How One Church Fed An Entire Town Destroyed by Sandy

From Time-

Scott Bostwick knew the situation was grim when he had to park his car at the edge of town. All the roads were blocked, police were checking ID, and a sea of water stretched before him. He put on his hip waders and his wife Karen put on tall boots, and they began wading toward their home in Bay Head, NJ, to see the damage Superstorm Sandy had wrought two days earlier on Monday night, October 29, 2012.

Images of the devastation had already started to spread—home after home was destroyed, roads and bridges washed away. Their home was three blocks from the ocean, next to the bay and a lake, and the water in town was still knee-deep in most places. “We just saw it was going to be terrible before we even opened the door,” remembers Bostwick, 53, head pastor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. “When we went inside, it looked like a wave had passed through the house. The downstairs was a total loss.” If it was this bad at the parsonage, what would they find at their church?

Scott and Karen waded around the corner toward St. Paul’s, where they have served for 11 years. “As we walked up the steps, I was prepared for the worst,” Bostwick says, “but as we got to the door, you could see the high water mark was actually…underneath the door. We were literally the only dry spot in down.” It was a miracle.

Read more:

http://nation.time.com/2013/10/27/how-one-church-fed-an-entire-town-destroyed-by-sandy/#ixzz2ivNbi8PS

Episcopal Church in Totowa closing after 91 years

From Newark-

Borough resident Shirley Gerhardt, 88, remembers her early days at the Christ Episcopal Church on Totowa Road. She started going there as a teenager.

Church members sing hymns and the Rev. Mark Waldon leads a service on Sunday. It is the church’s final service as they are closing after serving the community for 91 years.

"My father used to say I spent more time there than I spent at home because I used to do yard work in the garden, planted plants and all kinds of stuff, in addition to actually worshiping there," Gerhardt said.

She would go on to represent the church before the Diocese Council, which with the working group that governs the church, and last week recalled some of the outreach efforts that the church conducted in its prime.

They started a program for residents at Preakness Healthcare Center in Wayne, Gerhardt said. The church provided the residents of Preakness with games and entertainment on a monthly basis, something that lasted until the 90s, she said. They also reached out to St. Paul’s Church in Paterson to help with their men’s shelter.


More here-


http://www.northjersey.com/news/186264892_Episcopal_Church_in_Totowa_closing_after_91_years.html

Little Falls church starts food pantry

From New Jeresy-

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.

Patrick Keating, a warden on the church vestry who has been volunteering his time to organize the food bank, said they have seen an increasing number of people coming in with food emergencies, which was why the decided to expand the collection effort.

Walking through the food pantry, which consists of a large storage closet with a freshly painted red floor, Keating pointed toward the dozens of grocery bags, which he said are prepared with $35 to $40 worth of groceries each.

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/news/165278916_Little_Falls_church_starts_food_pantry.html

MG Kids follows a donkey through Palm Sunday in Morristown

From New Jersey-

Dixie the donkey returned to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown on Palm Sunday to lead parishioners at two services on a ceremonial reenactment of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Dixie balked temporarily on her first stroll through the graveyard but otherwise took most of the walk in stride, including her journey between the pews through the interior of the church.

MG Kids correspondent Carl Hausman, 11, a parishioner at St. Peter’s, provides a kids-eye view of the day’s proceedings.

More here-

http://morristowngreen.com/2012/04/02/mg-kids-follows-a-donkey-through-palm-sunday-in-morristown/

Underground Railroad re-enactment celebrates Absalom Jones Day

From ENS-

he Rev. Karen Eberhardt’s first face-to-face encounter with racial discrimination still resonates, half a century later.

She was visiting the North Carolina drug store where her aunt worked when an African-American woman entered with a boy, two years at the oldest. He made a beeline for the seats at the soda fountain and began spinning around on them.

Because he was black, “my aunt had to say to the woman, ‘You know he can’t do that,’ and I was devastated,” Eberhardt recalled. Her aunt told her: “I don’t own the store, and it’s the owner’s policy, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I need to keep my job.”

