"A Time To Be...Living Your Authentic Self in Faith and Hope" Recap
"A Time To Be...Living Your Authentic Self in Faith and Hope" - One Voice sponsored an evening of music, testimony, prayer and reflection on Saturday December 4th at the Stangl Factory in Flemington. The evening served as a safe space for sharing and caring, welcoming youth, families and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community.
According to NIH (National Institute on Drug Abuse - Advancing Addiction Science) young people in particular who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) often face social stigma, discrimination, and other challenges not encountered by people who identify as heterosexual. They also face a greater risk of harassment and violence. As a result of these and other stressors, sexual minorities are at increased risk for substance use disorder, and other manners of self-harm.
Faith leaders, Pastor Peter Mantell (Kingwood/Frenchtown United Methodist), Pastor JJ Simpson-Keelan (Living Waters Lutheran) and Rabbi Eric Cohen (FJCC) shared themes of love, affirmation, light and hope to the audience. Singer songwriter Matt Bednarsky provided original music which fit perfectly into the event and Ayden Petrone shared a testimony and faith journey about being true to their authentic self. One Voice Special Events Coordinator, Courtney Cromie, guided the program and served as the emcee for the event.
One Voice would like to thank Shop Rite of Flemington for providing refreshments, Prevention Resources for attending and providing support and materials, Sweet Hearth for cookies, and George Eckelmann, with the Stangl Factory for assisting with the beautiful venue.
One Voice Summit 2021 Re-Cap
The annual One Voice Summit was held on September 21 drawing 70 faith leaders, law enforcement and community partners together. "Prevention through the Lens of Faith" was the theme for the day, which included presentations on faith as a protective factor, the latest information on marijuana and Delta 8, and Empowering Language to de-stigmatize substance use disorder. Prosecutor Renee Robeson was in attendance to introduce herself to this coalition, which began in 2013 from a partnership with the prosecutors office and Safe Communities Coalition in order to bring faith leaders together to address needs of the community, with an emphasis on reducing youth substance misuse.
Information from this summit will be shared on One Voice weekend, October 22-24, 2021, where all faith leaders are encouraged to raise awareness about the harms of substance misuse and promote empowering language to reduce the stigma of substance use disorder.
Prevention Resources’ Treasure Hunt and Wellness Fair
One Voice participated in Prevention Resources’ Treasure Hunt and Wellness Fair in Flemington on Saturday July 17th, partnering to keep our youth healthy and drug free!
Blessing Bags for the Hope One Van Event at Flemington Presbyterian
Blessing Bags for the Hope One Van were created at Flemington Presbyterian Church on Saturday morning! Together with youth from FP, we assembled approximately 70 bags with donated items from FP families and OV drawstring bags. Youth created cards with words of encouragement as well!
National Day of Prayer
Thursday, May 6, 2-2:15 PM, One Voice National Day of Prayer Gathering
