DioBeth newSpin: February 2009

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February 2009

February 28, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 28

todaySpin includes local, national, and worldwide news and information for Episcopalians in the Diocese of Bethlehem, with some spin that may be of interest. Please send suggestions for content or style to Bill Lewellis. Find a user-friendly guide to the Spin Cycle ... including todaySpin, the newSpin e-newsletter and the newSpin blog.

todayScoop
What's in the major newspapers? Summary here.

todayStory
Kevin Thew Forrester, bishop-elect of Northern Michigan, would retain his duties as the ministry developer of the Upper Peninsula diocese. If the dual roles put too much stress on Forrester, he has a good way to relieve it. He has been instructed in Zen Buddhist meditation and incorporates what he's learned into his duties. "It's not a matter of holding two faiths. There's one faith and it's Christianity," Forrester said. "The gift is that that faith is deepened by my meditative practice and I'm eternally grateful to Zen Buddhism for teaching me that practice and receiving me as an Episcopal priest." [Read more here.]

todaySting
500 homeless students in the Allentown School District? Read more here.

todayStandingOvation
NetsforLife® distributes millionth net toward eliminating malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. A collaborative partnership of ExxonMobil Foundation, Standard Chartered Bank, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, Starr International Foundation, White Flowers Foundation and Episcopal Relief & Development, the NetsforLife® program implements integrated malaria prevention through a network of local faith-based organizations and NGOs in 17 countries and is managed and monitored by Episcopal Relief & Development in 15 countries and by Christian Aid in two. Sleeping under an insecticide-treated net dramatically reduces malaria transmission, but because so few people have access to nets the disease remains a scourge of sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of 86% of the world’s 247 million annual cases. Nearly a million people die each year from malaria, 91% in Africa. More than 75% of those who become sick and die are children under the age of five. This disease causes needless death and suffering, and cripples development on the continent.

todaySpirit
(1) You may check in online on the Lenten program of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge MA.

(2) 40 -- A Lenten reflection on YouTube.

todaySignup
(1) Diocesan Training Day is Saturday, March 28, at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre. Register online here.where you will also find more info, brief descriptions of the workshops and a map. Find detailed descriptions of workshops here. One of the workshops will be on ChurchPost. The Diocese of Bethlehem is the first Episcopal diocese to equip all of its parishes with ChurchPost. You may use this web-based communication tool to create email groups and to create attractive online newsletters. Trinity Easton uses ChurchPost to create weekly online newsletters. View one here. Anne Kitch uses ChurchPost to create Faith Formation News. Bill Lewellis uses ChurchPost to create the newSpin newsletter. To learn more about ChurchPost, look here ... or email Kat Lehman.

(2) The Commission on Ministry invites talented, committed, hard-working people to volunteer for consideration as members of Regional Discernment Fellowships (RDF). [Read more here.] The COM needs two lay persons to round out a new RDF, hoping to get this group started in the next week or two. Training will be provided. Please contact Monica Lewellis at mlewellis@gracemontessori.org.

(3) Ian Douglas to lecture in Bethlehem, March 26. Deadline to register is March 16. Find info here.

(4) Evangelism/Stewardship Workshop at the Cathedral, Bethlehem, April 25. More info here.

todaySoundbite
Our spiritual biographies can be written by looking in our checkbooks. [From "Christ Calls Us to Radical Living" by Bishop Paul Marshall, Diocesan Life, November 1996.]

todayShopping
(1) The Obama's search for a new church home for their family has opened up a conversation in some quarters about the American phenomenon of "church shopping". Every pastor and priest says they deplore it, but most of them do what they feel they need to do in response to it. It's been a part of the American religious experience for generations. [Read more here.]

(2) A two keyboard Gulbransen Model E Electronic organ, 1960s vintage, has been offered to anyone who might provide a home for it. Absolutely free. Read more here.

newSpin: Find the most recent issue here.
Diocesan Life: Find the March issue of Diocesan Life here.
todaySpiel: The Opinionator, a guide to the wide world of newspaper, magazine and Web opinion.
todayScope: (1) epiScope links to stories from the mainstream media that reference the Episcopal Church or Episcopalians. (2) EpiscopalCafe ... (3) Episcopal Life Online ...

06:22 AM in todaySpin | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gulbransen Model E Electronic Organ, absolutely free

Absolutely free: A two keyboard Gulbransen Model E Electronic organ, 1960s vintage. All solid state except for the speaker amplifier. Has full bass pedals, not attached when photo was taken. Full repair and tuning manual included. In fair working order. Needs to be played to loosen up the keys and scrub the contacts. An electronics tinker's dream. If you love to putz with things, this is your wish come true. Free. First come, first served. One catch: You must have at least two large and strong friends to help move it out of my house. It has to go down a full flight of outside steps. My husband will help. [Deacon Sally Bosler, 610-689-9439; cell 610-858-2650]

06:05 AM in Free | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 27, 2009

500 homeless students in the Allentown School District?

Monica called my attention to a Letter to the Editor in Wednesday's Morning Call wherein the writer pleaded for help for the victims of the recent fire in Allentown.

What especially hooked me was the following paragraph: "A roll of quarters given to Russell 'Rooster' Valentini, homeless coordinator for the Allentown School District, will allow a small family to take the clothes from a burned apartment to the coin laundry to be washed clean. If your children are in school in Allentown, have them bring in a roll or two of quarters to their principal for "Rooster" to use. He already has 500 homeless students on his caseload. Now he has more."