“It has stayed with me all my life,” said Eberhardt, now a deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/02/13/underground-railroad-re-enactment-celebrates-absalom-jones-day/

New Jersey's Episcopalians keep the faith despite papal invitation

From New Jersey-

The Vatican has invited Episcopalians who oppose their church’s liberal leanings to join the Roman Catholic fold, but so far, New Jersey congregations aren’t budging.

Pope Benedict XVI announced Jan. 1 the creation of what’s essentially a nationwide diocese to allow Episcopalian congregations to cross over while preserving some aspects of their Anglican heritage. But despite deep philosophical dissent in the Episcopal Church, church leaders and clergy said they do not expect the Vatican’s measure to spur any exodus by conservatives in New Jersey.

“We have lots of differences of opinion, but we honor the differences we all bring and a have a commitment to live and work together,” said Bishop Mark Beckwith of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, which covers North Jersey. “It’s not a problem in this diocese.”

The new national diocese, called an “ordinariate,” was created to accommodate Episcopal congregations whose members disagree with their church’s liberal stances on matters like same-sex marriage and the ordination of women and gays. The Episcopal Church, the main U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, has some 2 million members.

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/CHURCH_0212.html

Spirit of generosity and outreach is the heart of Christ Church

From Newark-

The welcoming, busy and generous congregation of Christ Episcopal Church, 400 Ramapo Ave., steeped in history and family tradition, is celebrating its first year with Priest-in-Charge, Reverend Stephen Rozzelle.

"The signature of this church is their outreach," said Rev. Rozzelle. "They respond to others during crisis."

After the devastating floods brought on by Hurricane Irene at the end of August, the parish raised $8,000 and replaced washer and dryers for residents on one street in the town.

"These are people they did not know and they went out of their way to help strangers," said Rev. Rozzelle. "That's true generosity."

Christ Church Pompton is a historic church, according to its website, ChristChurchPompton.org, and part of the Anglican Communion, and the Episcopal Church. Established in 1798, it is the fourth oldest congregation in the Diocese of Newark.

And yet, their original mission statement speaks for today: "The mission of Christ Church is to restore all peoples to unity with God and each other in Christ through education, worship, outreach, fellowship, and communication in seeking to achieve a deeper relationship with God and compassion for others."

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/community/135637423_Spirit_of_generosity_and_outreach_is_the_heart_of_Christ_Church.html

The Bishop's Blessings

From Newark NJ-

The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, visited St. Andrew and Holy Communion on Sunday, a service that marked World AIDS Day by calling for continued support for the nearly 34 million people living with HIV around the world.

The Episcopal Church is encouraging renewed education and advocacy efforts to bring an end to the global pandemic. During his sermon to parishioners in South Orange, the Bishop recalled the fear and confusion – and avoidance of those with the AIDS when the virus was first diagnosed 30 years ago.

He called on parishioners to renew their commitments to help those infected and others troubled by lingering economic worries as the church readies for the holiday season.

More here-

http://southorange.patch.com/articles/the-bishop-s-blessings

Bell tower placement called a success

From New Jersey-

Compare it to a giant Erector Set project, except that each assembly step has to be performed 30 feet in the air.

In front of a crowd of its own parishioners and interested area residents, St. Luke's Episcopal Church completed one of the final steps in its exterior renovation project: installation of a new bell tower.

One by one, during a six-hour period, a crane lifted a half-dozen separate pieces of the belfry onto the roof of the church.

The bell tower replacement is part of the $700,000 renovation of the 175-year-old church building, the oldest of the four churches in downtown Granville.

More here-

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20110629/NEWS01/106290301

Montclair pastor gets hate mail over interfaith service

From Newark-

The Rev. Andrew Butler of Montclair's progressive St. John's Episcopal Church has been receiving hate mail, calling him a "damn fool" and saying that he has made a "mockery out of Christianity," because he decided to hold an interfaith worship service for both Muslims and Christians.

