DioBeth newSpin

Pray For...

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families … Eddie Turner, 41; David T. Miller, 19; Andrew R. Looney, 22; Kevin A. Cueto, 23; Claudio Patino IV, 22;  Joshua R. Dumaw, 23; Anthony T. Justesen, 22; Russell E. Madden, 29; Robert N. Barton, 35; Edwardo Loredo, 34; Joseph D. Caskey, 24; Blair D. Thompson, 19; Jared C. Plunk, 27; Daane A. Deboer, 24; William T. Richards, 20; Robert K. L. Repkie, 20; John M. Rogers, 26; Bryant J. Haynes, 21; David A. Holmes, 34; Eric B. Shaw, 31; David W. Thomas, 40; ... for the fallen heroes also of our coalition partners, and for the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan who have died, unnamed and unknown to us, and for those who mourn ... and for an end to this endless war.

Culled from various web pages, including:
U.S. Department of Defense news releases
In Remembrance, at legacy.com
Honor the Fallen, from Military Times

Fourteen years with Bishop Paul

Fourteen Years with Bishop Paul, updated somewhat ... Tuesday June 29 will mark 14 years since Bishop Paul Marshall became Eighth Bishop of the 14-county Diocese of Bethlehem. Last year, I wrote Thirteen Years with Bishop Paul: Well-kneaded God-baked, God-broken, God-made. You may find that here, and some updating below. I hope to write more later.

Recently I asked Bishop Paul, among other things, about his interest in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, his open-heart surgery, diocesan ministries that have begun or have expanded with his encouragement, almost 14 years of writing monthly columns for secular newspapers, what he would have done differently over the past 14 years, what he wishes he had known, and what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

Bishop Paul received a diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in 2009, after several years work. In the fall he intends to begin a new and longer program as a candidate in the Psychoanalytic Institute of Philadelphia (same place. In addition to using these skills to understand the human person, he has been donating five or six hours a week to counseling persons at Trinity Soup Kitchen, Bethlehem, working with the most under-served segment of the patient population. "I have, of course, gotten more out of this than I have given." he said. "If I ever retire, I would be there several days a week. My next book will be a about psychoanalysis and Christianity. It is amazing to me how each field operates with absolutely wild beliefs about the other."

Would you say something about your open-heart surgery? "In the long run, I am much better for it, but I wouldn't wish the experience on anybody. The recovery was/is much slower than they lead one to believe, and only late this spring did I feel like I have my brain back. I have to say that while I have always respected the practitioners of the  medical and nursing professions, my appreciation of their skills and the demands made on their lives has trebled."

Your secular newspaper column? "When I meet people from other denominations they do often say something about reading the columns. It was a monthly agony to do the column, but it was a way I had to reach the most people. The column often bounced around the Internet, and I occasionally heard that I have been helpful to people outside the diocese."

Upon writing his December 2009 column for secular newspapers, Bishop Paul decided that the column had "run its course." Thirteen years of his monthly columns had been published in newspapers throughout eastern and northeastern Pennsylvania. More than 90 were chosen a few years ago for publication in Messages in the Mall (Seabury Books).

What diocesan ministries have begun or have expanded with your encouragement? "You've probably got a more perfect list than I, but I have been grateful above all for New Hope. The evangelism revival, modest as it is, is certainly excellent. World Mission was restarted a decade ago with gratifying results. Several parishes have seen great progress in reversing the trend towards contraction in numbers and program. We have done more with liturgy and music on the diocesan level than at any time in our history, and now have something of a national reputation. Our re-imagined commission on ecumenical and interfaith relations has done an astonishing job in a very short time.

"Something I have worked for consistently is a wider dispersal of power in our structures. There are more voices and votes in taking both strategic and tactical decisions than at any time in our history. I think this is a living into the baptismal theology that is transforming the Church.

"We have crossed several boundaries. One was with Father Patrick Malloy's ordination, a real struggle for the Standing Committee of the time, but one which has brought us a number of superbly gifted priests. We have more women as rectors or priests-in-charge in substantial churches than at any time.

"I could, I think, chatter on (like a fool). I still believe what I said at my first meeting with the clergy in 1996, before my consecration. This is a collegial office: bishops are almost nothing without their colleagues in ministry.

Keeping clergy connected and 'resourced' is an always-present and critical task. I think we have an excellent pool of clergy, and I am grateful that we are sending young people to seminary again. The joy of what is for some people a crushing job is in not doing it alone. At the diocesan level: when I came here there was an excellent staff, which I think is at optimum level today, even though we are somewhat smaller in number.

"This has always been a 'good' diocese, and that is the water in which I have been privileged to swim. Bethlehem brings out the best in people, even me sometimes. Golfers regularly talk about how much better they play ('playing up') when they are with good or better players –– that is clearly true in church life. We have in this diocese a situation that causes most of us to play up. Bishop Mark established some patterns (the Bible studies, for instance), that continue to provide a framework for excellence."

What would you have done differently over the past 14 years? "I would have worried less, causing less anxiety in those around me. I would not be so focused on my short-comings –– it is part of my job to show people what it looks like to be touched by grace.

What do you wish you had known? "•That we don't know how much we don't know. •The vital importance of community and collegiality is to point out to each other what we cannot ourselves see. I have been off-and-on accepting of some criticism and rejecting of others, but find that I now seek it. I owe this to learning that the unconscious is just that –– others must invite us to consciousness about ourselves. •The non-anxious presence concept is more important than anything else in leadership. The Robinson crisis and what followed taught me that the most important thing was to take a clear stand, calmly. My non-calm moments are my least constructive. •Creativity is a form of madness –– it is small comfort that science is just figuring this out with brain scans, that creative moments look just like psychotic breaks in terms of what lights up. •There is no easy way to travel between the US and Sudan."

What do you want to do with the rest of your life? "Become more ambivalent about myself. That would be the key to teaching 1 Cor 15:10a: By the grace of God, I am what I am. It was the text at my ordination in 1973, and I couldn't really hear it for decades. I could ramble on, and eventually I will, if asked. I think Garrison Keillor's book title says it all: Happy to Be Here."

More to come.

Sermon at Ordination of Brian Pavlac

Ordination of the Rev. Brian Pavlac to the Priesthood
Sermon by Bishop Paul V. Marshall
Feast of SS. Peter and Paul, 2010
Ezekiel 34:11-6; 2 Timothy 4:1-8; John 21:15-19
Voluntary: Enigma Variation IX. Nimrod. Edward Elgar

Brian and I thank all of you for your participation this evening, and I especially thank the rector, staff and parish of St. Stephen’s for making people from across the diocese feel so much at home so often in this wonderful space.

Indeed, how we make ourselves at home is part of the package tonight. As Christians found themselves more and more at home in the ancient Roman world, they began to do some redecorating. The example we all know best was the placement of a celebration of Christ’s birth during the Roman solstice holidays in December.

Another switch was their focusing on Peter and Paul, rather than Romulus and Remus, in celebrating the foundations of the eternal city. Rather than the twin brothers who drew in lupine instincts with their nurses’ milk, Peter and Paul are remembered with more or less accuracy as not killing each other, as trying to understand each other and to work things out, and then both giving up their lives in testimony to Jesus Christ. By Christ’s power working within them, the crude fisherman and the nervous tent-maker were able to transcend themselves sufficiently to become foundation stones of the city God as well this piece of Italian real estate. Switching the founding fathers announced a new set of values.

