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June 2001
What's Happening?
I think the answer is a lot - and
it's a good work. It seems to me that with all of the activity
that has been and is taking place in our diocese since Convention
and the Visioning Convocation, a mid-year (or end- of-program-year)
report might be helpful.
Before Convention we had taken steps to make the structure of
the diocese more responsive to perceived needs. The original
districts were realigned into ten districts, each with a Convener
appointed by the Bishop; and a smaller Diocesan Council was
created by resolution of Council. In its new form of 20 elected
representatives (one clergy, one lay person from each district)
and four Bishop's appointees, the Council has now met twice.
At each of its meetings, 5 of the districts report on their
Convocations, the ministries and programs underway in each district
- a summary of those reports will continue to be printed on
page three of The Voice. We have also modified the meeting format
to allow for dinner and Bible study in small groups prior to
the start of the business meeting.
In May, the Council approved a resolution requiring that all
program staff at Episcopal House report to the Bishop or Bishop's
designee. Although the program staff have excellent Boards with
which they work, several did not have a direct reporting relationship
to anyone on the diocesan staff. The organization chart on page
three reflects how the staff has been structured to support
the work of our diocese. John Zinn, our Chief Financial Officer,
and Michael Francaviglia have taken the lead in getting this
work done. We have also created a Congregational Development
Team at Episcopal House comprised of the management team and
eight other program staff. This group has met twice and will
continue to meet regularly to discuss ministries in formation
in our diocese and how each program area might be involved (the
common threads of our work). The most recent meeting focused
on the Senior housing project at Church of Our Saviour, Secaucus.
The Canon and I have interviewed some exceptional candidates
for Congregational Development Officer/Diocesan Missioner and
the individual chosen will, of course, be a member of this team.
The District Conveners are meeting every other month with me
and members of the management team to discuss those ministries
that ought to be undertaken in the districts; to communicate
with each other; and to give the management team feedback on
issues of concern to the entire diocese that arise at the district
level. We will meet again on June 14 at Episcopal House.
We are now confirming 60 to 70 persons at each Diocesan Confirmation.
On two occasions we have had such crowds that we have had to
move to a second location at the same day and time: April 29
I was at St. Paul's, Montvale with the Montvale, Norwood, and
St. Elizabeth's, Ridgewood congregations and Bishop Brome was
at St. John's, Ramsey with the Ramsey, Glen Rock, Hillsdale
and Lincoln Park congregations; May 20 I was at Church of the
Messiah, Chester with Chester, Belvidere and Ringwood and Bishop
Brome was at St. Peter's, Mountain Lakes with Mountain Lakes,
Mendham and the Convent. On May 12 we held our first ever diocesan
confirmation entirely in Spanish where I served as el Presidente,
with the Rt. Rev. Jose Gonzalez, Bishop of Cuba, ret., as the
celebrant. Both Bishop Brome and I learned the confirmation
prayers in Spanish. The Rev. Brian Laffler was our preacher
and did a masterful job of alternating English and Spanish in
his sermon. We have had a Liturgy Team (the Revs. Randall Day,
lead facilitator, Carr Holland, Steve Giovangelo, Lynne Weber,
Mssrs. Paris Sims, Frank Archer), coordinating the confirmations
and they have for now settled on a consistent format and bulletin
design that I have approved. Our confirmation preparation days
coordinated by Youth Ministries staff, the Revs. Rich Bardusch
and Cooper Conway, and my Assistant, Susan Robinson, have been
well attended and are of great value to me. One of the purposes
in bringing the groups from varied congregations together, especially
the youth, has been to allow them to recognize and participate
in the diversity of our diocese. Hopefully, they have found
the time fun and worthwhile.
The Canon to the Ordinary, Paul Hunt and I continue our Tuesday
conversation, prayer and study gatherings with the clergy in
each district and at the end of June we will have had one meeting
each with all of the districts. We also have had a spring clergy
day at Christ Church, Newton; the annual renewal of ordination
vows at the Cathedral in Holy Week; and will have another clergy
day on June 7 at Trinity Church, Kearny. At these meetings we
do Bible study in small groups and spend time talking about
issues of concern to me and/or the clergy of our diocese. Paul
and I will continue the Tuesday conversations in the fall since
we believe these are becoming an important part of our communicating
with and caring for our clergy. Other members of the management
team are also beginning to spend some Tuesdays in working sessions
at churches and hope to expand that effort to a district level
in the fall as we take the resources of Episcopal House from
Newark out to our mission stations. The Canon has also gathered
together, with his Assistant, Gail Deckenbach's help, ten clergy
for the Fresh Start program that meets on the third Thursdays
of the month at Episcopal House.
In May we had our second Clergy, Spouse/Partners Retreat, this
year with Caroline and the Rev. John Westerhoff, as the retreat
leaders. It was a wonderfully recreational and spiritual time
for me and I hope for the other 70+ people, couples and singles,
who attended. The planning team (the Whitakers, Bagays, Randall
Day & Bill Hurbaugh, the Capwells) have now done two of
these retreats and are looking at how to improve on this spring
time together.
As you know, in March we had an extremely wonderfully successful
third Creating Creative Congregations with over 500 participants.
Kitty Kawecki of the Anand Resource Center, was the staff person
for that conference and the planning team is already at work
on the next event.
This past six months has also seen the merger of Christ Hospital
with Bon Secours to create a health care partnership in Jersey
City and Hoboken; the continuation of our anti-racism training;
the service in recognition of Absalom Jones at which the Dean,
the Very Rev. C. David Williams, was the preacher. We have revived
the Diocesan Altar Guild with the leadership of Sister Suzanne
Elizabeth and Dorothy Bartkus and that group was commissioned
on May 23rd in a liturgy at Episcopal House.
On June 10, the Commission on Aging, staffed by Judith Seelbach,
will hold its annual Evensong celebration at which Bishop Brome
will be the presider (see article in this issue, page 9). The
retired clergy of our diocese will gather for luncheon and a
program organized by Gail Deckenbach and Michael Francaviglia.
The Episcopal Community Development Corporation, directed by
Carla Lerman, celebrates its 10th anniversary. The Oasis, led
by the Rev. Canon Elizabeth Kaeton, hosts its 12th anniversary
celebration on June 6th with the Rt. Rev. Charles Bennison,
Bishop of Pennsylania, as the preacher.
From my vantage point, our Diocese is alive and well, with much
to celebrate, and much more to be accomplished.
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