February 2015

Synod 2015

In preparation for the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church on June 25-July 3, 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Provincial Synod will meet on April 16 & 17, 2015 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY.

There will be reports from the General Convention Office as well as workshops on the key issues.

Synod registration is now open

Register with the hotel for a room - The 2015 Synod of Province II will be held at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY.

To make a reservation, here is the on-line link for the Synod group: <https://bookings.ihotelier.com/Desmond-Albany/bookings.jsp?groupID=1258106&hotelID=12446> . The Attendee Code # is 7988. If anyone would like to call the 800# (1-800-448-3500) to make reservations just give the group ID number which is 12865I.

Register with Province II to attend the Synod - The registration fee is $135 per person, which covers two luncheons, one dinner, breaks and miscellaneous costs for the Synod.

You may pay with Pay Pal or by sending a check. Checks should be made payable to "Province II" and mailed to Chuck Perfater, Provincial Executive Coordinator, 8 Aquetong Lane, West Trenton, NJ 08628.

If the diocese is paying for all of the members of a delegation, each deputy can register individually, indicating payment by check. Then the diocese should send one check, indicating whose registrations are covered by the check.

Please note: The online form will allow you to register only one person and each person must have a unique e-mail address (you cannot use your church's e-mail for several people). If you make an error, there is no way to re-register and correct the error. If you experience any difficulty with using this form or are unsure of your registration status, please contact Jan Paxton at [email protected] as soon as possible and we will work it all out. If you need to register a group of people or a person with no e-mail address, please contact Jan Paxton at 908-638-8693 or at [email protected] and she will make those arrangements with you.

Read more on the Province II website.

Around the Province

Diocese of Albany - Read the current faith story on the Diocese of Albany's website: Mary Jean Chapple, Church of the Good Shepherd, Canajoharie. "I am what is commonly referred to as a Cradle Episcopalian. From as far back as memory serves, my mother, my brother, my aunt and I would all pile into her big, green Hudson on Sunday morning and head to Grace Church in Utica. Grace church is where I was baptized, attended Sunday school, and was confirmed."
Read more...
Diocese of Central New York - Congratulations to Central New York, recipient of a Roanridge Trust Award. The Roanridge Trust Award grants are awarded annually for new and creative models for leadership development in small communities. CNY was awarded $4,900 for the Utica/Rome District Discernment Team Training. There are seventeen churches in the Utica-Rome disrict of the Diocese of Central New York and they are exploring a number of joint ministries.
Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe - About 15.000 people joined February 2nd's Chain of Peace in downtown Munich, connecting Christian churches to the Islamic Center and the Jewish Synagogue! One of the churches participating was Church of the Ascension, Munich.
The Diocese of Haiti - Trinity Wall Street Adds Northern Haiti As New Mission & Service Location - The Episcopal church added the northern region of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti as a fifth Mission & Service location, Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper announced on July 30. Following the recommendation of a team who visited Cap-Ha�tien earlier this year, the parish's Faith in Action Committee and Grants Board selected Cap-Ha�tien for a mission partnership. Read more...
The Diocese of Long Island - The Mercer School of Theology has posted its spring to June offerings, including Episcopal Social Policy, Spirituality Through the Life Cycle, Engaging Today's Youth, and Confirmation in the 21st Century & Faith Formation in the Future. Find out more...
The Diocese of New Jersey - St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, NJ, Diocese of NJ, has posted a video featuring the parishioners and stories that make St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church a vibrant, growing, and faithful place of God.
St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, NJ
The Diocese of New York - New priest at St. Gregory's, Woodstock, NY, has wide religious background - Read the story...
The Diocese of Newark - Three "Mission Minutes" videos featuring congregations going out into their neighborhoods were featured at the annual convention of the diocese: Healing our neighborhoods,
Mission Minutes 2015: Healing our neighborhoods
Mission "trips" in our neighborhoods, and
Praying for our neighborhoods
The Diocese of Rochester -
St. Peter's Tour Choir Concert - Part 1 of 2 - Feb. 7 2015
Thirty teenage choristers and 17 adult chaperones from St. Peter's Community Arts Academy and St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Geneva,NY, headed to England February 8 to perform in venues throughout the country.
The Diocese of Western New York - Take Legacy Journey at Grace Church - Grace Church in Randolph, NY is hosting Have Ramsey's "Legacy Journey," the follow-on to "Financial Peace University."FPU is about taking control of your money and your life, getting out of debt, and living in a Biblically guided way that makes dealing with money a blessing and not a curse. Read more...

Coming Events

March 21, 2015

has been set aside at the Community of St. John Baptist in Mendham, New Jersey for a Day of Learning and Meditation for Parish and Diocesan Altar Guild Members in Province II.

Read more...
Webinars from ECF:
- ECF Academy for Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers February 23, 2015 - February 25, 2015
- CEEP Conference February 24, 2015 - February 28, 2015
The 2015 application process for the Fellowship Partners Program at The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) is now underway. Created in 1964, the Fellowship Partners Program has made a significant impact on the Episcopal Church by supporting emerging scholars and ministry leaders at an early stage of their careers. Deadline for application: March 13, 2015.
Episcopal Church Building Fund's annual Symposium called Buildings For a New Tomorrow. BFNT is a mind-altering event that will change the way you use your church and church grounds. Registration
Altar Guild retreat, Thurs May 7 - Sat May 9, at Mons Nubifer Sanctus, 55 Lake Delaware Dr, Delhi, NY 13753 - Find out more...

What else?

Province II of the Episcopal Church invites proposals for grants
to support ministries with youth and young adults, including ministries to higher education. A TOTAL of $25,000 is available for 2015. Previous grants were awarded in the range of $2,500 to $7,800 each.

Download the letter and application here.
Lent Madness 2015 - Which saint will win the Golden Halo?
[Lent Madness press release] For the sixth year running, people worldwide are gearing up for Lent Madness, the "saintly smackdown" in which 32 saints do battle to win the coveted Golden Halo. Read more...
Forward Movement's new release, Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter, has been awarded top honors by Independent Publishers as one of the year's best books for Bible study. Authored by Lindsay Freeman,Bible Women received a gold medal in the Illumination Book Awards, which honor the year's best new titles written and published with a Christian worldview. Read more...
Episcopal Church proposed budget available for review
[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release] The proposed budget for The Episcopal Church in the 2016-2018 triennium is available for viewing here.
General Convention 2015: The Blue Book will be available online - [Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release] The Report to the 78th General Convention, commonly referred to as The Blue Book, will be available online at the Episcopal Church General Convention website here.
Marriage task force calls for gender-neutral language in marriage canon
[Episcopal News Service] The A050 Task Force on the Study of Marriage is recommending that the 2015 meeting of General Convention authorize Episcopal Church clergy to officiate at same-sex marriages. The task force proposes the change in its ... [Read More]