The online version of the letter includes only the first sentence of that paragraph Although I point that out, my question is not s much about the reason for the online omission but it is about 500 homeless students in the Allentown School District. Can that be?

A little Googling resulted in these possible confirmations: (1) From a 2006 Moravian College news release: In any given year, Rooster has to manage approximately 500 cases with active files normally approaching 75 cases. (2) From a June 2007 Commission Report on Allentown's Plan to End Chronic Homelessness by 2017: From 2001 through 2006, the Allentown School District documented in excess of 600 homeless students annually.

Now, if that is so, where do they stay ... and what opportunity for creative and compassionate ministry might it suggest?

Bill

12:21 PM in Homeless, Letter to the Editor, Ministry, Schools, Social Ministry | Permalink | Comments (2)

todaySpin - Feb. 27, 2009

todayScoop
(1) In less than 24 hours following its debut on Ash Wednesday, iamEpiscopalian.org -- a website that lifts up the diversity of Episcopalians and lets people share their stories -- experienced nearly 10,000 hits. You are invited to submit a video, under 90 seconds, to iamEpiscopalian.org, detailing your own faith story, and what excites you about being an Episcopalian.This homepage of the Episcopal Church's website is part of a renewed communication effort to tell our story. Now, let's do some viral marketing. Tell your friends. Ask them to tell their friends.

(2) What's in the major newspapers? Summary here.

todayStory
(1) Bishop Barbara C. Harris, who recently celebrated the 20th anniversay of her consecration as the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion rates a passing mention and a nifty photo in a television review from the NYTimes. More at Episcopal Cafe.

todaySpirit
(1) Reframing as spiritual change, by Diana Butler Bass on the Alban Roundtable bog.

(2) 40 -- A Lenten reflection on YouTube.

(3) Ian Douglas to lecture in Bethlehem, March 26. Deadline to register is March 16. Find info here.

(4) Evangelism/Stewardship Workshop at the Cathedral, Bethlehem, April 25. More info here.

todaySong
Evensong at Mediator Allentown, March 8. More info here.

todayShare
(1) Reaching Out in a Networked World. Lynne Baab's book on how the recent explosion in ways to communicate—e-mail, websites, blogs, podcasts, social networking websites, projection screens in worship, digital cameras, and many more—has created challenges for congregations. More info here and here.

(2) Control your anger, help your heart, Study finds better concentration, lowered stress after TM sessions. and Work stress changes your body. [Thanks to Diana Marshall for these pointers.]

todayShow
Reviews that approach movies as provocative tools for theological reflection. Best picture of mercy, of the way things are, using scripture, of hope, of attempts at repentance, of uneasy salvation, of original sin. Also, see spiritual lessons from the Oscar nominees.

todaySpeaking
Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett is public radio's weekly program about "religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas." Find more info on programs, transcripts, podcasts here.

todaySoundbite
In an age that gets most of its information electronically, are we settling for small service listings in the local paper, hoping occasionally to get an item printed among those fillers on the religion page which I'm not sure everyone reads? [From "Do We Want to be Healed" by Bishop Paul Marshall, Diocesan Life, February 1998]

06:15 AM in todaySpin | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lenten Evensong at Mediator, March 8

[From J Clinton Miller Organist /Choirmaster] Evensong for the season of Lent, March 8 (4:00 pm) at the Church of the Mediator, Allentown, will celebrate the music of the English composer, Herbert Norman Howells (1892-1983). Mediator’s Choir will sing Howells settings of the canticles Magnificat and Nunc dimittis (Collegium Regale) and his anthem Like as the hart (Psalm 42:vv. 1-3). J Clinton Miller, Organist/Choirmaster at Mediator, will also play one of Howells’ compositions for organ as the concluding voluntary. A reception will follow the Evensong in the Commons Room.

Continue reading "Lenten Evensong at Mediator, March 8" »

05:08 AM in Liturgy/Music, Parishes | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 26, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 26, 2009

todayScoop
(1) "With not a little sadness," Diocese of Bethlehem Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow wrote this morning, "I need to announce that Scott Bader-Saye has accepted the post of Professor of Christian Ethics and Moral Theology at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, and that Demery Bader-Saye, Missioner for Youth in the Diocese, will leave her post this summer. The Bader-Sayes are members of Peacemeal, an emerging Episcopal community in Scranton. They have three sons. Demery will have served five years as Missioner for Youth in June. She has reshaped the youth ministries in the Diocese and has successfully guided Christophany, Happening, The Bishop's Day with Youth, EYE, and the Senior High Mission Adventures. Her leadership will be missed and difficult to replace. Scott holds degrees from Davidson, Yale, and Duke. Presently he is Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Scranton, a Jesuit school.m While it is sad to announce their departure, I am heartened by the certainty that their ministries will flourish and that many exciting opportunities await them."

(2) The homepage of the Episcopal Church website is now an interactive feature called I am Episcopalian that lifts up the diversity of Episcopalians. It's part of a renewed communication effort to tell our story. It can also be reached at www.iamepiscopalian.org. Now, let's do some viral marketing. Tell your friends. Ask them to tell their friends.

(3) What's in the major newspapers? Summary here.

(4) The newly-appointed RC Archbishop of New York. Read St. Patrick's New Boss.

todayStory
(1) The California Supreme Court has denied a re-hearing in the Episcopal Church Cases, concerning the three parishes in the Diocese of Los Angeles who tried to leave the Episcopal Church and take the church's property with them.

(2) Episcopal Church welcomes White House's consultation with faith groups. Read more here.

