March 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. The workshops and the synod agenda are on the Province II website: Workshops - Agenda If information from the nominations committee becomes available, it will also be posted to the website.

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 - Holy Hikes - Adirondacks
One of the five focus areas of The Daniel Plan is fitness, and St. James' AuSable Forks has a fitness opportunity for you! They have begun a mission known as Holy Hikes - Adirondacks. This ministry is devoted to sharing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, bringing people together celebrating The Liturgy of the Word, Prayers, and Holy Eucharist in the context of the beauty of God's amazing creation by hiking in various places in the Adirondack region. The first hike will be on Saturday, April 4th, where hikers will hike up Baxter Mountain in Keene, NY. Snowshoes or crampons may be required. This hike is rated easy/moderate. For more information about Holy Hikes, click here. There is no cost to participate in a hike, but registration is required for all hikes. To register, message Holy Hikes at their Facebook page (which can be accessed by clicking here) or email them by clicking here.
Diocese of Central New York - After more than five years of faithful and dedicated service to the Diocese, Mr. Andrew Pierce has departed from the volunteer position of e-Messenger editor. Bishop Adams and the diocesan staff are grateful to Andy for his expert assistance over the years. He will be sorely missed. Following the February 20th edition, the e-Messenger will 'go dark' until Andy's successor is named. In the meantime, be sure to check the Current Events page on the CNYwebsite for information on Diocesan events. CNY does not, at this time, have a vehicle for publishing parish news or events.
Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe - The Episcopal News Service has featured an on-going ministry of Christ the King Episcopal Church in Frankfurt, Germany. See the video, "They thought they were American, but then they were deported".

They thought they were American, then they were deported
The Diocese of Haiti - The diocese held its 118th annual convention on January 27 & 28. The report on the convention, along with some photographs is here (in French).
The Diocese of Long Island - Your prayers and presence are invited for the Diocese of Long Island Memorial Service for the Right Reverend Orris G. Walker, Jr., who died on February 28. The service will be on Saturday, March 21, at 11 am at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City. Clergy are asked to arrive by 10:30 am to vest and process; white stoles.
A reception at Cathedral House will follow the service. Read more... ENS Article...
The Diocese of New Jersey - At the Volunteer Awards Reception of the Mercer County Commission on the Status of Women in West Windsor, the CFO of the Diocese of NJ, Canon Phyllis Jones, was honored with the Woman of Achievement Award. In addition to her faithful and fantastic work with the Diocese, Canon Jones has accomplished incredible things in her leadership roles with Urban Promise Trenton and the Battle Against Hunger bike ride. The diocese is lucky to know her and work with her, and words can't describe how thrilled we are to celebrate her outstanding work. Congratulations, Canon Jones!
The Diocese of New York - The Global Women's Fund of the Diocese of NY educates women to become leaders for the church, in government, and for civil society. For the 59th annual gathering of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the Global Women's Fund offered an event on March 16 to showcase a living example of how a faith community can promote gender equality and empower women through education. Bishop Catherine Roskam, founder of the Global Women's Fund, and two women whose education the fund has supported - the Rev. Marie Carmel Chery, among the first class of women ordained priests in The Episcopal Diocese of Haiti in 2014, and Faith Meitiaki, a former youth delegate to UNCSW who has emerged as a globally recognized advocate for the rights of women and girls in Kenya - were there.
The Diocese of Newark - Senior Moments: "Caring Community" of St. Luke's, Montclair models successful inreach - A series of "real life" experiences led a small group of parishioners at St. Luke's Church in Montclair to form a new ministry: the Caring Community. Our Caring Community aims to lend practical support, provided by volunteers within our congregation, to fellow parishioners suffering from illness or injury. Read more...
The Diocese of Rochester - Moving Back into the Neighborhood - A new congregational development opportunity based upon building relationships with neighbors and discovering where God is out in front of us.

2015 Parish Leadership Gathering: Moving Back into the Neighborhood
The Diocese of Western New York - - Wondering what the focus of Jumpstart! WNY might be like? Listen to Julia Groom, who will be one of our keynote speakers as she talks with Bishop Michael Curry about the annual ECBF conference taking place in the Diocese of North Carolina the weekend before the conference she will lead here on April 25.

Is Your Church Building a Millstone or a Cornerstone?

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....
The United Thank Offering Spring 2015 Webinars (flyer)>April Webinar: Follow Up on Grateful Lent Program - April 14 at 7pm EDT - Did you participate in the Grateful Lent program? Join us to share your experiences of using Lectio Divina and discuss ways to continue your journey. Join any webinar from PC, Mac, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/8140408194� Or join by phone: +1 (415) 762-9988 Meeting ID: 814 040 8194
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?

Program, Budget and Finance prepares to listen to the church - The Budget committee is 'in a receptive mode' as it turns towards convention... PB&F's listening initially will come in two primary forms. First, committee members will get comments and questions as they make budget presentations to the pre-General Convention synods about to begin in each of the church's nine provinces. Second, a web-based comment process open to the whole church is due to be available soon. Read more...
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
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.
Applications are now accepted by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society for grant proposals from dioceses, parishes or community colleges/colleges/universities for new as well as current campus ministries in higher education institutions located throughout The Episcopal Church. Deadline for submitting grant proposals is April 30. Read more...
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]