Wednesday, September 13, 2000
Christ Episcopal Church, East Orange, New Jersey
Approved Minutes of Regular Monthly Meeting
Present: The Rt. Rev. John P. Croneberger;
President; Mr. Robert Simmons, Vice President; Mr. Michael
Francaviglia, Secretary ; Mr. John Zinn, Treasurer; Michael
F. Rehill, Esq., Chancellor
Bishop's Appointments: Mr. Alan Bowen; The Rev. Geoffrey Curtiss; The Rev. John
G. Hartnett; Ms. Diane Rhodes
Elected by Convention: Ms. Bonnie Magnuson; The Rev. Dr. Robert A. Schiesler;
Ms. Joyce Skipper; Ms. Lynn Tyler
Elected by Districts: The Rev. David Badgely; The Rev. Martin Bagay; Mr. Steve
Boston; The Rev. Canon Gervais Clarke; Mr. Richard Fifield; The Rev. Susan Fortunato;
Ms. Kathy Ganim; Mr. Gerald Harvey; Ms. Ann Hirsch; Ms. Naomi Horsky; The Rev.
William Lantz; Ms. Claudette Lewis; Mrs. Doris Mardirosian; Ms. Elizabeth Moss;
The Rev. Kenneth Near; The Rev. William Parnell; Ms. Susan Schink; Mr. Robert
Simmons; The Rev. Mildred J. Solomon; The Rev. Paul Walker; Ms. Patty Watts;
The Rev. Denise Yarbrough
Absent: The Rev. Dr. Ellen Barrett; The Rev. Kevin P.J. Coffey; Mr. Leonard Glenn;
The Rev. Ken Near
Others: Dean Weber, Esq., Chancellor-designate; Ms. Martha Gardner, Jubilee Officer;
Mr. Thomas Nickerson, Jersey City CDC Exec. Director; Matthew Piermatti, Esq.,
COM Chair; The Rev. Fletcher Harper, COM Screening Chair; Ms. Helen Spector,
Consultant; Mr. George Hayman, VOICE reporter; Ms. Melissa Hall, seminarian,
St. James', Upper Montclair
Staff: The Rev. Canon Paul Hunt, Ms. Susan Robinson
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Bishop Croneberger.
The Rev. William Guthrie, rector, greeted the members of Council. He described
the ministry and mission of Christ Episcopal Church, which had been operating
for 132, founded in 1868. The present buildings were completed in 1890. Mr. Guthrie
was the tenth rector of the parish. Some time past, the church was a white congregation
serving the community, and over time became an urban, ethnically diverse community
with 305 members. Three distinct corners of the globe were represented by the
members: Caribbean, eastern US and west Africa. The church was described as a
community service for the Oranges, and well used by community groups, such as
the NAACP, UBE, and the Learning Information and Action Center. Several outreach
ministries were established over the years. Maintenance of the facilities were
costly, but worth the expense. Ms. Connie Horsley, Jubilee Ministries Coordinator
and Outreach Chair, described the Jubilee ministries of the church, which included
the soup kitchen, the clothing and pantry program, the tutorial program and a
youth and family counseling program. "To Know Christ and to make Him Known" was
the mission statement of Christ Church.
AGENDA
It was moved and seconded to adopt the agenda with an adjustment of the time
for the COM report and an announcement by Mr. Alan Bowen. The motion was adopted.
MINUTES
It was moved and seconded to accept the minutes for the June 14, 2000. The motion
to accept the minutes was adopted.
EPISCOPAL COMMUNICATIONS:
THE RT. REV. JOHN P. CRONEBERGER
-Welcomed the guests and invited speakers to the meeting.
-Asked for continued prayers for the Rev. Harry Smith, priest at Calvary, Bayonne.
-Reported that the Episcopal House staff completed the anti-racism workshops
and had several projects underway as a result of the training.
-Announced that a pastoral letter on diocesan confirmations would be circulated
shortly.
-Shared that he will participate in the October 22 Walk As One walk-a-thon sponsored
by the National Conference of Community and Justice; he and Archbishop Theodore
McCarrick were the chairs.
-Reported that the Rt. Rev. Rufus T. Brome, retired bishop of Barbados, will
become the bishop-in-residence at the Cathedral in October. The bishop will provide
some time to the diocese for church visitations and other episcopal activities.
