Church of the Redeemer
36 South Street
Morristown, NJ 07960
973-539-0703

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Rector – The Rev. Cynthia Black  [ back to top ]

Church of the Redeemer welcomes the Rev. Cynthia Black, D.D., as the sixteenth Rector of the parish on Sunday, June 26.

Black recently served as Interim Rector of the Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth, Minnesota. Prior to that, she served as Dean of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for nineteen years. The twenty-six years she has spent in parish ministry include a stellar record of service to local communities and the Episcopal Church. She has been a member of the national Episcopal Church's governing body, has served as President of the Episcopal Women's Caucus, and at present, chairs the Committee on the Status of Women. In 1995, she attended the U.N. World Conference on Women in Beijing. An active participant in the effort to raise local AIDS awareness, she has been honored for her volunteer efforts by Community AIDS Resource and Education Services in southwest Michigan.

In 2006, Black was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California, in recognition of her service to the Episcopal Church. Former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold praised Black, saying, "Her ability to grasp the many dimensions of any situation and to articulate them clearly and boldly have been a gift to the Council and the church." Last year, she received the Polly Bond Award of Excellence for the documentary Voices of Witness Africa, describing the experiences of gay and lesbian Anglicans in Africa. She enjoys using filmmaking to encourage others to interact with Gospel values of peace and justice.

Beginning her ordained ministry in the Diocese of Newark in 1985, Black is excited to return to New Jersey and the opportunities that lie ahead for her and the Church of the Redeemer in Morristown. Her lifelong passion for social justice, meaningful and inclusive Christian worship, and community outreach will effectively complement and strengthen Redeemer's past efforts in these arenas.

Black will be joined by her partner of 30 years, Dr. Rebecca Walker, a mathematics professor.

Director of Music – Ed Alstrom  [ back to top ]

Ed grew up in Ridgewood, NJ and started playing the organ at the age of 5. He learned to play the guitar and bass as a teenager and received a B.A. in Organ Performance at Westminster Choir College. He has performed with many notable entertainers, including Bette Midler, Chuck Berry, Leonard Bernstein, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Fisher, Odetta, Dion, Zubin Mehta and many others. Recently, he has been subbing as keyboard chair with the current incarnation of BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS, and has served on Broadway in ‘Hairspray’ (as Interim Associate Conductor and keyboard sub), 'Leader Of The Pack (The Ellie Greenwich Musical), 'Smokey Joe's Cafe', 'Taboo', 'Brooklyn', and 'Hot Feet'. Ed recorded 3 CDs, and was awarded the prestigious ‘Backstage Bistro’ award and an ASCAP Songwriter Award for his CD “Acid Cabaret”. Ed's latest, "GETTIN' ORGAN-IZED!", is his first jazz CD on the Hammond Organ.

In November, 2009, we welcomed Ed as Redeemer's Music Director and Organist. He has also served at Upper Ridgewood Community Church (Ridgewood), Holy Spirit Lutheran (Verona), and Presbyterian Church of West Caldwell.

Ed is the weekend organist for the NY Yankees baseball team. Ed’s website has a great picture of him on the very large-screen TV projected in the new stadium (see www.edalstrom.com ).

Wardens & Vestry  [ back to top ]

Wardens

Joanna Dewey

Joanna Dewey joined the Church of the Redeemer in 2005 when she retired from the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, MA, and followed her partner, the Rev. Fairbairn Powers, to New Jersey. She is a long-time Episcopalian. She loves Redeemer because of its inclusive and participatory liturgy, its open theology, and its commitment to outreach and justice.

At EDS, she was the Harvey H. Guthrie, Jr. Professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean. She did her graduate work in New Testament Studies at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and Graduate Theological Union, in Berkeley, CA, and taught in Oklahoma and Rochester, NY before going to EDS in 1988. Her field is New Testament, particularly the Gospel of Mark, and 1st century oral performance. She regularly does adjunct teaching, currently at Drew; she is a member of the Jesus Seminar; and she continues to publish and present papers in her field. She grew up in New York City - Manhattan - and never expected to find herself living in New Jersey!

Gene Williams

Gene Williams came to Church of the Redeemer in 2004. He and his wife Deborah were very involved in a number of service and leadership roles at another Episcopal church where they had been members for 20 years. Their daughter Genevieve and son Zachary grew up in that church. Gene has been an Episcopalian all his life; for some years he had been an advocate for change in the way the church expresses its theology, but was frustrated that such changes are often resisted and perceived as a threat by many within the church. He had an opportunity to visit Redeemer one Sunday and was surprised and excited to find that we were not only open to such changes, but had already implemented them. He visited again for our Good Friday service and decided that evening that he wanted to be a part of the Redeemer family and to help support its vision. He now says, "I am grateful to have found Redeemer and proud to be a part of it. It looks to me like the kingdom of God." He was elected Warden in 2006.

Gene grew up in Louisiana, Texas and Georgia. He and Deborah married while they were both in college in Atlanta in 1970. They lived in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles before being transferred to New Jersey in 1983. They live in Whitehouse Station. Gene has been in the commercial insurance underwriting business his entire career. For the past 24 years he has been with Chubb Commercial Insurance, and works in their Whitehouse Station headquarters.

Vestry Members

Paul Cecala - Membership & Volunteers; Clerk Nick Contento - Outreach & Education Terri Fasano - Membership Eileen Gerety - Parish Activities John Goodwin - Worship Anne Marie McKibbon - Communications Steve Osvold - Outreach Terry Perkins - Stewardship;  Eric Johnson House Liaison Christopher Rapicano - Volunteer Coordinator George Ross - Buildings & Grounds Pat Hintz - Treasurer