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Fourteen Years with Bishop Paul, updated somewhat ... Tuesday June 29 will mark 14 years since Bishop Paul Marshall became Eighth Bishop of the 14-county Diocese of Bethlehem. Last year, I wrote Thirteen Years with Bishop Paul: Well-kneaded God-baked, God-broken, God-made. You may find that here, and some updating below. I hope to write more later.

Recently I asked Bishop Paul, among other things, about his interest in psycholanalysis and psychotherapy, his open-heart surgery, diocesan ministries that have begun or have expanded with his encouragement, almost 14 years of writing monthly columns for secular newspapers, what he would have done differently over the past 14 years, what he wishes he had known, and what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

Bishop Paul received a diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in 2009, after several years work. In the fall he intends to begin a new and longer program as a candidate in the Psychoanalytic Institute of Philadelphia (same place. In addition to using these skills to understand the human person, he has been donating five or six hours a week to counseling persons at Trinity Soup Kitchen, Bethlehem, working with the most under-served segment of the patient population. "I have, of course, gotten more out of this than I have given." he said. "If I ever retire, I would be there several days a week. My next book will be a about psychoanalysis and Christianity. It is amazing to me how each field operates with absolutely wild beliefs about the other."

Would you say something about your open-heart surgery? "In the long run, I am much better for it, but I wouldn't wish the experience on anybody. The recovery was/is much slower than they lead one to believe, and only late this spring did I feel like I have my brain back. I have to say that while I have always respected the practitioners of the  medical and nursing professions, my appreciation of their skills and the demands made on their lives has trebled."

Your secular newspaper column? "When I meet people from other denominations they do often say something about reading the columns. It was a monthly agony to do the column, but it was a way I had to reach the most people. The column often bounced around the Internet, and I occasionally heard that I have been helpful to people outside the diocese."

Upon writing his December 2009 column for secular newspapers, Bishop Paul decided that the column had "run its course." Thirteen years of his monthly columns had been published in newspapers throughout eastern and northeastern Pennsylvania. More than 90 were chosen a few years ago for publication in Messages in the Mall (Seabury Books).

What diocesan ministries have begun or have expanded with your encouragement? "You've probably got a more perfect list than I, but I have been grateful above all for New Hope. The evangelism revival, modest as it is, is certainly excellent. World Mission was restarted a decade ago with gratifying results. Several parishes have seen great progress in reversing the trend towards contraction in numbers and program. We have done more with liturgy and music on the diocesan level than at any time in our history, and now have something of a national reputation. Our re-imagined commission on ecumenical and interfaith relations has done an astonishing job in a very short time.

"Something I have worked for consistently is a wider dispersal of power in our structures. There are more voices and votes in taking both strategic and tactical decisions than at any time in our history. I think this is a living into the baptismal theology that is transforming the Church.

"We have crossed several boundaries. One was with Father Patrick Malloy's ordination, a real struggle for the Standing Committee of the time, but one which has brought us a number of superbly gifted priests. We have more women as rectors or priests-in-charge in substantial churches than at any time.

"I could, I think, chatter on (like a fool). I still believe what I said at my first meeting with the clergy in 1996, before my consecration. This is a collegial office: bishops are almost nothing without their colleagues in ministry.

Keeping clergy connected and 'resourced' is an always-present and critical task. I think we have an excellent pool of clergy, and I am grateful that we are sending young people to seminary again. The joy of what is for some people a crushing job is in not doing it alone. At the diocesan level: when I came here there was an excellent staff, which I think is at optimum level today, even though we are somewhat smaller in number.

"This has always been a 'good' diocese, and that is the water in which I have been privileged to swim. Bethlehem brings out the best in people, even me sometimes. Golfers regularly talk about how much better they play ('playing up') when they are with good or better players –– that is clearly true in church life. We have in this diocese a situation that causes most of us to play up. Bishop Mark established some patterns (the Bible studies, for instance), that continue to provide a framework for excellence."

What would you have done differently over the past 14 years? "I would have worried less, causing less anxiety in those around me. I would not be so focused on my short-comings –– it is part of my job to show people what it looks like to be touched by grace.

What do you wish you had known? "•That we don't know how much we don't know. •The vital importance of community and collegiality is to point out to each other what we cannot ourselves see. I have been off-and-on accepting of some criticism and rejecting of others, but find that I now seek it. I owe this to learning that the unconscious is just that –– others must invite us to consciousness about ourselves. •The non-anxious presence concept is more important than anything else in leadership. The Robinson crisis and what followed taught me that the most important thing was to take a clear stand, calmly. My non-calm moments are my least constructive. •Creativity is a form of madness –– it is small comfort that science is just figuring this out with brain scans, that creative moments look just like psychotic breaks in terms of what lights up. •There is no easy way to travel between the US and Sudan."

What do you want to do with the rest of your life? "Become more ambivalent about myself. That would be the key to teaching 1 Cor 15:10a: By the grace of God, I am what I am. It was the text at my ordination in 1973, and I couldn't really hear it for decades. I could ramble on, and eventually I will, if asked. I think Garrison Keillor's book title says it all: Happy to Be Here."

More to come.

Farewell for Canon Cal Adams

Sermon by Bishop Paul Marshall
Discipleship isn’t a contest, it’s a community
St. Gabriel’s, Douglassville, June 27, 2010
Gen 31: 44-50; I Cor 3:4-11; Luke 17:7-10

It’s a funny feeling being here tonight. You are losing a rector, I am losing a colleague and an immensely wise confidant. Where ought we to go in such a vulnerable place but to the Bible, the family album par excellence. Let’s just go to our family story without more introduction, and see what may help us put this moment in perspective. That is surely something Fr. Adams has consistently taught us to do.

Our Old Testament lesson is one of the more striking tales of Genesis, especially when all the verses are included. Jacob and Laban had spent twenty years deceiving and cheating each other, switching wives, switching livestock, along with other dirty tricks. Jacob has proved the more crafty of the two, and has made himself quite a fortune at Laban’s expense. We meet these shady characters today when Jacob has determined that the best possible thing for him is to get out of town before Laban calls his cousins in Newark. There is one last swindle and it happens at this point: Rachel steals Laban’s household gods, the deed to the property, so to speak, and lies about it in a particularly offensive way. If there had been television this would have been a soap opera.

Jacob and Laban’s solution to the situation where neither is comfortable with the other anymore is to call God as judge and protector while they have their backs turned. God is to “watch between them,” not “watch over” them. That is technically more of a Hebrew curse than a blessing, but it makes clear that the issue is too big for them to handle, and all they can do is trust God. Jacob does leave, and on his journey comes up against Esau, whom he also swindled years ago, and finally does come to his moment of truth and repentance. If there hadn’t been the parting nobody would have gone to the next step of maturation.

Awkward as this story is, it does point out that all relationships must end, most of them end without everything being perfectly resolved, and that in order to be free to get on with what is next in our lives, we must leave each other in the hands of our loving and just God.

Tonight is a very different kind of parting, very different indeed, but it is a parting. Longer than Jacob and Laban were together, St Gabriel’s and Canon Adams have labored not against each other, but for and with each other, learning and doing the work of Jesus. You have done so with results that are greatly admired in the diocese and community. Well done, all around.

