100 Faith Leaders Tell Governor To Not Rush To Open N.J.

From New Jersey-

Governor Phil Murphy,

Thank you for the amazing leadership you have demonstrated during the COVID-19 crisis in New Jersey. In all of your press conferences, you have shown great courage, provided us with clear information, and helped give us a glimpse of hope that New Jersey will rise as a powerful state. Thank you for celebrating our essential workers, highlighting people sacrificing to support our vulnerable populations, and for all the recognition of those who have lost their precious lives.

We also have a hard job to do during this challenging movement. We have taken the bold steps to keep our congregations closed to save the lives of the people we love. We are willing to continue to make sacrifices to keep our staff on payroll, provide for families with the right spiritual guidance, and continue to support our communities even if all our congregations are not in the best financial state. We are called by God to work and care for all God’s people and ensure their safety.

More here-

https://www.insidernj.com/100-faith-leaders-tell-governor-not-to-rush-to-open-new-jersey/

Matthew Broderick’s sister admits preferential coronavirus treatment, feels awful about it, report says

From New Jersey-

The sister of actor Matthew Broderick, who until last spring was a church pastor in Morristown, says being related to a celebrity got her special attention during her near-fatal bout with coronavirus at a California hospital.

“I think I’m absolute living proof that this system is completely corrupt,” the told New York Magazine.

Rev. Janet Broderick, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills,

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles announced May 11 that Broderick, 64, had coronavirus and was being treated for a “severe form of pneumonia" at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, and had tested positive for coronavirus.

In the magazine interview, she was asked if she received “preferential treatment being a religious leader and Matthew Broderick’s sister."

“Yes, but I feel evil for saying that," Broderick replied.

“My GP (general practitioner) didn’t know I was Matthew Broderick’s sister and didn’t care very much. As soon as I got ahold of the guy at the hospital who knew who Matthew was, I was given the name of the head of the emergency room," Broderick told the magazine.

More here-

https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/04/matthew-brodericks-sister-admits-preferential-treatment-for-coronavirus-feels-awful-about-it-report-says.html

RIP: G.P. Mellick Belshaw, ninth bishop of New Jersey

From ENS-

The Rt. Rev. George Phelps Mellick Belshaw, who served as the ninth bishop of New Jersey until his retirement in 1995, died peacefully at his home in Princeton on Feb. 29. He was 91.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of Mellick Belshaw, the ninth bishop of New Jersey,” said the Rt. Rev. William H. (Chip) Stokes, current Bishop of New Jersey. “Mellick was old-school gracious and kind. He loved the people God called him to serve from Hawaii to New York to New Jersey. His leadership in the Diocese of New Jersey was strong and stable during the years he was bishop suffragan and later bishop diocesan. When I was a seminarian at The General Theological Seminary in New York, Mellick was president of the board. 

I will always be grateful for his warm affection then and in later years when I ended up in the bishop’s chair in New Jersey. I will miss his wise care and counsel and am eternally grateful for the legacy he left for those of us who have succeeded to the office he occupied so faithfully and well.”

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2020/03/02/rip-g-p-mellick-belshaw-ninth-bishop-of-new-jersey/

Sip from the common cup? On Ash Wednesday, coronavirus and the flu have religious leaders tweaking rituals.

From The Washington Post-

Spokespeople for many of the largest Christian denominations in the United States said this week that they have not issued special directives for their churches but are closely monitoring guidance from government officials. The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey told clergy and lay leaders Tuesday that anyone administering Communion should wash their hands, preferably with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and keep their distance during the greeting ritual known as the “passing of the peace.”

“Parishioners who are coughing or sneezing should refrain from handshaking during the Peace,” the email from the diocese said. “Fist bumps, elbow bumps, friendly waves, and peace signs are all acceptable substitutes.”

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/02/26/sip-common-cup-ash-wednesday-coronavirus-has-religious-leaders-tweaking-rituals/

Matthew Broderick’s pastor sister is leaving her N.J. church for one in Beverly Hills

From New Jersey-

A church founded nearly 200 years ago in Morristown is saying goodbye to its popular pastor after a decade on the job.

Rev. Janet Broderick is moving more than 2,700 miles to Beverly Hills, California, where in June she will become the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church.

Broderick, whose brother is actor Matthew Broderick, recently broke the news to congregants at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown.

Morristown Mayor Tim Doughterty said Broderick will be missed.

“She stayed committed to the community. I think she saw the long-term vision of Morristown and was an active part of it, from the arts to helping families out that needed assistance. She was all around just a great asset to the town,” Dougherty said.

