Sponsored by Community Access Unlimited

Union County Interfaith

Coordinating Council

June 2015

to be to be to be

Community LeadersCommunity LeadersCommunity Leaders

Advantages to the Interfaith Community:

Develop interfaith solidarity

Become active with increased publicity

Build religious membership

Build support to fundraising events with paid participants

Create full and part time employment opportunities for

congregation members

Provide educational opportunities regarding entitlements,

housing, and other

services, to congregation members

Pastor E. Crawford—Chair

Ebenezer AME

Rahway

Sidney Blanchard

Executive Director of CAU

Evangelist A. Brown

Mount Teman AME Church

Elizabeth

Pastor D. Brown

First Baptist Church

Elizabeth

Pastor H. Bryant

Townley Presbyterian Church

Kevin E. Caldwell

Community Church of GOD

Plainfield

Pastor Carmine Pernini

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Rahway

Pastor D. Ford

St. Matthew Baptist Church

Roselle

Pastor C. Gibson

Mount Teman AME Church

Elizabeth

Pastor K. Joseph

CEA Church of God

Elizabeth

Pastor Mertz

First United Methodist Church

Westfield

Don Moore

Islam Mosque

Elizabeth

Michelle Mobley

Director of Youth Service

Residential

Sis. Evelyn Rolon

Mount Teman AME Church

Roderick Spearman

CAU Consultant

Union County Interfaith

Coordinating Council

Steering Committee Members

About the

Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council

Our Mission The Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council works to facilitate regular interfaith

meetings in order to make way for the building of bonds within the interfaith

community.

We respect the inclusion and welcoming of others regardless of faith, race or disability.

We strive to be proactive on social issues.

Our Goals To grow the network of faith-based organizations in Union County

Encourage representatives from all faiths to join the Interfaith Coordinated

Council including those of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Islamic, and other

faiths

To be engaged in:

1. Community Building within faith-based organizations and the gen-

eral Union County population.

2. The advancement of Social Justice.

3. The intentional inclusion of others regardless of gender, faith, race.

Be active in activities that are inclusive and community building

Our Objectives

Sponsor regular engagement opportunities that facilitate the building of bonds

within the Union County interfaith community and their congregations

Strengthen the Union County religious congregations through involvement,

action and education in self-help.

Build working relationships between Union County religious organizations and

Community Access Unlimited that create opportunities for youth and people

with disabilities and their support staff.

Potential Advantages to Joining the Interfaith Community

Develop interfaith solidarity

Become active with increased publicity

Build religious membership

Build support to fundraising events with paid participants

Create full and part time employment opportunities for congregation members

Provide educational opportunities regarding entitlements, housing, and other

services, to congregation members

Assist individuals within the congregation to obtain services; for example,

people with disabilities, youth, people with physical disabilities, or

senior citizens.

Message from the Chair Person

Dear Friends of God,

As the chilly winds cease to blow and the flowers commence blooming, I write to you with great excitement and enthusiasm about our interfaith work. Whenever I turn on the news or pick up a paper, my heart is rent by the brokenness and bitterness of this world. Yet, I am convinced that God has divinely chosen us – you and I– to demonstrate the power of prayer and relevance of reconciliation. Through these two change agents, prayer and reconciliation, we can and will move our communities to peace, justice, prosperity and wholeness.

The Steering Committee and I, look forward to sharing in the interfaith events and enrichment activities in your communities of faith, and to you sharing in ours. We invite and encourage you to share your upcoming events

and activities via the monthly newsletter and/or on our facebook page by submitting the information to Rod

Spearman at rspearman@caunj.org .

As we continue to grow and wax strong as a council, we will prayerfully continue to add new and fresh voices to the steering committee. It is our hope, that the steering committee be an affirming reflection of our diverse com-munities of faith and of all of Gods people. Hence, we now welcome Rev. Carmine Pernini of Zion Lutheran Church in Rahway and Skip Winters of Cranford Presbyterian Church to the steering committee.

Lastly, let me take this moment to say Happy Father’s Day to all of the men. You were created in the imago dei (image of God) and we thank for you, offering this prayer on your behalf:

God, in your wisdom and love you made all things.

