St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church is a beautiful, warm and welcoming community church in the heart of Ridgewood, New Jersey.  Our clergy are committed to making St. Elizabeth's a caring, supportive place for everyone, and to informing, involving, and inspiring all the people of St. Elizabeth's Church.  From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have been people known for caring for one another, and for showing that care in practical, tangible ways: a shared meal, an offer of help, a call to congratulate in time of joy or to express concern and sorrow in a time of trouble, a note to remind someone that they are part of a larger community.

May God bless the work we undertake this year within our own congregation, and, through what we do here, may God help each of us to be a blessing to our larger community. 

________________________________________________________

St. Elizabeth's Monthly publication, The Tower, is available by calling the church office at
(201)444-2299 or through e-mail request steliznj@aol.com.

________________________________________________________

Pastoral Care

Clergy and parishioners alike share in providing pastoral care at St. Elizabeth's. If you or someone you know is physically unable to come to Church, temporarily (as in the case of hospitalization) or for a longer term, please call the office to be sure that we know.  The clergy visit all parishioners who are ill or homebound and regularly bring Holy Communion to those who are unable to attend Sunday services. If a member of St. Elizabeth's cannot come to Church, we will bring Church to them. Temporary or long-term infirmity should never separate us from full participation in the sacraments of the Church. The clergy are also available for pastoral counseling by appointment.

The Pastoral Care Committee is committed to making St. Elizabeth's a caring, supportive place for everyone. The Committee consists of parishioners who work at discerning and addressing the pastoral needs of the parish.

Pastoral Associates   Parishioners serving as pastoral associates share in pastoral calling on members of the parish. There are presently seven associates, some assigned to visit one parishioner on a regular basis and some to visit when needed. The associates meet regularly with the Rev. Lu-Anne Conner for ongoing training and support, and are also members of the Pastoral Committee. If you are interested in becoming a pastoral associate or in becoming a member of the Pastoral Care Committee, speak with Lu-Anne.

Pastoral Luncheons   Four times a year we organize a luncheon at the Church to bring together people who for a variety of reasons are often unable to attend on Sundays. If you would like to help prepare food or serve at these gatherings, speak with Pat Marker or Sue Sargen.

Valley Hospital DOES NOT NOTIFY the clergy when a member of their congregation enters the hospital. So even though you may tell the hospital that you are a member of St. Elizabeth's, we will not know that you have been admitted unless you or a friend or family member notifies the parish office. In an emergency, please call the clergy at home at any time: John Hartnett (201) 444-8269, Rector or Lu-Anne Conner, Clergy Associate (201) 493-2155.

________________________________________________________

The Parish Library:  One of the secret treasures of St. Elizabeth's is The Saunders Room, formerly the Choir Room, which may be reached through the north (left) door next to the baptismal font in the church. This beautiful, quiet space houses the parish library with its collection of books on biblical, theological, and spiritual subjects.         

Our Parish Library is temporarily in storage while the Saunders Room is being used as the interim Sacristy. The Sacristy itself is being renovated as part of our current plan for renewal of our most-used rooms and spaces.

Once the renovation of the Sacristy is finished, we hope to turn our attention to the refurbishment of the Saunders Room. Our current preliminary plans include larger windows for better views of the gardens,
improved insulation and heating, and the installation of sheetrock walls to provide for the concealing of .the warren of currently exposed surface mounted electrical conduit.

If the parish decides to go forward with this work, the Saunders Room will be ready to reopen as a small library and room for reading, writing, and quiet reflection sometime in 2008 or early 2009.

For Links to other Episcopal sources, click here.