Hello, Diocese of Newark!
As you may be aware, The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop X of Newark, has announced his retirement. The Standing Committee of the diocese has compiled two committees (Search/Nominating and Transition) to lead us through the process to call our next bishop in the late Spring of 2018. As the co-chairs of the Search/Nominating Committee, we wanted to give you an update as to what has been going on with our 15-member group.
We have gathered to plan how we will conduct ourselves as a Committee, and agreed to a Covenant, which included, among other things, always beginning with prayer and dwelling in Scripture. We see our overall focus as listening to the Spirit and raising-up candidates for Bishop XI of the Diocese of Newark.
Our first task (much like if you have been involved in a search for a clergy leader within your own congregation), is to create a Profile for our diocese, and document what God is doing with the people and ministry in our diocese. To gather this data from you and your congregation, a sub-committee of the Search/Nominating Committee has developed an on-line survey. This survey is being finalized and will become available on Wednesday, July 12. The survey is being translated into both Spanish and Korean.
Our hope is that you will plan a "Survey Day" at your church on either Sunday, July 16 or 23 (or any other Sunday that works for you), where you will encourage all members of your congregation to complete the survey. Perhaps you will host a special Adult Forum, or encourage members to bring laptops/iPads to Coffee Hour. We need your help in making sure everyone is aware of this survey, and is given the opportunity to complete it. We are hoping that someone from your congregation will assist any member who does not have the use of a computer. Perhaps you could print out the questions, and enter the data for the person, or have someone sit with them during a Coffee Hour to complete the survey.
The survey will be active until Wednesday, August 16, 2017, at which point we will continue to host Listening Meetings (more information to follow on this soon) through September. The online survey completion and the attendance at Listening Meetings is not an either/or. Rather, much like our Anglican heritage, it is a both/and. We hope that anyone who wishes to provide their input via a survey does, and anyone who wants to attend a Listening Meeting does so also.
If you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to contact either of us directly. We look forward to seeing what God continues to be up to here in our Diocese, and walk this journey with you.
May grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Ms. Michele Simon, St. Paul's, Englewood
simon765me@gmail.com
The Rev. Jerry Racioppi, Holy Spirit, Verona
racioppi@holyspiritverona.org
Co-Chairs, Search/Nominating Committee
Members of the Search / Nominating Committee:
Ms. Yvonne DeLaCruz, Grace, Union City
Ms. Janelle Grant, St. Paul's, Paterson
Ms. Patrice Henderson, St. Andrew & Holy Communion, South Orange
Ms. Geraldine Livengood, Christ Church, Newton
The Rev. Tom Mathews, St. Luke's, Phillipsburg
The Rev. Christine McCloud, Holy Innocents, West Orange
Mr. Bernard Milano, Trinity, Allendale
The Rev. Thomas Murphy, St. Paul's, Jersey City
The Rev. Bernie Poppe, St. George's, Maplewood