(3) At a time when the poor and needy are more at risk than they've been in decades, why does Obama's new Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (OFANP) seem to be missing in action?

todaySmile
(1) "It was as if Cecil B. DeMille had rebuilt a lost world for his Ben Hur: locating forgotten thuribles, monstrances, Baroque tabernacles ..." --Italian journalist Giancarlo Zizola remembering his 1988 visit to the Swiss headquarters of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X. [Hat tip to the National Catholic Reporter]

(2) The Paulist Fathers who have been avant garde in church communication ministry for a long time are using an ad to attract men interested in considering the priesthood as their life vocation. It shows a priest (from Roman collar down) holding a cell phone. The headline, in red: What's Your Collar iD? The subhead: "The Gospel call doesn't change .. but how it's communicated certainly does." Finally, the Paulist Fathers ID: Missionaries Giving the Gospel a Voice Today.

todaySpirit
(1) If you are looking for "the perfect Lenten observance," Derek Olsen writes at the EpiscopalCafe's Daily Episcopalian side, "try the Daily Office for a season –– something spiritual, something classic, something Anglican. Relax in the ebb and flow of the psalms and canticles and give it a chance to speak to you." He suggests either of two resources on the web that provide the Daily Office intact "with no book juggling or page flipping required and use the current American Book of Common Prayer:" The Daily Office blog and Mission St. Clare. [Read writes at the EpiscopalCafe's Daily Episcopalian side.]

(2) 40 -- A Lenten reflection on YouTube.

(3) Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart. Read Carbon Fast 2009.

(3) Ian Douglas to lecture in Bethlehem, March 26. Deadline to register is March 16. Find info here.

(4) Evangelism/Stewardship Workshop at the Cathedral, Bethlehem, April 25. More info here.

todaySong
Suzanne by Leonard Cohen –– listen here (Neil Diamond) or here (Cohen and Judy Collins) –– has long been one of my favorite songs. Through the years, I've heard church, baptism, salvation, liberation, discovery, yearning, trust in its lyrics ... none of which may have been Cohen's intent. Nevertheless, I'll keep my allusion/illusion. Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river ... And just when you mean to tell her, That you have no love to give her, Then she gets you on her wavelength, And she lets the river answer, That you've always been her lover ... And Jesus was a sailor, When he walked upon the water, And he spent a long time watching, From his lonely wooden tower, And when he knew for certain, Only drowning men could see him, He said "All men will be sailors then, Until the sea shall free them." Cohen, 74, will begin a two-month North American tour in April. The NYTimes did a piece on him a few days ago.

todaySting
(1) Swindler's List is the name of a blog on The Jewish Journal website that tracks stories of individuals and institutions caught in the Madoff Ponzi scheme.

(2) Commenting on the Vatican's announcement that it had begun a study of U.S. women's religious congregations, the editor of the National Catholic Reporter suggested: "For the sake of fairness, next time let's have our women religious study the quality of life of our male clerics. That's a report many would read." Related to this, back in 1986 when the U.S. RC Bishops wrote a pastoral on women, Sister Joan Chittister wrote: "Women aren't the problem ... patriarchy is the problem, sexism is the problem, male chauvisnism is the problem, a skewed distorted and enslaved theology of God is the problem. Write papers about those."

todayShare
(1) The Dallas Morning News website has a good list of Religion Websites.

todaySoundbite
Christians are invited to expect to meet their shortcomings and misdeeds as an inescapable part of their Christian growth. It's never fun, but it is often a relief to recognize and grow past a sin, especially a sin that has matured and darkened into a bad habit. Show me a Christian who hasn't repented of anything lately and I'll show you someone who isn't paying attention to God or their neighbor. [From "In Giving of Ourselves We Find the Joy of Following Jesus" by Bishop Paul Marshall, Diocesan Life, September 1998]

04:29 AM in todaySpin | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 25, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 25, 2009

todayScoop
(1) Beginning later today, visitors to the Episcopal Church website will find an interactive feature called I am Episcopalian, containing short videos of people "sharing their deep, personal connections to the big, wide, vibrant church that we are," said Anne Rudig, who joined the Episcopal Church Center in New York as communication director on January 5. The videos will show the diversity of Episcopalians. The site will let users upload their own videos. Uploaded videos will be monitored before being posted, and should be no longer than 90 seconds. I am Episcopalian will be the website homepage throughout Lent, with a link to the rest of the Episcopal Church's web content. It is part of a renewed communication effort "to tell our own story," Rudig noted. "We are hoping it will grow, and we hope the rest of the world will see what a dynamic church we have." The microsite can also be reached at www.iamepiscopalian.org.

(2) What's in the major newspapers? Summary here.

todayStory
(1) Good Shepherd Scranton in the national news. Read the story on page 14 of the March issue of Episcopal Life. If you haven't received it already, it will be in snail mail boxes soon.

(2) Grace Allentown on the national Episcopal Cafe. Read Out of Ashes, Ministry.

(3) WWJT ... If Jesus had Twitter, what would Jesus tweet? The Church of England's Love Life Love Lent outreach via social networking sites Twitter and Facebook may have the answer. The Church of England will be using Twitter and a new Facebook application to encourage people to help each other make the most out of Lent. The idea is to reach into the real world and create a viral network of people who will observe Lent with simple acts of generosity, thoughtfulness and devotion in the season leading up to Holy Week and Easter. [Read more of WWJT, a report posted by Andy Gerns at Episcopal Cafe.]

todaySpirit
(1) Ashes and Wine ... On the Daily Episcopalian part of Episcopal Cafe, Sam Candler gives us a compelling image of burnt ashes as fertility and preparation, from which through God's grace comes fine wine. Find it here. Don't miss it.

