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Who We Are

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Our Vision

We seek a world where ALL of God’s creation is celebrated and cherished.

 

Our Mission

Redeemer is a Christian liberation community in the Episcopal tradition striving to live out the mission of God by being a beacon of hope and advocating for social and environmental justice.

Who We Are

We at Redeemer experience God, the sacred, the Spirit, primarily within those actions and events that liberate people from that which prevents them from reflecting their dignity and value as children of God. Building on our valued Christian and Episcopal roots, this parish is actively creating a contemporary model of what it means to be a community of faith.

Redeemer is grounded by and around our altar. Our questions and dreams, rather than our answers, unite us. Our diversity is our wealth.

Everything we do through our worship, ministries, education programs, and administration is guided by this vision.

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What Makes Us Unique

A Long Legacy of Concern for Others Icon
A Long Legacy of Concern for Others
For almost one hundred years we’ve been taking bold steps on behalf of those whom the church has historically ignored or hurt.
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Environmental Action
We believe that care of creation is a faith issue and we’re working to reduce our collective carbon footprint.
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Liberating Liturgy
Our worship seeks to embrace and express the deepest longings of our shared humanity.
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Questions are Welcome
We delight in mystery, conversation, and learning from each other.

Our History

In 1852 The Church of the Redeemer was founded as the second Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey, by a group of people who left St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, nearby in Morristown. We yearned for a different liturgical expression then, and we continue to live that out, today. 

The early years of Redeemer focused on growth, in a very low-church style where preaching would have been the most important part of the service.

By the 1920’s a dynamic clergyman was making his mark– Thomas Attridge– and making sure that Morristown had a community center, in the form of the Parish House, with its large parish hall and lower level gymnasium. The youth basketball league would be a fixture for years.

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Church of the Redeemer Morristown in black and white.
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How We Worship

Waving the Rainbow FlagWorship at the Church of the Redeemer is how we express the vision of liberation that we follow as the movement of God in our midst. It is how we remind ourselves to what we are called and how we hold ourselves accountable.

Redeemer’s worship is rooted in historic Anglicanism. The Book of Common Prayer provides the model and shape of our worship. As seriously as we take our roots, we see them as roots which are conduits of life and energy for the growing of new leaves and branches onto the vine. So we actively create worship at Redeemer.

Eucharist at the 10:30am service (9:30am in summer) utilizes the freedom of Rite III from the Book of Common Prayer, with the bishop’s consent. Following the traditional structure of the Eucharist this service arises out of the life of the Redeemer community and is committed to inclusive language. In our life and worship we take inclusive/expansive/emancipatory language seriously as a justice issue.

Throughout the liturgical year we celebrate the movement of God not only in the milestones of Christianity: Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, but also in contemporary events, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Celebrating Women’s Journeys Sunday, Celebrating Men’s Journeys Sunday, Recovery Sunday, and LGBTQ+ Pride Sunday. We think Redeemer’s expanded liturgical calendar helps keep our worship both topical and relevant.

BABIES WELCOME!

If your child is too young for Sunday School, he or she will always be welcomed in our Sunday services. You are welcome—no, you are begged—to bring your infant or toddler to any Redeemer activity, including the Eucharist. Sleeping in the pew, standing on the cushion, and “singing” along with the hymns are all actions which help youngsters to become more comfortable within the family that is the Church. No sound a baby makes is ever out of place at Redeemer.

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Our Leaders & Staff

The Rev. Cynthia Black, D.D., Rector (Retired)

Cynthia Black joined Redeemer as its sixteenth Rector in June, 2011. She retired in March of 2024. Previously, she served churches in Minnesota (as Interim Rector of Epiphany, Plymouth), Michigan (as Dean of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Kalamazoo), and New Jersey (Associate Rector and Interim Rector of St. Peter’s, Essex Fells).