Bless the men in our lives, homes, communities and houses of faith.

Bless those, who have given us life and love, that we may show them love and affection today and all days.

Bless those who have lost a child through death that they may find hope, and solace in your never ending love.

Bless those who have died, that God may welcome them into that peaceful place that is without ending.

Bless those who are not biological fathers but who have taken upon themselves, the responsibility of parenting, mentoring, coaching and encouraging us and others.

Bless those who have lost a spouse to death ... or divorce and are parenting their children alone.

Strengthen these men, and all men, by your love that they may be and become the loving, caring persons they are meant to be.

Grant this by your grace. Amen

Join & Be Active Today!

How can I join this viable group of supporters?

Attend quarterly meetings.

Invite other community leaders to attend our quarterly meetings.

Support or host fundraising programs to support the Record Expungement Grant Program.

Add your contact information to our mailing list.

Share useful information about your organization.

Contact Rod Spearman at 908-354-3040 x 324 for more information on becoming a member

RAMADAN

RAMADAN IS THE MONTH OF THE QUR’AN

God begin revealing the Qur’an to the Prophet Mu-

hammad (pbuh) during Ramadan in the year 610C.E.

the Holy Qur’an is known undoubtedly as “the most

read book in the world” for it is a book that is so often

read, reread and memorized, and in its original lan-

guage Arabic.

FASTING IN THE MONTH OF RAMADAN

All Muslims, from the age of puberty who are physically and mentally well should observe fast-

ing during the month of Ramadan. Islam is a practical way of life and does not place hardship on

those for whom the fast would be too difficult. The sick and those traveling may defer their fast

until their illness or journey is over. Pregnant women and nursing mothers may also postpone the

fast. The very old, who are too weak to fast and those who have a permanent illness that prevent

them from fasting, are excused from fasting. They may feed a needy person for every day they

missed, if they can afford to do so. The mentally ill are also exempt from fasting.

BENEFITS OF FASTING Fasting is an act of deep personal worship of God in which Muslims seek to raise their level of

God-consciousness. The act of fasting redirects the heart of away from the worldly activities and

towards the remembrance of God. Muslims focus during this month on strengthening their rela-

tionship with the Creator. It is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer and doing of good deeds.

Fasting is intended to inculcate self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity.

The Prophet Muhammad (phuh) said, “Indeed, anyone who fasts for one day for Allah’s pleas-

ure, Allah will keep his face away from (Hell) fire for (a distance covered by a journey of) sev-

enty years.”

“The sleep of fasting person is regarded as an act of worship, his remaining silent is regarded as

glorifying God, the reward of his good deeds is multiplied, his supplications are accepted, and

his sins are forgiven.”

EID-UL FITR, THE ENDING OF RAMADAN

The end of Ramadan by the sighting of the new noon, which is followed by a day of celebration

known as Eid-ul-fitr or the ‘festival of fast-breaking”. Families put on their best clothes and go

to the mosque for their Eid sermon and congregational prayers. They thank the Merciful God for

having given them the opportunity to experience the blessed month of Ramadan. Before the fes-

tivities begin, every person, adult and child, must have already contributed to wards Zakat-ul-

Fitras. This is giving a meal, or cash equivalent, to a needy person to make sure that non are ex-

cluded from the happy occasion. The Eid is not merely about feasting and socializing. There is a

deep significance for those who truly observed the holy month with their fasting, abstaining from

all bad habits and striving hard to earn the pleasure of God. For the observant, the Merciful Allah

has granted Eid as a day for forgivingness of sins. Islam teaches that the objective life is to earn

the pleasure of God. The spiritual closeness that can be achieved during the month of Ramadan

serves this purpose for those who truly work hard to benefit from it.

