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Anti-Racism Training November 2018
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 Dear People of the Diocese of New Jersey,
Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil ...
Joel 2:13
Turning, returning, are great themes of Lent. Turning to God, returning to God are great biblical themes. This coming Sunday, the Gospel reading is from Luke 15, the story of the Prodigal Son. It is familiar to many, even those who are not faithful church attenders.
Spiritual writer and Catholic priest Henri Nouwen authored a book called The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming (New York: Image Books - Doubleday, 1992). In this book he reflected on his encounter with Rembrandt's 17th century masterpiece of the same name. Nouwen first discovered the painting when he visited a friend at L'Arche - a community which ministered to people who struggled with mental illness and whose staff he would later join. He was captivated by a reproduction of the painting that hung on the door:
 As we spoke, my eyes fell on a large poster pinned on her door. I saw a man in a great red cloak tenderly touching the shoulders of a disheveled boy kneeling before him. I could not take my eyes away. I felt drawn by the intimacy between the two figures, the warm red of the man's cloak, the golden yellow of the boy's tunic, and the mysterious light engulfing them both. But most of all, it was the hands - the old man's hands - as they touched the boy's shoulders that reached me in a place I had never been reached before. (p. 4)
A few years later, Nouwen had an opportunity to travel to St. Petersburg, Russia to view the original painting which hangs in The Hermitage. He writes:
There had been moments when I wondered whether the real painting might disappoint me. The opposite was true. Its grandeur and splendor made everything recede into the background and held me completely captivated. Coming here was indeed a homecoming. (p. 8)
In this little book, Nouwen explores the story in Luke 15 from the perspectives of each of the main characters: the younger son, the elder son, and the father. He delves into the interior life of each; hypotesizes about family dynamics at work; explores what each perspective has to say to him about himself and about his relationship with God. It is an insightful and provocative approach taken by a person with profound self-awareness and a deep understanding of the human condition.
At the end of the book he reflects:
I stand here with awe at the place where Rembrandt brought me. He led me from the kneeling, disheveled young son to the standing, bent-over old father, from the place of being blessed to the place of blessing. As I look at my own aging hands, I know that they have been given to me to stretch out toward all who suffer, to rest upon the shoulders of all who come, and to offer the blessing that emerges from the immensity of God's love. (p. 139)
As you prepare for worship on this Third Sunday in Lent, I invite you to meditate on Luke 15:11-32. Read, mark and inwardly digest this story. Allow it to speak tenderly to you and then return to the Lord anew for God is indeed merciful and loving.
Blessings and peace,
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The Bishop's Schedule Highlights
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Saturday, March 30
9:00 am
Deacon’s Day with the Bishop
Grace-St. Paul’s Church, Mercerville
Pastoral Calls
Sunday, March 31
4:00 pm
Evensong
St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue, NYC
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Monday, April 1 - Monday, April 8
Farewell Celebration for
The Right Reverend Pierre Whalon
and the Consecration of
The Rev. Mark Edington,
Bishop in Charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
Paris
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Diocesan-wide Confirmation
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Saturday, May 11, 2019
10:00 am
Trinity Cathedral
 If you plan to participate in this service, please contact the Rev. Canon Valerie Balling by Friday, May 3rd with the names of those you will be presenting for Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation of Faith.
All candidates and sponsors need to be in Synod Hall at the Cathedral by 9:15 am.
If you need Confirmation, Reception, or Reaffirmation Certificates, please contact Mary Anne Clisham (or call: 609-394-5281).
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ECW Women's Lenten Quiet Day
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 Led by the Rev. Maria Sanzo, a priest, teacher, spiritual director, and student who believes that finding God in quiet moments is essential to spiritual health, we invite you to spend a quiet day reflecting on the scriptures of Holy Week.
The ECW of the Diocese of NJ will be sponsoring this Quiet Day for all women of the diocese on April 6 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at St. Mary's Church in Point Pleasant Beach.
Register by Tuesday, April 3rd here or contact Mary Anne Clisham at 609-394-5281, ext. 10.
Questions: email Allie Graham. Suggested donation $10 at the door, includes lunch.