The Rev. Andrew Butler reads hate letters and emails against Muslims he received before and after he held a May 22 interfaith service at his church, St. John's Episcopal Church.
The May 22 service was intended to unite Christian and Muslim traditions and together worship God, Butler said.

But his efforts were met with hostility, when he received 10 written and typed letters, and a dozen emails, saying, "Your action was wrong," and "Muslims are not our friends."

"It's disturbing to me," Butler said. "It's disturbing, and shocking, and yet fascinating at the same time."

Butler said he has not received any direct threats.

The letters began arriving after Butler posted a release about the event on an online site operated by the Episcopal News Service. Some letters came from America's Midwest, and as far away as New Zealand, he said.

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/news/123548299_Christian_Muslim_service_prompts_hate_mail_to_pastor.html

All Saints' church will hold its final service on Sunday

From Newark-

All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Bergenfield, a congregation with a history dating back more than a century, will close its doors on Sunday.

Bishop Mark Beckwith of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark will preside at the final worship service at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 5.

Members of the congregation are in various stages of denial and anger stages, although some at least are admitting the realities that caused Beckwith to make the ultimate decision to close the church.

The congregation was down to 15 to 18 members – all over age 50 – who were attending services in recent months.

"We have no youth," said senior warden Eileen Frisby of Dumont, who has been a member for more than 30 years.

She said Her daughter, Sarah, was baptized and confirmed there "and I had hoped to see her walk down the aisle there."

The diocese released a statement:

"The Bishop, with the advice and consent of the diocesan Standing Committee, has made this sad and difficult decision after two years of candid conversation with All Saints’ leadership.

"The decision was necessary due to All Saints’ declining membership, which has reached a level at which viable and sustainable ministry is not possible."

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/news/123003378_All_Saints__church_will_hold_its_final_service_on_Sunday_.html

Out of Politics and Closet, McGreevey Pursues Dream to Join Clergy

From The New York Times-

The man once known as “robo-candidate” still acts like a campaigner in the thick of a close race. He does not enter rooms of people so much as plunge into them, hugging and hand-clasping his way from wall to wall. His smile is outsize, and almost as indelible as a campaign poster.

In one sense, James E. McGreevey, the former New Jersey governor, is again campaigning for office: He hopes to be accepted as a candidate for the priesthood in the Episcopal Church, which has begun ordaining openly gay men and women. He has already earned a divinity degree, but his application to proceed with the next step, to become a postulant, was rejected last month. He says he plans to keep trying, and his current work is a kind of test ground of his commitment.

Mr. McGreevey is the newest recovery specialist at a residential drug treatment center in Newark called Integrity House, and one recent morning he zigzagged buoyantly down the street, like the perennial political office-seeker he used to be. Everyone he saw received a holler, a handshake or a lingering moment of schmoozing.

Like a mantra, after each encounter he said, “Life is good!”

More here-

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/nyregion/mcgreevey-out-of-politics-and-closet-hopes-to-join-clergy.html

Too Messy Even for Liberals

From The American Spectator-

New Jersey Governor James McGreevey famously declared himself a "gay American" at a 2004 press conference, where, flanked by his parents and wife, he resigned in disgrace after a male staffer alleged sexual harassment. He subsequently went through a bitter public divorce and sought ordination to the priesthood in the highly inclusive Episcopal Church. But now even that denomination's extremely liberal Newark Diocese is rejecting McGreevey, apparently citing his messy divorce, not his homosexuality.

After McGreevey's confession to have appointed his purported homosexual lover as an aide (the adviser insisted he was the victim of unwanted sexual advances), the then still married New Jersey Governor stepped down from office and later began attending the Episcopal Church's General Theological Seminary in New York. He had quickly renounced his lifelong Roman Catholicism to join a more accommodating denomination. But apparently even New Jersey Episcopalians still have some ordination standards.

Episcopal Diocese of Newark Bishop Mark Beckwith has declined public comment about McGreevey's rejection as an Episcopal priest. But the New York Post, in an April 25 story headlined "Heaven Can Wait," quoted anonymous sources within the diocese about the church's decision to decline ordaining McGreevey at this time.