Carletta Aston For the past three years Carletta Aston has been Pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In addi-tion to preaching, teaching, pastoral counseling and providing spiritual guidance through Bible study and other small groups, she helps em-power the laity to conduct the outreach and mission ministry of the church and to provide opportunities for spiritual growth. Her prior pastoral appointments have been at Totowa United Methodist Church and Morristown United Methodist Church. Carletta is an adjunct

professor at Drew Theological Seminary. Carletta was born and grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. Baptized into the Afri-

can Methodist Episcopal church, she became a member of the United Methodist Church in 1991. She responded to a call to the ministry in 1993, graduated from Drew Theologi-cal Seminary in 1997 and was ordained in 2001.

Before entering the ordained ministry Carletta traveled several career paths. She

began her work life as a teacher of the deaf and audiologist in Montreal, Canada. Com-ing back to the States she did community outreach in Newark, New Jersey, serving pre-school aged children with special needs. Shifting her focus to the technical arena, she worked at Bell Laboratories, where she completed research for her doctoral dissertation. Carletta taught speech, language and hearing sciences for eight years at Douglass Col-lege, Rutgers University.

For sixteen years Carletta was self-employed as a management, organizational

development and interpersonal skills consultant. During her time in Seminary she also did program development and proposal writing for North Hudson Community Action Cor-poration, a non-profit organization. Concurrent with her ministerial duties she has acted as National Program Director for Pathways to College, assisting students of color from underserved communities such as Newark, NJ and Gary, Indiana. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University, Master’s de-grees from Purdue and McGill Universities, a Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences from City University of New York, and the Master of Divinity from Drew Theological Seminary.

Member Spotlight

Roderick (Rod) Spearman

UCICC Interfaith Coordinator

rspearman@caunj.org

UCICC Outreach Coordinating Team

Pastor Howard S. Bryant,

UCICC Interfaith Coordinator

hbryant@caunj.org

Pastor Carmine Pernini

UCICC Interfaith Coordinator

cpernini@caunj.org

UCICC Youth Employment

Grant Application

Thousands of teenagers and young adults need mentoring and opportunities to

discover and develop their talents. The Youth Employment Grant is aimed at

connecting young people from congregations that are active in the UCICC with

clients from Community Access Unlimited in Elizabeth, allowing them a chance

to gain valuable academic, social and personal skills while they earn money dur-

ing the summer. Youth applying must be between the ages of 16 - 21. This grant

may be used to assist youth who are both in school or out of school.

The UCICC Steering Committee will begin reviewing applications on June 1st.

For more information, email Rod Spearman at rspearman@caunj.org.

Sidney Blanchard,

Executive Director

of Community Access Unlimited

sblanchard@caunj.org

BUILDING SUPPORTS FOR OUR KIDS

T O G E T I N V O LV E D , C O N TA C T U S Tanya Johnson, Sr. Assistant Executive Director, Community Access Unlimited tjohnson@caunj.org, 908-354-3040 x251 Nicholas R. Scalera, President- Scalera Consulting Services nick@scalera.com, 973-893-6563

3rd Annual

Union County Youth Services

Networking Conference

Wednesday, October 28th 2015

9a.m-4p.m

L’Affaire Fine Catering,

1099 US Route 22, Mountainside, NJ

Save the Date

UCICC Meeting Evaluation

Below are the results from May 28th meeting

1. How would you rank today’s Presenters? Very Good = 54%

Good = 45%

Very Poor = 1%

Comments:

We need housing for Youth and Family members

Very informative

I was very impressed by the comprehensive presentation.

2. What topic(s) would you like to see addressed at future meetings? Division of Child & Child Protection & Permanency

Receiving Lesbian, Gay and Transgender into faith communities

The presenter is right, “we need to go outside of our box”.

Interfaith Youth gatherings in Union County

Economic Justice & Jobs for unemployed

Advocacy for the incarcerated

3. Do you have a workshop/presentation that you, or a member of your group

would like to bring to a future meeting? Yes, any of the representatives fro DCP (Division of Child Protection and Perma-

nency)

Prison Ministry in Union County and New Jersey

Interfaith Advocacy Group for incarcerated. J.AmosCaley@gmail.com can present

on interfaith advocacy for incarcerated.

4. Any other comments? So glad to be here.

Thanks you for having me (Patriots path Council Boy Scouts of America)

Advertise in the UCICC Newsletter!

Got an exciting event or program happening?