The term of the contract will run to the end of 2001.
-Announced that he accepted the position of chair on the House of Bishops' Commission
on Pastoral Development.
WELCOME TO THE CATHEDRAL
DEAN
Mr. Robert Simmons, Vice President of Diocesan Council,
introduced the Very Rev. C. David Williams to the members.
Mr. Williams was elected as the seventh dean of the cathedral
last December and was installed in April 2000. This was
the dean's first visit with Council. The Dean responded
that he intended to open the Cathedral and make it "our" Cathedral
and to be a force for change. He invited members to visit
and worship at the Cathedral. Reported that a forum on
prison ministry was being planned and that a Dean's Ball
was scheduled for Friday, December 8, which will honor
Arthur C. Lichtenberger, a former dean of the Cathedral
who was elected the 21st Presiding Bishop of ECUSA.
TREASURER'S REPORT
Mr. John Zinn presented the report. Pledge income was ahead of budget and giving
to national church remained on schedule. The budget continued on target for meeting
financial goals set for 2000. It was moved and seconded to accept the report,
subject to audit. The motion was adopted.
Over the summer, he met with Skip Vilas regarding energy purchases, and it appeared
that the option of selecting the best environmental provision of energy would
be cause only a minor increase in the cost. The selection would, hopefully, be
a model for the congregations of our diocese. A report on medical insurance would
be made at the October meeting. At that time, it was expected that either a new
plan would be presented, if proposals had been received, or the Insurance Committee
will request authority to make the change because of timing.
Any concerns about insurance, such as retired clergy coverage, should be addressed
to the Insurance Committee which would then bring the matter to Council for discussion
and action.
EPISCOPAL CAPITAL LOAN FUND
Mr. John Zinn moved the ratification of the following minutes from the ECLF:
By a mail vote, the ECLF Board approved a $40,000 loan to the Church of the Atonement,
Tenafly. The loan will fund renovations to the rectory. The interest rate is
8% and the term of the loan was ten years.
The motion was seconded and adopted.
APOSTLES HOUSE BOARD ELECTION
Mr. John Zinn moved the following resolution:
RESOLVED, that the Rev. John P. Ryan be elected to the Board of the Apostles'
House until the December 2000 meeting of the Diocesan Council.
The motion was seconded and adopted.
The Apostles' House Board was elected annually by the Diocesan Council in December.
The Apostles' House sought to bring Mr. Ryan, pastor of St. Thomas More Church
in Fairfield, NJ, on the board. This action would elect him to the board until
the full board was re-elected in December.
COMMISSION ON MINISTRY
Matthew Piermatti, Esq., Chair of the COM, and the Rev. Fletcher Harper, Screening
Chair, addressed Council. The COM consisted of twenty members appointed by the
bishop and ratified by Convention. The COM was a recommending body to the bishop
on the individuals seeking ordination. Mr. Harper described the ordination process
from inquiry through ordination. Currently, there were 34 persons in the process;
average age 47.5; and, range from 24 to 67 years of age. 70% of those who first
appear before COM were already enrolled in seminary, unlike the norm of years
ago. The members of the COM viewed themselves as being people friendly or people
responsive as possible; for example, over the next six weeks, 18 meetings will
be held with individuals in the process. Three themes were covered during the
evaluation interview with people seeking ordination: articulate a vision for
their ministry and the church; articulate their sense of leadership style; and,
whether the person has the ability to grow spiritually. Ordination guidelines
have been reworked and rewritten over the past year (copies were distributed
to the memberships). Preaching preparation in this diocese had been doubled.
Next major challenge was to move from being in the receiving mode into a recruitment
mode, especially for people of color and those under the age of 35. Priestly
ordination process was described, starting with aspirancy, and onto postulancy,
candidacy, diaconate and the priesthood. Pre-screening conferences prepared the
aspirant for the postulancy conference. Postulancy was the highest hurdle in
the diocese; extensive paperwork required; interview feedbacks. CPE and other
activities, including seminary work, were done during postulancy before candidacy.
