Welcome to
The Church of St. Paul and Incarnation!
in the Heart of Jersey City
“Being Counted”
God blesses us with so many ways to
help one another.
Some are simple and yet meaningful:
praying for the many people on our prayer list, those who are suffering in
mind, body, or spirit; picking up the phone and calling someone who is lonely
or having a hard time; running errands or giving a ride; donating to
organizations that are doing good.
Some ways of helping others are more
complex, requiring ingenuity, collaboration, and creativity. I’m still kind of obsessed
with the West Side Community Fridge and the other similar operations that are
popping up around Jersey City and elsewhere, providing fresh food and other
necessities to neighbors in need. I know the hard work and coordination that Monica
Shaw puts into running our Triangle Park Community Center, where so many people
receive a warm welcome, good food, diapers and formula, essential information,
and sometimes even bicycles and scooters! Deacon Jill and her band of
volunteers continue to expand DJ’s Free Market, making it easy for those who
have much to share with those who have little. And, I’m forever in awe of Carol
Mori and her team at Garden State Episcopal CDC, somehow managing to operate a
homeless shelter and a drop-in center, plus rehabilitate and build affordable
housing, and much more. Truly amazing!
There are so many ways to help one
another, sometimes simply by being counted.
Being counted.
We live in a state with one of the
starkest racial wealth gaps in the country. The median net worth for New
Jersey’s white families is $352,000, the highest in the nation. But, for our
Black and Latino families it’s just $6,100 and $7,300, respectively. Stop for a
moment and look at those numbers, and think how they translate into wildly
different lives and opportunities for the people of our state, including many
of our parishioners. Years of racist policies and practices (especially around
homeownership) have gotten us to this dismal and disgraceful point and it’s
going to take a lot of effort to make the changes necessary to build a more
equitable society. For us, this long overdue effort begins by getting the
attention of politicians who are always good at counting heads. So, let’s be
counted at the New Jersey Together statewide action on August 31, on Zoom. At
this action, NJT will be pressing our leaders for change on a variety of racial
equity and criminal justice issues in our state.
You can learn more about driver’s
license suspension reform here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWznD7bAlnM
And, you can learn about sentencing
reform here:
My hope is that we will all
participate in this action (after all, we don’t have to worry about directions
or parking or getting a seat – this time we can be counted from the comfort of
our home!). Click here to learn more about the agenda and to register: www.njtogether.org/action2020
God blesses us with so many ways to
help one another, especially during this time of pandemic and economic distress.
Over these past few months, it has been inspiring to see lots of people
stepping up - calling and checking on others, running a refrigerator on the
sidewalk outside their house, supporting and leading organizations that find
creative ways to care for people. We all have different gifts and abilities to
share, but together we must stand up for justice and equality. Now is the time
when we must all be counted.
Prayers and Thanksgivings:
Please
pray for all those on our parish prayer list, especially Jean, Andy, Angelo,
Kit, and Anthony.
Please
also remember in your prayers those who have died, and those who grieve their
loss:
Yuting
Ge, who was killed in his apartment on New York Avenue
Eleanor
A. Johnson, former vestry member of the Church of the Incarnation
All of
those who have died as a result of Covid -19.
Supporting Our Church:
We are
aware that, unfortunately, some parishioners have been laid off or furloughed
and others are in danger of losing their jobs. Please know that you are in our
prayers and we are here to help any way we can. In these extremely challenging
economic times, we are especially grateful to those of you who have been able
to keep up with your pledges. You can still mail checks to the church or you
can use online giving. Visit stpaulsjc.org and click on "Online
Giving." We also have a Venmo account. Call the office or email me for
more information.
Worship Schedule:
Monday through Friday: "Church By Phone"
Morning
Prayer, 7:30
Noonday
Prayer, 12:00
Evening
Prayer, 5:30
Call: 201-433-4922 for more information.
Sunday at 10:00am
Join us
on Facebook Live for a celebration of Holy Eucharist
www.facebook.com/StPaulsJC
From the Diocese:
Read
The Voice Online for all the latest news, including an inspiring message
from Bishop Hughes:
Mark your calendars! Bishop Hughes will make her official visit (via
Zoom) with us on Sunday, September 27 during the 10:00am Service and “Coffee
Hour.” More information to come!
New Jersey
Together Statewide Action, Monday 8/31
Recently,
over 400 people from across New Jersey met on Zoom to ratify an agenda for much
larger action on Monday, August 31, 7:30pm-9:00pm. We are hoping for a large
turnout from St. Paul and Incarnation as we join with thousands of other people
from over 140 congregations and non-profits, pressing for concrete actions and
commitments from decision makers, including Governor Murphy. The focus will be
on a set of specific issues related to racial equity, criminal justice, and the
current pandemic.
North Porch at
Triangle Park Community Center
As many of
you know, North Porch offers diapers, formula, and other assistance to families
with infants and young children. Since the need continues to grow, North Porch
is asking for financial donations through a GoFundMe campaign. Please consider
supporting this beautiful ministry:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/north-porch-mom-amp-infant-program?utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&fbclid=IwAR2tibm9cDTU2k9BqFh-dtWMCn77qrsNaNBpNeMh7gcaW_M_reC03IdJpi4
DJ’s Free Market
Subscribe to
the DJ’s Newsletter to stay informed about this exciting new ministry led by
Deacon Jill:
The Arts at St. Paul & Incarnation:
The virtual opening
of ASPI’s new show “UpRooted” was a big success! Many thanks to all the members
of the Arts Council, especially Amy Neufeld and Sarah Ibrahim. If you missed
the opening, you can visit the virtual gallery to see the beautiful art:
And, mark your calendars for our annual
Choral Festival of Peace on Friday,
September 11, at 7:00pm. This year’s festival will be live-streamed on our
church’s Facebook page.
Help for Renters and Homeowners:
There
is help available for renters and homeowners suffering because of the pandemic.
One is the website for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency: www.njhousing.gov. You can also call
1-800-NJ-HOUSE (1-800-654-6873).
Helpful Resources:
State
of New Jersey Covid-19 Information Hub:
https://covid19.nj.gov
The
Diocese of Newark posts Covid-19 resources here:
https://dioceseofnewark.org/covid-19
You can
subscribe to diocesan newsletters here:
https://dioceseofnewark.org/subscribe
The
Episcopal Church has collected Covid-19 resources here:
https://episcopalchurch.org/concerning-covid19
"Habits
of Grace," weekly reflections from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:
https://episcopalchurch.org/habits-of-grace
The
Church of England has some wonderful prayers and other materials here:
https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-liturgy-and-prayer-resources
Fr.
Tom’s sermons can be found here:
http://tommurphe.blogspot.com