[Montclair Patch] “It’s amazing,” said the Rev. C. Melissa Hall, surveying the boxes and shopping bags filling the St. James Episcopal Church parish hall. “Look what’s happened. It’s the loaves and the fishes!”
How do you bring the issue of human trafficking to your community?
When the Church of Our Saviour in Secaucus wanted to address the issue, it went to the top, and asked Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli to hold a public forum on the topic. The result was a meeting held at the Public Library in mid-October, with presentations by the town's police department, the Hudson County Prosecutors Office's Special Victims Unit, and the FBI's Office of Victims Assistance.
GreenFaith, the interfaith environmental organization that has worked with churches in the diocese for many years, has been working with 26 of the Diocese of Newark's churches since fall 2014 through the Energy Services Program – an “energy makeover” for faith communities statewide.
Final registration forms for adults to be confirmed/received/reaffirmed in 2015 must be submitted no later than Friday, February 27, 2015.
Under the current granting policies of ACTS/VIM, Alleluia Fund, Marge Christie Congregational Growth & Vitality Fund, and the Ward J. Herbert Fund, a church can file a grant request and be awarded a grant that will be paid to it, as long as it has complied as applicable with certain requirements – including having completed and filed its congregational audit, parochial report, pledge to the diocese, compliance with Safe Church and annual Health Care reporting, and so on. Actual grant payments are not made to the church until it has complied with these requirements. Historically, the church has been given one year to comply; if it does not comply within one year, it forfeits the grant and the money is then available for future grants.
At Diocesan Convention in January 2013, several deputies from Church of the Atonement in Tenafly attended a Justice Board workshop by Laura Russell, Esq. that raised their awareness of human trafficking here in New Jersey. As a result, Atonement has developed a relationship with the Bergen County organization Shelter Our Sisters (SOS) to support their commitment to trafficking victims.
As leaders in your congregations, wardens are invited to an evening of fellowship and conversation with Bishop Beckwith, on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Church of the Saviour in Denville.
As leaders in your congregations, wardens are invited to an evening of fellowship and conversation with Bishop Beckwith, on Thursday, February 19, 2015 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at All Saint's Church in Millington.
During the 2014-2015 program year, there will be four opportunities around the diocese for interested lay people to engage with Bishop Mark Beckwith in Bible study and a conversation about discipleship and mission. The fourth of these Lay Conversations will be held Thursday, June 4, 2015 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Church of the Messiah in Chester.
This event has been cancelled. You are invited to register instead for one of the two remaining Conversations on May 12 at Grace, Rutherford and June 4 at Messiah, Chester.
During the 2014-2015 program year, there will be four opportunities around the diocese for interested lay people to engage with Bishop Mark Beckwith in Bible study and a conversation about discipleship and mission. The second of these Lay Conversations will be held Thursday, May 7, 2015 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Church of the Annunciation in Oradell.