COM received a fair amount of criticism in three major areas: (1) Do you have
a profile? There was no profile, since no two individuals alike. (2) Do you actually
read everything that was provided? Yes, all the materials were read. (3) The
COM can't possibly know the candidate as well as the rector, discernment committee
or sponsoring congregation. Not a bad criticism, but the membership of the COM
provided a broad spectrum of experience, and sees many aspirants every year that
provided a foundation for what to look for in an individual seeking ordination.
The commission confirmed the ministry of each person who comes before it. Discernment
committees, sponsoring congregations and clergy should do the selection work
early on, and not rely solely on the COM to do the job, especially in the case
of those who might be not be suitable for ordination. Diaconal guidelines have
not been adopted, but were in the process of preparation.
CONSULTANT INTRODUCED
The bishop introduced Ms. Helen Spector, who was hired as the consultant to work
with people of our diocese. She detailed her experience working with other Episcopal
dioceses and the national church. Once it's determined who we are as a diocese
and what our work may be, then decisions can be made about structures. Her philosophy
included to learn from experience, build from strength to strength, and to do
what you enjoy and what energizes you.
JUBILEE OFFICER'S REPORT
Ms. Martha Gardner, Diocesan Jubilee Officer, reported to the Council on the
work of Jubilee Ministries. The host church for the Council meeting, Christ Episcopal
Church, had been designated as a Jubilee Ministry Center in March of this year.
There were 450 designated Jubilee Centers; the diocese of Newark had six: St.
Paul's, Paterson; House of Prayer/Apostles' House, Newark; All Saints', Hoboken;
Christ Church, East Orange; and, Trinity, Bayonne. Five others had made application
to the Executive Council for designation. The Jubilee Centers were connected
nationally and listed on the national web site. Ministry areas were varied and
many among the eleven congregations in our diocese. Jubilee 2000 Resources were
mailed to each congregation during the summer.
Upcoming conferences were announced: Metropolitan Equity Conference
scheduled for September 19, 2000, which will cover regional strategies
for combating urban decline, racial segregation and social disparities
in northern New Jersey. "Poverty:
Many Faces, One New Jersey", looking at the many aspects of poverty in New
Jersey, the links that bind them together, and the need to address them comprehensively.
Issues and Action (NJ Council of Churches) with workshops on gun violence, death
penalty, poverty issues, racism, campaign finance reform, environmental concerns.
JERSEY CITY AREA MINISTRY
Mr. Thomas Nickerson, Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corporation
Executive Director, presented a status report on the Jersey City Area Ministry,
a financial statement (unaudited) and a resolution requesting release of funds.
In Spring 1999, the Jersey City Area Council agreed to start the Area Ministry
Program by hiring youth missioners to work with the three member congregations.
The purpose of the program was to energize and support local clerical and lay
leadership to enhance and develop youth programs including evening, Sunday school,
and summer programming.
Two lay missioners were hired in November and were supervised by the Rev. Scott
Kallstrom and a committee of lay representatives from each congregation. The
missioners initiated youth programming at the three churches. As this was the
first joint effort of the Jersey City congregations, the programming met with
varying degrees of success.
In March, the Area Ministry group decided to end the youth missioner program
in June and to support two church camps at Incarnation and Grace for the summer.
The youth missioner program served an average of 20 children per week during
the program year and an average of 75 children per week over the summer.
In May, the Area Ministry group agreed to go in a different direction
for the 2000-2001 year. The group decided to conduct a search for
an Area Missioner – an
experienced clergy person who would support all three congregations in their
outreach efforts. Similar to the previous initiative, the new Area Missioner
would work to strengthen all efforts to grow youth and adult programming at each
church.
In June, the Area Ministry group offered the position to the Rev. Canon Martin
Oguike. Canon Oguike will begin his work in September 2000.
JERSEY CITY EPISCOPAL
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
FISCAL REPORT (unaudited)
1999-2000 AREA MINISTRY PROGRAM
Program Year: September 1, 1999
through August 31, 2000
INCOME: $50,000
The program used $50,000 from the approximately $1 million in funds designated
by convention in 1998 for use by the Jersey City Area Ministry.
