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THE DIOCESE OF NEWARK
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 2006 Episcopal House, Newark NJ
Present: The Rt. Rev. John P. Croneberger; President; Mr. John Zinn, Treasurer, Mr. Michael Francaviglia, Secretary; Diane Sammons, Esq., Chancellor. Elected by Districts: The Rev. Christopher Brdlik, Ms. Faith Gideon Brown, The Rev. Lu-Anne Conner, The Rev. David Gable, The Rev. Mariano Gargiulo, Ms. Lois Gray, Mr. Robert Harwood, The Rev. Kathryn King, The Rev. Janet Kraft, Ms. Susan Kynor, The Rev. Paul Olsson, Mr. Andrew Piccirillo, The Rev. William Potter, Mr. Don Roberts, Ms. Mary Sunden, Ms. Lynn Tyler, The Rev. Fain Webb, Ms. Pat Yankus. Bishop's Appointments: Mr. Sidney King, The Rev. Prince Singh, Ms. Carol Taylor Absent: The Rev. Canon Gervais Clarke, Ms. Glenda DeKruif, The Rev. Paul Williams ECW: Ms. Doris Mardirosian Others: The Rev. Gray Lesesne and The Rev. Greg Perez. Staff: Canon R. Carter Echols; and Ms. Kai Alston, Ms. Lyn Headley-Deavours and Ms. Kitty Kawecki (for the Working Group time). COUNCIL WORKING GROUP MEETINGS The working groups met separately for Bible study (Mark 1:4-11) and discussions. AGENDA Motion: It was moved and seconded to adopt the agenda. The motion was adopted. MINUTES Motion: It was moved and seconded to adopt the minutes for the meeting of December 7, 2005. The motion was adopted. EPISCOPAL COMMUNICATIONS Bishop Cronberger's comments included: . His appreciation that the council moved from "rubber stamp" work to more effective work by strong leaders within the diocese. Progress had been accomplished and there was more to do, but work was being completed in new and better ways. There was increased energy, enthusiasm and focus within each of the working groups. . Several persons were ordained during December 2005 and January 2006: Greg Perez (received); Susan Lederhouse, Diane Rhodes, Nick Szobota, Janet Brockelsby, Marge Lindstrom, Randy Webster. . At its December meeting the Trustees of the Episcopal Fund and Diocesan Properties approved the disposition of the proceeds from the sale of the West Milford property as proposed by the bishop and senior staff for the health and well being of the diocese . The proposal included a tithe to the Congregational Growth and Development Fund which would be done with any future property sales. Improved technology resources and an elevator upgrade at Episcopal House and retirement of some of the mission debt were also part of the proposal. Bishop Gallagher's comments included: . Shared the bishop's gratitude with the effectiveness of the council and other groups that she has met working in ministry around the diocese. . On February 3, a fundraiser for ERD was planned at the Knitting Factory in NYC, Bishop John Chane and his rock group, the Chane Gang, will perform at the benefit. EPISCOPAL CAPITAL LOAN FUND Ms. Mary Sunden, Ward J. Herbert Fund Board chair, presented the following ECLF minutes for ratification. The Ward J. Herbert Fund Executive Committee approved a $40,000 loan to Grace Church, Union City on January 3, 2006. The loan will fund the replacement of the church roof. It was projected that the loan would be repaid by 2030 (25 year term). The interest rate was 5%. Motion: It was moved by, seconded and adopted to ratify the minutes from the Ward J. Herbert Fund Executive Committee which approved an ECLF loan to Grace Church, Union City in the amount of $40,000. TREASURER'S REPORT [There was no treasurer's report because the financial year-end accounting would be done after the meeting date.] JERSEY CITY AREA MINISTRY (JCAM) REQUESTS The Rev. Prince Singh, member of the Jersey City Strategy Group of Diocesan Council, presented and recommended the funding requests from Grace Church Van Vorst, Jersey City and St. Paul's, Jersey City. Grace Church Van Vorst Grace Church Van Vorst reported that the Trinity (Wall Street) Grants Program funded a $90,000 three-year proposal. The grant would support two tasks: transformation of the congregation by attentive listening to those who felt alienated from the community at large (homeless, senior adults, gay/lesbian, youth, single mothers, etc.) and establishing friendships with those who were seeking a community to sustain them in their journey. The proposal also addressed the needs of the Latino community, and the need to transform the community of Grace Van Vorst by becoming an inclusive community utilizing a particular model of transformation that connected all existing assets of the church. The church had experienced success and growth: 80% increase in attendance (ASA 67 to 121); 41% increase in pledging ($72,800 to $103,000), a 333% increase in meals served to the hungry (10,600 meals to 46,200 meals), a 125% increase in outreach volunteerism (40 to 90 persons), a decrease in the withdrawal of savings that met the projections in the five-year plan, and the addition of seven new regular programs. The request was for increased JCAM funding. The funding included $21,541 to continue support of the positions of Director of Children's Ministry and Director of Music. The remaining $18,500 will support a new initiative called LOGOS, Leadership Opportunities for Growth, Outreach and Service, that will serve the Spanish and English speaking communities in downtown Jersey City. The program director's salary will be supplemented by a grant from Trinity