Did you miss earlier blogs and want to read them? If so, go to the blog
archives section and catch up with the bishop.
September
2006: St. Michael and All Angels
It
is good to be back and to be able to resume this Bishop’s
Blog.
Thank God for Canon Cynthia McFarland and for her healing and recovery from serious illness. We are blessed to have her return to health and strength. Thanks be to God!
Summer
visits
Summer
now seems like a long time ago. I look back,
with joy, on many visits to various churches
and chapels during the month of July. 
I was
delighted to visit St. John’s-by-the-Sea,
Avalon; St. Peter’s-at-the-Light,
Barnegat Light (for the Institution of the
Rev. Donald Turner as Vicar); St. John’s,
Avon-by-the-Sea; St. Andrew’s-by-the-Sea,
Allenhurst; St. Simon-by-the-Sea, Mantoloking
(first Confirmation service in 75 years;
also a nice sail boat ride!); and All Saints’,
Bay Head (a year-round parish).
I
am very thankful for the Trustees and lay leaders of
our seasonal chapels. Their service and sacrifice maintain
the witness and worship of our Church in places of recreation
and refreshment.
They
remind us all of our need, in all times and places, to
worship and to give thanks to our God for “our
creation, preservation and all the blessings of this
life; but above all for [God’s] immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ” (BCP,
page 101). God bless and uphold all who care for these
chapels.
On
Saturday, July 8, I had to honor to preside at the Ordination
to the Priesthood of the Rev. Jane Brady, Associate at
St. John-on-the-Mountain, Bernardsville. We were
blessed by a brilliant sermon by the Rev. Dr. John S.
Mbiti, a renowned Christian professor of philosophy and
an Anglican priest from Kenya.
At
Port Newark
One
of the highlights of my schedule each year is a
day spent with the Rev. Andy Moore, Director
of Seamen’s Church Institute, and the chaplains
at SCI. On a very hot day in July I set
off from Port Newark to go visit a passenger
cruise liner in Brooklyn. It was a privilege
to watch the chaplains assist ship’s
crew members from all over the world.
The
day concluded with a celebration of the Eucharist in
the SCI Chapel. The world comes to these ports every
day of the year in the people who make their living at
sea, absent from their families for months at a time. 
The
Episcopal Church welcomes them, cares for and supports
them in practical ways that assist them and their families.
Thank God.
John
10:10 Tour: Done! But never over...
After
a restful vacation in August, I returned to Diocesan
House and this ministry in early September. I was happy
to note that I have almost completed my first round of
visits to the 161 congregations of the Diocese of New
Jersey. During September I made first visits to St.
James’, Eatontown; 
St.
Mark’s, Hammonton
and St. James’, Paulsboro; St. Luke’s,
Roselle; Holy Cross, Perth Amboy; and The Church
of the Holy Spirit, Tuckerton.
Thanks to the grace of our God and the prayers of our Diocese, I have visited nearly all of the congregations within my first three years as your Bishop. I did not get to St. Luke’s, Westville (but I visited its partner, Holy Spirit, Bellmawr) and I did not visit St. John’s, Sewaren (but I did get to its partner, St. John’s, Fords).
I also did not schedule visits to two of our seasonal chapels: The Church of the Redeemer, Longport; and Holy Trinity Chapel in Spring Lake. I look forward to visiting those congregations and beginning a second round of visits to all congregations in coming years.
Institutions,
festivations, and convocations
Along the way this month I was glad to institute
the Rev. Sunil Chandy as Rector of St. Andrew’s,
Mt. Holly. 
It
was great to welcome Sunil’s cousin and my friend the
Rt. Rev. Johncy Itty, Bishop of Oregon, as our preacher that
evening.
We also celebrated another Hispanic Festival at Trinity Cathedral. Led by the Rev. Dr. Francisco Pozo, the Hispanic clergy and the Hispanic Commission, this celebration was great fun. It featured a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, along with lots of food, fellowship and dancing. Lots of young people attended. I felt that I was looking at the face of the future of the Diocese of New Jersey.
This
fall, as in previous years, I've scheduled visits to
all eight of our Convocations. (The
Convocations are defined and described in a recent issue
of 2 Times a Month). These gatherings include my
update on the state of our Diocese, along with presentations
by clergy and lay leaders representing the Diocesan Council,
the Right Onward Visioning Committee, our General Convention
deputies, and members of Diocesan staff.
Ministry
Institute: It's all yours
One area of great excitement about our Diocese this fall
is the launch of the Ministry Institute. Led by Connie White
and the Rev. Linda Moeller, with staff support from Canon
Elizabeth Geitz, the Institute is in place “to bring
to the diocese opportunities for Christian formation, spirituality,
and ministry learning and development.” You
really should see a copy of the course catalogue. It’s
comprehensive and it will make you proud to be a Jersey Episcopalian! (The
Ministry Institute is featured in a recent issue of 2 Times
a Month.) You can also browse
the Ministry Institute offerings right
here on the website.
Always
and ever
'Right Onward' — the personal motto of the Rt. Rev.
George Washington Doane, Second Bishop of New Jersey (episcopate
1832 to 1859) — has been adopted by our diocesan Visioning
Committee as the name for the process by which we will discern
God’s vision for the future our Diocese. I am so humbled
and so delighted to see the hard work and dedication of the
members of the Visioning Committee. I ask that every congregation
pray for and participate in this discernment process. We
need to listen to our Lord and to one another and seek to
know and follow God’s will and God’s way for
New Jersey.
May our Lord continue to bless and uphold us in the ministries to which he calls us.
Right Onward!
+George
The
Right Reverend George Edward Councell
XI Bishop of New Jersey