Lay: What is the single thing we need to do in the next five years that would make for the most exciting time in our Diocese?

L1

Help Christ Church and other churches in fulfilling my wishes listed in the earlier question.

L2

See earlier question.

L3

Pray faithfully and live by what we pray.

L4

Need another revival. Big paradigm shift — like Oxford movement or Great Awakening. Revitalized faith in lots of people.

L5

Get more involved in the community.

L6

Take on one missionary project and allow each parish to be creative in the own way to feel … the goal, i.e.. Lending a significant hand in Africa or any other third world country

L7

Inspire intercongregation partnering. There is greater ability/potential in acting jointly. By so doing we get to know each other better and others see our greater potential.

L8

Challenge people to not get comfortable

L9

L10

To listen to God to know where He is leading us.

L11

A diocesan revival with tents, music, dance and food — we are too proper and polite and closed in — we do not worship with our whole bodies.

L12

Raise up our cathedral as a real diocesan center etc. Everyone wants to come and be together and celebrate. Preaching, teaching, learning and love.

L13

We all get together in a large group and have everyone praying at the same time and send a cacophony of prayer up to Heaven.

L14

Thinking in concepts — reflected in fair shares — developing the sense of cohesiveness and connectedness between parish and diocese — without feeling of heavy handedness — which might well make fair share something parishes need to or want to pay.

L15

Be willing to accept schism to follow the gospel, love and acceptance of all people

L16

Keep moving forward and not be dragged backward by dissension.

L17

For diocese to come together in Rutgers's stadium for mega mass

L18

The institute is a wonderful thing. Parishes should get at least one person to go to courses once a year. Each parish is part of body of Christ — we are not in island. Once we get involved — we get incorporated. Have to do things in solution. We cannot survive as single parish.

L19

Hire another Bishop

L20

A spiritual revival — needs to focus more on substance and less on form/

L21

a large scale recruitment program in all corners — prisons, etc. — marketing plan to reach out to attract new souls.

L22

Persevere in the face of the attacks on Christianity — fight for Christ — because we are his eyes/hands/body, etc. Voice — help us attain that spirit.

L23

I feel the Sunday schools are failing to help children find Christ and stay with Him! We need to change this.

L24

We need to stand up together as a church and let the world know we are here. We need to attract Generation X.

L25

Better stewardship — reach out beyond ourselves to help poor.

L26

Recruitment

L27

Encourage connections among parishes — share our strengths and grow together — sharing our resources — strengths

L28

Grow, community awareness

L29

More sustained community outreach or presence — show diversity — Episcopal College — learn about evolution but also maintain belief

L30

A spirit filled Episcopal Gathering where we could evangelize in Anglican/Episcopal style — A crusade — variety of worship music with witnessing

L31

recruitment — all ages — sharing more

L32

Annual meeting, other than convention, that would feature workshops/topics

L33

Grow in faith and numbers

L34

Need to beef up our Cursillo program

L35

Create an atmosphere where spiritual activities would be an important part of each member's life.

L36

An active witness and opened sharing of our faith with in our community. If God is the most important focus of our lives He needs to be shared thru out our communities on daily basis.

L37

Reach out and bring more people into our church , continue evangelism

L38

People to get excited about Christ and willing to share with others.

L39

Get in touch with people, make it fun and exciting, bring in the young, get kids involved

L40

End the divisions, bring us back together or cut them loose

L41

Make the church experience more accessible to the young — make it fun — relationship with Jesus more important than tradition. Get a new hymnal

L42

Focus on community building knowing and understand each other rather than focus on battling each other.

L43

Assuming we can reconcile with the Anglican Communion to radically decentralize the ministry and mission of the diocese, putting our resources at the grassroots.

L44

Wants to be able to walk into any Episcopal Church and feel welcome — not outcast

L45

A general convention for all member of all churches in the diocese.

L46

Keep listening, caring and being genuine in dealing with congregation.