I know that you had a night to share your stories about Canon Adams, and that is great. Yet the overall story of Fr. Cal and St. Gabriel’s ends tonight, and ends on a big win, but their individual stories go on, and the Old Testament reading reminds us that ultimately we can only entrust each other to God’s keeping—our directions will be very different now. Separation is an act of spiritual as well as personal maturity. We must embrace it, however reluctantly.

If I were sitting in the pews tonight I might be wondering whether after 23 years of successful work under an unusually savvy and truly kind leader, we can go on. I might be wondering whether times will change too much.

And of course it will never be the same. There will be new things to learn and do, and relationships in the parish will change and grow.

But this is not a time for fear. As our Presiding Bishop had occasion to remind us recently, the Holy Spirit did not go home on Pentecost afternoon and sign up for disability benefits. The Spirit remains active in the Church, and we are invited to rest deeply in that Spirit, listening and watching for guidance and courage—just as we have throughout the long and varied history of this church from colonial days to the present.

Let me give just one example, a tangible one. By all accounts, St Gabriel’s has, in living memory, done seven, seven, capital programs. Nobody comes near that. With your resources you have rescued a struggling nursery school that is now a success. You have been creative with the use of real estate (note-to-self: do not mention tallest cross in Berks County). There are seniors now living on your land whose lives are so much better for your foresight. I hope you have a mechanism for remembering often enough how much you can do! The icing on the cake is that everything you have done with money has been to enhance mission, not escape it. That is something for which I am deeply grateful.

Among all this success, there it hangs, that modest sign, week by week, the simple and direct invitation to all people to learn and do the work of Jesus.

If the best prediction of future performance is past performance, there are many reasons for courage and eagerness after tonight.

When a good leader leaves, people will say, “Look what WE did,” and they will be right. A good leader shows people places and circumstances where they can grow, even plants a seed now and then. But as our epistle insists, it is God who gives the growth. We very rightly acknowledge Fr. Cal’s gifts, talents, and hard work tonight, and I am privileged to know personally something of the depth of his spirituality and sweet humility—we acknowledge that and thank him for sharing who and what he is in the service of Christ and his Kingdom. But if you know Fr. Cal as I do, you know that every step of the way he has counted on God to see the work through, and his faith has not been in vain. You have had that most special kind of leader here, one who uses the product.

Whether we think about Fr. Cal’s future or St. Gabriel’s future, can the formula be any different? Learn, do, trust. Learn the work of Jesus. Do the work of Jesus. Trust the work of Jesus.

When we keep our focus on how we are functioning, as you have done so extraordinarily well over the years, so many problems are put in perspective or don’t arise at all. I give you the gospel tonight as a bit of an example. It sounds harsh at first – Jesus almost never talks in stained glass tones, does he? – but it’s really gospel, really good news. One of Jesus’ on-going problems was that the disciples were not above squabbling about who was most important, and they could get very touchy—now you have to remember this was a long time ago. Jesus’ message to them is simple: if we are not obsessed with comparisons, if we are focused on just doing what we are called to do, using the gifts and talents we actually have, that’s being healthy normal. Discipleship isn’t a contest, it’s a community. Satisfaction comes from the sense that each of us actually does our part, without comparisons, without living for that pat on the back that the insecure seek. One of the things I love most about Fr. Cal is that he has done his ministry for the sheer joy of it. There were turns he could have taken that would have been self-aggrandizing, but he has remained the servant of God’s people because that is who he really is and enjoys being.

On hot Sunday afternoons, I end sermons on the top quarter of this very page, but you have installed air conditioning this week. For which I congratulate you, but it’s a two-edged sword.

So I will go on and say something that I hope you will cherish now and actualize continually. I don’t know any priest who more consistently speaks of his parish as “we” rather than “they” or “them” than does your rector. Fr. Cal has been a success here because he is connected to St. Gabriel’s life, not existing over-against it. As long as all those who lead and serve this parish consistently remember that we are connected to one another in Christ, God can do much. The fact that your vestry meetings are such thoroughly spiritual events is important reinforcement to that consistent memory, and I hope you will maintain the tradition

In a minute, like Jacob and Laban building their altar, we will put God in the middle of the situation by saying the Creed. But then i is actually going to happen: the rector publicly hangs up his spurs and you say that you will honor his decision, really honor it. There may be tears, there may be uncertainty, but there is also the knowledge that the God who has brought us safe this far will safely see us home.

So Father Calvin, we thank you, we admire you, and we wish you and Pamela nothing but joy.

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Well-kneaded, God-baked, God-boken, God-made ... On the day he ordains the Rev. Brian Pavlac to priesthood, Tuesday, June 29, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Bishop Paul will mark 14 years since bishops laid hands on him, consecrating him Eighth Bishop of the 14-county Diocese of Bethlehem. The late Bishop Robert Rowley, once on the DioBeth staff, was chief consecrator.

Many of us who were there remember snippets of the sermon preached by Bishop Catherine Roskam, a former student in Bishop Paul’s homiletics class at Yale. One part, where she recited a poem, Bakerwoman God, seems to me to have been especially prophetic: “Bakerwoman God, I am your living bread … I am your rising bread, well-kneaded … Put me in fire, Bakerwoman God … Break me, Bakerwoman God … Bakerwoman God, remake me.”

Upon returning from a 2005 mission trip to southern Sudan, Bishop Paul told a story about the impetus for the New Hope Campaign which has now raised more than $3.8 million for the people of Kajo Keji and the needy of northeastern Pennsylvania. “At the end of a week in that bomb-torn country, Diana and I baked in a bus for 14 hours in the Ugandan sun. Finally you give up wiping your face. As we became increasingly caked with red dirt and the overcrowded bus grew hotter and hotter, I found myself baking in a creative and holy sense: I knew God wanted my attention. Genesis says humans began our existence as kind of mud pies, and the red dust of the earth baking into my pores helped me have a new beginning of insight: Here were sisters and brothers with almost nothing to their names trying to build a life and a country — how could I go on as usual? In addition to altering how I live personally, I have had to abandon some of my bricks-and-mortar dreams for our own diocese, particularly regarding a conference center, in order to see what God would have us do for others. The question that intrigued me was, Could we dare to have a capital fund drive where we didn’t get the money?”

A story written by Bill Lewellis more than a year ago for Bishop Paul 13th anniversary, in need of some updating, may be found here.

50 years ... July 11 will be the 50th anniversary of the ordination of the Very Rev. Robert D. Schenkel, Jr., onetime dean of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Bob will preside and preach at the cathedral that day.