Church Wall Street, along with congregational support. Motion: Resolved, that Diocesan Council approve the expenditure of $40,041 from the Jersey City Area Ministry funds for the year 2006 to support continued efforts of congregational growth of Grace Church Van Vorst and its vision for community transformation. The motion was adopted. St. Paul's Church St. Paul's, reported a successful summer program in 2005, and was requesting $6,000 of JCAM funds for the 2006 summer program. An amount of $1,000 from the $6,000 awarded in 2005 were being held in escrow for use in 2006. In 2005, thirty five children participated in the program. Motion: Resolved, that Diocesan Council approve an expenditure of $6,000 from the Jersey City Area Ministry funds for the year 2006 summer program at St. Paul's Church. The motion was adopted. BUDGET COMMITTEE REPORT (click on this line of text for a copy of the budget) Mr. John Zinn presented the proposed budget on behalf of the Diocesan Council Budget Committee. All budget funding of major issues were in line with the priorities of the diocese. During the transition to a new bishop, one of the priorities was to insure sound financial condition, and the 2006 budget was a step in that direction. On income, pledge income was up slightly and reversed a downward trend from last year. However, the pledge income was up only by $3000+ dollars, a minor amount in a nearly $3 million dollar budget. The major increase in non-pledge income was the restricted income derived from the Trustees and the Gertrude Butts Memorial Home Association. The budget reflected an additional amount of the property manager salary paid by the Trustees. On disbursements, all commitments to the National Church and international outreach were honored. The outreach line was increased to make up for the lack of the increase in 2005. The Justice Missioner line was increased in Outreach allocation to reflect the work being done outside of the diocese. Full asking amount was not possible for all groups, but were done as best as possible to continue their work. The DOM line of debt service was reduced because the Trustees used the funds from the recent West Milford property to help retire a portion of that debt. The salary increase for diocesan staff was 2.5% rather than a requested 4%. The medical costs increased slightly. The Anand Center position was not moved to full time from three-quarter time, because of financial constraints. Operating expenses reflected the experiences of 2005. The fidelity bond insurance line was reduced because the Church Insurance Company began billing the churches directly. The convention line included both conventions scheduled for 2006, the annual convention in January and the special electing convention in September. The Episcopal Reserve line was developed after conversations with the chairs of the Nominations and Transition Committees about the anticipated costs for the search process. In addition to the amount budgeted, there were approximately $87,000 in the episcopal reserve account. Motion: Mr. Zinn moved the proposed 2006 budget recommendation for presentation to the Convention. The motion was seconded and after discussion adopted. The motion was adopted. NEW MINISTRIES PROTOCOL The Rev. Lu-Ann Connor, member of the Steering Committee, reported that proposed protocols for new ministries and new projects that required Council membership or Council financial support would be presented in February. DISTRICT SHARING District 10: Ms. Pat Yankus reported that Mr. Steve Boston was elected to replace her on the Council. ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Susan Kynor reported that the Immigration Policy Network along with other groups, including the Jubilee Interfaith Organization, scheduled a conference on Saturday, January 21 at the Rutgers Labor Center, New Brunswick. Ms. Pat Yankus reproted that the profiles of the diocese were printed and copies would be mailed to the parishes. Each congregation would receive ten copies with the intent that the deputies to convention would get a copy. Nominations for the tenth bishop would continue until February 15. Mr. Sidney King reported that the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) scheduled the annual Absalom Jones Service for Sunday, February 12 at Trinity + St. Philip's Cathedral, Newark. The Rev. Canon Lynn Collins would be the preacher, and Bishop Croneberger the celebrant. Ms. Doris Mardirosian reported that at the Episcopal Church Women's Triennial in June 2006 the Newark ECW would present the Rev. Kathleen Ballard as the honored woman from the diocese. Bishop Croneberger announced that on Saturday, January 7, Janet Brocklesby would be ordained to the priesthood with The Rev. Jo-Ann Murphy as the preacher. RESOLUTION OF THANKS A resolution and certificate of thanksgiving and appreciation were adopted for retiring members Mr. Donald Roberts and Ms. Pat Yankus, who were completing two consecutive two-year terms; and, for those completing their first two-year term: Ms. Faith Gideon Brown, The Rev. Canon Gervais Clarke, Ms. Glenda deKruif, The Rev. Paul Olsson, The Rev. William Potter, Ms.Carol Taylor, The Rev. Paul Williams. The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. with prayer by The Rev. Chris Brdlik. Respectfully submitted, Michael Francaviglia, Secretary  --Return to Diocese of Newark Home PageReturn to Top of Page |