One Voice Weekend is October 23-25
Dear Hunterdon Faith Leaders and Parish Contacts,
One Voice Weekend is October 23-25. The vision of One Voice is that in every place of worship, on the same weekend, faith leaders raise awareness and provide support on a particular topic. The power of One Voice is to reach thousands of people in one weekend with an important message that affects our community.
This year the theme is “Resilience and Coping methods during times of social distancing to prevent substance misuse”. Faith is one of the most powerful protective factors in preventing anxiety, depression and substance misuse.
For faith leaders and people of faith, we know God is a loving, forgiving God. Through our faith in God we come to realize there is always hope; hope for a sense of safety, tranquility and happiness. And, hope for when we feel downtrodden and defeated that there is always tomorrow’s sunrise.
We also know that human beings are not perfect and will continually succumb to temptation that can lead to transgressions toward others and God. We can gain that sense of hope by atoning for misguided behavior.
Unfortunately, sometimes people succumb to the temptation of substance use that can lead to substance abuse and addiction. The most insidious substance that can hijack people’s agency and ability to make good choices is opioids. This can result in blocking God’s influence in their lives.
What is the message One Voice Weekend offers to you and your congregants? Last year, there were over 3,000 opioid related deaths in New Jersey. This crisis is only heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting isolation.
We are offering the following resources to use at your discretion to increase resiliency and coping during this stressful time. We encourage you to please use the information below and attached in your service, announcements, bulletins and/or on your website and social media.
Please encourage your members to reduce the stigma of being silent about opioid addiction by sharing/using:
FREE Help App QR Code – great for youth, adults, and faith leaders to have connections to support at your fingertips
Safely disposing prescription medications. (A short YouTube video)
Bulletin insert in English and Spanish that explains One Voice Weekend, what congregants can do, and has the Help App QR Code.
Appointed Scripture - for Christian congregations using a lectionary
Visuals easily added to social media or bulletin communications:
For Resilience and Coping Methods, please highlight features within your faith tradition - such as setting aside specific time for prayer, meditation, sabbath time, and other practices.
Thank you for your care for people in our Hunterdon community.
Faithfully yours,
Peggy Dowd Program Director peggy@onevoicehc.com
Alison Levine Youth Coordinator alison@onevoicehc.com
Rev. Harry Mazujian Project Coordinator harry@onevoicehc.com
Michael Rocco Project Outreach Coordinator michael@onevoicehc.com
Latino Town Hall Meeting (Virtual, only in Spanish)
Latino Town Hall Meeting (Virtual, only in Spanish) presented by: One Voice and Positive Youth - Tuesday May 26th at 6-7 pm.
Reunión en español (virtual) presentado por: One Voice y Positive Youth - Martes 26 de Mayo, 6-7 PM
Thursday, May 7th - National Day of Prayer - Suggestions
The National Day of Prayer occurs on the first Thursday of May each year. This year it is on Thursday, May 7th.
The buttons below include prayers which you may feel free to adapt to your congregation. A good number of you have online worship, study, and/or reflections during the week - feel free to include this as well. Feel free use as is, or to add your own graphic background, recording, and/or music.
Attached are:
OV National Day of Prayer flyer (1-page Word Doc)
OV National Day of Prayer slides (untimed PowerPoint)
OV National Day of Prayer timed slides (3.5 minute timed PowerPoint for prayer/reflection)
Spanish OV National Day of Prayer flyer (1-page Word Doc)
Spanish OV National Day of Prayer slides (untimed PowerPoint)
Spanish OV National Day of Prayer timed slides (3.5 minute PowerPoint for prayer/reflection)
An important update on food pantries in Hunterdon County
An important update on food pantries in Hunterdon County: Many of the pantries are advertising "drive-thru service" and we know that can be confusing to some, especially if you don't have a car. We have heard many people questioning if that means they cannot use the pantry during this time.
Please reach out to Caroline Scutt at the United Way at caroline@uwhunterdon.org if you have questions or need assistance. She has offered to be the liaison between the community and the pantries.
COVID-19 Helpline
Please be aware of this special COVID-19 helpline available to all New Jersey residents. Learn more:
ONE VOICE WEEKEND: OCTOBER 18-20, 2019 FAITH COMMUNITIES ADDRESSED THE HARMFUL TREND OF TEEN VAPING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Flemington NJ –October 31, 2019) – Each year a topic of interest and concern is identified by One Voice of Hunterdon County, Inc., a faith based prevention coalition. This year the timely topic addressed the harms of teen vaping. In the past year, the Surgeon General declared e-cigarette (vape) use among youth a national epidemic and all 5 regional high schools in Hunterdon County have seen a dramatic rise in teen use of e-cigarettes. According to Peggy Dowd, Program Director for One Voice, “We are beginning to see a whole new generation becoming addicted to nicotine. Not only are we trying to prevent teen use, but also provide resources for those who are already addicted to vaping”.
One Voice is a partner in a countywide project, Hunterdon United for Vape-Free Youth, and is working with the Safe Communities Coalition and community leaders to address the growing concern surrounding youth vaping. One Voice works to provide information, education and resources through our faith communities with the goal of increasing outreach in our community to make informed decisions about vaping.
Rev. Harry Mazujian, Project Outreach Coordinator for One Voice explains, “The power of One Voice is to reach thousands of people in one weekend with an important message that affects our entire community. Ideally, every place of worship would address this issue on the same weekend”. This year, One Voice weekend took place October 18-20. In preparation for One Voice weekend, faith leaders along with community leaders were invited to a summit entitled The Harmful Trend of Teen Vaping: Keys for Faith Leaders and Parents, where they were educated on the topic of vaping, and given materials to be distributed within their place of worship. Each faith leader decides the best delivery/approach for their congregation. Suggested methods to share the knowledge include: preach as part of the Homily/Sermon, host a guest speaker on the topic for Youth Group or Parent Night, incorporate into Religious Education classes, include in Announcements and/or Prayers of the Faithful, insert information in Bulletins, post on Website… or a combination of these suggested methods. All materials were also provided in Spanish.
Places of worship participating in One Voice weekend or that have recently held education events on Teen Vaping include: Califon United Methodist Church, Cokesbury United Methodist Church, First Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunterdon County, Flemington Presbyterian Church, Flemington United Methodist Church, Frenchtown Presbyterian Church, Grace United Church of Christ, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Victories, Readington Reformed Church, South Ridge Community Church,
St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, St. Magdalen de Pazzi Roman Catholic Church, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Stockton Presbyterian Church, The Salvation Army and Unity Spiritual Center.
To find out more about One Voice contact us at 609-212-6352 or reach out to Peggy Dowd - One Voice Project Director (peggy@onevoicehc.com) or Fr. Harry Mazujian - Project Outreach Coordinator (harry@onvoicehc.com). For more information, visit our website at www.onevoicehc.com or follow us on Facebook @onevoicehunterdon.
About One Voice: One Voice is a two-way communication process that addresses social issues through our faith communities. The mission of One Voice is to bring together law enforcement and community partners with our faith leaders in order to have “one voice” when addressing social issues such as substance misuse, crime, mental health and the safety of our community.