During her 38 years in parish ministry, she has been a member of the Episcopal Church’s governing body (Executive Council), served as President of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus, chaired the denomination’s Committee on the Status of Women and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Episcopal Church's Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. In 1995, she attended the U.N. World Conference on Women in Beijing. She has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church for years as a founding member of Claiming the Blessing and as a part of the Integrity legislative team for General Convention. In 2006, Cynthia was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, Calif., in recognition of her service to the Episcopal Church. Former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold praised her, saying, “Her ability to grasp the many dimensions of any situation and to articulate them clearly and boldly have been a gift to the [Executive] Council and the church.” She received the Polly Bond Award of Excellence for the documentary Voices of Witness Africa, describing the experiences of LGBTQ+ Anglicans in Africa. Cynthia grew up outside of Boston, went to college in upstate New York, and seminary in California. Before ordination she worked as a house painter, pastry chef, and freelance trumpet player. The daughter of an architect and a travel agent, her myriad interests include travel, photography, cooking, woodworking, and filmmaking that promotes the Gospel values of peace and justice. She is married to Dr. Rebecca Walker, a mathematics professor.

Chris Henke, Director of Music

Chris Henke, Director of Music A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Chris earned his Bachelor’s in Music Education from Wittenberg University with an emphasis in Pipe Organ performance and Choral Conducting/Composition.

While at Wittenberg, Chris was an active member of the nationally known Wittenberg Choir. Later, he earned his master’s degree in education. Chris spent 10 years teaching middle and high school choir in Holland, Ohio. While there, his choirs earned regional and national honors. Chris now serves as a music teacher in the Kittatinny, NJ, public school system. He’s been active in sacred music for the last 32 years, leading worship in a wide variety of traditional and contemporary settings. Chris’s music is published by Morningstar Music and Augsburg Fortress. Chris is the father to three children: Drew, Dawn, and Natalie.

Sandra Lee Schubert, Administrative Assistant

Sandra is originally from Sunnyside, Queens and now lives in Boonton. She has been an Episcopalian since 1994 and is on the Vestry and is the Communications Chair at St. John's Church in Boonton, NJ. She also sings in the choir.

She was an active member of the Congregation of Saint Saviour at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, where she was the warden, co-chair of the Communication committee, chair of the Education committee and lay leader of the Sunday Healing ministry. She ran a successful program for poets and writers that lasted ten years and produced a popular anthology. Her previously church experience was as the Administrative Assistant at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square and Christ and Saint Stephen’s.

Curtis J. Bowers, Jr., Sexton (Retired)

Curtis began as our part-time Sexton on the Monday of Holy Week, 2022. He excels in keeping our building spotless and in order!

Peg Crilly, Assistant for Earth Ministry and Environmental Sustainability

Originally from New Jersey, Peg’s background is in youth and music ministry, and her ministry in non-parish settings includes a prison, a military base, shelters, and youth programs. She has instructed wilderness courses professionally and experienced the beauty and awe and wonder of creation.

In addition, she became aware of the suffering of our Earth and inhabitants, and the need to work for justice and create a much better future for all. After completing a Masters in Spirituality from University of Creation Spirituality/Naropa University, she was involved in interfaith earth ministry in San Diego County, and later completed her Master of Divinity at Drew Theological School, focusing on Ecotheology. Peg is a GreenFaith Fellow, and her interests include all forms of justice, especially gender and environmental justice, worship, food and water issues, and interfaith work. In addition to serving on the Worship Committee, Peg works to educate about environmental crises and choose environmentally sustainable actions toward justice--work rooted in our baptismal covenant. She is happy to teach cross-country skiing and canoeing to Redeemerites!

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Wardens & Vestry

Brian Malcolm, Warden

Brian is a resident of New Jersey and an active member of Redeemer. He serves as a Worship Assistant, Intercessor, Member of the Building Committee, Usher, and the Tech team.

 

Vestry Members as of 2024

Paul Cecala, Treasurer
Colleen Hintz, Clerk
Melissa Allman
Paul Cecala
Agnes Clyne
Jennifer Corrieri
Leslie Harden
Barbara Shannon

About Wardens & Vestry

Wardens — The wardens share in leading the parish and vestry. The wardens are members of the parish elected by the church membership. They work in tandem with the vestry and rector to implement a vision and oversee the church’s activities and welfare.

Vestry — The vestry is the governing board of the church. It consists of the rector, the wardens, and members of our parish elected by the church membership. The vestry creates a vision and oversees the church’s activities and welfare.

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