Broderick did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She grew up in New York City and, prior to Morristown, was the rector for eight years at Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City.

More here-

https://www.nj.com/morris/2019/05/matthew-brodericks-pastor-sister-is-leaving-her-nj-church-for-one-in-beverly-hills.html

George Councell, 11th Episcopal bishop of New Jersey, dies at 68

From Princeton-

George Edward Councell, the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, died Monday evening. He was 68.

He was transferred to hospice care at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton in the afternoon and died at about 6 p.m., surrounded by famil
y and friends, New Jersey Bishop William Stokes wrote in an email announcing Councell’s death.

Councell retired as bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey in the fall of 2013, five years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. After his diagnosis, he was determined not to let the disease hold him back, and he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2008.

He was elected bishop of the diocese on May 3, 2003, and consecrated on October 18, 2003, at Trinity Cathedral in Trenton. He was known as a gentle spirit who helped stabilize the Diocese of New Jersey, the eighth largest diocese in the Episcopal Church, after a period of turmoil during a previous bishop’s tenure. He was also a supporter of gay rights in the church and gay marriage.

More here-

https://planetprinceton.com/2018/05/21/george-councell-11th-episcopal-bishop-of-new-jersey-dies-at-68/

From the Bishop: On the Mass Shooting in Parkland, Fl.

From New Jersey-

Once again, this nation has been visited by great evil:  the evil of a mass school shooting. 17 were killed at Marjorie Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida on Ash Wednesday – a day when we “acknowledge our wretchedness.”

16 year-old Carmen Schentrup was among those killed on Wednesday. She was an active member of St. Mary Magdalene Church in Hollywood, Florida where my good friend Mark Sims is Rector. She was also active in Episcopal Youth activities in the wider Church. When I heard the news of Carmen’s death, I texted my condolences to Mark. He responded by text, “Chip, Thank you.  One day this beautiful vibrant girl opens my office door to announce that she had been accepted at UF [University of Florida].  Two days later I’m sitting with the family and the FBI hearing for the first time that she been shot and killed…” It made me cry. Needless to say, all the killings this past Wednesday are devastating.

More here-

http://dioceseofnj.org/blog/2018/02/16/good-news-in-the-garden-state-february-16-2018/

From NASA to the Priesthood: The Rev. Dr. Kara Slade Comes to Princeton

From The Diocese of New Jersey-

Trinity Episcopal Church Princeton and The Episcopal Chaplaincy at Princeton (ECP) have partnered to appoint The Rev. Dr. Kara N. Slade as a Theologian in Residence and associate priest/chaplain at Trinity and ECP. The Rev. Dr. Slade’s appointment comes in celebratory renewal of 150 years of collaborative ministry between Trinity and ECP.

“We are extremely blessed to have the Rev. Slade join us in the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey,” said the Right Reverend William H. (Chip) Stokes, Bishop of New Jersey. “Her accomplishments as both priest and scientist speak to her deep faith and curiosity about God and our world, and I look forward to her ministries in Princeton and beyond.”

In the new joint appointment, Slade will serve in the historic Princeton parish and chaplaincy community encompassing students, faculty, and staff at Princeton University, Westminster Choir College, and Princeton Theological Seminary.

More here-

http://dioceseofnj.org/good-news/2017/11/28/from-nasa-to-the-priesthood-the-rev-dr-kara-slade-comes-to-princeton/

WHO IS WORSHIP FOR?

From The Living Church-

I was speaking recently with an evangelical friend who described how, at his large, affluent Presbyterian Church, the current pastor is pushing the vision that the church service should be designed with the outsider in mind. “Seeker”-friendly church is hardly a new concept, but it is obviously becoming more pervasive, since it has spread even to the mainline churches.

The theological or biblical rationale for this approach is that Jesus went and met people where they were. Christ’s meeting with the Samaritan woman may be the supreme example. He doesn’t browbeat her for her immorality and her misguided religious notions. He does make a number of important truth statements — God is Spirit — but he does so in the context of their established conversation. Even in addressing her personal life, his tone does not express moral outrage. If it was intended to induce any shame, its only purpose was so that she would know her life had been put in the light of the Lord, in which forgiveness was already on hand before it was even sought.

More here-

http://livingchurch.org/covenant/2017/05/05/who-is-worship-for/?platform=hootsuite

A parish opens its doors to asylees

From New Jersey-

The Rev. Jill Singleton, of the Episcopal Church of Incarnation in Jersey City, said the idea of the Lighthouse was in part borne because of a man named Peter, an asylee that Singleton visited at the Hudson Correctional Facility as a volunteer for First Friends. Peter, she said, was born in Nigeria and when she visited him for the first time he told her she had been his first and only visitor during the nine months that he had been detained. On that day, he told her that he had been granted asylum.

