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Daniel Lawlor

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As it marks a milestone, the organization continues to evolve.

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Neighbors, artists, faith leaders and officials gathered at the centennial of a historic building on Haparsim Street, creating what some called a glimpse of peace.

Tis the season of viriditas. It’s a Latin word that means greenness, but to the 12th-century Christian mystic Hildegard of Bingen, the term went beyond just a color. For her, viriditas was a symbol of the creative spark, the life force that permeates all existence

May 9-10, Big Creek, Kentucky

May 23-25, Katowice, Poland

[Episcopal News Service – Toms River, New Jersey] Christ Episcopal Church’s plan to open an overnight shelter on its campus and the mayor’s plan to seize the church’s campus to build a park roiled another public meeting May 28, even though neither plan was on the agenda. Mayor Daniel Rodrick and council members traded insults during the first part of the town council’s meeting over several controversial issues, including cuts to government service and jobs, allegations of campaign sabotage and allegations of misappropriation of money from an outside group on whose board sit two town council members. Those insults carried into the public comment period, when the church’s homeless shelter plan then dominated the discussion. Episcopalians, including Diocese of New Jersey Archdeacon Ted Foley, attended the meeting because they said they feared that the council might consider the land seizure measure, even though it was not on the agenda. They also want to keep the issue visible until the council acts, as it has said it will at its July 30 meeting. During the public comment period, Foley came to the microphone to outline Christ Church’s concerns about the process Rodrick has used in his attempt to seize the church land for a park. Council members, the town attorney and the mayor talked over Foley, arguing with him and insulting each other. Foley continued to testify beyond the 3-minute time limit because he said their behavior took away much of his time. Council members then began shouting at each other about letting Foley continue. Council President Justin Lamb tried to recess the council. “Please ask this person to leave. Please leave the meeting. He’s interrupting the meeting,” Lamb said, asking two on-duty police officers to “get control of the room.” The audience erupted with shouts as the officers approached Foley, with one officer trying to calm the crowd. Rodrick’s supporters on the council agreed to a recess and left, but three members stayed and listened to Foley finish his remarks.  The microphone and, eventually, the livestream were turned off during the recess. New Jersey Bishop Sally French, who watched the livestream, told Episcopal News Service, “it is disappointing to me that the democratic process does not seem to be something that can go forward appropriately, given the personalities and the way that the meetings have been conducted thus far.” The council’s interaction with Foley begins at the 47:08 mark here. During his testimony, Foley said he was concerned that township officials had not formally contacted the church or the diocese before or after the land-seizure ordinance got its first reading in April. Township Attorney Peter Pascarella told Foley that he had left a telephone message for the bishop the day after that meeting. Rodrick said he used social media to try to contact the bishop. The crowd laughed at his comment. French said neither attempt reached her. “My expectation is that communications about matters of this nature should be made in advance and in writing to the diocese and to the congregation, and that did not happen,” she told ENS. After the meeting, Rodrick said in an interview with ENS that he has God and the law on his side in his plan to seize Christ Church’s 11 acres and turn the land into a park. “Why? Because it’s for children to play,” he said. “I think that’s what Christianity is all about. It’s about taking care of one another, and I think children being happy and having a safe place to play is very Christian-like,” said Rodrick, who added he’s read the Gospels three times and the Old Testament at least that many times. French responded to Rodrick’s claim in agreement, saying Jesus told his disciples to let children come to him. “However, I suggest that that is best done through an active and vibrant life in a faith community, which is something that Christ Church Toms River has provided for 160 years and continues to be committed to,” she said. Rodrick wants to acquire the church’s property either through purchase or use of eminent domain. He proposes creating a park there with pickleball courts, a soccer field, a children’s playground and a skate park. The mayor said that it is a “coincidence” that his land-seizure plan became public while the town’s zoning board considers Christ Church’s application to open a 17-bed overnight shelter in one of its buildings for people experiencing homelessness. “One thing has nothing to do with the other,” he said. The case for eminent domain is “rock solid,” he told ENS, adding that “everyone is equal before the law” and that “a church is no different from any other property as far as eminent domain is concerned.” The plan would serve a “very good public purpose,” he said, and he predicted that, if the plan had to be put to a vote, 85% of township voters would support it. French agreed that churches shouldn’t receive special consideration related to eminent domain. However, she said, it should be employed in urgent situations and for the welfare and well-being of the community, such as for schools or street safety. Christ Church, she said, supports the common good of the community through its outreach efforts, which would be lost under the plan. She called Rodrick’s plan “a misguided, inappropriate and potentially illegal application of eminent domain.” The evening before, during an Interfaith Prayer Service for the Freedom of Religious Expression attended by more than 250 people at Christ Church, Senior Rabbi William Gershon of Congregation B’nai Israel in Toms River excoriated the mayor’s plan. “Even if you are legally correct, you can be morally deficient,” he said. “You can choose to use eminent domain to set up a pickleball court for your own preference or political needs. You could do that, and God forbid that the courts should decide that it is indeed permissible or legal,” Gershon said during his sermon. “If you do that, you will be a […]

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay brought joyful greetings to the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement. 

On Earth Peace is congratulating Darlene Johnson on her retirement after nearly 25 years with the agency. She has served as co-executive director and administration director. The agency also is welcoming Andrew Duffy as interim transition director.

“As Reformed Christians, we acknowledge that we have largely suppressed the memory of the persecution of the Anabaptists. We confess that this persecution was, according to our present conviction, a betrayal of the Gospel,” said the Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). In a historic act of […]

The post Confessing Our Guilt, Receiving Grace: A Path to Reconciliation Between Reformed and Mennonite Churches appeared first on WCRC.