News From Province 2

The management of money is a challenge for each of us and, increasingly, it is a challenge for our churches as well. How do we make decisions about money? How do we decide what belongs to God? How do we get a grip on immediate and future needs? A one-day stewardship workshop with three expert presenters.

Cathedral House, Diocese of Newark

Save the Date!

2012 Synod - May 3-5, 2012, at Holiday Inn on Wolf Road in Albany, NY.

Editor's Comment

This issue of the In Prov 2 is linked to a complete issue in magazine format that either can be read online or downloaded and printed out. Go to the Province II website at www.province2.org/inprov2.html.

Province II has a Facebook page - check it out! Find Us on Facebook

and "like" the province and then commend it to your friends.

The next issue of the In Prov 2 will come out toward the end of September. I ask all networks and dioceses to make sure to get me their news and coming events by Friday, September 16, 2011 - mark your calendars!

Jan Paxton, Communications Officer for Province II

The Officers and Networks of Province II

From the Christian Formation Network

Province II has a new chair of our Christian Formation Network

Caren Miles, Director of Children and Family Ministries, Church of the Heavenly Rest in NYC has just accepted the appointment as network chair. Caren has considerable experience in organizing and directing programs designed to enhance the ministry and Christian education of young people through the roles she has had in the Diocese of Dallas and in New York City.

Province II extends a warm welcome to her and we wish her much success in her new role. You may be hearing from her as she undertakes the job of rebuilding our provincial network and its ministry.
If you would like to make the first contact she can be reached at Heavenly Rest by email at cmiles@heavenlyrest.org, or by phone at 212-289-3400 x207

From the Youth Ministry Network

EYE 2011

Come Together: Intimately linked in this harvest work

Jennifer Seefeldt

At the end of June, a contingent of 12 youth and 3 adults from the Diocese of WNY will be traveling to Bethel University in St. Paul, MN to attend the 2011 Episcopal Youth Event (EYE). There will be three very full days of worship, sharing, praying, learning, singing, and working, calling participants into a greater awareness of and commitment to God's mission in the world.
Focusing on Jesus Christ and his presence in our lives, EYE will provide an opportunity and create an environment where our young people and the adults who accompany them can continue to grow on their journey in faith.
..... (click here to read the complete article)

Find out more about EYE 2011 at www.episcopalchurch.org/123911_ENG_HTM.htm

"Anglicanism Remixed": what does it look and sound like?

By The Rev. Dr. John P. McGinty

Prayer, community, and an expectant, confident, expansive look at the future characterized Province II of the Episcopal Church's "Anglicanism Remixed" conference in Syracuse during the first week of May.
..... (click here to read the complete article)

Angicanism Remixed

At the midpoint of the time together, participants were engaged by a panel of three bishops of Province II who took part in the conference. The Right Reverend George E. Councell of the Diocese of New Jersey, the Right Reverend Lawrence C. Provenzano of the Diocese of Long Island, and the Right Reverend Skip Adams of the hosting Diocese of Central New York each spoke and then conversed with those present. The bishops talked about their hopes for the preaching of the Gospel and growth of the church in the present and future. Together they offered a hopeful look ahead. Contemplating the statistical portrait of the Episcopal Church that can look staid, settled, and entirely conventional, Bishop Adams pointed out that one of the most dignified things in the world is a corpse, while one of the most undignified is a growing baby. "Church," Bishop Adams said, "should be like a growing baby."

View Chuck Perfater's pictures of this event here.

Angicanism Remixed

Province II Stewardship Workshop June 25, 2011

Money and the Church: Managing First Fruits

The Stewardship Network of Province II

Stewardship 2011

In order to assist our dioceses in matters related to stewardship, Province II has conducted mentors' workshops in each of the past four years. These developmental programs were followed by a one day workshop, open to all and led by our new mentors. This year we are holding a one day workshop, open to all. It will be in June, rather than August, to permit many summer vacationers to be available. The workshop will focus, not only on proven in-gathering programs, but also on solid budgetary management issues, that is how do we manage the resources we have on both the personal and church levels. In other words, stewardship is not just a tool to get more money into the church coffers, but, when the "stewardship campaign" is done, it then includes making the best use of the money that has been given to God's work!

Click here to find out more or here to go to online registration.