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Holy Week Clergy Day with
Eucharist and Renewal of Ordination Vows
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Tuesday, April 16, 2019
9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Trinity Cathedral
Register Now
 "When I Am Lifted Up from the Earth:
Preaching the Cross Today"
The Rev. Canon Dr. Kara N. Slade
Trinity Church and
The Episcopal Church at Princeton University
What does it mean to preach the Cross and the Atonement as good news today? This lecture will draw on Scripture, art, and theological texts to reflect on the saving work of Christ and how it can come to us - and our congregations - as gospel.
Kara serves as Associate Chaplain at ECP and Associate Rector at Trinity Church, and teaches Anglican Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary as an adjunct instructor. She lives in Procter House with her geriatric miniature poodle, Deacon of Durham. Kara received her Ph.D. in Christian theology and ethics at Duke University in 2018, with research interests that include Karl Barth, Søren Kierkegaard, and the ethics of science, technology, and medicine. A former specialist in the dynamics of nonlinear and complex systems, she earned the BSE, MS and PhD in mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering (and served on the faculty there) before joining NASA as a research engineer. After leaving government service, she returned to Duke in 2009 as a student in the Divinity School, and stayed on for her second doctorate. A lifelong Southerner, she is a zealous convert to all things New Jersey.
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 Friday, May 3, 5:30 to 9:00 pm
Saturday, May 4, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Saturday, May 11, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
All Saints Episcopal Church, Scotch Plains
Participants must attend all sessions
In 1967 The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked, "Where do we go from here, chaos or community?" Fifty years later The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry answered, "The opposite of community is unacceptable."
The workshop's approach emphasizes learning from history to understand systemic racism, confronting internalized racial oppression, and discussing actions to organize against the many forms of racism.
See the flyer here. Register by April 29 here or by emailing Mary Anne Clisham. Cost is $50 ($250 for non-members of the Diocese), including meals.
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Happening Around the Diocese
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To receive emails about events around the Diocese, please update your preferences to subscribe to the Announcements List. You can update your preferences here.
March 30:
April 6:
April 16
May 4:
May 5
May 11
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TRINITY CATHEDRAL RUMMAGE SALE
Donate gently used items for the sale, including: adults' and kids' clothing, sporting goods, housewares, jewelry, shoes, home décor, seasonal decorations, furniture, toys and electronics (with the exception of large TVs) at the Cathedral from March 29 to April 1. The Rummage Sale itself will be held April 4 - April 6.
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SEEKING FULL-TIME PARISH CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR
The successful applicant will demonstrate strong desktop publishing skills as well as a high degree of proficiency in all areas of Microsoft Office suite. A working knowledge of social media/website management, office operations, vendors, and accounts payable/ receivable (QuickBooks), is desired. Minimum of two continuous years in a professional office environment. Email resume and cover letter to Office@Christchurch.woodburynj.org
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RECTORY FOR RENT
 The rectory of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (90 Leonardine Ave., South River) is available for rent for a Minister of the Gospel: spacious colonial style home 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, family room, 2-car garage, finished basement and patio: $1,950/month (utilities not included). Email TheRector@HolyTrinitySR.org for more info.
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SEAMEN'S CHURCH SEEKS NEW DIRECTOR
We are searching for a new director of our Port Newark International Seafarer's Center. Position is open to either lay or clergy. Apply now.
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EVENT SUBMISSIONS
If you would like us to send an email to the diocesan listserv about your special event please click here to have your event listed on the diocesan calendar and send a brief description of the event with a pdf flyer that will be used as an announcement to Steve Welch. You can also add events to the diocesan calendar directly by clicking here.
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SUBMISSIONS FOR GNGS
Submissions for Good News in the Garden State can include text, images and pdf files and should be sent to Steve Welch at swelch@dioceseofnj.org no later than close of business on the Wednesday before publication on Fridays.
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COMMENTARIES, WOMEN'S CLERGY SHIRTS & ALBS
Available in Point Pleasant. Please contact the Rev. Nancy Speck at revnani8@gmail.com or 732-892-0955.
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