DEAR FRIENDS WHO SHARE THE JOURNEY, People are hurting all over our nation. This past week the pain erupted into “righteous indignation.” To have seen the life squeezed out of George Floyd by a White policeman was too much — a video we see played over and over – the last straw so shortly after Ahmaud...
FRIENDS, We know that these are high anxiety, uncertain times in which we find ourselves. Staff at the synod are in touch with your presbyteries and determining ways we can be helpful. Know that our prayers are with you all. Let us be strengthened by the knowledge that we are buoyed by our faith even in...
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 What a fast pace and stressful time we find ourselves in with changes happening almost every few minutes. Our tradition is...
BY NANCY TALBOT, STATED CLERK The Synod has sent two overtures to General Assembly for consideration at its June meeting. The first, On Amending G-2.0301 to Allow Congregations to Elect Members as Ruling Elders for Service to the Larger Church, would enable many people who are currently shut out of being able to serve on session...
By Carl WiltonDuring the years when I was growing up, we had a number of cars in our family. Big cars, little cars, new cars, old cars — they came and went, according to the fortunes of my dad’s business and my mother’s teaching salary. We were a suburban family in the Sixties, which meant there...
By Lori HyltonThe Synod’s Servant Leadership Institute (SLI) was officially launched and announced to the Synod community last month. To our delight, people were immediately excited and interested to learn more about the program.You’ve had several questions: who is the program targeting; what is servant leadership; what are the goals of the program; how does one...
By Amaury Tañón-SantosThe third installment of Come to the Table is scheduled for November 8-9, 2019 at the Stony Point Center in Stony Point, NY. The planning team is hard at work designing the experience focused on worship, joint learning – with a mission fair, and two 1½-hour-long workshop sessions on three tracks – and fellowship....
by Anita WrightWhen we entered the opening gathering for the May Mission & Ministries Commission meeting, we were told to bring our chairs into the inner part of the room. There we sat in a semi-circle. It created a discomfort around the room because it was not what we were used to doing. Everyone waited for...
Synod scholarships of $100 are available for each youth participant and chaperone attending the 2019 Presbyterian Youth Triennium. If you or someone you know would like a Synod scholarship, contact your presbytery and let them know that you wish to attend Triennium. Presbyteries must present their list identifying youth participants and chaperones to the Synod Stated...
While the New Jersey Missional Structures (NJMS) working group is convened and facilitated by the Synod of the Northeast, the group’s members were appointed through the moderators of each of the seven NJ presbyteries. This is an incredible group of talented, creative, and visionary people, and we are so grateful for their work to imagine a...