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Bishop Hughes invites all of us to do something that might be a first for us – to write down our prayers during this pandemic and share them with the diocese, as a way to help each other.

Click on the video at right to watch (time: 4:13), or click here to read the transcript.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on every aspect of our lives gives us quite a lot to talk about. Bishop Hughes is eager to spend time in conversation with the members of the diocese, to reflect and consider what we, our churches, and our communities have learned and experienced as we have adjusted to the changes this time has demanded of us.

There are two opportunities for diocesan-wide conversations with Bishop Hughes via Zoom meetings:

Next Tuesday, May 5 at 6 PM we will hold the first monthly lay conversation with Bishop Hughes. Scheduled for 90 minutes, this conversation is open to all members of the diocese. An email invitation will be sent Monday, May 4 with sign-in instructions for this Zoom meeting.

Throughout May and into early June, Bishop Hughes will hold eight Zoom meetings with congregations, based on their geographical region. Email invitations to these Zoom meetings will be sent to clergy and wardens to forward to their parishioners.

"Prayer is an amazing resource for us at all times, but especially when life is tough," writes Canon Wright. Here, he gives an easy tutorial on writing your own prayers - a helpful companion to Bishop Hughes' invitation to write and share a prayer of your own. Read more.

We want your stories and photos of this time. What is your congregation doing that's different or new, that might help or inspire other congregations? What is your congregation experiencing that will be important to remember? Was your church covered by local media? We want to share those stories! The submission deadline is 10 AM Friday for the following Wednesday's issue; see the Submission Guidelines .

As the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people across the world to shelter in place, many have turned to the arts for entertainment, solace and inspiration. The VOICE Online is profiling some of the many artists in the Diocese of Newark and sharing examples of their talents. This week’s article features artists working in three different media. Read more.

When Birgitta Karlen of Church of the Atonement in Tenafly learned that COVID-19 was forcing local healthcare workers to stay on their units for their entire 12-hour shifts, she asked what they needed. The response was simple: bottled water. Read more.

Due to the state-wide "Stay at home" order, Pop Up Youth Ministry is meeting via Zoom. All youth grades 6-12 are invited to participate in the next Zoom meeting, scheduled for Sunday, May 3 at 4 PM. Find out more and register online.

Save the date for future Zoom meetings on Sunday, May 17 and Sunday, June 7, both at 4 PM.

The Gertrude Butts Fund, a non-profit corporation organized in 1929, and closely affiliated with the Diocese of Newark, seeks applicants for the 2020-2021 academic year. Application deadline: MON, MAY 4, 2020.

The applications deadline has been extended for educational scholarships from The Episcopal Church. A scholarship applicant must be an Episcopalian and must have the endorsement of his/her bishop. New application deadline: MON, MAY 25, 2020.

Staff are continuing to work remotely from home, and can be reached via their usual work emails and phone numbers as listed in the Staff Directory.

Please take a look at our updated worship resources on our COVID-19 page. Included are forms for at-home use, that anyone can use, for an Agapé Meal and a special form for Grace at meals for Easter Season. For our congregations, there are templates for Ante-Communion (Liturgy of the Word) and for Morning Prayer and a set of Prayers of the People, all of which may be used or adapted as needed.

We are continuing to post opportunities to worship online with congregations across our diocese at dioceseofnewark.org/worship-online. Included are some offerings specifically for children.

Please send changes to the Worship Online list to Nina Nicholson at [email protected] . Updates received after 4 PM Friday will be posted the following week.

It's April: the month when many churches prepare and send quarterly statements, or giving records, to their pledging households. In regular times, your church may send an email, sent with the push of a button, or a mailed statement. These are not regular times. But it's more important than ever to keep communicating with parishioners, and that includes practical matters like quarterly statements. Read more.

This week's reflection is "When church comes to me at home" by Ross Wisnewski of St. Mary’s, Sparta.

If you'd like to participate in this weekly series please send your reflection (250 word maximum) to Cynthia McChesney, [email protected].

In addition to these mini-essays, we hope you'll also participate on social media for more! We'll be posting with the hashtag #GratitudeMatters.

Presiding Bishop Curry: "In the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, we are now at another one of those threshold moments when important and significant decisions must be made on all levels of our global community for the good and the well-being of the entire human family. In this moment, I would ask you to allow me to share with you a Word to the Church: What Would Love Do?"

Click on the video at right to watch (time: 10:36), or click here to read the transcript.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is offering Habits of Grace, a weekly meditation published on Mondays, to help Episcopalians cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to watch the meditation for the week of April 27, plus past meditations.

Go to episcopalnewsservice.org/tag/coronavirus for their full coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic as it's affecting The Episcopal Church.