Church of the Redeemer welcomes Cynthia Black as its new rector

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The Rev. Cynthia Black is coming home.

The Episcopal priest began her ordained ministry in Essex Fells in the Diocese of Newark in 1985 before becoming dean of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Kalamazoo, Mich., and, most recently, interim rector of Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth, Minn.

On June 26, she will lead her first services as the 16th rector of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown. She succeeds the Rev. Phillip Dana Wilson, rector from 1987 to 2009.

“Redeemer’s mission is to seek God’s justice and wholeness for everyone,” Warden Gene Williams said in a press release from the parish. “I believe Cynthia’s passions and proven gifts will strengthen our ability to live out that mission.” 

 “From everything I know about Redeemer,” Black said, “the congregation is committed to ensuring that all are welcome at God’s table. Building on the great work that Redeemer is already doing will be a delight – I can’t wait to get started.”

Black has been involved in all levels of church life, from serving on the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council and as president of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus to attending meetings of the World Council of Churches in Zimbabwe and the U.N. World Conference on Women in Beijing. She chairs the Episcopal Church’s Committee on the Status of Women and has been honored for her efforts to raise AIDS awareness 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, Calif., 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.”

A filmmaker and photographer, Black last year received the Episcopal Communicators’ Polly Bond Award of Excellence for the documentary “Voices of Witness Africa,” describing the experiences of gay and lesbian Anglicans in Africa.

Joining Black in Morristown is her partner of 30 years, Dr. Rebecca Walker, a mathematics professor.

2 COMMENTS

  1. That ‘cathedral’ was dead in the water the moment it was so grievously conceived by the first Bishop Bennison, had reverted to parish status under Cindy and Bennison’s successor, Edward Lee, and was simply and always a white elephant that cost more to maintain than any sane person could finally jjustify. Cindy’s careful and pastoral work in closing it was brave and prophetic. Some people, Allen, need to get their facts straight before they pounce. I guarantee this: Morristown will be enriched by the presence and ministry of Cynthia Black.

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