(2) [From an article in today's Morning Call] The Rev. Patrick Malloy, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Allentown, said the human toll from the harsh economy isn't coming from the hand of an angry God. ''It's not God's will that people be frightened,'' he said. ''That said, it really does make people ask what's important. But the human misery coming from this is really not of God, I know it's not.'' Malloy said the lesson of Lenten sacrifice ''is not to be miserable but to give up the illusion that anything, in the long run, is going to make us happy. Everything disappears. One of the things the discipline of Lent does is to help you say, 'I will stop running from that. I will try to make peace with it and realize there is a God bigger than all of this.' I don't think of the Lenten discipline as a way to punish oneself but to re-orient oneself to what's really real.''

(3) Another Lent begins in austere weariness, ready for a season of spareness, a little more quiet. Forty plainer days are just what we need. It is seven on the morning here; our first liturgy is at eight. Remember that you are dust, we will say repeatedly today. Remember that you are tired, that you need to slow down, that you need to think. Remember that what you say and do has eternal significance, so you'd best consider it closely before you say or do it. Remember what you long ago forgot. Remember that it is never too lage to begin again to make it right, and that we don't have to make it right all by ourselves. [From Barbara Crafton's almost daily eMo for today]

(3) Ian Douglas to lecture in Bethlehem, March 26. Deadline to register is March 16. Find info here.

(4) Evangelism/Stewardship Workshop at the Cathedral, Bethlehem, April 25. More info here.

todayShare
The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing has published a resource to enable religious leaders and faith communities to preach, teach and advocate for sexual justice. Copies are available for download or ordering from www.religiousinstitute.org/health.html. A Time to Every Purpose: The Language of Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing is a compendium of progressive theological statements on a range of sexuality issues, including marriage for same-sex couples, assisted reproductive technologies, abortion, adolescent sexuality, sexuality education, and sexual and gender diversity.

todaySting
(1) Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino fired another salvo at Misericordia University on Tuesday, issuing a statement that challenged the school to prove it teaches “Catholic morality regarding sexuality and homosexuality,” and asking the university “to seriously consider discontinuing its Diversity Institute.” [Times-Leader story here.]

(2) In a letter to the heads of three local Irish-American organizations, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton has threatened to close St. Peter’s Cathedral during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations if the groups feature elected officials who support abortion rights at their annual events. The letter reiterates the bishop’s publicly stated position that elected officials who vote to support abortion rights will be denied Holy Communion if they attempt to receive the sacrament in the diocese, including at St. Patrick’s Day Masses. [Times-Leader story here.]

03:37 AM in todaySpin | Permalink | Comments (0)

Evangelism/Stewardship Workshop, April 25

At the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, April 25, 9:00 t 3:00. Presenter: Terry Parsons.

Download brochure below:
Download 2009Evan:StewWrkshpBrochure

03:10 AM in Evangelism, Stewardship, Workshop | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 24, 2009

I am Episcopalian

New Episcopal Church 'microsite' will showcase videos of diverse church members

Beginning Ash Wednesday, visitors to the Episcopal Church website will find an interactive feature called I am Episcopalian, containing short videos of people "sharing their deep, personal connections to the big, wide, vibrant church that we are," said Anne Rudig, who joined the Episcopal Church Center in New York as communication director on January 5. The videos will show the diversity of Episcopalians. The site will let users upload their own videos. Uploaded videos will be monitored before being posted, and should be no longer than 90 seconds. I am Episcopalian will be the website homepage throughout Lent, with a link to the rest of the Episcopal Church's web content. It is part of a renewed communications effort "to tell our own story," Rudig noted. "We are hoping it will grow, and we hope the rest of the world will see what a dynamic church we have." The microsite can also be reached at www.iamepiscopalian.org.

08:08 AM in Episcopal Church, Evangelism, People | Permalink | Comments (0)

todaySpin - Feb. 24, 2009

todayScoop
(1) The rumor you read here on Saturday (hat tip to Episcopal Cafe) about the ABC coming to General Convention this summer has been confirmed. Read the ENS story here.

(2) What's in the major newspapers? Summary here.

todayStory
(1) Trip Trepagnier and Daniel Gunn are in Kajo Keji. Read more and see two photos here. Rick Cluett has been appointed to General Convention's Committee on World Mission; "certainly," he says, in recognition of the relationship of the Diocese of Bethlehem with Kajo Keji."

(2) Update on the neighborhood fire near Grace Allentown.

(3) The Economist reviewed an interesting new book about the history of the veneration of the Virgin Mary by historian Miri Rubin. More at Episcopal Cafe, thanks to Chuck Blanchard.

(4) Organizations thrive when conflict is not too hot and not too cold but just right. Read Andy Gerns' report about the optimal level of conflict at Episcopal Cafe.

todaySorrow
Pray for our young men and women who have died this week in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of those, this, week, was from Quakertown, Pa. More in today's Morning Call.

todayShow
(1) Watch Brian McLaren's keynote address at the 2009 Convention of the Diocese of Washington.

(2) Faith unites Mormon filmmaker and lesbian priest.

(3) Parker Palmer was the guest, Feb. 20, on Bill Moyers Journal (PBS). Watch the video, read the transcript here.