EXPENSES:
Category Amount
Youth Missioners $17,078
(2 part-time positions)
Program Supplies $ 1,922
Incarnation Summer Camp $12,000
(Subsidy and Salaries)
Grace Summer Camp $ 9,000
(Subsidy)
JCECDC Administrative Fee $10,000
TOTAL $50,000
This program will be included in the 2000 audit for Jersey City Episcopal CDC,
expected May 2000. The 1999 audit is on file with the diocese.
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS the Jersey City Area Ministry is committed to continuing its efforts
to strengthen the programming of the three member congregations, and
WHEREAS dedicated funding for this initiative has been approved by Convention,
and
WHEREAS the Jersey City Area Ministry has agreed to hire an Area Missioner
for the 2000-2001 program year and to provide such person with adequate resources
for this initiative,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Jersey City Area Ministry is requesting the
approval of the release of funds up to the amount of $100,000 for the implementation
of the Jersey City Area Ministry.
BACKGROUND:
The budget for 2000-2001 Area Ministry Program is as follows:
Category Amount
Missioner Package $50,000
(standard clergy package)
Program Supplies $25,000
(includes office/equipment)
Program Reserve $15,000
JCECDC Administrative Fee $10,000
TOTAL $100,000
Notes:
1. JCECDC is the administrative entity for this program, and as such, hires
the area missioner and oversees the distribution of all funds. The administrative
fee is necessary to cover JCECDC costs and to ensure segregation of funding
streams necessary to maintaining the nonprofit status of JCECDC.
2. Program reserve is a contingency budget for unforeseen circumstances such
as program expansion or clergy housing costs exceeding estimates.
The resolution was moved by Mr. Richard Fifield and seconded by the Rev. William
Lantz and adopted.
ST. AUGUSTINE'S, JERSEY
CITY
Ms. Claudette Lewis, member of Council and Incarnation, Jersey City, presented
a status report on the plans for the construction of St. Augustine's, Jersey
City. During the summer, a grant from the city in the amount of $150,000 was
awarded for the renovation of the community center. These funds provided the
seed money and support with which to seek additional financial backing from
other funding sources to fully fund the project. During the planning approval
process, the city requested testing of the soil and lead content in the existing
structures. The testing was completed in August and the results were expected
shortly. The next step was to secure construction bids. Ground breaking was
anticipated for sometime in October.
PLANNING COMMITTEE
The Rev. John Hartnett, chair, presented working assumptions from the planning
group, Diocesan District Design Group. No enthusiasm for structure; great interest
in mission. The working guidelines of the group included: Who cares about structure
and how do we talk about mission? How soon can we get this done? What actually
is our mission, what is the work of the diocese? The work was seen as twofold:
mission to and in the World and mission to and in the Church. How are we different
and what do we as a church have to offer? Why would anyone participate in structure
beyond the individual congregation? Does anyone need structure beyond the congregation?
What do people want? How do you raise up leadership? Proposals about size of
districts and delegations or names had not been made.
EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN
Mrs. Doris Mardirosian, ECW Vice President of Communications, reported that
the World of Women would become an annual event and plans had started for next
year's
STEERING COMMITTEE - CONGREGATIONAL
VISITS
Ms. Susan Schink reported she had received calls in response to the summer
mailing from clergy stating that their vestries/executive committees were looking
forward to the visits. She asked for feed back from the members after their
visits. In particular, it would be helpful to know what thoughts and ideas
the church members might have that would make these annual visits more valuable.
STEERING COMMITTEE - GENERAL
CONVENTION REPORT BACKS
Mr. Robert Simmons reminded members of the opportunities to hear from the General
Convention deputies and alternates about the results of the 73rd General Convention.
A report back day for clergy was scheduled for Tuesday, September 19 at Christ
Church, Pompton Lakes. An evening for lay people was scheduled for Wednesday,
September 20 at Christ Church, Ridgewood.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mr. Alan Bowen invited members to the rededication of the church and mission
space at St. Paul's Church and St. Paul's Community Development Corporation
facilities in Paterson on Wednesday, September 27.
The Rev. Martin Bagay commented on the recent rain storms that hit the area
of Sparta in August. St. Mary's received $25,000 from the Presiding Bishop's
Fund for World Relief for relief efforts.
The benediction was pronounced by Ms. Susan Schink.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael Francaviglia,
Secretary
The next meeting
will be held on Wednesday, October 11 -
St. Mary's Church, Sparta
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