Moravian/Episcopal Full Communion ... The Northern Province of the Moravian Church voted June 18 to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church. The nearly unanimous voice vote [one dissenting vote] came during an evening session on the second day of the church's June 17-21 quadrennial Provincial Synod at Moravian College in Bethlehem. The Episcopal Church voted to affirm full communion at las summer's General Convention. Read the Episcopal News Story story here. The story as it appears on the Moravian Church blog is accessible here and here. Over the years of dialogue with the Moravian Church toward full communion, Nick Knisely, Jane Teter and Maria Tjeltveit have served consecutively on the dialogue team. We've been way ahead at Diocesan House in that Kat Lehman, our Info-Tech coordinator and Diocesan Life editor, is a Moravian and the spouse of Derek French, pastor at East Hills Moravian Church on Butztown Road, Bethlehem. Photos taken by Kat are at the DioBeth Flickr site. [What follow is from Bob Schenkel, former dean, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem]  Full Communion with the Moravians has been in the works for some time, but our local relationship goes back to the very beginning when the Church of the Nativity (not yet the Cathedral) was established in the mid-19th century. The Moravians graciously permitted the use of Central Moravian Church for Episcopal services when there was no Episcopal church. On April 19 1865, the Moravian clergy participated in the dedication of Nativity, and both Episcopalian and Moravian clergy (and perhaps others) held joint memorial services for President Lincoln who had been assassinated the previous Friday (Good Friday incidentally). The history is well told in a little volume - One Hundred Years of Nativity.

Hats-off to the Presiding Bishop ... The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church preached at Southwark Cathedral Londonon the weekend of June 12-13. The Archbishop of Canterbury said she could not wear a mitre. Something to do with women bishops not yet being allowed in the C of E. She carried the mitre. The subject for her sermon: God welcomes everyone, regardless of dress or condition. More here. [H/T to Ann Fontaine] Read the PB's sermon here. And read here for a follow-up on ecclesial temper. Finally, the PB calls the ABC's treatment of her "bizarre, beyond bizarre." Ordinarily it would not be news that in 2005 Frank Griswold, then presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, wore his mitre at Southward Cathedral. But these are not ordinary times. Read Religion News Service story, "Hat's- off to Episcopal bishop ..."

The PB 's usual steady self ... According to Jim Naughton, editor of Episcopal Cafe, "Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was her usual steady self in an interview with David Crabrtree of WRAL TV, himself an Episcopalian. The interview touched on the ecological devastation of the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the still-spreading BP oil spill, earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti; relationships in the Anglican Communion, and 'mitregate,' which she said was not painful, but was 'silly.'" (I do not yet have a link to that interview. ––Bill) While she was in the state, however, the PB was also interviewed by Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina. Video is at the diocese's Youtube channel: Part I (8 minutes); Part II (8 minutes).

Presiding bishop commences visit to Australia, New Zealand ... [By Matthew Davies, Episcopal News Service] The Anglican churches in Australia and New Zealand are hosting Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori for an informal two-week visit to the two provinces. "I'm to speak with people there about their conversations around human sexuality and also about their missionary development work -- not in the sense of finances but in the sense of leadership development and theological education," Jefferts Schori told members of Executive Council during their June 16-18 meeting in Maryland. "We're also going to have a conversation about the work that they're doing around the Millennium Development Goals, and, obviously, our relationships within the Anglican Communion." Neva Rae Fox, the Episcopal Church's program officer for public affairs, said the trip, which has been in the planning stages for more than a year, is all about building relationships. Full story.

The End of Christendom ... Duke theologian Stanley Hauerwas, among others, has said that Constantinian Christianity, meaning what often is called Christendom, has lost -- especially in Europe but increasingly in the U.S., too. "This Christianity." according to Bill Tammeus, "involved a close, almost incestuous, connection between the church and the governing powers. So now we Christians are liberated from the burden of that and can focus more freely on following Jesus, which means using our prophetic voices to point out what is unjust and unmerciful in our culture and then work to fix it." More here.

Michelle White ordained to priesthood ... [From Father Bill McGinty] On Monday 21 June 2010, the Rev. Dr. Michelle White was ordained priest in the Episcopal church by Bishop Mark Beckwith. Surrounded by friends from Long Island, Honesdale and especially Milford her home parish, Chellie received the sacred sacrament and was welcomed into the presbyterate. The ceremony took place at All Saints Church, Hoboken, NJ.

Pope of the Valley ... Bishop Paul said the is grateful to the Rev. Maureen Hipple, rector of Christ Church Towanda, for kindly agreeing to serve as his pastoral representative for the northern region, a position the clergy of the region had nick-named "Pope of the Valley." She will serve, the Bishop said, as did the late Rev. Ned Caum and the Rev. Mary Kisner, to help clergy and congregations of the region stay linked to each other and to the larger community.

The Book of Common Prayer in Four MInutes ... Father Matthew leads a rapid romp through the BCP. View here.

Pray For...

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families … Jeffrey R. Standfest, 23; Michael C. Bailey, 29; Benjamin D. Osborn, 27; William Ortega, 23; Michael P. Cassidy, 41; Joseph D. Johnson, 24; Gunnar R. Hotchkin, 31; Nathan W. Cox, 27; Benjamin J. Park, 25; James P. Hunter, 25; Scott A. Andrews, 21; Timothy G. Serwinowski, 21; Jacob P. Dohrenwend, 20;  ... for the fallen heroes also of our coalition partners, and for the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan who have died, unnamed and unknown to us, and for those who mourn ... and for an end to this endless war.

Culled from various web pages, including:
U.S. Department of Defense news releases
In Remembrance, at legacy.com
Honor the Fallen, from Military Times

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Moravian/Episcopal Full Communion ... The Northern Province of the Moravian Church voted June 18 to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church. The nearly unanimous voice vote [one dissenting vote] came during an evening session on the second day of the church's June 17-21 quadrennial Provincial Synod at Moravian College in Bethlehem. The Episcopal Church voted to affirm full communion at las summer's General Convention. Read the Episcopal News Story story here. The story as it appears on the Moravian Church blog is accessible here and here. Over the years of dialogue with the Moravian Church toward full communion, Nick Knisely, Jane Teter and Maria Tjeltveit have served consecutively on the dialogue team. We've been way ahead at Diocesan House in that Kat Lehman, our Info-Tech coordinator and Diocesan Life editor, is a Moravian and the spouse of Derek French, pastor at East Hills Moravian Church on Butztown Road, Bethlehem. Photos taken by Kat are at the DioBeth Flickr site.

On June 21, 1607, English settlers celebrated the first recorded Holy Communion at the Jamestown settlement in Virginia.

The longest day, the shortest night ... the spiritual meaning of summer solstice. Read it here.

Hats-off to the Presiding Bishop ... The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church preached at Southwark Cathedral Londonon the weekend of June 12-13. The Archbishop of Canterbury said she could not wear a mitre. Something to do with women bishops not yet being allowed in the C of E. She carried the mitre. The subject for her sermon: God welcomes everyone, regardless of dress or condition. More here. [H/T to Ann Fontaine] Read the PB's sermon here. And read here for a follow-up on ecclesial temper. Finally, the PB calls the ABC's treatment of her "bizarre, beyond bizarre." Ordinarily it would not be news that in 2005 Frank Griswold, then presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, wore his mitre at Southward Cathedral. But these are not ordinary times. Read Religion News Service story, "Hat's- off to Episcopal bishop ..."

Trained and Educated ... “A well-trained man knows how to answer questions, they reasoned; an educated man knows what questions are worth asking.” [Sociologist E. Digby Baltzell explaining the Bell leaders’ concerns in an article published in Harper’s magazine in 1955]

A dad relishes the miracle of shared pleasure ... [By Garrison Keillor] A father needs to make a bond with his children based on pleasure, and this is a delicate negotiation. My daughter and I love to sing the University of Minnesota Rouser, and we enjoy jokes, bookstores, old musicals, ice cream, trains, water fights and hilarity at the dinner table. Have fun on Father's Day. A good joke is the only gift I need. How about the one about the father who asked for a cup of coffee, no sugar, no cream, and the waitress said, "Sorry, we don't have any cream — how about no milk instead?" What you don't want, you can't have it anyway, so how about not wanting what's available? Story of my life, kid. And then you came along. An inside-the-park home run on the first pitch. More here.