(4) If Christians want to compete in the world of ideas, they have to make great movies. See Christian Filmmakers Making an Industry of Faith.

todaySpirit
(1) Reflections on Lent by Bishop Paul, from 2005, 2006 and 2007. Download them here.

(2) Search me out, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my restless thoughts.
Look well whether there be any wickedness in me, and lead me in the way that is everlasting. (Psalm 139)

todaySignup
(1) Diocesan Training Day is Saturday, March 28, at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre. Register online here.where you will also find more info, brief descriptions of the workshops and a map. Find detailed descriptions of workshops here.

(2) Sowing Seeds: Planting & Tending Your Christian Formation and Christian Education Ministries ... March 14 (9-4 pm) at St. Thomas in Whitemarsh. More info here.

(3) Ian Douglas to lecture in Bethlehem, March 26. Deadline to register is March 16. Find info here.

(4) In-Formation, AWE, J2A and Faith Formation News. Get connected.

todaySting
[Would you believe?] No gay and lesbian people in Nigeria; therefore, no reason to protect their rights. Read it here.

06:01 AM in todaySpin | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 23, 2009

In-Formation in Bethlehem, A.W.E. Children's Ministries, J2A in DioBeth, and Faith Formation News

[From Canon Anne Kitch] There are now several diocesan publications/groups that you can join to get connected to what is going on in and around our Diocese in the areas of spiritual nurture, Christian Education and Faith Formation.

In-Formation in Bethlehem Newsletter: An exciting monthly eNewsletter full of timely aides for spiritual nurture. In each edition you will find resources for adult study, children's ministry and faith formation in the home. It includes book recommendations and a list of upcoming events. Great material for those in the diocese and beyond.

A.W.E. Children's Ministries: a group for Christian Educators and parents in our diocese who are engaged in ministry for and with children. Members receive email announcements about resources and upcoming events in and around the Diocese relating to children.

J2A in Diobeth: a group for adults who mentor in the Journey to Adulthood program in our Diocese. Members receive email announcements about upcoming training opportunities and resources for this program.

Faith Formation News: Subscribers to this group receive occasional posts from me about faith formation resources for adults, youth and children as well as notes about opportunities in and around the Diocese of Bethlehem.

You can sign-up using the "Get Connected" box on our Diocesan Website here. Just scroll down along the right-hand column. Once you enter your email information, you can choose which groups to join. You can unsubscribe from these groups at any time.

Please contact me directly with your questions, suggestions or any material you would like to contribute. I would love to hear from you!

Peace,

Anne

03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reflections on Lent by Bishop Paul

Three reflections, from 2005, 2006 and 2007. Download them below.
Download 090302

03:15 PM in Bishop, Column, Lent | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trip and Daniel in Kajo Keji

[Thanks to Jo Trepagnier for this info and the photos] The Rev. Daniel Gunn, rector of St. Stephens Pro Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre, and Trip Trepagnier, chair of the World Mission Committee of the Diocese of Bethlehem, are traveling in Kajo Keji this week. They landed Thursday February 19th and have been traveling around the diocese visiting schools, participating in a church opening, meeting with the Mother's Union and clergy and enjoying the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Southern Sudan. They are staying on the site of the New Hope Bible College and very close to our first New Hope School in Romogi. Trip carried in solar radios; Daniel and Trip have been able to deliver many of the Christmas Gifts from Bethlehem to schools and churches.

Daniel will be training clergy on the Ash Wednesday liturgy and officiating at that service later this week. They do not have access to email but a couple brief phone calls make them seem tired and exhilarated and often in the middle of a whirlwind.

Below are two pictures of the delivery of the gifts to Kajo Keji: (1) A truck unloading sewing machines, chairs, water jugs, and tables, (2) Men putting the bikes together.

More pictures to come upon their return.

03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

todaySpin - Feb. 23, 2009

todayScoop
(1) What's in the major newspapers? Summary here.

todayStory
Grace Church and the neighborhood fire.

todayShow
(1) "Maybe what we need to do is turn some of our YouTubing geniuses loose to gently, amusingly and graciously make the points that we do not have to choose between our baptismal promises to respect the dignity of every human being and our deep desire to be part of the global Anglican Communion." [Read more at Susan Russell's blog.]

(2) I understand that the Episcopal Church Center will launch I am Episcopalian, a "microsite" with videos of short interviews with clergy and laity answering the question "Why are you an Episcopalian?" The launch is scheduled for noon on Ash Wednesday. No URL has yet been given. I'll post the info when I learn more.

todaySpirit
(1) "Complaining is usually a veiled lament about deeper issues of the soul. Since people are unaccustomed to exploring the mystery of their own souls, they will often work out their spiritual anxieties by attempting to rearrange something external, like a church's music program. But it doesn't matter how many changes they make to the environment around them. They will never succeed in finding peace for the angst of the soul until they attend directly to it. This is why people have pastors." [Read more at Poet In Residence: Listening for the Sacred Subtext.]

(2) [From Mother Laura Howell] This year, the annual retreat that we offer for the Diocese and friends will be on Centering Prayer. Fr. Tom Ward, an Episcopal priest from Sewanee, will be our retreat leader. The retreat will be held at one of our local convents, St. Francis Renewal Center in Bethlehem. We aren't sure yet about the total cost, but probably less than $200 (housing and meals included). There will be a commuter option. Fr. Tom will be sending me an outline which I will share when I get it. He is planning to begin with some elementary introduction, so people who have not done Centering Prayer will be comfortable. There will also be some more advanced sessions for those who are experienced in CP. For more information, please email Mo. Laura Howell or 610-867-4741 X304.

