Bulletin Announcements
This Week's Announcements
Food Pantry Donations
Thanks to all who are so generously supporting our food pantry collections.
In the month of June we are directing our collection to the food pantry at Our Lady of Sorrows Church. They are asking for donations of Pasta, Tuna, Sardines & low sugar Cereal, as well as toothpaste and single toothbrushes. They always welcome regular sized, non-perishable donations. Drop off donations in the Narthex food barrel or in the storage container in the vestibule off the parking lot. Food insecurity remains critical! Please pick up a few extra supplies when you go to the store.
JAM Weekly Action for Justice
Conditions at Delaney Hall continue to deteriorate, and the demands of those on hunger strike have not been addressed. Supporting detainees’ ability to access legal counsel and/or pay bond to facilitate their release is pivotal, and SOMA Community Cares has created a Legal Aid and Bond Fund. Consider making a contribution here: GiveButter.com/DHFreeThemAll.
Tomorrow, June 6, 10-11 am, join the protest at Citizens Bank, South Orange Ave & Scotland Rd (repeating the 1st & 3rd Saturdays, each month). Citizens Bank finances (and profits from) GEO Group and CoreCivic, prison companies that build and operate ICE detention camps, including Delaney Hall. To register & for sample sign slogans and more details, go to https://bit.ly/STOP_Citizens or the QR code:
Maplewood Pride
St. George’s will again be participating in Maplewood Pride on Sunday, June 14 from 12 pm – 6 pm, at Memorial Park in Maplewood. We’re looking for volunteers to help throughout the day including; set up, staffing the booth, and clean up! Sign up here. If time slots are full, you are still welcome to show up and spend time with us, and if you’re at Maplewood Pride stop by! Questions can be directed to Nick Heller: nicolasjheller@gmail.com.
Juneteenth Celebration
Juneteenth is an annual celebration of the occasion of the news of Emancipation, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier, reaching the western territories of the United States in 1865.
Our celebration of “Freedom Day” as it’s come to be known, will include a jazz service featuring our very own Richard Berggren’s band
followed by a celebratory coffee hour hosted by the Absalom Jones Ministry. There is only one service at 10.00 am on this Sunday.
SAGES for All Ages: Liberty Science Center After Dark: Let’s Get Wild
Sages for All Ages is planning an evening trip to the Liberty Science Center on Thursday, June 25.
A great party, delicious bites and drinks, and a twist of science! Liberty Science Center presents LSC After Dark, exclusively for guests 21+. Each event features a fun theme with a menu to match, dance floor, live DJ, a full bar, and planetarium and laser shows. And all the museum exhibits are open, too!
On Thursday, June 25, it’s LSC After Dark: Let’s Get Wild! This month’s planetarium experiences are Space Talk, an exploration of earth’s strange types of life with Professor Karen Lloyd; examine the evidence to answer Are Aliens Real?; a sensational laser show featuring the heart beating sounds of ABBA! The fun begins at 6pm and the planetarium experiences start at 7pm. All this excitement for $40.00 a person.
If interested in going, contact Michael Francaviglia,
michaelfrancaviglia@gmail.com, by Thursday, May 28.
May the Force be with you!
Summer Celebration Cookout
As part of our One St. George efforts, we want to have quarterly potlucks. On Sunday June 28, following a single 10 AM service we’d like to have a church-wide BBQ filled with great food, fellowship, and games. This event will be from 11:30-1:00, and all parishioners are warmly invited to join the fun!
We will be providing the main BBQ dishes (hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and buns). If you’d like to contribute, please sign-up to bring a beverage, side dish or dessert.
This is also an opportunity to thank our amazing Minister for Family Ministries, Meg Davis, and to wish her well before she heads off to seminary in the fall.
Go to
bit.ly/SummerCelebrationCookout to sign up.
Interested in supporting our Newcomers’ Ministry?
Join us Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30 pm to discuss our current Newcomers’ Ministry and plans to foster radical hospitality at St. George’s Church. We invite members new to St. George’s as well as our more senior members to participate in the conversation. Email Denise Brown-Allen (dbateach123@gmail.com) for the agenda and Zoom link. If you are interested in the ministry and unable to attend the meeting. Please let us know!
EfM
This EfM group has been an active part of Christ Church in Short Hills’ commitment to lifelong education and Christian formation since Fall 2000.
EfM is a 4-year program of study to which participants commit one year at a time – the Hebrew Scriptures (Year 1), the Christian Scriptures (Year 2), Christian History (Year 3) and Christian Ethics and Spirituality (Year 4). This is a safe, fun environment in which to deepen your experience and understanding of your own faith and religious tradition while working with others on applying it to your life experiences and challenges.
The current group meets in person on Monday evenings from 7:30 – 10:00 pm from mid-September to Memorial Day. There is a Zoom option available for those times when travel and weather make it more practical!
Several fellow St Georgians are active in this EfM chapter. If you’d like to find out more, please reach out to Anthony Zuco, Magaly Roman, or Lindsay McHugh. Contact Anthony Zuco at
anthony_zuco@yahoo.com for more information
Group size is required to be 6 – 12 so we are actively recruiting for the Fall 2026.
2026 Marguerite E Smith UBE Scholarship awarded to
St. George’s graduating senior!
We are delighted to share that one of our graduating seniors, Jordan Herbert, has been named a recipient of the 2026 Marguerite E. Smith UBE Scholarship, awarded by the Union of Black Episcopalians, Diocese of Newark Chapter! Jordan will be honored at the 19th Annual UBE Scholarship Luncheon, “Honoring Legacy & Empowering the Future,” on Saturday, June 13, from 12:00–2:00pm at the Diocesan Center in Livingston.