L47

Bring Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to the Diocese of NJ

L48

Promote the value of the Diocese of NJ — community of people who live then baptismal covenant, willing servants to those outside our church, advocates for downtrodden

L49

A single focus project that would invoke the entire diocese to the end of solving some problem

L50

Find ways for our people to get together to share ideas and solve problems

L51

Everyone work together, local churches and diocese, to have a connection

L52

Connection with Episcopal Churches throughout the world to see how they deal with their issues. Open the world to each other.

L53

Love — get people excited — motivated — bring Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to NJ

L54

L55

More community volunteer work

L56

Recording of service to send out to people unable to attend. Be on TV.

L57

Exciting programs for all children

L58

See anawers to earlier question.

L59

involve as many people as we can in a place that makes them feel involved a committed to spread the word of Jesus — so they feel good about their faith

L60

To offer ourselves unconditionally to God to do His will no matter what the cost.

L61

Activities that will interest youths to bring them to church

L62

Opportunity for members from different churches to interact and fellowship together.

L63

would like to see the church become an active community outreach beyond Sunday services

L64

Update the music , more hands-on in community, help poorer communities with project; good, meaningful publicity

L65

Continue to support the Episcopal relief fund that helps to support disaster victims of the world. A program that addresses contemporary issues in politics and science.

L66

To put a face of recognition on the diocese

L67

Come together — whoever you are, wherever you have been, come journey with us. Become a pied piper

L68

More emphasis on evangelism

L69

Spawn more communication between churches so we can learn from each other. Share idea to adapt to our local needs.

L70

We need to have a Diocesan Revival — like a tent revival. To revive the Spirit — to bring a sense of new life to our church. I would like to see us find a way to express our selves in a more lively way.

L71

I would like to see that each diocese has a place for the homeless people to sleep during the winter.

L72

As a member of Cathedral — get other people to help people outside the church. Can be a leader in service — mission — to others as mandated by Christ.

L73

Get the churches outside the Episcopal walls into the community. Start interacting with the people outside our gates; get our hands dirty.

L74

There should be a summit on racism and its real existence. Where should be a real effort to eradicate this condition. Also there should be a real discussion regarding homosexuality and the view of the church.

L75

End racism

L76

Eliminating sexism, ageism, racism

L77

We need to be active and vocal to recruit and keep our congregations at full strength

L78

Follow Jesus and His teachings

L79

Less emphasis on political issues and more emphasis on Green Faith, environmental issues.

L80

Unity in diversity and all unified

L81

Hold the next General Convention in our diocese

L82

Have General Convention in our diocese

L83

find a way of reaching those who are not in church at all. Open people of no religions … to recognize the power of loving our another.

L84

Find a way to institute the Alpha program in every parish in the diocese. This would be dynamite.

L85

Include the southern part the diocese in special Diocesan Programs

L86

Diocese should hold more interest in the southern part of the state.

L87

More active intervention among youth concerning drug and alcohol abuse.

L88

Accept same sex unions. To become more diverse, by having a female presiding bishop it is a wonderful first step to having diversity within the diocese of NJ.

L89

Start a recruitment program for new members

L90

Accept everyone regardless of age, orientation; currently too focused on how we are supposed to be — opening doors will mean that people will see the good in being diverse.

L91

The church and it is congregations to be truly on fire for Christ and to truly love one another.

L92

Refocus music ministry

L93

Having some kind of diocese celebration to include as many people as we can accommodate, to reflect the kind of joy we can have when we get together. This will be a stepping stone for outreach and the beginning of working together.

L94

Invite a group of Christian leaders from an underground church to share with us how God is building a church in China

L95

Use resources of the diocese for some serious evangelical work, instead of its working as another administrative unit.

L96

To rearrange the priority in our lives so that God and his church is number one.