God and Dad: A Father's Four Lessons of Faith ... Wrestle with God. Befriend the stranger. Plunge into the waters. Be reunited with the ones you love. More here.

Sally Hampson, R.I.P.  [From Mother Hillary Raining, Trinity  Bethlehem] It is with a sad heart that I share with you the news that our beloved sister in Christ, Sally Hampson, passed away on Saturday evening. May light perpetual shine upon her and may she rest in peace.

Executive Council sends message to Episcopal Church ... Read it here.

A summary of Executive Council resolutions ... Read it here.

Vatican newspaper: 'Blues Brothers' is a 'Catholic Classic' ... Thirty years after Jake and Elwood went on "a mission from God," the pope's newspaper has given the Blues Brothers two thumbs up, and then some. More here. [H/T to Duke Divinity's "News and Ideas"]

The risks God takes ... Why a little church history is a dangerous -- and necessary -- thing. Without dissenting voices, there would have been no Reformation. This tempers my response to fellow Christians whom I believe are doctrinally unorthodox. I disagree with them as my conscience dictates, but I must also respect them as potential sparks in a reforming fire. As long as the church is made up of humans, it will need reform, and reform will require dissent from the status quo. Read more at Christianity Today. [H/T to Duke Divinity's "News and Ideas"]

Acting Locally Inspiring Globally ... A newsletter from the International Parish Nurse Resource Center. Read it here. [H/T to Diana Marshall]

Moravian Church, Northern Province Enters Full Communion With Episcopal Church

[Editor's note: The following release was provided by Mike Riess, Executive Director of the Interprovincial Board of Communications for the Moravian Church in North America. I took the photo and you can see more from the vote here]

By Mike Riess

JUNE 18, 2010, BETHLEHEM, PA. – Today, delegates of the Moravian Church, Northern Province voted to bring their Province into a relationship of full communion with the Episcopal Church.  The proposal, brought to the floor of the Northern Province’s 2010 Synod held at Moravian College in Bethlehem this week, was approved by voice vote.

What a great and glorious day,” said Steven Miller, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee and co-chair of the dialogue.  “In a world that wants to divide us more and more, we are called to unity.  We look forward to new and deeper relationships across our churches as we continue to work together to witness the true unity of God through the Church of Jesus Christ.”

This is an important day in the life of our churches,” said David L. Wickmann, president, Moravian Church, Northern Province. “This communion means our Church has the opportunity to engage with one of our historic partners in a more complete and meaningful way.”

The communion of the Moravian Church, Northern Province and the Episcopal Church brings a greater unity to the Christian church.  “We seek this relationship of full communion so that our mission as Christ’s church will be more effectively fulfilled and each of our denominations might be more complete because of the spiritual treasures of the other,” reads Finding Our Delight in the Lord: A Proposal for Full Communion Between the Episcopal Church; the Moravian Church Northern Province; and the Moravian Church, Southern Province. “We do this for the sake of the world so that the world may believe.”

In pursuing full communion with another church, both denominations remain faithful to Christ’s will for his church.  On the night before he died, our Lord Jesus prayed, “…that they may all be one.  As you, Father, are in me, and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21 NRSV)

Full communion is not a merger. There will still be differences between the denominations, just as there are differences in individual churches, provinces and dioceses of any denomination.  Current differences in structure, doctrine, liturgy and positions on social and ethical issues may require each church to speak for itself at times.

This communion maintains what makes each denomination special or unique to its members; it is about the unity of Christ’s church, not the uniformity of practice. The two will mutually recognize and respect each other as part of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, which affirms its faith through the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.

In addition to the unity of Christ’s church, full communion provides for the sharing of ministry.  With this agreement, ordained clergy in each denomination will be able to serve in the other, allowing for the orderly interchange of ordained ministers, joint worship and the celebration of Holy Communion.

On a practical level, the full communion provides opportunities to share resources and mission work.  Full communion agreements bring mutual cooperation and laboring together in mission work, church planting, clergy education, disaster relief and other areas of common endeavors.  The communion also offers opportunities to enhance the life and ministry of local congregations.

The Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of their full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Episcopal Church also has full communion with the ELCA.  This is the first time three denominations have come to full communion agreements on their own.

The full communion is the result of many years of work between the two churches.  It was first proposed in 1999.  Since then, ecumenical representatives from both denominations worked to reach the accord.  The 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting July 8-17, 2009, adopted Finding Our Delight in the Lord unanimously.  Following the Northern Province Synod this week, the proposal is expected to be taken up by the Moravian Church-Southern Province at their Synod in September.

The Moravian Church, which celebrated its 550th anniversary in 2007, is one of the oldest Protestant denominations, dating back to 1457 in Europe and first coming to America in 1735. Moravians have a strong tradition of ecumenical work and are best known for their missionary work and rich musical heritage. The Moravian Church in North America is comprised of the Northern and Southern Provinces. The Northern Province has around 23,000 members in 93 congregations in 13 states in the U.S. and two Canadian provinces. The Southern Province includes nearly 17,000 members in 58 congregations, which are located primarily throughout the Southeast. The worldwide Moravian Church consists of 19 provinces with nearly 795,000 members, half of which live in Africa.  Moravian Church contact: Mike Riess, mike@mcnp.org

CORRECTED Diocesan Life July and August issue 2010

Attached you will find the CORRECTED July and August issue of Diocesan Life. Don't forget the SEPTEMBER deadline is August 3rd. Summer has a way of slipping by rapidly! Also, if you have any events or ministries you would like highlighted, we would be more than happy to include articles and pictures. Please contact kat lehman at klehman@diobeth.org for submission tips for photography preferably BEFORE you take photos of events. Thanks in advance! The following file is 3.1MB in size.

My apologies to St. Andrew's, Allentown and their new Rector, the Rev. T. Scott Allen who was originally listed as being installed at St. Stephen's, Allentown.

Download JULY_2010_DiocesanLifeCORRECTED

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Anarchy institutionalized ... a bit like what the church is at our best. Catholic Worker houses rock. Especially when they’re Protestant. More here. [H/T to John B. Chilton, reporting at Episcopal Cafe]

Morning Meditation ... Our sacred communion, a grain of sand within billions of galaxies. Begin your morning meditation with the Art Blog at Episcopal Cafe.

Kajo Keji's New Hope Newsletter, April-June 2010, includes an update on New Hope construction. Download it at the newSpin blog.

Letters of Intent requested for New Hope grants ... [From the Rev. Daniel Gunn] The Social Ministries Committee is now ready to receive and consider requests for disbursements from the New Hope Campaign. The total amount we are able to grant for the 2010-11 calendar year is $100,000. Therefore, we are inviting Letters of Intent from parishes and Episcopal related organizations within the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem. The Deadline for Letters of Intent is 30 July 2010. More here.

Diocesan Life, the July/August issue ... Download it here.

