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The Finger Lakes Conference is a six-day, educational program held at Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, the last week in June. This year it will be June 22-27. This is a conference for laity and clergy in the Episcopal Church who are seeking spiritual growth, intellectual stimulation, warm fellowship, innovative worship, and relaxing down time. The conference is run by an independent Board of Governors that includes representatives from each diocese in New York and New Jersey.
The Board of Governors has geared the program to the needs of individuals, congregations, and dioceses in the province. In putting together this year's program, we have included a few provincial initiatives. In response to the establishment of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Network we have invited Jeanie Wylie-Kellermann, editor of The Witness , to speak on integrating our baptism and faith with political involvement and advocacy for justice, peace, and the environment.
In response to one of the key areas of concern brought up at the JPIC assembly in Albany last October, Finger Lakes is offering a week-long dialogue circle on racism, race relations, and racial healing. We are using a model that has been used ecumenically in the Syracuse area and that is mirrored by the national church's National Dialogue on Anti-Racism. This course will be a great resource for anyone who would like to experience a dialogue circle before trying to implement it in his or her community.
Another groundbreaking course that will be offered this year is a class on spirituality and ministry that will be taught in sign language and interpreted for the hearing. The Rev. Virginia Nagel, Vicar of Ephphatha Parish for the Deaf in Central New York, will teach the course. Many of our diocese have active ministries to the deaf and many individuals have been learning sign. This is an opportunity for those who are deaf, and those who minister with the deaf, to gather and learn about spirituality and ministry - not "deaf" ministry. The rest of the conference will be signed.
Two courses on worship and music and one Bible course on baptism will also be offered.
The conference is structured around a daily general lecturer, courses, worship, and fellowship. The General Lecturer, Jeanie Wylie-Kellermann, has selected as her topic, Wading in the Water: the Politics of Baptism, a five-part presentation on the implications of renouncing Satan and all his works while seeking that of Christ in all persons.
The courses are:
The workshops are:
For over 50 years the Finger Lakes Conference has been providing innovative and progressive education and training to the people and congregations in the Episcopal Church in New York and New Jersey. It is the only annual adult educational program offered by and in Province II.
Housing is on the William Smith campus and all meals are included. Cost for the Sunday to Friday conference is $240.00. This is about half the cost of similar week-long conferences. Scholarships are available.
To register contact: the Rev. Diana Purcell-Chapman, P.O. Box 492, Wellsville, NY 14895, tel: 814- 228-3482.
For information contact: Finger Lakes Conference, the Rev. Tom Barrington, 875 Salt Springs Road, Syracuse, NY, 13224, tel: 315-445-9334, e-mail: tom.barrington@eucnet.org.
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CURBING HUNGER
By the Rev. Philip Carr-Jones
Church of the Holy Spirit, Lebanon, New Jersey
An innovative way to make it easier for New Jersey residents to help those in need of food began in June 1995 with a program called Curbing Hunger.
Founded by the Rev. Stephen Rozzelle, rector of St. Mark's, Basking Ridge, Somerset County, Curbing Hunger, Inc. is a food collection organization dedicated to change the way New Jersey solves its hunger problem. Curbing Hunger netted 82,000 pounds of food in Somerset County in June 1995 with the first collection - more than half of what is collected in a year. Rozzelle has taken the program on the road, working for its implementation throughout the state.
For the first pickup, Curbing Hunger worked through county officials designating a time to do curbside collections of donated canned and nonperishable food along with recyclable items. Easily identifiable orange recycled bags were distributed to residents. New cans and bottles sat alongside the empties. Since food and recyclables can not legally be collected on the same truck, the canned goods were transported by a separate vehicle which followed the recycling truck. The canned food was taken to the Somerset County Food Bank headquarters.
The canned goods were then distributed to the food bank's clients and to pantries of the food bank serving Somerset county, which help feed about 2,000 families each month. For many of these families, the wage earner does not earn enough to meet the family food requirements for a whole month.
Somerset residents were supplied with 200,000 bags by the Kiwanis Club for the first curbside pickup. Logistical issues of transport and storage took some planning, but few problems were encountered. The organizers found most complaints were about the food not being picked up soon enough or an inadequate supply of bags. One town official became annoyed over some of the bags blowing around on the street. Not missing a beat, Rozzelle replied, "Sir, if you put cans in them they won't blow away."
"It was so simple," Rozzelle recalls how he got the idea. "I was eating breakfast with my children when I saw the recycling truck go by. What an easy way to help people contribute."
Rozzelle's brainstorm turned into reality as he sought the support of his county's freeholders and recycling officials. The idea was to make helping the hungry as easy as possible. With the zeal and focus of an evangelist, Rozzelle sums up the philosophy of Curbing Hunger. "All we do is make it easy to help people."
