On June 1, 2020 Rev. Cathie Sklenar-Studwell, our interim minister, became our Rector. She is a graduate of Drew University with a Masters in Divinity and a winner of the Alfred B. Hass award for excellence in Liturgy. She is also a graduate of Rutgers University where she majored in Clinical Psychology. While at Rutgers she was a staff writer for the university newspaper, The Targum.
Rev. Cathie and her husband, Jay, their two children and 3 dogs love the outdoors. They enjoy camping, spending time at the Jersey shore, and kayaking. Rev. Cathie has been a student of yoga for the past twenty years and holds a green belt in Karate. She also enjoys singing, photography, volleyball and golf.
The foundation scripture for her ministry is Luke 4:18-19. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
“With the passage from Luke as my foundation I believe that God has given me gifts in the areas of preaching and teaching for proclaiming the Good News. I have a strong desire to offer the opportunity for people to engage the scripture in different ways and encouraging them not to be afraid to do so. There are so many people that I have encountered in my journey that are afraid to question anything in scripture for fear that God will be angry or punish them. I believe that what makes the scripture the Living Word of God is the fact that it is a vehicle for study, discussion, reflection and discernment. Through engaging the text people can become closer to God”.