"I asked him where he was going to go and he said 'I don't know,''' Singleton recalled.  "He didn't know another living soul in this country."

She said that night she couldn't sleep wondering where Peter had gone and she thought about opening a house to help others like him.

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/04/01/parish-opens-its-doors-asylees/99536910/

Local Rector Favors Sanctuary Resolution Adopted by Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey

From New Jersey-

The Episcopal Church of the Diocese of New Jersey voted on March 4 to become a sanctuary diocese, extending refuge, healing, material and pastoral support to those targeted for deportation due to immigration status. At least one local religious leader approves.

The Rev. Frank Crumbaugh of Holy Innocents’ Church in Beach Haven said he supports the resolution, but it is probably a divisive question for many congregations.

“It’s emblematic of the larger issues, part of the public discourse we are having lately,” Crumbaugh said. “I think many people are still trying to figure out how they think about many things.”

“Refuge is an ancient premise, to permit someone to find a safe place from being apprehended for something,” he went on. “There is a lovely painting that illustrates the idea of sanctuary, of King Edward IV stopped at the doorway of an abbey after someone has run into the church and the abbot has blocked the king.”

More here-

http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/p/local-rector-favors-sanctuary-resolution-adopted-by-episcopal-diocese-of-new-jersey/1630681

As vote looms, faith leaders say it's time to bridge the political divide

Lots of places holding prayer vigils for Voting Day-

 Massachusetts-

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20161107/on-election-eve-new-bedfords-grace-episcopal-church-prays-for-healing-and-unity

Virgina-

http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/fredericksburg-church-holds-election-themed-prayer-vigil/article_9d5dddcf-feda-5599-841f-ecdd259edec9.html 

New Hampshire-

http://www.newhampshire.com/religion/as-vote-looms-faith-leaders-say-its-time-to-bridge-the-political-divide-20161106 

New Jersey

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/nj_churches_to_pray_before_during_and_after_this_e.html

Boston-

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/11/07/prayers-for-healing-after-lacerating-campaign/deQ8TLjNnged7BkmL6QNwK/story.html

Miami-

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article113148358.html

Indianapolis-

http://www.wthr.com/article/indianapolis-churches-offer-prayer-reflection-before-election-day 

Seattle-

http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/feeling-gross-this-election-churches-offering-healing-vigils/

South Carolina-

http://www.thestate.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/cindi-ross-scoppe/article113070318.html

A Statement from the Bishop of New Jersey Regarding this Weekend's Incidents

From New Jersey-

I commend the outstanding work of the first responders and police of Seaside, Elizabeth, and Union County in their handling of the incidents this past weekend involving explosive devices. I also commend the work of New York City's responders and law enforcement in their response to the bombing in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. I ask that we keep those injured in our prayers, including the 29 wounded in the New York attack and the two officers injured in Linden this morning during the apprehension of a suspect.  

More here-

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-Statement-from-Bishop-Stokes.html?soid=1109091349525&aid=XYY4wyTT5MY

Catholic women priests fight for inclusion -- for all

From New Jersey-

The call to religious vocation came at different times in different ways. For some, it was a thunderclap, a great moment of clarity. For others, it was a building crescendo after a lifetime of being in harmony with their faith.

But the seven women ordained as Catholic priests last weekend in Morristown all agree on this: Their call to a religious pastoral life was genuinely sent by God and is as pure as any man's.

"For me, it was when I received my first Holy Communion," said Susan Schessler. "In that instant, I felt a very personal bond with Christ that was not breakable. Christ was there to me, and I was there to Christ. Like any relationship, we've had our ups and downs."

More here-

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/catholic_women_priests_fight_for_inclusion_--_for.html

We can't wait any longer to move against gun violence

From New Jersey-

As a meeting on gun violence moved toward closure inside a Trinity Episcopal Cathedral community room known as Synod Hall, attendees struggled to form one circle ahead of a final benediction.

Chairs, tables, lecterns, and bodies made awkward a single human ring atop a wooden floor that added glow to the group’s first discussion on ending a scourge of gun violence that significantly contributed to a record number of murders, 37, in Trenton last year.

Just when the group had settled on holding hands in separate subsets, recently named New Jersey Bishop William Stokes, who had convened this special meeting that coincided with a national “Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath” event, made one alteration that made city history.

“Considering the nature of our mission, it may be best that we form one circle,” Bishop Stokes offered.

