A year after the Diocese of Newark launched a visioning process in September 2022, the Strategic Visioning Team presented their recommendations to the diocese’s governing bodies in three meetings held September 27 and 28 and October 1.
Their final report is now in the hands of Diocesan Council, which has principal oversight for deciding how the recommended goals and initiatives will be implemented.
After conducting a series of listening sessions across the diocese in Fall 2022, the Strategic Visioning Team identified four priorities. As announced at Diocesan Convention last February, they are:
- Children, Families, Youth and Young Adults – evangelism and formation
- Congregational Collaboration – particularly to strengthen our smaller congregations
- Communications and Technology – explaining who we are to the outside world and connecting better internally
- Justice for People and Planet – working together on gospel-driven justice issues
As the Strategic Visioning Team said in their report to the governing bodies, “This vision represents a building of consensus from many voices that make up the incredible diversity of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.”
After Convention, the Strategic Visioning Team formed four working teams to develop goals and initiatives for each priority. The final report includes recommendations on establishing groups to be responsible for each initiative defined in the report; suggested metrics to measure implementation and effectiveness; and an implementation timeline with priorities and estimated costs.
Diocesan Council is currently reviewing the recommendations and will be discussing them further at their November 8 meeting, with the goal of developing a plan to enact some or all of the recommendations.
We are grateful for the faithful work of the teams that have brought us to this point. They are:
Strategic Visioning Team
- The Rev. Mark Collins, All Saints, Glen Rock – Co-leader
- Janelle Grant, St. Paul’s, Paterson – Co-leader
- The Rev. Raul Ausa, Trinity, Allendale
- The Rev. Carrie Cabush, Calvary, Summit
- Nelson Diaz, Epiphany and Christ Church, Orange
- The Rev. Miguel Hernandez, Holy Trinity, West Orange
- The Rev. Vicki McGrath, All Saints’, Millington
- Jewels Quelly, St. James, Hackettstown
- Michele Simon, St. Paul’s, Englewood
- Belinda Stokes, St. Paul’s and Incarnation, Jersey City
- The Rev. Lorna Woodham, St. Andrew & Holy Communion, South Orange
Working team for Children, Families, Youth and Young Adults
- The Rev. Carrie Cabush, Calvary, Summit – Co-leader
- Nelson Diaz, Church of the Epiphany and Christ Church, Orange – Co-leader
- Belinda Stokes, St. Paul’s and Incarnation, Jersey City – Co-leader
- Heather Allen, St. Clement’s, Hawthorne
- Anthony Briggs, Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center
- Donna Caputo, Grace, Rutherford
- Kathy DeWalt, St Lukes, Montclair
- Militzia Diaz, Epiphany and Christ Church, Orange
- Susan Fuller, St Paul’s, Morris Plains
- Dana Leach, St Peters, Essex Fells
- Kristen Lee, Christ Church, Ridgewood
- Althea Maynard, St. Paul’s and Incarnation, Jersey City
- Paul Nobleman, St Luke’s, Haworth
- Holly Petro, Messiah, Chester
- Tamra Petrona, St Agnes & St Paul’s, East Orange
Working team for Congregational Collaboration
- The Rev. Raul Ausa, Trinity, Allendale – Co-leader
- The Rev. Vicki McGrath, All Saints’, Millington – Co-leader
- Jewels Quelly, St. James, Hackettstown – Co-leader
- The Rev. Canon Margo Peckham Clark, Canon for Congregational Life
- Jill Commings, Grace Van Vorst, Jersey City
- Mary DePinto, Grace Van Vorst, Jersey City
- Merica Dermody, Messiah, Chester
- Bernie Milano, Trinity, Allendale
Working team for Communication and Technology
- The Rev. Mark Collins, All Saints’, Glen Rock – Co-leader
- Janelle Grant, St. Paul’s, Paterson – Co-leader
- Nerissa Boccino, St. Peter’s, Morristown
- Lynda Dickey, Christ Church, Hackensack
- Nina Nicholson, Director of Communications and Technology
- Thomas Reynolds, Christ Church, Bloomfield/Glen Ridge
- Chris Whitaker, Christ Church, Short Hills
Working team for Justice for People & Planet
- The Rev. Miguel Hernandez, Holy Trinity West, Orange – Co-leader
- Michele Simon, St. Paul’s Church, Englewood – Co-leader
- The Rev. Lorna Woodham, St. Andrew & Holy Communion, South Orange – Co-leader
- Jody Caldwell, Redeemer, Morristown
- Paula Cappel, St. Andrew & Holy Communion, South Orange
- Rosie Grant, St. Paul’s, Paterson
- Valyrie Laedlein, St. George’s, Maplewood
- The Rev. Grant Mansfield, St. George’s, Maplewood
- Laura Russell, All Saints, Hoboken
- Marguerite Smith, St. Peter’s, Mountain Lakes