Report on the Province II ECW Annual Meeting April 29-May 1, 2011

Christ the King Retreat and Conference Center, Syracuse, NY
The Reverend Jennifer Kenna

Twenty women from six dioceses gathered at Christ the King Retreat and Conference Center in Syracuse, NY for the Province II Episcopal Church Women Annual Meeting. The Center is at the top of hill in a cul-de-sac and is surrounded by beautiful grounds.
...
Our presenter on Saturday morning was Bambi Carkey, who entitled her program "Doing Unto Ourselves as We Do Unto Others." She is a psychiatric nurse practitioner, clinical professor at Upstate University Hospital School of Nursing and a member of St. Luke's Church, Camillus, NY. She spoke about stressors particular to women and how to deal with them. Bambi led us through a guided meditation to the Garden of Gethsemane with Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus and Martha of Bethany.

..... (click here to read the complete article)

Have You Heard About Secure Communities?

From the Immigration Network

Have you heard about Secure Communities?

By: Laura A. Russell, Esq., Immigration Coordinator,
Province II

Secure Communities (S-Comm) is an initiative of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) secure communities

Division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to obtain fingerprinting information from local police and the FBI. If DHS databases indicate that the person is potentially deportable, both ICE and the local law enforcement authorities are notified. ICE then can decide enforcement action, which may include arrest by ICE, transfer to ICE custody, and initiation of deportation proceedings.
..... (click here to read the complete article)
The meeting of the House of Bishops in September of 2010 called for immigration reform. General Convention has called for immigration reform, and most of our Dioceses have called for immigration reform. We have all called for a more humane approach to immigration. Unfortunately, Secure Communities is not such an approach.

Now is the time to continue to learn about our immigration policies and to educate ourselves on the real issues surrounding immigration. As the new Immigration Coordinator for Province II, I am available to discuss any immigration topics that may be of interest to you or your diocese. You may reach me at LARussell@legal-aid.org

Diocese of Albany

Convention 2011: Be Filled With the Holy Spirit

The theme for the 2011 Convention of the Diocese of Albany, which will take place on June 10 - 12, 2011 at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, NY, is "Be Filled with the Holy Spirit". The Right Reverend William Love, Bishop of Albany, visited Camp of the Woods prior to the Clergy Wives Conference to see the improvements and changes since last year and says: "You will like them." You can look forward to super workshops again this year and the guest bishops and wives will be The Right Reverend Harold Miller, Diocese of Down and Dromore, Ireland and Liz Miller and The Right Reverend Todd McGregor, Bishop of Southern Madagascar, and Patsy McGregor.

The convention will begin on Friday, June 10, with registration beginning at 2:00 p.m. and the first business session at 7:30 p.m. There will be two business sessions on Saturday and there is a provision for a fourth business session on Sunday, June 12, should it be needed. There is, however, a daunting schedule of workshops threaded between the business sessions.
...(click here to read the entire article)

Diocese of Central New York

2011 "Mission of Miracles" trip to El Salvador

Bonnie Adams

The 2011 "Mission of Miracles" trip to El Salvador was another successful mission and an inspiring experience for this year's team. The group who traveled consisted of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, lay assistants, translators, two professors from SUNY IT and the provost from SUNY IT. Many of the nurses gained clinical hours for their Community Health program. Ecuador trip

The week long health campaign consisted of training local health promoters, health promotion workshops for parents and community leaders, visits to local schools, mental health counseling, and home visits. The transporting of medications had to be postponed due to the delayed process of approval by the Ministry of Health. When the approval process is finalized, the supplies will be sent to the Diocese of El Salvador for their use throughout the year.
....(click here to read the entire article)

Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe

Prison Ministry in Europe Has a Different Flavor

From the Church of the Ascension in Munich, Germany's website

The Mission of the English Speaking Prisoners' Support Group (ESPSG) is to help English-speaking inmates of prisons in Bavaria. This is one of the outreach ministries of the Church of the Ascension.
The ESPSG arose from a public meeting in Munich called by Tony Smith in January 1991. Tony was an inspired, and inspiring, Christian who had recognized that there was a need to help English-speaking inmates of Stadelheim prison.

That meeting in 1991 changed the lives of dozens of people. Tony enchanted those present on that day with his quiet confidence and his obvious deep commitment to the service of his fellow men in need. Around twenty people committed themselves to the work at that initial meeting. But for fifteen long and frustrating months the ESPSG seemed to make little progress. Breaking into a prison seemed every bit as difficult as breaking out of a prison!

....(click here to read the entire story)

Diocese of Haiti

Archbishop Desmond Tutu Endorses The Episcopal Church Rebuild Our Church in Haiti Appeal

Press Release

March 23, 2011, New York, NY - Archbishop Desmond Tutu has issued a statement in support of the Haiti Music School

efforts of The Episcopal Church to help the Diocese of Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake through its Rebuild Our Church in Haiti appeal.

