Quick Notes Update for May 21, 2020
KEY ITEMS
- RSMAT annual meeting postponed to a date in the Fall if possible
- Crossroads Women's Conference cancelled for this year
- Lay Recognition Dinner rescheduled for Friday, October 2
- General Synod meeting postponed, special session possible for a date in October.
Have you checked the synod calendar to see what's happening? For more information on the events below, click on the
calendar link. Don't see your church's event listed - be sure to include the synod on your email and mailing lists by sending information to
rsmat@rca.org.
All feedback welcome as we develop this new version more fully
Help us invite others to receive our email,
copy and send them this link
The information and materials that appear in the email newsletter, facebook page or on the Website of the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics of the Reformed Church in America ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE OPINION OF THE REGIONAL SYNOD OF THE MID-ATLANTICS OF THE REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA, NOR ARE SUCH NECESSARILY ENDORSED BY THE REGIONAL SYNOD. THE ACCURACY AND VALIDITY OF THE INFORMATION IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PROVIDER OR AUTHOR.
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VARIOUS RESOURCES
if you can't find something you are hoping to find or are looking for, reply to this email and we will find it for you!
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Reopening resources
(each image is linked to its source)
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also perhaps useful
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NEWS ABOUT THE REFORMED CHURCH HOME
HELPING THE REFORMED CHURCH HOME
The staff at the Reformed Church Home (RCH) is working every day taking care of their residents. We've asked how we can help make things easier for them and they've requested snacks, hand cream, and cases of water. If you are willing/able to drop any of these items off to the RCH (1990 Route 18, Old Bridge), it would be greatly appreciated. When dropping items off, go in the front door (the first set of doors) and knock on the second locked door and the receptionist will take the delivery. You can tell them you are from "Your Church's Name".
The RCH asks that anyone dropping off water bottles, snacks and hand cream do so between the hours of 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. Lunch times are a bit crazy. Water bottles need to come in the original plastic that the cases are packaged in and snacks need to be individually packaged, not homemade and must be in an original box or carton from a store.
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Help Support our Employee Appreciation Fund!
Our healthcare heroes at Reformed Church Home have been truly blessed over the past few weeks with countless donations and well wishes from generous families, partners, and local businesses. Every department in our senior community has been touched by these acts of kindness! The Home wishes to thank all those that have provided protective equipment, hand sewn masks, catered meals, snacks, breakfast items, handmade cards, letters and emails of gratitude, and more. The list of contributors is long and we wish to acknowledge each one, for now with a more general message of gratitude. You know who you are, and we can never thank you enough.
Just as these encouragements keep our workforce going, the staff perseveres in caring for our skilled nursing and assisted living residents in the safest, most compassionate way possible. From nursing to housekeeping, activities to administration, development to dietary, housekeeping to accounting...each staff member working through this coronavirus crisis has given every ounce of energy, with a long road still ahead.
Our Employee Appreciation Fund allows us to coordinate deliveries and donations so that each member of our 24-hour/7-days-a-week team feels appreciated. We would be extremely grateful if you can support the Fund in one of the following ways:
· Donations by check should be made payable to Reformed Church Home and sent to: Development Office, Reformed Church Home, 1990 Route 18 N, Old Bridge, NJ 08857. Please include a note or reference on the check for the Employee Appreciation Fund.
· You may order a gift card from one of the following local food vendors (which also helps local businesses succeed!)
Giuseppe's Pizza, Old Bridge
2581 Route 516
732-607-2066 (Order via phone with a credit card and they will deliver to RCH)
Panera Bread, The Shoppes at Old Bridge
732-591-7425
www.panerabread.com e-gift cards available, please send e-gift cards to
pleblanc@rchnj.org
Bagel Boy
Jake Brown Plaza, Old Bridge
732-679-5020 (Order via phone with a credit card and we will pick them up)
Dunkin
1449 Route 18, Old Bridge
732-607-9900
We will group together the gift cards and monetary donations to provide for the staff, rotating our orders to make sure all staff and all shifts receive the love and appreciation. Again, infection control is so important, so we can specify instructions when ordering from these particular establishments. If you have any questions, please reach out to Paula LeBlanc, Director of Development, at pleblanc@rchnj.org or 732-607-9230 ext 108. Thank you for your kindness at this challenging time in our lives.
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A recent article in centraljersey.com
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A project of the Churches Improving Communities
Classis of New Brunswick Community Development Corporation
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Self Care and Skills for Engaging the Now and the Next!