Reach out to members of the interfaith community in

Union County by advertising in this newsletter!

Please send all ready ads to Rod Spearman at rspearman@caunj.org

by the 15th of every month to save a space!

In the name of God the Most Compassionate the Most Merciful

American Muslims for Democracy

Celebrating Diversity at Welcoming Ramdan Dinner

Breaking bread with your Muslim friends and neighbors while welcoming the Holy Month of Ramadan.

An opportunity to learn from faith leaders and how each faith views the ritual practice of fasting and

to foster better understanding of each other.

Friday, June 19, 2015

6:30pm—9:30pm*

Woodbridge Hotel at Metropark

(formerly Woodbridge Hilton)

South Wood Ave., Iselin NJ

RSVP by June 10, 2015 wemuslimsvote@gmail.com Or 732-636-6262

Or By personal communication with your invitee

*Dinner will be served at the break of fast 8:32PM

UCICC Monthly Meeting Survey

The Mission of the Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council is to facilitate regular interfaith

meetings in order to promote the building of bonds within the interfaith community.

One of our objectives is the sponsoring of opportunities for engagements among the various segments of the

UCICC to strengthen and educate, and to build working relationships, and to identify resources which will

enable them to address resolve the issues.

Community Access Unlimited, the sponsoring entity of the UCICC, might be a viable resource for members

of your congregation, and would like to build working relationships with community religious organizations

and those whom we serve (those with developmental and intellectual disabilities) , as well as our staff.

The Steering Committee is in process of planning a full day workshop in 2016 wherein the entire

Interfaith Community will be invited to participate. The purpose of the workshop will be to: address those is-

sues and needs of the constituent bodies of the UCICC.

It is common knowledge that in each of our constituent communities there are issues, problems peculiar

to that Community. In order to make the workshop beneficial to your community, we are seeking your help

in determining the content of the workshops. It is common knowledge that in each of our constituent

communities there are issues, problems and needs of the community which needs solutions and or processes

for resolution.

Therefore, we are asking for your assistance and help in determining the content of the workshop by

responding to the questions below.

What topic(s) would you most like to see addressed and the Workshop?

Do you have a workshop topic that you, or a member of your congregation/group would like to

present?

Would you be willing to ensure the attendance of at least three individuals from you congregation to

attend?

Name of your congregation Group___________________________________________________

Your Name_____________________________________________________________________

Email address: ___________________________________________________________________

Mailing address:_________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Phone No._______________________________________________________________________

Please print, tear survey from newsletter and return survey to Rod Spearman

To take the survey online visit http://www.caunj.org/?page_id=3668

80 West Grand Street

Elizabeth, NJ 07202 Phone: 908-354-3040 TTY/TTD: 908-354-4629

Fax: 908-354-2665 www.caunj.org

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT 225 Elizabeth, NJ

Community Access Unlimited’s Mission: To provide community access through effective and comprehensive support services for people with disabilities and at-risk youth, giving them the opportunity to live independently and to lead normal and productive lives in the community.

UCICC Steering Committee Meeting

August 6, 2015 at 10:00AM

Community Access Unlimited

80 W Grand St, Elizabeth NJ 07202

UCICC Steering Committee Meeting

September 3, 2015 at 10:00AM

Community Access Unlimited

80 W Grand St, Elizabeth NJ 07202

Full UCICC Meeting

September 26, 2015 at 10:00 AM

Suburban Golf Club, 1730 Morris Ave Union, NJ

UCICC Steering Committee Meeting

October 1, 2015 at 10:00 AM

Community Access Unlimited

80 W Grand St, Elizabeth NJ 07202

UCICC & Steering Committee Upcoming Events

Rod Spearman

Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council

c/o Community Access Unlimited

80 West Grand Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202

Phone: (908) 354-3040-Fax:(908) 354-3040

UCICC Steering Committee Meeting

July 2, 2015 at 10:00 AM

Community Access Unlimited

80 W Grand St, Elizabeth NJ 07202

Full UCICC Meeting

July 16, 2015 at 10 AM

Ebenezer AME Church

253 Central Ave, Rahway NJ