Churches

Sales have been brisk for Jack's Homemade Dog Biscuits.

Children at Grace Episcopal Church made hundreds of the dog biscuits and are selling them at $5 a bag to raise money to get a service dog for Jack Harter, a 6-year-old Madison boy who has a disease that leaves him with little mobility and no way to consistently communicate.

The dog biscuits will be on sale at the Downtown Concert Series on Friday and at Bottle Hill Day.

The Rev. Mary Davis of St. Paul's Church in Chatham gave the opening convocation at Chatham Borough's annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony (starting at 0:25).

Would you withhold food from a hungry child?

Chances are, you wouldn’t. But with the number of families living in poverty increasing in alarming numbers, being hungry has become the norm for many of these children. In New Jersey alone, more than 800,000 people fell within the poverty level. It is estimated that one in eight, roughly 13 percent of that number, are children.

Mental illness impacts the lives of at least one in four adults and one in 10 children — or 60 million Americans. People impacted by mental illness are all around us, including sitting in the pews of our churches. New research findings have shown that people with serious mental illness can live lives of recovery when supported by their families and loved ones. In order for families to support their loved ones with mental illness, they in turn need the support of their friends and communities, including the church.

Building Bridges to Hope Ministry aims to:

A room within St. Agnes Episcopal Church is stocked with canned soups, meats, fruits, and vegetables alongside cereals, pasta and pet food. It is the church's newly expanded food pantry and is open to anyone in need.

The church has always collected and distributed food for the needy, but several weeks ago they took it a step further and officially opened a food bank.

Our lives as Christians are shaped by stories – stories of Jesus, personal journeys of faith, traditions that shape each liturgical season. This year the Diocese of Newark invited congregations to share their stories of living into Christ’s mission to transform the world. To do so, the diocese added a page to the Parochial Report entitled, “Sharing Our Stories of Transformation through Mission,” also referred to as “Page 5.”

The youth group from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown has just completed a week in Topsail, N.C., on its annual mission trip. Here are reflections from the young volunteers, compiled by chaperone Alan Chorun.

On Saturday, June 16, 2012, the Diocese of Newark held its first multi-county Habitat build day.

At a wedding last week at Church of the Atonement in Tenafly, the bride and groom were not the only couple at the altar.

As the Rev. Lynne Weber celebrated the rite, she was assisted by the rector from All Saints Episcopal Church in Leonia — her husband, the Rev. Dean Weber.

"We often help each other and support with pastoral services, and bigger events like funerals and weddings," Lynne Weber said.