Safe Haven

Safe haven is a ministry for any parishioner who feels unsafe. Persons experiencing fear or threat may ask for temporary refuge at Christ Church. Safe Haven ministries are available for all parishioners who feel they are not safe for any reason: immigration, domestic violence threat of assault or perceived threat. Families or persons in Save Haven will receive pastoral care and will work with the Sanctuary team to identify what kinds of support they need and ways to meet their needs.

The Safe Haven ministry is legal. This ministry does not hide persons and does not interfere with the implementation of legal orders by federal, state or local law enforcement agents.

Contact the church office to learn more about how Safe Haven can help you.

Racial Justice Ministry

Click here for an interesting article titled What Colour Are You?

The Racial Justice Ministry of Christ Church celebrates the advances that have been made in the last 50 years in eradicating the sin of racism from our society. While great strides have been made, we also recognize that there is much work left to be done.

Our society has experienced a unique history whereby people of color were subjected to chattel slavery, Jim Crow laws, and legal segregation. We thank God that these forms of legal discrimination no longer exist. However, we also recognize that these historical injustices have left a legacy of racism in many of our institutions by way of their policies and practices.

The result of this institutional racism is that people of color generally remain disadvantaged in areas such as education, employment, criminal justice, and many more. The Racial Justice Ministry of Christ Church realizes that this new type of racism is often invisible in our society even though its effects are devastating on all of us.

This Ministry is therefore dedicated to raising people's awareness of these injustices within our institutions and creating change. The Ministry is helping all of us to live into our Baptismal covenant to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.

LGBTQ+ Connection at Christ Church

To our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters: Christ Episcopal Church Welcomes You. We offer our LGBTQ+ Connection at Christ Church, intended to make Christ Church a loving setting for all LGBTQ+ brothers and sister in our surrounding communities for friendship, fellowship, discussions and friends. Indeed come here to find and make friends. And, an impressive series of events are also planned. Regular meetings and activities are held monthly at Christ Church. These meetings are for adults, age 18+. For more information, please visit www.lgbtconnectionatchristchurch.com or email: lgbtatchristchurch@yahoo.com.

The enduring message of the Gospel is that God's love is expansive, not exclusive. Jesus embraced all he encountered. As Christians, we need to do the same. In 1976, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church" (1976-A069). Since then, faithful Episcopalians have been working toward a greater understanding and radical inclusion of all of God’s children.

Along the way, The Episcopal Church has garnered a lot of attention, but with the help of organizations such as Integrity USA, the church has continued its work toward full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Episcopalians. In 2003, the first openly gay bishop was consecrated; in 2009, General Convention resolved that God’s call is open to all; in 2012, a provisional rite of blessing for same-gender relationships was authorized, and discrimination against transgender persons in the ordination process was officially prohibited; and in 2015, General Convention approved same-sex marriage and approved the use of new language in the marriage rites allowing them to be used by same-sex or opposite-sex couples.

Christ Episcopal Church seeks to foster a welcoming and safe environment for persons suffering discrimination, hatred, or emotional pain due to their sexual orientation or gender expression. Anyone, regardless of orientation, is welcome to participate with us. Discrimination against anyone affects all of us, perhaps in ways that we do not comprehend.

We invite all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression, to be companions on this journey. As part of this invitation, we encourage you to email or contact us for further conversation.

For youth age 18< who are questioning their sexual identity, etc., please check out PFLAG Jersey Shore, NJ
Phone: (908) 814-2155  Email: info@pflagjerseyshore.org . PFLAG is a national organization of resources and meetings for the youth and seperate meetings for their parents/grandparents.  The Jersey Shore Chapter serves Monmouth and Ocean County.