Rowan to Katharine: don't wear your mitre in England ... The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church preached at Southwark Cathedral London last weekend despite muted hisses of disapproval by conservative evangelicals. She wore no mitre. The Archbishop of Canterbury couldn't stop her preaching but said she could not wear a mitre. Something to do with women bishops not yet being allowed in the C of E. She carried the mitre. The subject for her sermon: God welcomes everyone, regardless of dress or condition. More here. [H/T to Ann Fontaine] Read the PB's sermon here. And read here for a follow-up on ecclesial temper. Finally, the PB calls the ABC's treatment of her "bizarre, beyond bizarre." Ordinarily it would not be news that in 2005 Frank Griswold, then presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, wore his mitre at Southward Cathedral. But these are not ordinary times.

From risk to opportunities: Congregational renewal in the Diocese of Bethlehem

[Editor’s note: This is the first of a three part series focusing on congregational renewal within the diocese. If you would like further information please contact Fr. Charles Cesaretti or one of the members listed in the article.]

From risk to opportunities: Congregational renewal in the Diocese of Bethlehem

By Ty Welles and Canon Andrew Gerns
A group of laity and clergy are working to create a process to assist congregations with renewal and development in rapidly changing times, based on utilizing inherent strengths in local communities and networking parishes with similar situations in creative and collaborative ways.

The group was called together in response to Bishop Paul Marshall’s address to the Diocesan Convention in October, 2009. Bishop Marshall said the  following concerning congregations in the diocese:
“The problem with help [for parishes] from the outside is that it can look and feel imposed. Therefore, to help less endangered parishes reclaim their vitality I have been meeting with the Congregational Development Commission in order to reorganize their activities. . . . It is very important to me that parishes in similar situations talk with each other and as far as possible, work together.”

Soon after Convention, Bishop Paul invited the Congregational Development Commission, and a group interested laity and clergy together to talk about how the congregational development process can be reoriented. Instead of providing resources to assist congregations from “above” as it did in the past, the goal will be to facilitate parishes to work together for renewal. The goal will bring together diocesan and congregational resources in a network to assist both troubled and stable congregations move from mere survival to a sense of Christ-centered vitality and world-focused mission.

The new group is chaired by the Rev. Charles Cesaretti and consists of Bishop Paul, Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow, Fr. Cesaretti, Canon Jane Teter, Canon George Loeffler, Canon Andrew Gerns, Fr. Bill McGinty, Fr. Scott Allen, Charles Warwick, Ty Welles, Rachel Bartron, and Dean Tony Pompa. Some of these people were already members of the Congregational Development Commission, and others represented both parishes and other programs or oversight committees of the diocese.

The group designated a drafting team tasked to develop a report about the current state of congregation development and support as well as the needs, hopes and vision of the various groups and parishes in the diocese. The group convened four mini-consultations with representative focus groups from across the diocese to seek out information, background and suggestions. One consultation was with a joint meeting of Diocesan Council and the Standing Committee; a second was with diocesan staff; a third was with representatives of a number of parishes exhibiting growth; and a fourth was with representatives of a number of struggling parishes.

The report, titled From Risks to Opportunities: Congregational Renewal in the Diocese of Bethlehem was the result. The paper describes the standards, practices, and resources that will foster faithfulness of ministry in every congregation of the diocese. The writers suggested that the mission and instrumentality of the committee should be to strengthen all parishes, especially those that have exhibited vitality; provide resources to those congregations “at risk”; and provide self-realization and eventuality to those congregations that have lost their sense of purpose or vitality.

After being presented to Diocesan Council, the Standing Committee, the Incorporated Trustees, and various program committees of the diocese, the outline in From Risks to Opportunities will be brought to the diocese at large through Diocesan Convention this fall. These three articles provide the background for the decisions we will make together in October.

At the heart of the findings described in From Risks to Opportunities is the definition of mission found in the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer: “the mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. The mission is pursued as it prays, worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love. This mission is carried out through the ministry of all its members.” This understanding of mission proclaims that our first and primary relationship is with God; the second relationship is in the worship and proclamation of the church; and the third relationship is with the community and the world. From Risks to Opportunities suggested that this should be adopted as the mission statement of the committee.

A second suggestion was that the committee be renamed The Committee on Congregational Renewal. This would align the committee with the mission statement, and with both the goal and process.

A third finding in From Risks to Opportunities was that the Committee on Congregational Renewal should become the catalyst and agent for a multi-year program to shepherd all congregations of the diocese to renewal and transformation, and to move from risk to opportunities.

Out of the meetings held by the committee there developed a number of assumptions:
1. The bedrock of Christian action is a spiritual life, which must start, direct, and sustain all congregational life.
2. Congregations must focus on their strengths rather than on their weaknesses.
3. Congregations can greatly strengthen their witness when they link up with neighboring congregations in cooperative ventures.
4. Congregations do better when they do not become dependent upon outside sources.
5. Many clergy are ill-prepared to lead a small rural or village church.
6. Every congregation in the diocese must be included in the renewal and transformational process at the appropriate level.

The Committee on Congregational Renewal is developing a process for the diocese and congregations to move into a new era of renewal for parishes in the Diocese of Bethlehem. The vision also includes improved collaboration between the several commissions of the diocese.

As we move towards Diocesan Convention this coming October, the next two parts in this series will describe in more detail how this process will be laid out and frame the discussion and decisions before us. We will spell out the ways in which parishes in the diocese can move into the renewal process beginning at the convention, and how every Episcopalian in northeast Pennsylvania can support a renewed, re-vitalized sense of mission and Christian community.

Pray For...

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families … Steve M. Theobald, 53; Derek L. Shanfield, 22; Zachary J. Walters, 24; Erick J. Klusacek, 22; Michael P. Flores, 31; Joel C. Gentz, 25; David C. Smith, 26; Benjamin D. White, 24; Michael G. Plank, 25; Gavin R. Brummund, 22; Robert J. Fike, 38; Bryan A. Hoover, 29; Christian M. Adams, 26; Israel P. Obryan, 24; William C. Yauch, 23; Mario Rodriguez, 24; Brian M. Anderson, 24; Christopher W. Opat, 29; Joshua A. Lukeala, 23; Matthew R. Catlett, 23; Charles S. Jirtle, 29; Blaine E. Redding, 22; ... for the fallen heroes also of our coalition partners, and for the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan who have died, unnamed and unknown to us, and for those who mourn ... and for an end to this endless war.

Culled from various web pages, including:
U.S. Department of Defense news releases
In Remembrance, at legacy.com
Honor the Fallen, from Military Times

Letters of Intent requested for New Hope grants

16 June 2010

Dear Partners in Ministry,

The Social Ministries Committee is now ready to receive and consider requests for disbursements from the New Hope Campaign. The total amount we are able to grant for the 2010-11 calendar year is $100,000. Therefore, we are inviting Letters of Intent from parishes and Episcopal related organizations within the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem. The Deadline for Letters of Intent is 30 July 2010.

The Letter of Intent should contain:

•The Mission Statement of the parish/organization
•A summary of the proposal including a brief project description
•An outline of the focus and scope (who will be served?)
•Amount to be requested from the SMC (one time or multi-year request)
•Partner churches, agencies, organizations, etc., if any
•Project start date
•Name, e-mail and day and evening telephone number of contact person(s).