Archbishop Tutu stated:

"We are all God's children and we must be one. For this reason I am proud of my sisters and brothers in the Episcopal Church who are joining as one to help their sisters and brothers in Haiti rebuild the church that has helped them endure such difficult times. There is no "conservative" or "liberal" in this project. There is no rich or poor. There is one community of faith joining hands across a continent to raise up a new place for hope to dwell. I honor the church-wide effort to rebuild Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince; it deserves our wholehearted and generous support."

(go to the press release for the entire article)

Diocese of Long Island

St. Jude, Wantagh, NY, featured in fourth video of healthy Episcopal congregational practices

Transforming Churches, Changing the World

The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs

[May 10, 2011] St. Jude may be the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes, but for a Long Island, NY Episcopal Church named for the saint, the church is far from hopeless.
St. Jude's, Wantaugh

At one time, St. Jude's in Wantagh experienced declining membership and dwindling resources, but today the church is growing and reflects its local community. Working together, the congregation was "deliberate and very strategic in wanting to bring about positive change and long-reaching vision," noted the Rev. Bob Honeychurch, Episcopal Church Officer for Congregational Vitality.

....(click here to read the entire story)

St. Jude's, in the Diocese of Long Island, is the focus of the fourth of five videos in the groundbreaking series, Transforming Churches, Changing the World. Produced by the Episcopal Church Office of Communication, the video is available on the home page of the Episcopal Church website http://www.episcopalchurch.org, the Congregational Vitality page http://www.episcopalchurch.org/vitalityand on the Church's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/episcopalian

Diocese of New Jersey

I Was in Prison and You Visited Me

The Diocese of New Jersey has an active prison ministry program. A diocesan-wide Ministry to the Imprisoned initiative was launched in January 2009 by Bishop Councell.
....(Click here to read the entire article)

The Chairperson of the prison ministry program for the diocese is the Rev. Johnine Byrer, who is the deacon at Church of the Holy Spirit, Lebanon and leads the prison ministry program there. She and others visit Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Annandale weekly. They have involved the women there in prayer, Bible Study and the Shawl Ministry.

Johnine said, "Over the years, you have heard me tell many stories about the men and women I visit in jail and prison. Well, you might be wondering what is it that keeps me going back week after week, year after year to be a presence to these men and women. I feel that today's letter from the imprisoned Paul to the Ephesians and to us mirrors the message of inspiration and encouragement that he so eloquently wrote many, many years ago.

....(Click here to read the entire article)

Diocese of New York

Bishop Search 2011

What's Been Done, What's Still to Come

The Committee to Elect a Bishop has been busy on behalf of all in the Diocese of New York. Here's an update on their progress so far, and what to expect going forward.

Following the call by Bishop Sisk for the election of a bishop coadjutor at an election to be held this coming October 29, a Committee to Elect a Bishop was formed in accordance with the diocesan canons. The members of the committee are the Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, co-chair, Canon Michael J. McPherson, co-chair, the Rev. Terence L. Elsberry, the Rev. Judith Ferguson, the Rev. Matthew Hoxsie Mead, Margaret L. Shields, Esq., Dr. Philip Blake Spivey, the Rev. Thomas N. Synan and George J. Wade, Esq.

....(click here to read the entire article)

Go to the Diocese of New York's Bishop Search web page

Diocese of Newark

Youth Comes Knocking - Teen General Convention Deputies Caroline Christie and Gibson Oakley

By Virginia Citrano

In the Episcopal faith, children are full members from birth. We create Sunday school programs for them, and choirs, vacation bible schools and retreats. But even when they cross into the age of reason, we often fail to include our youth in one of the most central aspects of our faith, the governance of our church. Until they come knocking, that is.

But knock they did in late January, quite loudly in fact. Caroline Christie, age 17 and Gibson Oakley, age 16, came to Diocesan Convention and stood for election as lay deputies to General Convention in 2012, alongside seven other candidates who were often decades their elders. Grounded in their belief that they had both been called to serve the Diocese of Newark, the young people carried the day. The story of their election is a story of their faith and determination, and of a conscious effort by the Diocese of Newark to more fully involve young people in every part of the life of our church.

....(Click here to read the complete article)

Gibson Oakley and Caroline Christie, front, with the rest of the Diocese of Newark's deputation to General Convention 2012. (L-r) The Rev. Dr. Shane Phelan, Laura Russell, Martha Gardner, the Rev. Dr. Cathy Deats, the Rev. Dr. Canon Sandye Wilson, the Rev. Erik Soldwedel. NINA NICHOLSON PHOTO

Diocese of Rochester...

Social Justice Resolutions

John Clinton Bradley and Marilyn Wienk

Resolutions and Workshops this year at Diocesan Convention in the Diocese of Rochester demonstrate that we are a people focused on social and economic justice issues.