More here-

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/04/27/too-messy-even-for-liberals

Jim McGreevey, Ex-NJ Gov, Denied Priesthood By Episcopal Church

From Huffington (A different spin from the report just below)

Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey- who famously resigned the office in 2004 after coming out as a "gay American" and admitting to extramarital affairs- was denied in his bid to be a priest in the Episcopal Church, according to The New York Post.

Reports vary as to why McGreevey was rejected.

The Post cites one source from the Episcopal Diocese of Newark claiming "It was not being gay but for being a jackass -- [McGreevey] didn't come out of the whole divorce looking good." McGreevey had a messy public divorce with Dina Matos, with whom he has a daughter and pays child support.

More anonymous sources within the church told the Post McGreevey's sudden dedication to the Episcopalian church seemed like an obvious attempt to rehabilitate his public image.

Others claim that it is perfectly normal for aspiring priests to be told that they need more experience and education before joining the priesthood. McGreevey received his Masters In Divinity from the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea after quitting the Governor's office.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/25/episcopal-church-ex-nj-go_n_853361.html

Gay ex-NJ governor's path to priesthood is blocked

From New Jersey (Newark)

Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who abruptly resigned in 2004 after declaring himself "a gay American" and admitting an extramarital affair with a male staffer, has had his pursuit of the Episcopal priesthood put on hold indefinitely.

The New York Post reported Monday that the church has deferred his bid to join the clergy.
The church, which accepts gays and women into the clergy, wants McGreevey to wait so he can put more distance between his possible ordination and the fairly recent turmoil in his life: his coming out in a nationally televised speech, his resignation and a messy divorce from his wife, Dina Matos, in 2008.

The Rev. William Sachs, director of the Center for Interfaith Reconciliation in Richmond, Va., said it's "not unusual" for people to be deferred. Sachs said church officials would be interested in how someone with McGreevey's baggage would handle the ministry.

"How would he apply what he's learned to his ministry? Does he translate from being the person he was in the political realm to being in ordained ministry," Sachs asked. "It doesn't surprise me there would be an instinct to defer."

Neither McGreevey, a Democrat, nor the Episcopal Diocese of Newark would comment on his potential ordination, saying the process is confidential.

More here-

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j3fq6x-nL3UrzeWDsSirqqdtvRQw?docId=d855a312b8154fa0ba726eb02129b668

Saint Gabriel's Church adopts a Marine Unit

From Newark-

Saint Gabriel's Episcopal Church on Dover Milton Road has adopted a Marine Unit serving in Afghanistan. Non-perishable food items such as dry snacks, powdered drinks, candy, etc. are collected and sent periodically. There are two drop boxes for this effort, one of which is at the Jefferson Twp. Library, the other at the church. Saint Gabriel's will accept drop offs on Sundays between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon. A more detailed list of acceptable items is also at these locations. Persons coming to enjoy Christmas in the Village events at the Church may drop off items at that time as well. Thank you for helping us to make this outreach program successful.

More here-

chttp://www.northjersey.com/community/events/111245604_Saint_Gabriel_s_Church_adopts_a_Marine_Unit.html

Trinity Episcopal hosting Muslim/Christian Dialogue Panel

From Newark-

In response to many people’s questions and concerns raised about the recent and current regional, national and global news reports that have implied an inherent animosity between Muslims and Christians, Trinity Episcopal Church, located at 55 George Street in Allendale, is hosting a Muslim/Christian Dialogue Panel at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 8. The discussion panel will include Mohamed El Filali, outreach director of the Islamic Center of Passaic County; Nuray Sonmez, president of the Islamic Dialogue Center Women’s Association; and the Rev. Lisa Green, Diocese of Newark Ecumenical/ Interreligious Office.