The simplicity and success of the program have created a snowball effect. Neighboring Hunterdon County began curbside pickup in June 1996, as have Sussex, Warren, and Cumberland, with other counties not far behind. "In fact, just about every county wants in," reports Linda Pocock, chair of St. Mark's outreach ministry, which supports Curbing Hunger in a variety of ways.
Rozzelle has met with the state Secretary of Agriculture and has been in communication with Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Despite some setbacks along the way, April 1997 has been declared Curbing Hunger month by Governor Whitman.
There have been some changes in the way food is collected. Because canned food put at the curbside was being stolen in some areas, Rozzelle came up with another idea for collection sites. He contacted the Principals and Supervisors Association and won their support for designating the elementary, middle, and high schools in the state as drop-off and pickup points. Two thousand two hundred letters have been sent to public schools requesting their participation. Of the 240 responses so far, nine out of ten schools have agreed to join the program. Rozzelle plans to enlist the help of the Episcopal Church Women in contacting the schools that have not yet responded.
To get the food from the schools to the local food banks and pantries, Rozzelle asked for the help of United Parcel Service and got it. UPS is committed to picking up food at every public school and delivering it to the local food bank. Some counties will still have curbside pickup as well.
Rozzelle thinks that six million pounds of food can be collected for the hungry in New Jersey during Curbing Hunger month if the 1,200,000 public school students each bring five pounds of food or if one half the students bring ten pounds of food to their schools.
With funds mostly from Prudential, Curbing Hunger has purchased three million bags and will give each student two bags. Anyone can donate by giving canned and nonperishable food to a student to take to his or her school.
There is more work to be done, but the program is well underway. "There is no reason why this program couldn't make a difference nationally," Rozzelle says with confidence.
Contact: the Rev. Stephen Rozzelle, PO Box 238, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, 07920-0238, tel: 908-766-0510; Curbing Hunger, tel: 908-647-1557.
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JUSTICE, PEACE, AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION SUMMIT
By Jane Savage
Diocese of New Jersey
"The presence of God is with us," declared Stephen Charleston, former bishop of Alaska, in his first remarks at the opening Bible study at the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio, February 27-March 1. Matthew chapters 5 and 6 were the framework for Charleston's remarks which challenged and inspired. On a note of great hope he said, "Tomorrow is going to come into this church with such brightness that it will take away your breath....Do not be anxious."
About 75 people from Province II were part of the 550 Episcopalians from 90 dioceses and six countries, along with staff members from the Episcopal Church Center in New York, gathered for two and one half days of immersion in the issues of justice, peace and preservation of a healthy environment. They came with energy, compassion, and commitment to continue working in these areas that are the very heart of the mission and ministry of our church.
The theme of this conference can be stated in four words: passion, relationships, interconnectedness, and vision. In workshops and small groups, we discovered together how the areas of peace, justice, and the environment are related or connected in some way. We talked, and wrote, and rewrote, and added, and subtracted, and refined as best we could the issues that we felt were most important for our church to address. We also noted specific actions relating to these issues that could be taken at the personal, community, and national levels.
Our common concerns spanned spirituality, understanding and living out our baptismal vows, abuse of power, human rights, mutual respect, children and youth, economic justice, use of resources, evangelism, environmental issues, public education, welfare reform, leadership, immigration and refugees, HIV/AIDS, employment practices, and more. The group facilitators worked long into the night summarizing the results on twenty-two pages which contain a wealth of bold ideas and specific actions for continuing our ministries and developing new relationships. All that was written will go to the Executive Council's program committee. Resolutions will be developed concerning these issues and presented at General Convention this July.
Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning and Dr. Pamela Chinnis, president of the House of Deputies, attended the Summit. In her address Chinnis summarized the origins and work of JPIC.
"...The Executive council serves as the interim governing body of the Episcopal Church between our General Conventions. In February of 1995, the Executive Council created the body we now know as the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee. JPIC is an "official" part of the Episcopal Church and reports directly to the council, which in turn reports to the General Convention. And JPIC has called this Summit together."The idea behind the council's creation of JPIC was to provide a structure for the many different but related concerns of peace and justice. JPIC is based on a model of the World Council of Churches program, knitting together global peace issues, anti-racism, economic justice, and stewardship of the environment.
"The Executive Council has gathered together all of these ministries as part of the JPIC program, alongside the Jubilee ministries. Each element has been mandated by various General Conventions. The planning for the Summit involved many people active in the ecumenical, young adult, ethnic, and women's ministries of our churchÑa model of inclusively in action.