Letters of Intent should be sent to The Rev’d Daniel C. Gunn, St. Stephen’s Pro-cathedral, 35 South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 or emailed to dgunn@ststephenswb.org with “Social Ministry Application” in the subject line. A member of the Social Ministries Committee will be in contact soon thereafter. These Letters are preliminary proposals and will be considered in the order in which they are received. Applications will be sent after the initial contact. 

In peace,

The Rev’d Daniel C. Gunn, Chair
Social Ministries Committee
Diocese of Bethlehem

"Classic Voices" will set tone in Jermyn

“Classic Voices,” unique acappella singing group, will set the tone with a special concert presentation to be held at St. James and George Episcopal Church Jermyn on Saturday June 19. More here.

Kajo Keji's New Hope Newsletter

The April-June 2010 New Hope newsletter of the Diocese of Kajo Keji, including updates on New Hope construction, may be downloaded below.

Download 1004-06KajoKejiNews.pdf

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Lost horizons on TV and in life ... [A column by Bishop Paul Marshall, published in the Opinion section of Episcopal Life Online and in the July/August edition of Diocesan Life] An excerpt: The Lost series was about plane crash survivors who work out their personal issues and relationship problems on a Pacific island. The jungle island has polar bears, lost colonies, archaeological remains, and nuclear weapons. There are flash-forwards, backwards and sideways. And there is time travel. In other words, it is all dreamlike and slightly mind-bending fun. Everything is imaginable, and in six seasons just about everything happens. People are born and people die. They have issues with their parents. They love and hate. They change. The writers had a lark, but something else was happening in the audience. Read more at Episcopal Life Online ... in the Opinion section, third column. Scroll down just a bit.

Function over Feeling ... [Sermon by Bishop Paul at the Celebration of New Ministry, St. Andrew's Allentown, May 20] An excerpt: The most common illusion in churches is a belief that all of our difficulties are somebody else’s fault, and if only we could find the right somebody, our church would return to its golden age and we would all get along…again. St Andrew’s stands out in my mind as THE church in this diocese where the broad lay leadership had the spiritual courage and personal maturity to step away from the illusions that drive so many congregations of every denomination right to extinction. This parish chose to go to work on its own manner of relating. Beyond all of that, St. Andrew’s chose to keep its focus not on how it was feeling, but on how it was functioning as the body of Jesus Christ in mission on Pennsylvania Avenue. By giving your functioning priority over your feeling, you gave God room to bind your wounds, to make you stronger, and to make you a blessing to those whom you serve in increasing numbers. I salute the lay leaders who worked spiritually and physically to make spiritual transformation possible. More here.

Is the Anglican Covenant a reasonable and necessary instrument to strengthen the cohesion of a very diverse Communion? asked the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. "Is it helpful to attempt to define the essence of what we are - so that it becomes easier to see who we are and who we are not? Or is it an unhelpful and unanglican attempt to define a single view of what we are and to substitute a central authority for Anglican co-responsibility?" More here. [H/T to Andrew Gerns, reporting at Episcopal Cafe]

Lost Horizons on TV and in Life

A column by Bishop Paul Marshall

[Published in the Opinion section of Episcopal Life Online and in the July/August issue of Diocesan Life]

From the old joke department, I told a colleague that I had a new heart medicine (I do), and that I was having some trouble following its directions. The first was easy: Do not drink alcohol while taking this medication. The second was harder: Keep away from children.

I was hoping for a quick chuckle, which I got. My colleague was more playful -- and thoughtful -- than I. He added, "It's an odd sort of medicine that thinks keeping away from children is good for your heart." Touché.

Children bring us so many gifts. Everybody has their favorite. Mine is that children bring out my imagination and sense of play. When I visit with children during a Sunday service, it's the time in the week I feel most free, most safe. It's good for my heart.

It was a great step in evolution when the Romantic movement discovered childhood. I found myself wishing I had a platoon of children to send in when the bloggers starting arguing after the final episode of "Lost" aired on television.

The series was about plane crash survivors who work out their personal issues and relationship problems on a Pacific island. The jungle island has polar bears, lost colonies, archaeological remains, and nuclear weapons. There are flash-forwards, backwards and sideways. And there is time travel.

In other words, it is all dreamlike and slightly mind-bending fun. Everything is imaginable, and in six seasons just about everything happens. People are born and people die. They have issues with their parents. They love and hate. They change.

The writers had a lark, but something else was happening in the audience. Some viewers, known as "Losties," were attaching Deep Meaning to the show just as Trekkies did to "Star Trek."

I think that is basically good news. Think about the themes of "Lost." Characters work out their own issues at the same time that they participate in a community not of their choosing.  They can decide to help save the world. Life defeats death. That an audience would be committed to these themes is strong evidence that a yearning for meaning and connectedness still thrives amidst the quirks in our culture.

The twist was obvious before the end of the first season: these characters are dead and are being given a last chance to develop as human beings. It's not a new plot, but here it is wonderfully done. Sort of "groundhog day of the dead." That this twist was "revealed" in the last episode can have shocked only literary innocents.

So whether you use the word "purgatory" or not, the idea played with in "Lost" is the yearning each of us has to get it right. Through many a struggle the characters basically do get it right, are reconciled, and go on to a pleasant afterlife. The story is fuzzy and imprecise. It also fits the "basic story" that C. S. Lewis says is at the bottom of most the great stories worldwide. Life has a goal, and attaining it is sometimes very hard work. Life defeats death.

On the child's make-believe level, where all equations do not need to balance, "Lost" is a wonderful playground for the mind, and I am happy to let it go at that. But what are we to make of the Lostie "theologians" who need the series to have a consistent and finely defined philosophy where everything makes precise sense? Some indignantly hate the ending, others gleefully shout that they told us so, others triumphantly see their own religion's catechism writ large in the script. Some patently cannot handle the ambiguities presented. And they argue. For them, the fun is gone amidst the arguing.

When we overinvest data in symbols or rituals, which do their work by evocation and ambiguity, we kill them. All too often the human desire for security and control takes over, and living symbols become inanimate objects. Imagination dies. This is why most explanations of the alleged meaning of church ritual and hardware are not only wrong but also damaging.

On the other hand, for instance, the genius of having four gospels is that we can never get the story down pat, so we have to hold their different reports and points of view in a tension that makes our sense of balance better. We understand them as we live them. There is a great gift here. Arguing about the details destroys the sweep of the narrative, and keeps people from entering into the drama personally. The debate about "Lost" teaches us something about the temptations that come to all religions: the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6). 

Children are fascinated by stories and love to play them. They get meanings they could never define with precision by doing them. They would know to leave "Lost" alone and just enjoy it.

Function over Feelings

Sermon by Bishop Paul Marshall
Institution of The Rev. Scott Allen
St. Andrew's Allentown/Bethlehem
May 20, 2010

After 30-something years of attending or leading services just like this one, I have concluded that the preacher at such events is very much like the corpse at an old-fashioned wake. You need him to have the party, but nobody expects him to say much.

I think that is true because the service of new ministry is a part of a honeymoon, where the level of infatuation and delight is usually pretty high. Anyone who’s tried to give serious advice to couples who are still batting their eyes at each other knows it’s a waste of time.

