A detailed listing of Ministry Institute events
available.
Here's a
preview of upcoming events.
December 16-17
Youth
February 11
St. Peter's, Freehold
February 25
St. Matthew's, Pennington
March 6 - 8
Convent of St. John Baptist, Mendham
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Upcoming Congregational Events
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Church of the Advent
Cape May
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St. Bartholomew Cherry Hill
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Canterbury House
at Rutgers
New Brunswick
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St. John the Evangelist
New Brunswick
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List Your Congregation's Events Here!
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Dear People of the Diocese of New Jersey,
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and
the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP, 212)
The complex textures of Advent reach into the depths of my soul. The themes of God's judgment, of Christ's second coming, of preparation for his birth anew into our world and into our lives, provoke my imagination and lift my hope.
Stir up, your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us, the Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent beseeches,
and because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us.
We are sorely hindered by our sins. We continue to need a Savior.
Susan and I just returned from a pilgrimage to South Africa. We were among a group of 17 people from the Diocese of New Jersey. It was a powerful trip offering a range of experiences. We were privileged to see the great beauty of Cape Town, majestic animals in natural habits in
Pilanesberg National Park
- lions, elephants, wild dogs, wildebeests, and more.
We also engaged with the painful history of apartheid, visiting
Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held and tortured for 18 years. I am continually challenged by the brutal capacity human beings have to hurt one another. We went to Soweto, visiting the
Hector Pieterson Museum which commemorates the
Soweto Uprising along with the tragic death of Hector Pieterson and hundreds of other students who were protesting because the Afrikaans language was being imposed on them in their schools.
South Africa continues to struggle with the effects of apartheid just as we in the United States continue to struggle with racism and the continuing residual impact of slavery and Jim Crow. While South Africa engaged in an intentional process of truth and reconciliation, our country has never formally acknowledged the evil legacy of slavery or apologized for it. This nation has never offered any form of reparations for its devastating effects to those whose lives have been impacted over the generations. These effects continue to haunt us all as a society.
This past Sunday,
The New York Times featured a story titled
The Scourge of Racial Bias in New York State's Prisons
. It was just one more piece of evidence in a huge trail of history. Confronted repeatedly with evidence of institutional and systemic racism in our society and in our church, too many still refuse to acknowledge it or do anything about it.
Advent reminds us that we believe in a God who judges the world. Our faith is not morally neutral. It makes demands of us. God is also merciful and provides us with a means of grace to draw us out of sin and into the divine love. This means is Jesus Christ. Sometimes it's hard to see him through the glitz and tinsel of the secular Christmas observance.
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and
the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
It is Advent. Come Lord Jesus. Come quickly.
Blessings and peace,
The Right Reverend William H. Stokes, D. D.
Bishop of New Jersey
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Good News stories and more!
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Stop Hunger Now - Lock In
6th -12th graders and their adult chaperones
December 16-17
Stop Hunger Now is driven by the vision of a world without hunger. Our mission is to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-changing aid to the world's most vulnerable and creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.
Meal-packaging events are the heart of our work. We work with volunteers from corporations, faith congregations, schools, colleges and universities, and civic groups.
Volunteers set up and take down packaging stations and equipment, fill bins with raw ingredients, scoop ingredients into meal bags, weigh and seal the bags, box and stack them on pallets, and load the pallets and equipment onto a truck.
Meal-packaging events are a great way to educate volunteers about global hunger and inspire them to get more involved in fighting it. The events also give volunteers hands-on experience in leadership development, team-building, relationship-building, creative problem-solving, and goal-setting and achievement.
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Want to avoid the crowds at the mall and post-Christmas clutter while helping those in need?
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PreConvention hearings announced!
Resolutions now being accepted!
Still time for nominations!
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