"All these various ministries are interrelated aspects of the church's response to the needs of the world. We celebrate our common concern for justice as we gather them together here in Cincinnati. Many of you will also be bringing concerns beyond the scope of these ministries, and I hope that we may emerge from this Summit with an affirmation of all the concerns we share this weekend. Our time together is not about deciding that some issues are more important than others. Rather it is about identifying common concerns, seeing how they relate to the whole issue of justice, and developing a strategy or strategies for the church's future prophetic witness...."
In his closing Bible study, Bishop Charleston asked, "What do you want for this church?" Basing his reflections on Corinthians chapter 13, he reminded us that, "There is no problem, no crisis, no fear that is greater than love....When all else fails, only love can sustain us."
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EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MET IN CINCINNATI
By the Rev. Virginia M. Sheay
Province II Executive Council Representative
The winter meeting of the Executive Council was held in Cincinnati from January 27-30. The Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, stated that teaching the Christian faith is the highest priority of the diocese, beginning with children. This diocese leads other dioceses in giving to the national church.
The agenda of the Executive Council was full as we prepare for the July General Convention. In their addresses to the council, Dr. Pamela Chinnis and Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning were not reticent in dealing with convention issues. Chinnis stated, "If we go to Philadelphia expecting a showdown with winners and losers, we'll certainly get one, and it will be a colossal folly resulting from a great shared delusion, a consensus of fear. If we go to Philadelphia intent on one particular outcome - however earnest and conscientious our commitments may be Ð we will short-circuit the legislative process and undermine the peace and unity of the church." Chinnis suggested that the convention honor the legislative process which can be the venue of the Holy Spirit's action within the church.
Bishop Browning affirmed the centrality of justice for the life and mission of the church and praised those in the church who have shown an "unwavering commitment to peace and justice issues." He also stated that there will be some tough issues at convention and that there is some polarization around them. "I hope my voice, and the work of many of my staff over these past eleven years, has made a difference, however small, to the life of our country and the life of our church. Until my last day in this office I will continue to do all I can to proclaim the values of the reign of God. And I will continue to challenge the church to join me in this holy task. When we ask why we would engage such issues, the answer is: Jesus passed this way."
A report from council's Administrative and Finance Committee said that the committee will recommend to General Convention a unified budget that includes a change in the funding formula from a graduated formula to a flat 20 percent of diocesan income. The proposed budget for the next triennium is a conservative $117.3 million , which reflects cost-cutting measures to obtain a balanced budget.
The three main divisions of the budget are: mission/program, which includes both restricted program (the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, Episcopal Life , Episcopal Migration Ministries/Refugees) and unrestricted program (all other programmatic activities); canonical, which includes General Convention; and corporate, which includes Episcopal Church national staff, resources, and related areas. Steven Duggan, Episcopal Church treasurer, said that the proposed budget does not take into account any new directions for General Convention or a new presiding bishop. The council adopted the proposed budget and referred it to the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance for presentation to General Convention.
The council heard a report from the Standing Commission on the Structure of the Church. Proposals include: standing commissions to be more comprehensive; reduction of legislative committees; deputies to be limited to proposing or endorsing not more than a total of three resolutions; creating a standing commission on national concerns; work of the Executive Council to be more focused and visionary and to have greater corporate programmatic direction; and the creation of a new staff position for an executive director to serve both the presiding bishop and the council. The report clearly puts members of the Executive Council in a leadership role.
The council unanimously approved a statement submitted by council member Ralph Spence of Montana, entitled "Common Beliefs on Relationship and Appropriate Sexual Behavior." This statement will be forwarded to General Convention as a resolution. Included in this resolution is the affirmation of the teaching of the House of Bishop's pastoral study document, "Continuing the Dialogue."
Council approved a resolution urging the mediation of disputes as an alternative to ecclesiastical court trials to be appended to resolution C004sa, Title IV, Canon 4, (ecclesiastical discipline) and to be sent to General Convention.
Bishop Schofield of Southeast Florida, co-chair of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Presiding Bishop, said that the names of the nominees will be released toward the end of April. He praised the work of the committee, especially as the members have maintained confidentiality and integrity throughout the process.
David Perry, national staff ecumenical relations officer, gave a progress report on the Concordat. The twenty-five minute video, "Our Common Mission in Christ," pertaining to the Concordat, will be ready by the end of February. Forward Movement Publications has published a pamphlet entitled," About the Concordat: 20 questions about the agreement between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America." (Forward Movement, 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-4195.)
The year 1997 may well go down in history as the year of transition for the Episcopal Church. Not a bad thing in itself. It can be an opportune time for reflection, examination, and renewal on how the church lives out the words of the Baptismal Covenant in its ministry and mission.
Contact: the Rev. Virginia Sheay, St. Luke's, 1620 Prospect St., Trenton, NJ 08638-3031.