More here-

http://www.trentonian.com/opinion/20140317/la-parker-we-cant-wait-any-longer-to-move-against-gun-violence

All Saints Church in Bay Head returns home in time for Christmas

From New Jersey-

The Rev. Neil Turton stood at the front of All Saints Episcopal Church in Bay Head on Sunday morning, raised his arms in the air and exclaimed, "We are home."

"We are home."

That declaration follows more than a year of reconstruction inside the cedar-shake seaside sanctuary that nearly washed away during Hurricane Sandy.

"When Sandy came in, it took us all really by surprise. We did not expect it to be what it was. And we almost lost (the church)," said Turton, the church rector. "We were very fortunate that it wasn’t a whole lot worse. But it was bad enough."

The shoreline meets the Atlantic Ocean just three blocks east of the Episcopal church that sits on Lake Avenue. Scow Ditch, which feeds into Barnegat Bay, flows directly behind the building.

More here-

http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2013/12/bay_head_church_sandy.html

New Priest Takes Command of N.J. Episcopal Diocese

From NBC New Jersey-

A priest from Florida has been installed as the 12th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey.

Hundreds of people came out for a consecration ceremony that was staged Saturday at Trinity Cathedral in Trenton for the Rev. William Stokes.

He was then formally welcomed to the cathedral and seated in his new church during a service on Sunday morning.

Stokes succeeds Bishop George Councell, who stepped down earlier this year after nearly 10 years of service.

The 56-year-old Stokes formerly served as rector of St. Paul's Church in Delray Beach.


More here-

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/New-Priest-Takes-Command-of-NJ-Episcopal-Diocese-230425091.html

The Episcopal Diocese of NJ consecrates new bishop

From New Jersey-

The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey will consecrate its 12th bishop at Trinity Cathedral Saturday.

The Rev. William “Chip” Stokes, 56, was elected to become the 12th bishop of the state’s diocese in May and will be consecrated at 11 a.m. at the cathedral at 801 West State St. in Trenton, the diocese said in a news release.

On Sunday, Nov. 3 at 10:30 a.m., Stokes will be formally welcomed into the cathedral and seated in his church, the release said.

The Episcopal diocese that Stokes will oversee is the sixth largest in the nation. It served 47,092 baptized members as of June, and has a 227-year history in New Jersey. Tomorrow’s service is expected to draw more than 1,500 visitors, the release said.

A block party-style reception will take place following the service in and outside of the church, said Jonathan Elliot, the diocese’s director of communication.
More here-

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/10/the_episcopal_diocese_of_new_jersey_consecrates_new_bishop.html

With home in Trenton, new Episcopal bishop-elect ready to lead

From New Jersey-

Over breakfast at the Sunrise Luncheonette on South Warren Street, during which he ordered eggs — over easy — in Creole because that was his waiter’s primary language, the new Episcopal bishop-elect of New Jersey discussed his pressing search for a new home.

That search continued last week as the Rev. William “Chip” Stokes and his wife Susan headed off to neighborhoods in the Cadwalader, Berkeley Square and Glen Afton sections. They were seeing three or four rental houses in just a couple of hours. They plan to pick one this week.

Beginning this summer, Stokes, who will head a diocese that stretches from Elizabeth to Cape May and encompasses two-thirds of the state, will be living in the city of Trenton.
He will be the first diocesan bishop in 40 years to do so.

“There was some hope in the diocese that the next bishop would live in Trenton, and we’re very comfortable with that,” Stokes said.

“I think I was chosen in part because of my commitment to urban ministries. I grew up in New York City. I’ve been blessed to do a lot of work with diverse communities.

“The diversity of this diocese is one of its great strengths and beauties. It’s also clear that the city of Trenton is struggling, and part of the calling of Gospel is to live amid the struggling.

“And we think,” he added, as his wife nodded enthusiastically, “that this is a beautiful city.”

More here-

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/06/with_home_in_trenton_new_episc.html

Jersey City preservationists fear that demolition of 'landmark' church already may have begun

From New Jersey-

Construction work at the vacant St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jersey City has renewed concerns among city preservationists about plans to demolish the 143-year-old building.

John J. Hallanan, president of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, called the construction work “highly suspicious,” noting that signs posted on the fence of the church indicated workers were removing asbestos, but the workers weren’t wearing any masks.

Meanwhile, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said a city construction official who visited the Summit Avenue church last week found workers attempting to remove a stained glass window from the church, which closed in 1994. The official ordered them to stop because they did not have a permit to perform that kind of work, Morrill said.

More here-

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2013/05/jersey_city_preservationists_f.html