As pastors and leaders, it's safe to say we are all way outside our comfort zone. Not only are we trying to pastor people through this challenging time, but we are ourselves are experiencing a level of trauma, anxiety, ________ fill in your current stress. It is more important now than ever that we take time out to do our own self-care and learn some new skills to help ourselves and others to cope, process and heal from this time. To do this, the Classis of Delaware-Raritan and the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics have engaged Dr. Francesca Nuzzolese to host 3 webinars at NO COST to you! We encourage you to watch the videos and read the notes provded here, and take time out for yourself over the next week.
 Dr. Francesca Nuzzolese is afrancesca native of Italy but has been a citizen of the world for most of her life. Her love for the world and for diversity in all its forms was nurtured in her family and in her home church, where she learned that faith, justice, and compassion must be always interrelated in the pursuit of loving and kin-dom like communities.
From 2005-2016 she was on the faculty at Palmer Theological Seminary and Eastern University, teaching in the areas of spiritual formation, pastoral care and counseling, and pastoral theology. She was also a pastoral psychotherapist and spiritual director at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. In 2017 Dr. Nuzzolese became associate professor of pastoral care and counseling at Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
As a scholar, activist and clergywoman, she is committed to the organic and intentional integration of theory and pastoral praxis, issues of faith and social justice, the gifts of faith communities and the needs of the world. Leading spiritual retreats and offering educational workshops on a variety of psycho-spiritual and social issues is an expression of such commitments: to see growth and transformation in individuals, families, and communities, both domestically and internationally.
Grounding: Minding our Psychospiritual Health
· Identifying the vulnerabilities pastors bring to the task of caring in the midst of collective trauma and their legacy to personal and professional history
· Providing some spiritual and emotionally grounding practices that can sustain pastors in these times of intense stress and demand
· Creating covenants of accountability and sustainability to hold the person of the pastor and the task of ministry in the midst of highly stressful circumstances
Intervening: Constructing new ways to engage grief and loss within the restrictions of social distancing and collective trauma
· Acknowledging personal history of trauma vis a vis the collective trauma we are living into
· Identifying the pastoral needs of individuals, families and communities in the particular context of the pandemic
· Naming particularly challenging cases/situations/themes in the experience of participants
· Collecting theological and spiritual resources to engage current pastoral needs
Anticipating: Preparing for the future
· Identifying the coping mechanisms of individuals and communities in this moment of collective trauma and linking them to the symptoms of PTSD, which are likely to emerge in the future
· Sharing common wisdom and generating resources to care in the present in order to prevent destructive reactions in the future
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NEWS FROM NORTH REFORMED CHURCH AND THE BESSIE GREEN PROJECT
We are a non-profit operation out of North Reformed Church. Our big claim to fame has been our response to Covid-19. When our new leadership team took over in February, Bessie Green was serving a small community of 40 people. Hot meals were served on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Our clothing barn and food pantry operated within our soup kitchen hours. Each week we would help 150 people from our three services.
Once Newark was placed in lockdown, our response was immediate. We began by changing operations to fit the CDC and Newark Public Health guidelines. Meals were to go, with pantry bags and clothing available upon request.
Once the practices were in place, we expanded our food service from three to five days per week for the public. At this time, we accepted a contract to help previously incarcerated persons isolated with Covid-19 in a hotel with hot meals. This service required us to have meals available on Saturday and Sunday.
Today we serve at least 120 people daily on our slow days. Our busiest days bring in above 400.
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click on the image below for more information,
including COVID-19 grants for church planters
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NEWS ABOUT THE FLOURISHING CHURCHES GRANTS
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IS YOUR CHURCH LOOKING FOR
ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS?
THE RCA HAS A SOLUTION FOR YOU!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW FOR FULL DETAILS
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A 74 PAGE EXTENSIVE RESOURCE USED BY THE PEER SUPERVISION PROGRAM IN CLASSIS NEW BRUNSWICK
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WARWICK CONFERENCE CENTER
We've updated the
webpage on our site, visit today!
"Echoing God's desire for all people to be still and draw near, the Warwick Conference Center is a broadly inclusive place of welcome, hospitality, reflection, and retreat where all are invited to seek renewal, pursue personal and corporate growth, and have the opportunity to listen for God's voice."
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A MISSIONAL RESOURCE ON ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP
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CONGREGATIONS IN OUR REGION SEEKING PASTORS
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW FOR THE CURRENT RCA LISTINGS
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VISIT OUR REGIONAL SYNOD ONLINE CALENDAR!
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