St. Elizabeth's Church

At St. Elizabeth’s, the ESL program is dedicated to Haitian refugees who arrived in the U.S. following the devastating earthquake. The class also includes individuals from West Africa and Poland. In total, 27 participants are learning English in this program. 

The mission of St. Elizabeth’s Youth Ministry is to develop and nurture our youth as the future leaders of faith through the study of scripture, supporting their spiritual growth, empowering the youth to put christ first in all they do and worship him in spirit and truth while helping build our community, witnessing of faith, and service to others. 

In partnership with other churches in the Elizabeth Coalition, we serve as a monthly host site during the winter months for homeless individuals in need of shelter, food, and clothing. Each winter the program serves well over 100 individuals in Operation Warm Heart and has been able to effect lasting changes in many lives. The Coalition provides intensive case management in order to move clients from the streets to more traditional shelter, with the goal of permanent housing with social supports. This is also a shared ministry of the two congregations as well as with the Elizabeth Coalition. 

Campus Ministry at Kean University 
This is a relatively new ministry which is slowly taking its shape as we bring together students from Kean University for fellowship, ministry, and service in our community. This semester we are working towards developing a reading program for children in the surrounding community. This is a joint ministry of the two congregations.

Campus Ministry at Union County College (UCC) 
Under this start-up ministry with the new President Dr. Margaret McManemin’s leadership, there is a thrust for greater involvement within the community. Recognizing our established programs in areas of particular concern, we are initiating a campus ministry. This is expected to come to fruition during this new semester and is another joint ministry of the two congregations.

Our signature program where we partner with Union County College, the Superior Court of Union County Probation’s department, the Veteran’s Administration, the Department of Labor, Delta Theta Sigma sorority-North Jersey Alumnae chapter and the United Way of Union County, NJ to provide service and resources to those seeking employment. Individuals can learn how to develop resumes, hone their interviewing skills and learn about resources that are available to help gain employment.

This new initiative brings together ULUC with students from Kean University’s Public Administration program and volunteers from St. Elizabeth who mentor individuals leaving prisons. As a spin-off of this project, we have been approached to house a mediation program to resolve conflicts before escalating cases to the legal system.

This outreach is championed by our Episcopal Church Women (ECW) to provide household items and toiletries, mentoring and counseling services to teenage mothers who currently reside in a community home in Elizabeth. 

We collaborate with the Urban League of Union County (ULUC) and Walgreens Pharmacy on a Health Fair project at St. Elizabeth’s to provide free health screenings to the community. We have served over 150 individuals in this effort. 

Task force Created after the death of George Floyd to spearhead diocesan ministry geared towards urban revitalization.