In August 2011, flooding from Hurricane Irene put downtown Millburn in the national news – and badly damaged both St. Stephen’s Church and its freshly renovated rectory. On September 9, 2012, St. Stephen’s congregation joined with Bishop Mark Beckwith and Millburn Mayor Sandra Haimoff to celebrate the completion of a year of flood repairs by dedicating the restored rectory, which will be used to house parish offices and various ministries, including The Tinning Center for Diaconal Ministries.
Immediately after Hurricane Irene, St. Stephen’s and their new rector, the Rev. Sheelagh Clarke – who started just two days later – faced a five-week state-imposed deadline to restore the space in their church building used by a preschool, which serves 40 children. Next, the congregation had to turn its attention to the church undercroft and rectory basement, which had been under up to five feet of water. After they were dried out, everything in them, including furnaces and electrical wiring, had to be replaced.
In early 2012, the congregation was finally able focus on restoring the upper floors of the rectory. Knowing that Clarke would not need it as a residence, it had been designated as a space for mission and ministry – a plan which Hurricane Irene interrupted. The flooding had forced water up through the radiators of the newly-renovated building, collapsing ceilings and causing water damage throughout.
Immediately upon her arrival as their new rector, the Rev. Sheelagh Clarke joined
St. Stephen's parishioners in cleaning up after Hurricane Irene.
The inspiration to create The Tinning Center came during the diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in a casual lunchtime conversation between Clarke, St. Stephen’s former interim rector the Rev. Cooper Conway, and the Rev. Erik Soldwedel, deacon.
“I was telling them I felt strongly the rectory should be used for mission,” recounted Clarke, “when the idea just came to all of us at once. Each of us got the shivers at the same time. We felt in that moment we were being led by the Holy Spirit.”
The congregation of St. Stephen’s immediately agreed with the proposal.
The Tinning Center will provide the deacons of the Diocese of Newark with something they’ve never had before – a home base. The three archdeacons, Deborah Rucki Drake, Peter Jackson and Liz Ostuni, will maintain an office there, and other rooms will be available for the deacons’ Saturday education sessions.
It is named after the late Rev. Herb Tinning, deacon, who served as archdeacon of the diocese from 2004 until 2007, and at St. Stephen’s from 1996 until his death in November 2010. Tinning is credited with helping to revive the deacons’ training program in the Diocese of Newark.
In addition to providing a home base for the deacons, the rectory building will provide space for St. Stephen’s adult education programs, youth group meetings and fellowship events. The offices of Clarke and the parish administrator will also move there, freeing space in the church building for a food pantry to be launched in mid-October in partnership with the American Red Cross of Millburn. St. Stephen’s youth will be responsible for filling the food bags, to be distributed twice a week to Millburn and Livingston families identified by social services.
On her first day at St. Stephen's, amidst the destruction and dead fish, the Rev. Sheelagh
Clarke spotted a butterfly. Taking it as a sign of hope, the congregation made butterflies
the motif of their restoration work, and released 65 live butterflies at the dedication.
DIANA WILCOX PHOTO
Clarke noted that during the year of restoration work, “Church Insurance Company was wonderful – I can’t praise them enough.” The insurance deductible of $55,000 was covered by numerous donations from $10 to $10,000, as well as bake sales, car washes and a tag sale held jointly with the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society.
The same members of the congregation who had painted and decorated the rectory before it was flooded by Hurricane Irene volunteered to re-do their work. In their honor, a sugar maple was planted outside the rectory.
Said Clarke, “It was a labor of love.”