(2) The Lehigh County Conferences of Churches will present the Robert K. Campbell Memorial Lectures on Christian Unity, 4-9 p.m. March 26. Ian T. Douglas of Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, will be the speaker. The lectures (and dinner) will be hosted at Moravian Theological Seminary, 60 W. Locust St., Bethlehem. Cost is $5 for Presentation I at 4:15 (God’s Mission and Difference in Ecumenical Perspective); $20 for dinner at 5:30; $5 for Presentation II at 7:30 (Christian Unity and the Challenge of Single Identity Politics); $30 for the package. Deadline to order tickets is March 16. Find more info and download a flyer here. To order tickets, use the flyer or call 610-433-6421.

todaySting
A new survey conducted by Junior Achievement and Deloitte showed that teens only rarely see clergy as role models. But the poll’s major finding is that although the overwhelming majority of teens (80 percent) believe they are ethically prepared to make moral business decisions, nearly 40 percent believe they need to “break the rules” in order to succeed. [Read it at Episcopal Cafe.]

todaySoundbite
(1) A person who knows how to be properly curious, never reads minds -- something that cannot be done in the first place. A person who has healthy curiosity does something else when they hear something that is different from what they believe or is totally out of their world of thought or experience. Instead of attacking or defending... they ask a question. [From "Wanted: A Few Good Magi" by Bishop Paul Marshall, Diocesan Life, January 1997]

05:45 AM in todaySpin | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 22, 2009

Ian Douglas will give two lectures in Bethlehem, March 26

Professor Ian Douglas
Brings Mission Focus to Campbell Lectures
March 26, 4:00 to 9:00 PM
Moravian Theological Seminary
Bethlehem, PA

Registration deadline is March 16. See below. Use the flyer that may be downloaded below or call 610-433-6421 to order tickets.

Dr. Ian Douglas of Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, will make two presentations focusing on mission and diversity. Instrumental in the design and organization of the Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops, Dr. Douglas will bring the following presentations:

• Lecture I: God's Mission and Difference in Ecumenical Perspective – an exploration of the nature of mission, how differences in the many identities each of us inhabit affect our faithfulness to the missio Dei, and how the way we "see the other" (denominational differences) sometimes impedes our common call to God's mission. A brief case from the Anglican Communion will be developed as an example.

• Lecture II: Christian Unity and the Challenge of Single Identity Politics – examining how relationships across differences in service to the missio Dei can draw Christians together in new solidarities across our differences.

The program, 4:00 to 9:00 p.m., includes two lectures and dinner.
4:00 pm - Welcome & Registration
4:15 pm - Presentation I ($5.00)
God’s Mission and Difference in Ecumenical Perspective
5:30 pm - Dinner ($20.00)
6:45 pm - Ecumenical Worship
7:30 pm - Presentation II ($5.00)
Christian Unity and the Challenge of Single Identity Politics
8:45 pm - Closing

Registration deadline is March 16. To order tickets for the lectures, with or without dinner, download the Campbell09flyer, call the Lehigh County Conference of Churches main office at 610-433-6421 or email lccc@lcconfchurch.org.

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Grace and the neighborhood fire

[Updated Feb. 25]

Grace and the neighborhood fire
Emergency center set up at Grace Church

[Wednesday, Feb. 25] Especially needed: non-dressy clothing for teens and adults, casual but good-conditioned pants for men and boys, new socks, sweaters and jackets for young men, pants (blue jeans, etc.) for boys and men, packs of new underwear, nice winter coats, casual footwear for teens, boys, and men and women, nice t-shirts. Currently, we have a lot more women’s clothing than men’s garments. You can bring clothing and other household items to the church between the hours of 10:00 and 3:00.

[Monday, Feb. 23] Patty McNamara, director of the Grace Church Food Bank, is organizing a clothing drive to help the victims replace some of their clothing. There is also a need for kitchen utensils and toys. You can bring any donation you would like to make to the church any weekday between the hours of 10 and 3. Patty is in contact with the Red Cross so that these donations will be given directly to the victims of this terrible tragedy. You can make monetary contribution by writing a check to the church and we will forward all the gifts at one time.

[Saturday, Feb. 21] As a neighborhood fire displaced 45 people (32 adults and 13 children) in Allentown, near Grace Episcopal Church, the church became a temporary home for those without family nearby. Grace parishioners, in cooperation with the Red Cross, served lunch and dinner yesterday, breakfast this morning and set up cots in the nave of the church for overnight shelter.

"Today, Grace Church was a clear witness to the presence in the world of the God we know in Christ," said Grace rector Father Patrick Malloy. "In renovating our church, we wanted to create a space to express what we believe: the liturgy, the spiritual disciplines, and the works of justice and charity are all one. The presence of those who take refuge in our church makes us ever more aware that the ground where we gather is holy ground."

“How awesome is this place! This is none other than
the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17).

Entries in the renovation photo journal at Grace's website have been updated to include this story.

View video feed from Allentown and Philadelphia TV stations. Find the Morning Call story, with many photos of the fire, here.

[Sunday, Feb. 22] On Sunday morning at Eucharist, parishioners, Red Cross volunteers and a few people displaced by the fire entered into conversation during the time when a sermon would ordinarily be delivered. They spoke about how quickly their church was transformed into a shelter, including daytime hospitality, the preparation of meals and cots in the nave.

