The following question crossed my mind many years ago:  What makes some churches grow by leaps and bounds while others decline? The obvious answers to this question lie in a clear sense of mission, spiritual health, resources, context, and leadership.  Without including the multi-layered factors of place, timing, readiness, context, and culture this answer is too...

The Synod Mission and Ministries Commission is excited to announce the availability of Synod grant funds for Youth Leadership Development. The dedicated funds – $30,000 in total – were set aside from Innovation grant funds with the purpose of supporting initiatives to empower youth as leaders within their congregations and beyond. The funds available for 2021...

On June 22, 2021, the Wurffel-Sills Application Review Working Group met to finalize their review of all the 2021-2022 Wurffel-Sills scholarship and interest-free student loan applications received. We are happy to announce that the Synod was able to provide scholarships and interest-free loan offers totaling more than $230K to members from 15 of the 19 presbyteries of the Synod of the Northeast.   Each year the application process begins in January with a deadline of...

On Sunday, the Church will celebrate the unfathomable mystery of God as Holy Trinity. Our celebration includes adoration and praise. We will affirm our confession of the Triune, a synthesis of God’s holy presence among us. “In the name of this triune God, we are baptized. As the baptized ones, we bear the name of the...

Synod Commission Meeting Summary The Synod Mission and Ministries Commission met over the April 30th – May 1st weekend.  Below is a summary of the meeting.    Because there are many new Presbytery Commission Representatives time was set aside each day to meet in small groups and get to know each other better.  This summary includes Commission...

With all that we have experienced over the last year, I do not want to think of dying as a means to living our best lives. However, as we celebrate Resurrection morning, we remember that it was through Good Friday and Holy Saturday that we have come to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection. Richard Rohr describes this spiritual...

Over the next few weeks, 43 states will consider legislation on voting rights. The issues related to voting directly impact all people but most especially Persons of Color: African Americans, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous people. Last Thursday the state of Georgia signed one of the most restrictive voting bills into law. The bill is unjust and...

On March 1st the General Assembly Administrative Commission on Mid Councils approved the reorganization of the seven New Jersey Presbyteries into four new missional communities.  This action was no simple merger of whole presbyteries.  Instead, it was a carefully crafted plan created by two separate working groups of representatives across the state working in tandem with their presbyteries.  Last fall all...

Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. ~1 John 2:10 Today we offer our prayers for the Asian American community across the country. We lament the continual violence and many forms of oppression linked to years of hate and Xenophobia. Particularly in...