors like you to the Alleluia Fund for Outreach, All the Way Up is helping adult learners in Newark and Essex County achieve their educational dreams as they work toward their High School Equivalency Certificate. All the Way Up provides small group tutoring and the results are exciting. This short video shares a glimpse into the lives of students helped through All the Way Up. (Time: 3:33.)
Your generous donation to the Alleluia Fund joins others in making a difference to many nonprofit partners including All the Way Up. To donate to this year's Alleluia Fund, you can either send a check made payable to the Diocese of Newark to 31 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102, or donate online by clicking the button below. Thank you for making a difference!
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December update from the Strategic Visioning Team
Many thanks to those of you across the Diocese who attended one of the 71 scheduled Listening Sessions at our churches or virtually this fall. The last one was held this past Sunday.
The Strategic Visioning Team will spend the next few weeks sorting through the responses to the questions to determine which issues and ministries people in the Diocese are most interested in addressing. The team will then choose three to five priority areas to explore in the next phase of the visioning process. We will report about our progress in early 2023 and will present our findings in more detail at the February 3-4 Diocesan Convention.
As we move through this process and you have questions, please contact the Strategic Visioning Team’s co-leaders or consultant.
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Some churches adopt ‘Women’s Lectionary’ this Advent, centering women’s stories, expanding language
DEC 9, 2022 | Episcopal News Service
Bishop Hughes is quoted in this article.
Bishop Beckwith joins President Biden at gun violence vigil
DEC 7, 2022 | Multiple news sources
Retired Bishop Mark Beckwith joined other gun safety activists on the dais with President Biden as he spoke at the 10th Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill. Watch the full video on YouTube (time: 13:20).
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Diocesan Convention deadlines | |
The 149th Annual Diocesan Convention will be held Friday and Saturday, February 3 and 4, 2023 at the Hilton Meadowlands in East Rutherford. Convention will also be broadcast on the diocesan YouTube channel. | |
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WED, DEC 28 - Registration/Certification of Deputies
This downloadable PDF form is to be submitted by the church for all of their Convention Deputies.
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THU, JAN 12, 12 NOON - Photos & stories of "Working Together"
For the 2023 Convention, we are seeking photos and stories of how churches partnered with other churches or organizations (of any faith tradition, or none) to do God's work in the world together.
Note: For the best presentation, photos should be horizontal (not vertical) and the largest file size available (MB/megabytes, not KB/kilobytes).
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THU, JAN 19 - Discounted hotel reservations
The Hilton Meadowlands in East Rutherford has opened its portal for reservations for our room block for Convention weekend! Be sure to reserve your rooms now and lock in our special discount rate of $114 per night. Click the button below to reserve your room through the Hilton website, or call 1-800-HILTONS and use the special code EDN02A. Don't delay – book your room soon!
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FRI, JAN 27, 12 NOON - Late nominations for elected offices
Elections at this Convention will include selecting the four Lay and and four Clergy Deputies, plus alternates, to represent our diocese at the 81st General Convention being held in July 2024 in Louisville, KY.
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Happening at Our Churches | |
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Combining coffee hour and the World Cup final
On Sunday, Dec. 18, St. Luke’s in Montclair had its Christmas Pageant and, rather than having everyone rush off after church to watch the World Cup final, they showed it on a big screen in the parish hall. They also provided a full, cooked, Irish- and British-inspired breakfast in lieu of coffee hour, and they ended up with about 150 people partaking.
They report: "It was a huge hit. It helped that the final was an absolute epic."
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Christ Church, Teaneck's food ministry sprouts new possibilities, including hydroponic gardening | |
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Sorting onions at the back of Christ Church in Teaneck, Susan Shils says she’s not fond of organized religion. But when she rendezvoused with a PTA member to pick up a raffle prize at the church two years ago and saw its food pantry at work, she stayed to help – and kept coming back.
“It raised my spirits in 2020 to know that there was a group of people helping other people,” said Shils, who regularly visits the church to sort and pack groceries for distribution. Read more.
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Cross Roads is the ecumenical camp and retreat center of our diocese and the NJ Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Wednesdays Away
Monthly: September - June
Join us for Wednesdays Away, a time of spiritual renewal hosted by Cross Roads throughout the year. Our time together includes prayer and conversation, led by a spiritual director and focusing on a different spiritual practice or theme each month. These retreats are open to all people interested in exploring new faith practices. Learn more.
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Young Adult Retreat
JAN 6-8
Join us at camp for our annual Young Adult Retreat! Take time to fellowship, worship, and renew your mental, physical, and spiritual health as we begin a new year. This retreat is open to all young adults who are looking for a weekend away at camp. Invite your friends to join you or meet new ones at the retreat. Learn more.
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Elementary Youth Retreat (Grades 3-5)
FEB 10-12
Middle School & High School Retreat (Grades 6-12)
MAR 10-12
Youth Retreats at Cross Roads combine fun activities, Bible study, worship, delicious food, and time spent outside to create an awesome weekend for youth and their adult leaders. Learn more.
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| Do you make New Year's resolutions? | | | |
Results of the Dec. 7 poll: | |
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The VOICE Online is published every other Wednesday.
Next issue: WED, JAN 11
Submission deadline: FRI, JAN 6, 10 AM
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Follow the Episcopal Diocese of Newark at: | | | | |
