Greetings 

On May 1st, 2006, I had the honor and privilege of joining the people of All Saints' as the 14th Rector since the founding of the church in1864. I have discovered All Saints' to be a community of faith committed to living out their Christian identity through worship, study and service. Please accept this invitation to discover All Saints' for yourself.

We are proud of our Anglican heritage in the Diocese of New Jersey and are thankful to be shepherded by Bishop George Councell. The tensions being voiced in the Episcopal Church nationally and Anglican Communion internationally are a reminder that being in communion is both a joy and a struggle. No community is without tension (think of your own family!), and though the rhetoric of the debates is often heated, we find the possibility of renewed unity in mission, worship and service to God and neighbour to be a goal for the entire Anglican communion that is worth the effort of debate.

"Church",for us, describes the people of God gathered and sent bearing the name of Christ. Church is also the stone, wood and glass of our buildings and grounds that reflect in small ways, the glory and majesty of the God we worship and serve. Being church means being a people grounded in the story of God's creative care, God's covenant with Israel, and God's gracious love embodied perfectly in Jesus of Nazareth. As Christians,our lives are lived not for our own sake, but for the one who died for us and rose again. Shaped by this confession, we understand our vocation to be ambassadors of the peace, grace and hope of Jesus. We do not mean that we simply share an idea of peace, grace and hope. They are habits (or practices) that we embody in our day-to-day lives. We confess these to be truthful practices because the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus has made peace, grace and hope possible. This is why we proclaim in word and example that the Gospel is really "good news" even when we are tempted by the suffering and fear in the world to believe that there are no alternatives to violence, greed and loneliness. 

My place in this community is as priest, pastor and teacher.  I come to All Saints' having received my B. A. in Psychology from Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, and my MDiv. from VirginiaTheological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. I am particularly interested in theological formation and practice and have benefited since Seminary from seminars and classes at Duke Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary. In 2010 I began a new venture of theological training after being accepted into the Archbishop's Examination in Theology. This postgraduate program culminates in a PhD. For more information: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/1027. I am also an Aussie.  

I am married to Amie and have three wonderful children, Xavier, Madeleine and Aidan. I very much enjoy my family life, good humour, good food, good friends and home-roasted coffee, as well as amateur photography.

As Jesus has welcomed us into the household of God through the waters of baptism, so we extend an open hand of greeting to families, friends and neighbors - to all of God's children!

I look forward to greeting you this Sunday!

Faithfully Yours,

Lyndon+