Please join us in congratulating Jordan on this wonderful achievement and in giving thanks for all of our graduating seniors!
Tickets for the luncheon are $65 through May 31 ($70 after May 31). To purchase tickets, contact Rene Pilgrim at (973) 202-5424 or Bob Simmons at (973) 736-5516, or send payment via Zelle to ubenewarkchpt@gmail.com. Donations in support of the scholarship fund are also warmly welcome.
Bereavement Support Group
Are you grieving the loss of a loved one and feel that you have no place to tell the story of your grief? Our Bereavement Support Group is a safe place to share and grieve and heal. The next meeting is Sunday, May 31, following the 10 am service. Gather in the Mary Lounge Contact Tony Bousanti for more information.
Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona: May 29–June 6, 2027
Bishop Carlye J. Hughes invites you to join her on a sacred pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona, Scotland. The journey begins in Glasgow with worship and a guided city tour, then travels through the Scottish Highlands before crossing by ferry to Iona. There, pilgrims will worship at Iona Abbey, explore its history, meet the Iona Community, and have time for personal prayer and reflection. The trip also includes a visit to the Isle of Staffa, with chances to spot dolphins, whales, and puffins.
Registration deadline: May 31, 2026 For more information and to register, visit dioceseofnewark.org/iona-pilgrimage-2027
Support the Music Ministry at St. George’s
At St. George’s, music is one of the central languages of worship. The St. Cecilia Fund is an endowment dedicated to restoring our section leader program, bringing professional singers into our choir as mentors and musical anchors. Section leaders provide the consistency and skilled leadership that allow a volunteer choir to grow, take on more challenging and diverse repertoire, and welcome new singers with confidence. For a congregation that is itself growing and welcoming new families, investing in music is investing in the welcome we extend to everyone who walks through our doors. Generous gifts have laid the foundation, and the Music Guild is committed to growing the fund faithfully over time so that this program can be sustained year after year. Every contribution, large or small, brings us closer to sacred music that can lift our hearts more fully toward the glory of God. Go to https://bit.ly/StCeciliaMusicFund to give.
Host a Coffee Hour
We’re inviting every St. Georgian to host at least one Coffee Hour each year!
Please sign up here: https://bit.ly/
We’re also seeking:
• Coffee Hour Hospitality Team: A small team (5 ideally) is forming to maintain the online signup and send reminder emails. Interested? Email Mark Popham at markpopham@gmail.com
• Coffee Hour Baking Team: Love to bake? Share your delicious gifts by preparing occasional treats for Coffee Hour through a fun quarterly baking party here at St. George’s! Interested? Email Tina Kelly at tinakelleywriter@gmail.com
Take Them a Meal Ministry
Just before the start of Covid a new young couple began attending St. George’s. While becoming acquainted with the SG community they asked Rev. Grant if the church offered a meal delivery ministry for those in need of extra support. In describing their previous church they mentioned a program where anyone going through hardship could request meals. They told how meaningful it had been for those experiencing a death in the family, an illness, medical procedure, depression, or a newborn baby. From their story it was clear that this ministry strengthened the entire community. Both those who sought help and those who were able to extend a hand were blessed. A seed was planted at St.George’s and shortly thereafter a small group of “cooks” was gathered to help when meal requests were received. Ironically the couple who told Rev. Grant about the ministry were among the first to ask for help when the entire family were simultaneously overcome with Covid. Ever since this ministry has continued to quietly grow.
If you are looking for a way to participate in the St.George’s community and want to be one of our “on-call-cooks” sign up HERE OR email Glen Hoffs. There’s no obligation. When meal requests are received a signup genius is sent to the “cook” team. Sign up only for what you have time to do. If you can’t help at that time, no problem. Other helpful options include sending the recipients DoorDash or UberEats gift certificates or ordering food for delivery from a local restaurant.
To request meals for yourself, a family member, or make a recommendation for someone who may wish to receive meals, please click HERE or email Glen Hoffs.
Flower Memorials at Saint George’s
You may not be aware of it, but there has been a long-standing tradition at St. George’s to dedicate the floral decorations at each Sunday service in memory of or thanksgiving for people we care about. Alas, we’ve let it slide in the last years, but the Altar Guild is going to revive this charming custom.
The annual fundraising events for Advent/Christmas and Easter, well-known to most St. Georgians, are focused on small gifts to underwrite the large-scale decoration of the sanctuary for these high holidays.
However, EVERY Sunday is a potential flower memorial for someone you love. The Altar Guild normally spends about $50 each weekend on flowers, with the exceptions of Advent and Lent, when flowers are not used.
If there is something YOU would like to commemorate—a birthday, a wedding or anniversary—or a loved one you would like to name with thanks or in loving memory, the Altar Guild would welcome your donation for the altar flowers for that Sunday. We will publish your commemoration in the Sunday bulletin.
Although there is technically no limit to the number of names we can celebrate on any given Sunday, the donation will be the same for everyone—and the extra funds will be used for any unclaimed weekend.
Schedule your flower memorial by clicking HERE. Payments can be made online, details are included on the signup form.
‘Song of Resilience’ Benefit Concert for Immigrant Aid & Defense
We are honored to partner with Protestra.org to host a benefit concert for Immigrant Aid & Defense on Saturday, June 20 at 7.00 pm. All proceeds go to Cosecha & First Friends of NJ & NY. Find out more and purchase tickets here:
https://bit.ly/SongsOfResilienceConcert
Office Updates
The building is physically open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 – 3, and by appointment only on Wednesdays. Ruth works remotely Mondays and Fridays, email any queries to the office on those days.
Deadline for submission of news and article in the weekly bulletin and Snapshot is noon Wednesday.
We are always looking for photographers! Did you take any great pictures at any church events that you would like to share? Please email them to the office
