We in the Diocese of Newark joyfully celebrate the Easter season by sharing our gifts through the Alleluia Fund for Outreach. Our donation connects us to God's work not only in the familiar confines of our congregations, but also as God is at work in our neighborhoods and communities.
And God is at work - in Fairlawn where Church of the Atonement is growing fresh fruits and vegetables for its low income neighbors, and in Paterson where St. Paul's Community Development Corporation is providing emergency shelter for 40 men a night, and in Boonton where low income youth learn classical dance at the Cedar Hill Community Services Corporation.
Since its inception in 2010, the Alleluia Fund for Outreach has distributed over $500,000 to these and other congregation-based or -affiliated programs providing practical, "hands-on" support to those most vulnerable in our diocese and internationally. In 2013, 35 grants totaling $153,875 were awarded (see the 2013 Grant Report). Over the next few weeks, stories of men, women and children whose lives have been transformed by these ministries will be shared in the diocese's e-newsletter, The VOICE Online.
I ask that you rejoice in these ministries, rejoice in the lives transformed, and prayerfully consider participating in this diocesan-wide celebration of God's abundance. Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Peace,
+Mark M. Beckwith
