Bishop Lines

In 1910, Bishop Edwin Lines, the third Bishop of Newark, established the Bishop’s Church Extension Fund to do as its name implies, extend the work of the bishop, specifically for the increase of mission and the building of new churches. A series of five calls per year go to members of the fund who have pledged in advance to support work the bishop deems important.

The BCEF’s original purpose of missionary expansion came to a near halt during the depression when call after call paid mortgages and saved church buildings from being sold. In recent decades a majority of calls have helped congregations in aging buildings to repair and renovate. Our churches, like our bodies, are temples of the holy. They draw us inward to worship and grow spiritually. They propel us outward to work for justice and to offer hospitality where it is needed. They house the nurture of our congregations and their service to their neighborhoods. BCEF calls repair buildings, and they provide seed money for new mission programs. The bishop’s desire to extend and enhance our common ministry has never been greater or more urgent.

By January 2010 when we will celebrate the centennial of this fund, it is the bishop’s goal to have 500 members who pledge a total of $20,000 per call. Be one of the first to respond to this call for members. Members will be acknowledged at each convention through the centennial.