Fifteen individuals and seven organizations recently received the Union County Human Relations Commission’s prestigious Unity Award for Achievement, an honor given to role models who dedicate their time and efforts to activities and programs that raise and honor the human spirit.
The awards were handed out during a special presentation held at the Kean University’s STEM Building in Union Township on May 7, 2018. The 2018 awards marked the 17th year in which the Commission has named honorees.
The First Presbyterian Church of Cranford and Rev. J. Christian Kile, Skip Winter, Catherine Felegi, and Janice E. Grevious were recognized for its multi-faceted outreach to serve those in its community, and the world.
Below is preprinted from the event’s program.
The First Presbyterian Church of Cranford was a vision of Cranford’s early settlers of 1832, whose dedication and determination led to the church’s official founding in June 1851. Then a rural village, with country lanes and dirt roads, horses and buggies, and oil lamps in the homes, the residents shared a strong faith, strong family ties, and the ability to work hard, and to build and study for the future.
Today, 176 years later, the pastoral leaders and congregation live in a wonderful suburban community that thrives as a center for commerce, dining, and recreation. While the daily challenges are far different, the foundational spirit of faith, family, and hard work with an eye toward the future are still very evident at First Pres today.
Historically, teamwork has been an important building block of any First Pres undertaking.
Tonight, we are pleased to honor the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranford, and especially, three of its leaders, whose efforts have touched the lives of those they served, in their own backyard and across the globe.
SKIP WINTER
Arthur “Skip” Winter, is a Cranford native and an Eagle Scout. While employed, Skip served as a Coach in the Cranford baseball, basketball and soccer leagues, along with being a Scout Leader and President and Allocations Chair of the United Way of Cranford. He was an active presence in Cranford and other towns devastated by SuperStorm Sandy, and was instrumental in obtaining financial aid for community programs following that and other local disasters. More recently, he was a driving force behind the creation of the Union County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (UCVOAD) organization, to foster cooperation and coordination in preparedness, response, and recovery in order to offer more effective services to people and communities affected by disaster.
Skip is an extraordinary man who is referred to by the church’s congregation as “Mr. Mission.”
A lifelong volunteer, his primary concern has always been the betterment of humanity, and he is always working toward this end. He has served on many church boards in leadership capacities. Along with his duties at First Presbyterian, he has also served the Presbytery of Elizabeth in many different roles, and was elected an Elder Commissioner to the 2010 General Assembly in Minneapolis.
Since his retirement, he has devoted all of his time to volunteer programs that enhance understanding and ecumenical cooperation among the people of Union County, and outside of Union County.
He also helped to found, and serves as a member on, the Union County Interfaith Coordinating Council.
As an active member of the church’s Service and Mission Committee, Skip participated in the FISH Program, organizing housing for temporarily homeless women and children for two weeks. Under his leadership, this became an ongoing ecumenical program, with members of several churches providing meals and hosting overnight support of these guests.
Skip also an active and constant volunteer with Operation Warm Heart. This program, sponsored by the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, provides overnight housing and meals for homeless individuals in many Union County churches, including The First Presbyterian Church of Cranford. This program runs from December to March.
He is a regular member of the Cranford/Elmora Soup Kitchen — one of the Union County Human Relations Commission’s first Unity Achievement Award recipients.
His efforts also take him out of the Cranford and Union County backyards. The driving force behind bringing a group of volunteers from the church to Nicaragua to work to provide potable water for a town there. Skip recently returned from a fifth mission trip and is currently planning a return trip to continue these good works, in cooperation with the Elizabeth Presbyterian Church.
An avid communicator, Skip strives to make others aware of present-day human needs and problems. Members of his congregations have said if there is a problem, Skip is undoubtedly involved in the solution.
CATHERINE FELEGI
Catherine Felegi has always been deeply involved with helping those less fortunate, whether volunteering for the FIrst Presbyterian Church of Cranford’s sleepover program for those dealing with homelessness, or the FISH Hospitality Program; serving at the Cranford-Elmora Soup Kitchen (since 2005); or spending time at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.
In December 2013, she started a chapter of Operation Warm Heart at the First Presbyterian Church of Cranford, working closely with the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless to establish a local chapter after hearing about several personal stories including that of a homeless man in Bridgeton, New Jersey who passed away from hypothermia after seeking warmth on a frigid night. She wanted to start a program to help those facing such dire straits. Founded by the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless in 1996, from December 1 to March 31, Operation Warm Heart provides a winter shelter that serves the indigent, many of whom are immigrants or have recently been released from prison, and who have no other options.
Catherine knew that some people are a fire away, an unemployment away, or only a few dollars away from homelessness, and was driven to empower the community to do something to end the cycle of homelessness and help the homeless rise above their current trials and be self-sufficient again.
Her chapter of Operation Warm Heart works with the greater community to help empower both the volunteers as well as the guests who sleep at the church.
Catherine has shared that she never thought the Cranford chapter would end up as big as it is. She is always excited to watch the guests and volunteers interact, and to see those who are benefitting from this program rise out of their current circumstances. She has said, “I have watched the volunteers take this program and make it into something that is more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.”
Volunteers help with basic sewing repairs, distribute clothing, shoes, socks, coats, handmade hats and scarves, gloves, and other hygienic and personal items that might be useful; chat with their guests; and play games to help them feel more welcome. Professionals are available to provide legal or other helpful advice; blood pressure readings; or hair and beard trims. Another volunteer assists with Spanish translation for anyone in need. From time to time, volunteers offer their special talents, including musical sing-alongs. Guests are also welcome to take showers and do laundry. Various houses of worship cook meals for the guests to enjoy, and a local ice creamery provides dessert.
Catherine hopes to continue to expand and improve the program over time, with the goal of making her chapter more environmentally friendly. She cited that rising sea levels could drive more than 100 million people into extreme poverty and submerge over half a billion homes. Her goal is to constantly improve to better serve the homeless community.
JANICE E. GREVIOUS
In 1987, the First Presbyterian Church of Cranford joined a special interfaith outreach group to provide a share of overnight shelter to homeless people in the county.
Janice E. Grevious has been heavily involved in what is known today as the FISH Hospitality Program, wherein various local houses of worship host the homeless as their guests for a week at a time, making every effort to ensure that those who stay at the church are taken care of.
Every year, for the first two weeks of October, the church is a host for the FISH Hospitality Program, which generally provides shelter for single women or women with children.
Janice ensures that their guests have a welcoming and warm place to sleep — in clean rooms with fresh linens — and that dinner and breakfast are provided. She also makes sure that there are enough volunteers to welcome everyone, and coordinates them so that everyone is properly hosted and receive any needed assistance, keeping everyone safe and comfortable.
Janice is the main reason everything runs smoothly, and, why the First Presbyterian Church of Cranford is able to step forward when the FISH Program needs a host church.
About five years ago, Janice also was the primary initiator of Cranford’s Martin Luther King Day, a annual day of giving. Participants write cards and letters for servicemen and women, make bookmarks for veterans, collect cleaning products for FISH and Home-First, make sandwiches for the homeless, collect baby items for Raphael’s Life House and other items for Cranford Family Care, and make toiletry bags and book bags for the women’s shelter. The entire town is involved in this ecumenical event.
