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Province II Council Meeting
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 The October Province II Council will meet at the Diocese of Newark's office building in Newark, NJ on Friday, October 3, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The agenda includes the 2009 Synod, General Convention 2009 and Province II night, aid to Haiti, as well as planning for a provincial convocation to take place in 2010.
Coordinators of the various Province networks will join the meeting at noon and provide updates on the activities of their network groups throughout the afternoon.
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Lambeth Reflections - October 4, 2008
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Knudson Love Robinson Graham
   
You are
invited to Trinity Cathedral in Trenton, NJ on
Saturday, October 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to hear Bishops Chilton Knudson (Maine), Bill Love (Albany) and Gene Robinson (New Hampshire) share their post-Lambeth thoughts. Adding comments on the wider Anglican perspective will be the Rev. Gordon Graham (Church of England), who is currently the Henry Luce III Professor of Philosophy and the Arts at Princeton Theological Seminary. The bishops of Province II will also be present to join in discussions. Registration of $20 per
person includes lunch. For more information or to register, contact Charles Perfater
by email at chperfater@comcast.net or call him at 609-494-7944.
The hotels recommended in Trenton the
Lafayette Yard Marriott (609-421-4000) and the Ewing Marriott (609-771-8100).
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2009 Provincial Synod - Mark your Calendar now
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 In preparation for next year's General Convention the planning for the 2009 Provincial Synod is well underway. It will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany, May 7 & 8. All deputies and alternate deputies elected to General Convention from Province II dioceses are urged to attend. Persons elected to the Provincial Synod should also attend.
Provincial business will occur on Thursday afternoon. Though the majority of General Convention business will take place on Friday, some GC workshops will be presented Thursday afternoon. Tentative workshop topics are: the Anglican Covenant, Episcopal Health Care, Ecumenical Matters and Lay Benefits. A Eucharist will take place at St. Peter's Church late Thursday afternoon, followed by a dinner for all. A committee, chaired by Kim Byham, with representatives from most dioceses, is actively involved in the planning.
Approximate costs will be $99 for registration and $119 per night for rooms at the hotel.
The Synod gathering is open to all who are interested in the
affairs of the Province or the preparations for General Convention.
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Seek First Campus Ministry Retreat
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"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33)
 September is a crazy month for college students. It's easy to loose our rhythm and feel stressed.
Come away on September 26-28 with students from around the NY/NJ region to Ashokan Conference Center (pictured above) in Olivebridge, NY. It's a beautiful place for a time focused on seeking God as a priority for our busy, stressed-out lives.
You'll be with students from campus ministries at NYU, SUNY New Paltz, Columbia/Barnard, Rutgers, Vassar, Hobart & William Smith and other schools in Province II of the Episcopal Church. There'll be a structure of prayer and rest, with time to talk or to be by oneself. And, we've heard the food is good.
Our spiritual director will be the Rev. Gwyneth Murphy, who serves as vicar at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church &
Episcopal Campus Pastor for SUNY New Paltz.
The cost of the weekend is $135. Please talk with your campus minister or priest about scholarship resources.
Want more information? Visit Seek First on Facebook.
Need transportation? Please contact: The Rev. Gregory Bezilla, Episcopal chaplain at Rutgers.
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Haiti: In the Eye of the Storm
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 This year's hurricane season has brought Haiti to its knees. The poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti has been devastated by three deadly storms in the last month and a half. Hurricane Fay caused ten deaths and considerable damage to the agricultural sector. More than 70,000 people recently sought shelter from Hurricane Gustav, which destroyed homes, crops & livestock, displaced thousands and left at least 76 people dead.
Tropical Storm Hanna inundated Haiti leaving the nation's third largest city of Gonaives largely under water. The death toll from Hanna was over 135. Hanna's arrival on the heels of Gustav and Fay severely hindered recovery efforts and hundreds of thousands have been completely stranded without shelter, food or clean water. With two other storms, Hurricane Ike and Tropical Storm Josephine, heading towards Haiti, more destruction is feared.
Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti to assist over 1,000 people affected by Hurricane Gustav who are living in shelters in three communities in the South; Jeannette, Petit Trou de Nippes and Leogane. Father Frantz Cole, the Development Officer for the diocese, is on site and coordinating with development agents and local churches to deliver food, water, medical supplies, clothing and seeds to help replant crops.
Haiti is one of the diocese of Province II. To support people in Haiti impacted by hurricanes, please make a donation to Episcopal Relief & Development's "Hurricane Relief Fund" online at www.er-d.org, or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can also be mailed to: Episcopal Relief & Development "Hurricane Relief Fund" P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058. Be sure to designate your gift for Haiti.
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| Stewardship Network News
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The Province II Stewardship Network held a stewardship mentor's training workshop on August 1 and 2 in Binghamton, NY. The workshop built further upon the materials offered to provincial members at our first mentor's training event in Newark two summers ago.
Terry Parsons, former Stewardship Officer of the Episcopal Church and now Program Officer for Diocesan Services, lent her considerable expertise, sharing among other things, her Seven Secrets to Successful Stewardship:
· Pray
· Engage the Bible
· Rebuke Scarcity
· Claim Abundance
· Express Less Concern over Budget and More Dedication to Holy Habits
· Give Thanks at All Times
· YCSSIYDTS - You Can't Sell Soap If You Don't Take Showers! In other words, Walk the Talk!
Much was learned and shared, and we are excited now to use the gifts we gathered back in our respective dioceses!
Thanks Be To God!
The Stewardship Network is committed to the concept of holding annual stewardship mentor training sessions for Province II. We are currently exploring the opportunities for next year's workshop - Stay Tuned!
For further information on Stewardship Mentoring, contact your Diocesan Offices, or email me, RossWisnewski@Yahoo.com.
submitted by Ross Wisnewski
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Episcopal Church Women Focus on Mission
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 The 2008 Annual Meeting of Province II Episcopal Church Women took place at the Spiritual Life Center of the Diocese of Albany located in Greenwich, New York last May. Blended into the fabric of the weekend were opportunities for wonderful worship, including a healing Eucharist on Saturday evening, a bus tour of the center, fellowship, and fun.
 Mission grants made
The Church of the Good Shepherd in Bronx, NY was awarded $500 for its Summer Bible
School/Cultural Expressions through Dance, Music & Art program.
The
Church of St. Mark the Evangelist in Syracuse, NY was also awarded $500 for its Sundaes on Friday neighborhood outreach program.
This annual grant program was instituted to fund outreach ministries to women and children. The
first award, made in 2007, went to the Anglican Women's Empowerment
project in honor of Phoebe Griswold, wife of our former presiding
bishop and was a gift of the province. Each diocese may submit one application for consideration.
Mission & Outreach Presentations
During a presentation entitled "One Village at a Time," Karen Love, wife of Albany's Bishop Bill Love, told of her mission trip with nineteen others, including ten teenagers, to Bolivia during the summer of 2007. The group helped build and rebuild various structures. Living without the amenities of their normal life while experiencing the joy of those they served was transforming for all who went along.
Linda Stevens told us about Albany's mission to the Sudan, which they share with the Church of Ireland, as well as parish mission partnership programs between congregations in Albany and congregations in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. She also emphasized that mission is possible and needed right at home.
The Rev. Dr. Ann Curtain, our chaplain, spoke about a parish ministry to victims of domestic violence which is called "Healing a Woman's Soul." The ministry's goals are to provide a place where women can learn to trust, educating pastors and laity, and using existing parish networks to establish advocacy and support groups.
Officers Elected
Jennifer
Kenna of Central New York was re-elected President for a second term of
three years. Ann Smith of Central New York was approved for appointment
to the position of Province II Representative to the National Board of
the Church Periodical Club and Carolyn Belvin, Diocese of New Jersey
was approved as alternate for the same position.
The Province II ECW Board is deeply grateful to the women of the Diocese of Albany for their warm and loving hospitality.
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