Episcopal Community Services of the Diocese of New Jersey (ECS-NJ)
SPRING 2025
Rooted in Justice, Growing in Hope
This Sunday, May 4, 2025, we celebrate ECS Sunday, a time to lift up the work of Episcopal Community Services of New Jersey and our shared call to serve with compassion and justice. In this issue, you’ll read how members of our ECS-NJ Advisory Council are helping migrants protect their rights with Red Cards, a vital resource from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. You’ll also get a glimpse into the growing impact of the St. John Community Garden, where fresh food and fellowship are taking root. Each story reflects how, together, we’re building communities of care, dignity, and hope.
ECS-NJ Supports Community-led Projects That Uplift and Nourish
At ECS-NJ), we believe that real change begins at the grassroots level, with people coming together to support one another and build stronger, healthier communities. One of our core missions is to encourage and empower parishes and local partners as they respond to the needs of their neighbors. That’s why we are excited to highlight the new community garden initiative taking root at St. John’s, a project that reflects the spirit of collaboration and compassion at the heart of our work.
ECS Sunday is May 4th
We thank all who have committed to participated in ECS Sunday so far! We invite every congregation to recognize ECS Sunday in worship services, making the ECS story part of sermons, Prayers of the People, and congregational communications through the use of resources:
A Collect for ECS-NJ (included in the bulletin insert)
In the Community: Advocacy
Helping Immigrants Know Their Rights
Compiled by The Rev. Jack Zamboni, we also invite you to find more immigrant resources on the diocesan website: Immigration Action Toolkit – The Episcopal Church
Catherine Ambos of Christ Church, New Brunswick, and Canon Clara Gregory of Trinity Cathedral, Trenton, are helping to equip migrants with something small but mighty: a Red Card.
Red Cards, created by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), are pocket-sized tools that help individuals assert their legal rights during interactions with immigration or law enforcement officers. Each card is a quiet act of empowerment, letting people know they are not alone and that they do, indeed, have rights.
Want to help?
You can print your own Red Cards at home for the cost of paper or laminate them if you’re able. The ILRC provides downloadable files, illustrations showing how to use the cards, and examples of how organizations can distribute them effectively.
While the ILRC no longer provides free cards to nonprofits, they’ve partnered with a union print shop to make Red Cards available for purchase in bulk (from 50 to 10,000 cards). The cost covers printing, laminating, and shipping, based on how quickly you need them.
Click here to access the cards
Share this resource, print cards, or order in bulk.
A Call to Action
We encourage you to share this email with your friends and family who might want to learn more about our mission. Your involvement and support are vital as we work together to make a difference in our community.
Stay connected with us and see the impact we’re making! Follow us on Facebook to get updates, stories, and ways to get involved.
Episcopal Community Services of the Diocese of New Jersey (ECS-NJ) is an initiative that focuses on proactively addressing community-identified human needs, such as food and shelter, and relentlessly work against both social and racial injustice.
ECS-NJ is a public charity recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3).
EIN: 85-0539298.