Resolution A. Sponsored by the Diocesan Public Policy Committee urges our Congressional legislators to enact comprehensive immigration reform that would "create a fair and workable pathway for undocumented immigrants to earn legal status and, eventually, citizenship" and thereby satisfy U.S. labor needs here in upstate New York as well as elsewhere in the nation. It also calls for clearing "the backlog of family visas to permit the reunification of spouses, parents, children and siblings" and for treating "same-gender permanent partners in the same manner as opposite-gender spouses.

Resolution B. Also sponsored by the Public Policy Committee, seeks to redress the adverse effects of the recent Supreme Court Decision, Citizens United, which ruled corporations have the same free speech rights as individuals in the election process. This resolution calls for a Constitutional Amendment to deny the status of persons to corporations as well as legislation in the short term that would limit the amount of money any person or group can give to election campaigns or candidates.

Resolution C. This resolution was sponsored by Oasis Rochester (formerly the Committee on Gay & Lesbian Ministry) in response to the recent epidemic of suicides by LGBT youth who had been bullied. The resolution encourages parishes to work with their local school systems to promote anti-bullying and LGBT-awareness programs. It also asks our diocesan youth ministers to include anti-bullying and LGBT-awareness messages in their work with our young people.

Dr. Wienk is Chair of the Diocesan Public Policy Committee. Mr. Bradley is a member of the Committee for Gay and Lesbian Ministry.

Diocese of the Virgin Islands

Nazareth By the Sea Episcopal Church welcomes everyone to God's table

Located on the east end of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, Nazareth by the Sea Episcopal Church is an emerging faith community that is multi-racial and multi-cultural. We are dedicated to praising God and to making a difference in our community and in the world, and we are a congregation learning to be green.

Like many communities, the Virgin Islands faces mounting social and economic challenges that must involve all of us working together to find and implement practical solutions. We also face a huge environmental crisis. Lagging far behind other countries, the Virgin Islands must become organized and mobilized. Nazareth by the Sea is committed to working with and supporting any individual or group taking a stand for environmental responsibility. Here we share the Good News of Jesus Christ - that God loves each of us, always has loved us and that the Kingdom is at hand. We believe the Gospel message makes our environmental mission an imperative.

Formed five years ago, Nazareth by the Sea has yet to construct a physical church building. We meet at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, located up a long driveway opposite the entrance to Point Pleasant Resort just east of Smith Bay. Here everyone is welcome at God's table.

....(Click here to read the complete article)

Diocese of Western New York

The Right Reverend R. William Franklin, Diocese of Western New York

By Laurie Wozniak, Communications Officer, Diocese of Western New York

[Diocese of Western New York] The May 1 installation and seating of the Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin at St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo, NY, concluded a joyous weekend of festivities that reflected the
diocese's diversity and hope for the future.
Franklin Consecration

On Saturday, Franklin, 64, was ordained and consecrated as the diocese's 11th bishop in a two hour service that drew about 950 local, national and international, ecumenical, interfaith and other guests to
the Center for the Arts at the New York State University at Buffalo North Campus in Amherst, NY.
...
Franklin was elected November 20, 2010 on the seventh ballot out of a field of four nominees and succeeds Garrison who was elected in 1999.

Franklin had served as the Senior Associate Priest at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, PA, since July 2010, having returned from five years in Italy serving as an Associate Priest at St. Paul's Within the Walls in Rome, a post he took shortly after his 2005 ordination. While in Italy, he also served as Associate Director of the American Academy in Rome, a Fellow and Associate Priest of the Anglican Centre in Rome and Vicar of the Church of the Resurrection in Orvieto.
... (Click here to read the entire article)
A video of the consecration is available on the Diocese of Western New York's website.

General Convention Deputations from the Dioceses of Province II

The deputations from all the dioceses of Province II to General Convention in 2011 have been elected at their dioceses' annual conventions in 2011, with the exception of the Diocese of Albany, whose convention is in June. The lay and clerical deputies from the dioceses of Central New York, The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, Long Island, New Jersey, Newark, The Virgin Islands, and Western New York are listed in the pdf of this issue as well as on the Province II website. When the information from the dioceses of Albany, New York, Haiti, and Rochester becomes available it will be added to the web page.

The deputations from all of the dioceses will have their pre-convention gathering at next year's Synod Meeting. Save the date!

2012 Synod - May 3-5, 2012, at Holiday Inn on Wolf Road in Albany, NY.

The next In Prov 2 will be out at the end of September. The deadline for articles/events/information to be included in that issue is Friday, September 16, 2011. Send your information to webeditor@province2.org.

Comments, questions and suggestions? Email Communications Officer for Province II, Jan Paxton