The Red Cross officially closed the shelter at noon Sunday. The six people who stayed at the shelter Saturday night were given lodging and food vouchers. The rest of the displaced are staying with family or friends. ''We will be following them throughout the week,'' said said Red Cross Chief Operating Officer Bob Duld.

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February 21, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 21, 2009

todayScoop
(1) Rowan Williams at General Convention? Heard by Jim Naughton from "a pair of well-placed and unrelated sources."
(2) What's in the major newspapers? Summary here.
(3) Thursday evenings during Lent at Mediator Allentown ...
(4) Brownback questions political foes' Catholicism

todayStory
Pray the Devil Back to Hell, a documentary about how women in Liberia demanded — and ultimately achieved — peace in their own embattled nation, is one of those films that stirs not only the soul but hands and feet as well. It was one of many such movies in 2008, a year of issue-oriented documentaries that sought not just to inform but also to reform by encouraging viewers to be agents of change.Movies like Pray the Devil don't often get much attention at the Oscars — or at the box office. But one could argue that such documentaries are the most important films in any given year because of their ability to stimulate viewers to act. [Read more here.]

todayShow
GodTube has new name, and purpose ... In the beginning, there was GodTube. Now there's tangle.com. The popular Internet site recently changed its name as part of a broad effort to boost its audience and advertising base. Known as an evangelical Christian knockoff of YouTube, GodTube was mainly a place to post or download religious videos, everything from sermons to Christian pop music to cute features such as a little girl reciting Psalm 23. As tangle.com, the video component remains, but the aim is for full-fledged social networking in the MySpace or Facebook way, only with content carefully screened to make sure it's "family-friendly." But is the site, under its new, secular-sounding name, still Christian? Well, sort of. "The old name 'GodTube' was a little polarizing. We wanted a name that was more encompassing," said Jason Illian, CEO. "We don't shy away from our faith-based community, but we wanted to expand that." [Read the Dallas Morning News story here.]

[A tip from Jenifer Gamber related to the item above] If you want to show a YouTube, tangle.com (aka GodTube) video to a group at a location without wifi, convert the video to a file by going to MediaConverter. It will ask for the URL where the video resides. Download the file to your computer (a variety of formats are possible) to show with a digital projector or burn the file to a DVD (all computers that have a DVD burner come with software to create DVDs) to play it on a TV. MediaConverter is free.

todaySpirit
"Having confronted the sinfulness in his own life, Eszterhas has to reckon with sinfulness in the life of the church to which he has returned. No wonder he feels at home. In that, this repentant man enters the greatest mystery of belief: How forgiveness is so gloriously available in a community that stands so palpably in need of forgiveness itself. Joe Eszterhas has given us a contemporary story of the Prodigal Son, only to discover that what has been so truly prodigal all along is the absolving love of the One who welcomes him." [From James Carroll review of Crossbearer: A Memoir of Faith by Joe Eszterhas. Read it here.]

todaySting
(1) Sin and Indulgences: Some RC bishops have recently revived indulgences, a spiritual tradition that faded away in the 1960’s after the Second Vatican Council. The indulgence, as Paul Vitello of The New York Times explained in a recent article, is “a sort of amnesty from punishment in the afterlife.” Some liberal Catholics see the return of indulgences as a setback to modernization of the church. But church leaders say they deepen the spiritual experience of seeking penance. What are the historical roots of indulgences and the implications of their revival? •John L. Allen Jr., correspondent for The National Catholic Reporter, •Robert W. Staffern, professor of medieval history, •Colleen Carroll Campbell, author of a study on young Catholics, •Leonard Swidler, professor of Catholic thought.

(2) Blind Spot: When Journalists Don't Get Religion ... Religion's complexity often eludes U.S. media

(3) Atheists claiming a louder voice in the culture wars ... very different from the bizarre theatrics of Madalyn Murray O'Hare. ... They are also venturing cautiously into advertising, with public campaigns in cities as diverse as Denver, Washington, Philadelphia and Charleston, S.C. Just in time for this year's Lenten season, an ad in gaudy Mardi Gras colors on the side of a New Orleans streetcar proclaims, "Don't Believe in God? You Are Not Alone. ... Why should believers welcome this emergence of unbelief? Why not? We should be glad that there are people, even the devil's disciples, who take religion seriously enough to attack it, especially in these days when God seems to appear only in quarrels over holiday displays, during political campaigns or on the self-help shelves of Barnes & Noble. ... "Perhaps if we are confronted with better questions about the meaning and value of religion, we will be forced to find better answers. [Thanks to Deacon Larry Holman for this pointer. Read more here.]

todaySoundbite
(1) We are at our most dangerous when we think we are right ... I know nobody whose opinion changed because of how thoroughly someone else insulted, belittled or defamed them. Do you? [From "What Shield Do the Joyous Need" by Bishop Paul Marshall, Diocesan Life, March 1998]

(2) The strongest and most effective religions owe their success in part to their accountability. As one example, the church started by John Calvin in sixteenth-century Geneva was run not by one person but by a group of pastors. When they couldn't agree, the decision-making circle was widened, not narrowed. [David Sloan Wilson, "Evolution for Everyone"]

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February 20, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 20, 2009

todayScoop
(1) The March issue of Diocesan Life.
(2) What's in the major newspapers? Find a summary here.
(3) Find Jubilate, Lent to Trinity Sunday (B) here.
(4) An 18-year-old Wyoming County man was sentenced yesterday to 11 to 23 months in the Susquehanna County Correctional Facility after having pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the August death of 17-year-old Francisco Pease. Find the Times-Tribune story here.

todayStory
(1) Marking the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, Religion News Service initiated an extensive conversation with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on the relationship between religion and science.