The Rev. Michael Allen, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, noted that the dialogue is not only intended to present a venue for Christians and Muslims to begin a conversation with each other, but to also answer the question of how the members of each faith community can work together to build up and transform our community life. Such a conversation will not only allow us to learn from each other about our similarities and differences, but also to begin a discernment process of relationship building that will be a permanent detour from the current divisive path we are traveling that is filled with the pratfalls of fear and ignorance.

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/community/111175784_Trinity_Episcopal_hosting_Muslim_Christian_Dialogue_Panel.html

Town stops church trash pick-up

From North Jersey-

As the July 15 cut-off date for commercial garbage collection in Rutherford grows closer, borough businesses have had since March to prepare and find outside contractors. But the administrators of local churches were surprised recently when they discovered that the cessation of collection would include them as well.

In March, the borough decided that it would reduce residential garbage collection to once-a-week and cut commercial garbage collection entirely, a decision that took many business owners by surprise and that prompted the Rutherford Downtown Partnership to start looking into finding a contractor that could cover the district’s businesses. At the request of business owners and the RDP, the council ended up postponing the cut-off date twice, moving it back to July 15.

Many church representatives said they didn’t realize the commercial cut-off applied to them as well until they received the DPW’s May 29 letter recommending business owners choose from among three preferred contractors.

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/news/97043554_Town_stops_church_trash_pick-up_.html

Church helping parish in Panama

From Newark-

Christ Episcopal Church will host "Saving Santiago," a fundraising event with a Latino flair, at 6 p.m. on June 12.

Proceeds will benefit the parish of Santiago and other building projects in the country of Panama.

The evening is open to the public, but advance registration is required. The event will be catered by renowned Dover restaurant, Sabor Latino, and dance music will be provided by local disc jockey La Rockola.

Christ Church recently launched a companion relationship with the Diocese of Panama, with the goal of assisting the Central American diocese with the completion of several building projects and supporting their ministry to the poor. The parishioners of Christ Church in Newton have pledged to provide financial support to build a new church in Santiago, to repair a leaking roof on the church of San Jose, and to provide ongoing support for several other parishes in the poverty-stricken rural areas of Panama.

The church of Santiago floods regularly and has fallen into disrepair as a result, a statement from Christ Church said. So far, more than $38,000 has been raised by the parishioners of Christ Church towards the Saving Santiago project.

More here-

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100531/COMMUNITIES/100530025/1005/NEWS01/Church-helping-parish-in-Panama

From disaffected Episcopalians, Vatican's invitation gets mixed response

From New Jersey-

For five years, members of Saint Anthony of Padua in Hackensack, a church in the liberal Episcopal Diocese of Newark, have sought spiritual guidance from a bishop in a socially conservative diocese in South Carolina.

The reason? They oppose the liberal tendencies of the Newark diocese and their national church, which in 2003 seated an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire over conservative opposition. The following year, St. Anthony's began periodically hosting Bishop William J. Skilton from Charleston, S.C.

The arrangement helps explain why parish members probably will not accept the Vatican's special offer, made last month, to allow dissatisfied Episcopalians and Anglicans to convert to Catholicism, said the Rev. Brian Laffler, the pastor. The Episcopal Church USA, with 2.1 million members, is part of the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion.

"We have a satisfactory situation," Laffler said. "We have the pastoral care of an authorized bishop who is sympathetic to our situation."

While significant numbers of Anglicans in Britain are expected to accept it, many Episcopalians in the United States who staunchly oppose their national church's stances on sexuality and gender already have been severing ties within the Anglican Communion, church observers say.

Other parishes besides Saint Anthony of Padua have formed relationships with like-minded conservative bishops. And approximately 20 parishes in Canada, and the bishops and many members of four dioceses in Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania and California, have left the Episcopal Church and aligned themselves with the Southern Cone of the Americas, an Anglican province in South America.

"Conservatives who are leaving, most of them have left the Episcopal Church already," said the Rev. John Donnelly of Saint Michael's Church in Wayne. "Those of us that are staying -- and there are significant numbers of conservatives who have stayed -- we're staying."

More here-

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-15/126005370962810.xml&coll=1