L97

Have the western world and eastern world gain an understanding and respect of each other's needs — limits war as our option

L98

That there would be a meeting of the minds — especially ecumenical (inter-denominational and inter-religious) work.

L99

Unite in a mission, big enough and important enough to include the whole diocese

L100

Grow internally, bring new people from outside.

L101

Every convocation would have its own elementary school in grades 1 — 12

L102

Find some way to give people hope.

L103

Order of St. Luke mission at church — pray for healing — asking Holy Spirit to come down. People opening hearts for healing and Jesus was there to work healing. Seeing people on knees asking for prayer.

L103

Restoration of values into our original evangelical mission

L104

Repent and reach out to other Christian organizations for guidance, especially if they are growing and we are not. Members and lay people must come down from arrogant pedestal and believe that those in growing churches can not think for themselves.

L105

Consolidate resources of the dying churches. Actively recruit clergy and musicians to create lively meaningful, new ways to gather and pray, and new ways to sing. Teach clergy to preach to young folks that never been churched.

L106

If all parishes pay their fair share, anything is possible. Diocese needs resources.

L107

Co-parish mingling, multiple parish beliefs etc. The way to grow is to be the most progressive church on the planet.

L108

A get together for one common event — a year of ________. All towards one goal, promoted and marketed — Like golf tournament, but on a different scale.

L109

Events/activities for multiple churches to join in fellowship

L110

More local events for youth

L111

What excites me is that right now we gather and talk to each other in the same religion about what they believe. What they believe and I believe — it can be different. Bishop's ball — we got together with other kids, amazing that we are all the same religion but do things in so many different ways.

L112

Inter-parish events to create a sense of community within the diocese.

L113

Creating an outreach program for our youth to bring them into the church because they are our future.

L114

Grow the church in an evangelical spirit without the brimstone mentality or the negative connotations of that word. We have the core values currently, just need to get that message out and the best way would be the use of technology. The good we do should be made evident.

L115

Continuing to create a sense of family, caring, understanding that in a fragmented world we need to be a people of love, acceptance and appreciation for one another.

L116

Music, make masses convenient. Children focus

L117

Attracting younger people to the church — empowering the youth

L118

That the rich churches support in every sense the poor churches that are Hispanos

L119

Maintain the unity in the community

L120

Prepare the community with the ? of our Episcopal Church

L121

Greater integration of the Episcopal Churches

L122

Integration of the church

L123

Evangelism crusades

L124

Union of all the churches of our region

L125

Evangelism crusades

L126

That we prepare courses to grow spiritually

L127

The unity of the Diocese

L128

Ask God that they end the fights

L129

Try to give knowledge to others concerning the things of God, in order to make greater peace

L130

Maintain the unity in the community

L131

Work hard without ceasing to raise up faith and creativity inside and outside the church

L132

That we continue preserving the religious principles of our Mother Anglican Church

L133

Work hard without ceasing to raise up faith and creativity inside and outside the church, to achieve greater unity and to think of our mission as Episcopalians

L134

Emphasize our mutual necessities,

L135

Help the growth of our faith and its obligations

L136

Try to be present in the activities of the Diocese ... give knowledge to the others ... attending with more people

L137

Bring the "Good News" to our communities evangelizing in our language

L138

Teach stewardship in a way that the congregation becomes interested and participates in the work of the church.

L139

More Hispanic unity in the Diocese

L140

Workshops be held at times so that the Hispanic community can attend

L141

That we see ourselves as one family, without discrimination for Hispanics

L142

That we grow in love of god and our neighbor. Not making any barriers that divide us.

L143

Study the Word of God more to communicate more with other churches.

L144

Study the word of god and through that find incentive to create support groups for lost souls without consolation

L145

That they understand there is a God who worries about our problems.

L146

That the Episcopal Church attract more people so that we can grow in the Diocese

L147

Expand the youth program to form more parishioners.

L148

Continue working together with the help of the Holy Spirit.

L149

Remain always in the Holy Spirit.