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The Province II meeting of the Commissions on Ministry and bishops will be held at Thronfield Conference Center, Cazenovia, New York. The theme will be the use of career development centers in screening aspirants for ordained ministry and proposed changes affecting the work of COMs to be considered at the 1997 General Convention. Contact: the Rev. Jorge M. Gutierrez, 33 East First Street, Corning, NY 14830, tel: 607-937-5449.
APRIL 21-25
The National Network of Episcopal Clergy Association will meet in Immaculate, Pennsylvania. The agenda includes preparation for General Convention; rethinking the ordained ministry for the new nillenium; focus on women's ministries; Church Pension Fund proposals; clergy deployment issues; and more. All clergy welcome. Contact:?
APRIL 25-27
The Episcopal Church Women of Province II will hold their annual meeting at the Queen of Peace Retreat House at St. Paul's Abbey, Newton , NJ. The meeting will focus on Triennial with additional program information centering around children, which is one phase of Triennial. The Diocese of New Jersey will host the meeting. Contact: Carolyn Belvin, 241 Ship Ave., Beechwood, NJ 08722.
April 25 - 27
Growing Stewards in Our Congregations, sponsored by the Dioceses of Albany, Central New York, Rochester, and Western New York in partnership with the Office of Stewardship of The Episcopal Church and with The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS), will be held in Buffalo, New York, at the Sheraton Inn. Terry Parsons, newly appointed stewardship officer at the Episcopal Church Center, will be the keynote speaker. Contact: Mr. Bruce Rockwell, 935 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607. tel: 716-473-2977.
MAY 1-3
The Diocese of Long Island will host the Province II Synod to be held at the Crowne Plaza, LaGuardia Airport, New York. Contact: John Goldsack, Esq., 450 Somerset St., P.O. Box 1106, Plainfield, NJ 07061-1106.
May 1-4
The Bishops Executive Secretaries Together (BEST) conference will be held at the Desmond Hotel, Albany, New York.Contact: Marlene Elacqua, 68 South Swan St., Albany, NY 12210, tel: 518-465-4737.
MAY 5-7
A House of Prayer for All People, a conference jointly sponsored by the office of multicultural ministries of the national church, the congregational ministries cluster of the Episcopal Church, and Province II, will be held at Stony Point Center, Stony Point, New York. The purpose of this conference will be to acknowledge, suport, and enhance the intercongregaional partnership of clergy and laity in starting, sustaining, and growing ethnic specific and multicultural congregations.
Building upon the successful record of Intercultural Ministry Development in Province VIII (Province of the Pacific), and utilizing two of its princi pals as primary consultants and conference directors, approximately 35 people from 15 congregations already involved in ethnic specific or multicul tural ministries will be brought together to share their experiences in the following areas:
May 22-24
The diocesan representatives of the Christian Education Network will meet in Trenton, New Jersey, with the Christian education leaders of the Diocese of New Jersey. Contact: Sandra Pacyga, tel: 716-723-0103.
JUNE 20-22
Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry summer retreat will be held at Garden Cathay, Pattekill, New York. Keynote speaker will be the Rt. Rev. Don E. Taylor, assistant bishop of the Diocese of New York. Contact: the Rev. Peter Lam, tel: 718-837-0412.
JUNE 22-27
The Finger Lakes Conference will be held at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. The general lecturer will be Jeanie Wylie-Kellerman, edior of The Witness . The theme for her series of lectures will be, Wading in the Water: the Politics of Baptism. For registration information, contact the Rev. Diana Purcell-Chapman, P.O. Box 492, Wellsville, NY 14895, tel: 814-228-3482. (See article )
JULY 16-25
The General Convention of the Episcopal Church will meet in Philadelphia Contact: General Convention office at the national church center, tel: 1-800-334-7626.
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Jan is a member of Christ Church, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, where she is senior warden, sings in the choir, and is a leader for the children's chapel and youth group. She is involved with Cursillo and maintains the Newark Cursillo community's home page on the World Wide Web. In the diocese she serves on Diocesan Council's Technology Committee and as a member of the board of the diocese's Ward Hubert Fund, which makes matching grants to congregations for necessary repairs to structures. Recently she has been involved with editing for the web pages for the diocese, the province, and the national church in particular Forward Day by Day, the Newark diocesan newspaper The Voice, and The Grapevine. Jan teaches high school mathematics in Wood-Ridge and serves as the Wood-Ridge Education Association president.
Jan writes, "Since communication is vital to making the church a living church, I will do my best to continue to develop the effectiveness of The Grapevine for Province II."
My heartfelt thanks to all who have written articles, updated mailing lists, and been supportive. It has been wonderful working with you all and I will miss these contacts. I am sure I will see many of you at synod.
JS
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Jane Savage, 5 Fieldstone Dr., Lebanon, NJ 08833
phone/fax: 908-236-2927
Internet address: jane_savage.parti@ecunet.org