(2) Do evolution and faith have to fight? A report posted on Episcopal Cafe by Andy Gerns.

todayShow
(1) Parker Palmer is scheduled to be the guest on the PBS show, Bill Moyers Journal, tonight (Friday) at 9:00 p.m. (ET)

(2) The Academy Awards ceremony is this Sunday. As usual, there are plenty of religious issues to provide a substantive backdrop to the red-carpet glam. Films have long grappled with questions of ultimate meaning, and this year’s crop is no exception. Read much more here. BeliefNet runs its own award program for the best spiritual films of 2008. The nominees are: Slumdog Millionnaie, Wall-E, Gran Torino, Doubt and The Dark Knight. More here, including film clips. And Spirituality and Practice lists its own awards for spiritually literate films.

(3) View topical clips of a recent interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu here.

todayShare
Episcopal Relief and Development is offering an online Lenten Devotional, Peace & Compassion: To Heal a Hurting World. It features reflections adapted from the writings of Barbara Crafton. Sign-up here to receive these daily meditations by email.

todaySpirit
(1) The cover of TIME magazine's "Mind&Body Special Issue" promos its main story as How Faith Can Heal. Find the story online here where you will also find a video. What you won't find online is the following subhead in the hard copy: "Science and religion argue all the time, but they increasingly agree on one thing: a little spirituality may be very good for your health." I may be too easily amused as I smile about "a little spirituality," playing with whether to put the emphasis on "spirituality" or on "little." In either event, the good news is the supposedly scientific finding that two to three years of additional life is associated with regular church attendance. Is that just a matter of getting back the time one spends in church? :-)

(2) Listen to a meditation by Ruty Levy Guyer, professor of bioethics at Haverford College, on the power of water.

todaySting
(1) The importance of context: Fred Barnes is executive editor of The Weekly Standard. He's also, Jim Naughton of Episcopal Cafe tells us, a member of The Falls Church, Anglican (distinct from The Falls Church, Episcopal), a board member of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (a group that vigorously opposes gay rights within the church and believes that mainline Protestant churches "have thrown themselves into multiple, often leftist crusades -- radical forms of feminism, environmentalism, pacifism, multi-culturalism, revolutionary socialism, sexual liberation and so forth") and perpetrator of smears against Bishop Gene Robinson ... all of which may provide context for one's reading of anything by Fred Barnes.

todaySoundbite
Christian morality, New Testament morality, is considerably more than the Ten Commandments, but it is not less. We walk before we run. The function of moral teaching and self-examination is not to make us feel better than others or give us a reason to condemn. Its purpose is to check our self-honesty, our faithfulness in response to God's love. [From "We Walk Before We Run" in Bishop Paul Marshall's book "Messages in the Mall: Looking at Life in 600 Words or Less"]

newSpin: Find the most recent issue here.
todaySpiel: The Opinionator, a guide to the wide world of newspaper, magazine and Web opinion.
todayScope: (1) epiScope links to stories from the mainstream media that reference the Episcopal Church or Episcopalians. (2) EpiscopalCafe ... (3) Episcopal Life Online ...

Bill Lewellis, Communication Minister/Editor (1986), Canon Theologian (1998)
Diocese of Bethlehem, 333 Wyandotte Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015
Website, Blog, Email (c)610-216-2726, (w)610-691-5655x229, (h)610-820-7673
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]

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February 19, 2009

Thursday evenings at Mediator Allentown

The Church of the Mediator invites you and members of your congregations to join us each Thursday evening during Lent for a light dinner and discussion based around the award winning movie "For the Bible Tells me so" (about Christian families struggling with the issues of homosexuality.) Please call the church office at 610-434-0155 so we can make sure we have enough food!

Thursday Evenings
6:30 PM till 8:30 PM
February 26 thru April 2

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02:22 PM in Christian Ed, Film, Gay/Lesbian, Lent, Parishes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jubilate.Lent to Trinity Sunday 2009

Hymnody for Lent to Trinity Sunday B ((Feb. 25 to June 7, 2009), published by the Diocese of Bethlehem for our diocesan community and for free distribution to the world, may be downloaded below as an Acrobat or MSWord file. Jubilate is a service of our Liturgy and Music Commission, specifically Canon Cliff Carr who has been doing this for more than 30 years.
MSWord ... Download Jubilate.Lent to Trinity B 2009
Acrobat ... Download Jubilate.Lent to Trinity B 2009

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February 2009

February 28, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 28

Gulbransen Model E Electronic Organ, absolutely free

February 27, 2009

500 homeless students in the Allentown School District?

todaySpin - Feb. 27, 2009

Lenten Evensong at Mediator, March 8

February 26, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 26, 2009

February 25, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 25, 2009

Evangelism/Stewardship Workshop, April 25

February 24, 2009

I am Episcopalian

todaySpin - Feb. 24, 2009

February 23, 2009

In-Formation in Bethlehem, A.W.E. Children's Ministries, J2A in DioBeth, and Faith Formation News

Reflections on Lent by Bishop Paul

Trip and Daniel in Kajo Keji

todaySpin - Feb. 23, 2009

February 22, 2009

Ian Douglas will give two lectures in Bethlehem, March 26

Grace and the neighborhood fire

February 21, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 21, 2009

February 20, 2009

todaySpin - Feb. 20, 2009

February 19, 2009

Thursday evenings at Mediator Allentown

Jubilate.Lent to Trinity Sunday 2009