But tonight seems different, and I believe that the lessons carry a word from the Lord that can be heard. I believe that because the journey St. Andrew’s has been on for the last fifteen years has intensified your spirituality, challenged you personally and corporately, and left you with very few illusions—a gift very few people are given.

The most common illusion in churches is a belief that all of our difficulties are somebody else’s fault, and if only we could find the right somebody, our church would return to its golden age and we would all get along…again.

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Lost horizons on TV and in life ... [By Bishop Paul Marshall] An excerpt: The Lost series was about plane crash survivors who work out their personal issues and relationship problems on a Pacific island. The jungle island has polar bears, lost colonies, archaeological remains, and nuclear weapons. There are flash-forwards, backwards and sideways. And there is time travel. In other words, it is all dreamlike and slightly mind-bending fun. Everything is imaginable, and in six seasons just about everything happens. People are born and people die. They have issues with their parents. They love and hate. They change.

The writers had a lark, but something else was happening in the audience. Some viewers, known as "Losties," were attaching Deep Meaning to the show just as Trekkies did to "Star Trek." I think that is basically good news. Think about the themes of Lost. Characters work out their own issues at the same time that they participate in a community not of their choosing. They can decide to help save the world. Life defeats death. That an audience would be committed to these themes is strong evidence that a yearning for meaning and connectedness still thrives amidst the quirks in our culture.

The twist was obvious before the end of the first season: these characters are dead and are being given a last chance to develop as human beings. It's not a new plot, but here it is wonderfully done. Sort of "groundhog day of the dead." That this twist was "revealed" in the last episode can have shocked only literary innocents. Read it all at Episcopal Life Online ... in the Opinion section. third column. Scroll down just a bit.

Bishop's Day for Kids ... The Gospel according to Dr Seuss, July 10 at Good Shepherd Scranton. More info here. Register online here.

Reversal in property case ... The Virginia Supreme Court ruled this morning (June 10) in favor of the Diocese of Virginia and the Episcopal Church in the property dispute between the diocese and CANA. Read more here.

Good Shepherd Milford child care center is a rising star ... [From Father Bill McGinty] The Good Shepherd Child Care Center in Milford just received news that it has been awarded STAR 3 Status from the Pennsylvania State Star Program. This means so much to the center in terms of grants. Angela Smith and her team, worked for months with parishioners to fill all the State requirements. The Good Shepherd Child Care Center is in its 25th year and cares for poor and single-parent families. As a part of Good Shepherd and St. John's Shared Ministry Outreach Program, the center cares for some 72 children each day. Suzanne Geisler is the center's vestry coordinator. From almost closing in July of 2005, this is a monumental achievement for the center and the vestry's restoration program.

Calendar of Events around the Diocese, updated June 9 ...  Download as a word or pdf file the current calendar of events for the whole diocese here. If you would like an event listed, please email Kat Lehman with the date or dates, event name, location, cost, time event starts and any contact information. She will gladly add any events your parish is hosting.

Calendar of Diocesan Events ...  Find it here. Please note the difference between this calendar of diocesan events and the calendar of events around the diocese in the item immediately above.

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families … Alvaro R. Regalado Sessarego, 37;  Jonathan K. Peney, 22; Francisco J.  Guardado-Ramirez, 21; Joseph J. Theinert, 24; Michael E. McGahan, 23; Brendan P. Neenan, 21; Brandon C. Bury, 26; Derek Hernandez, 20; Donald M. Marler, 22; John K. Rankel, 23; ... for the fallen heroes also of our coalition partners, and for the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan who have died, unnamed and unknown to us, and for those who mourn ... and for an end to this endless war.

The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion ... Find a kind of Cliff Notes here.

For Episcopalian Hockey Fans ... All five of us? :-) ... The Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews, is an alum of Shattuck-St Mary’s School in Faribault, Minn., an Episcopal school.  Also the school that turned out  the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and the Devils’ Zach Parise. [H/T to Episcopal Communicator Daniel Webster]

Sing Sing Prison and the rhythm of prayer ... A prayer life is for everyone. Prayers can fit any schedule, any routine. Prayers can be said in private or in community, alone or with family and friends. It doesn't matter where you are -- on the subway, in a taxi, at home, at work, bike riding, walking the dog, in an office. Or in prison. Read more here. [H/T to Neva Rae Fox's Daily Scan]

The PB's response to the ABC's Pentecost letter ... Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a pastoral letter to the Episcopal Church, in which she refers to the Pentecost letter from Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. "The recent statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury about the struggles within the Anglican Communion seems to equate Pentecost with a single understanding of gospel realities. Those who received the gift of the Spirit on that day all heard good news. The crowd reported, 'in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power' (Acts 2:11). Read the PB's letter here and a few reactions here and here. [H/T to Episcopal Cafe reporters Peter Carey and Andrew Gerns]

Canterbury's sanctions ... were "unfortunate [because] they misrepresent who the Anglican Communion is," said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori at a press conference in Nova Scotia in response to the decision by Lambeth Palace to remove Episcopalians serving on international ecumenical dialogues. "I don't think it helps dialogue to remove some people from the conversation," she said shortly after addressing the Anglican Church of Canada's General Synod 2010. "We have a variety of opinions on these issues of human sexuality across the communion ... For the archbishop of Canterbury to say to the Methodists or the Lutheran [World] Federation that we only have one position is inaccurate. We have a variety of understandings and no, we don't have consensus on hot button issues at the moment." Find attention, analysis and advice on these matters here, here and here.

ENS Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... The insert for June 13 telsl the story of refugee Dadiri Nuro, formerly of Somalia, who was assisted by a branch of Episcopal Migration Ministries in building a new life in Boise, Idaho. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori writes in the insert for June 20 that a lesson can be drawn from the still-unfolding oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico –– that all are connected. Inserts may be downloaded here.

Is God irrelevant? ... “There’s no longer evidence for a need of God, even less of Christ. The so-called traditional churches look like they are dying.” [Pope Benedict XVI] ... Theologians, ministers and active congregants may say, correctly, that their religions still offer some responses to these most basic human questions. But theologians and preachers can no longer claim (and anyway are no longer granted) any particular authority for their differing, often warring, prescriptions.

Jesus with a halo in utero?... Just when you thought the religious news could not get any stranger. Read more here. [H/T to Peter Carey, reporting at Episcopal Cafe]

Consecration Sunday Assistance will be offered at Good Shepherd, Scranton on June 23 at 7:00 p.m.  Please contact Dan Charney at dancharney@aol.com or call 610-837-4613 to register for this event by June 21.  Please give the name of your parish and the names of those attending.

A Communication Workshop will be held June 26 at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, 8:30 to 3:00. Cost is $10.00 and includes lunch. Open to anyone interested in communication as ministry. Topics include: eNewsletters on ChurchPost, print publications, social networking using Facebook and Twitter, blogging, and communication as ministry. Registration is open online here. Download a brochure here. Register online here.

Brian Pavlac will be ordained to the priesthood on June 29, 7:00 p.m., at St Stephen's Wilkes-Barre. A reception will follow.

Middle School Mission Trip ... August 5-8, Bethlehem. Online registration is open. More info here.

Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.

Please send this notice to friends you think may be interested ... newSpin is an electronic newsletter that includes news, information and commentary related to the Diocese of Bethlehem, the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion and the world of religion ... with some spin, of course, from the editor. It is edited by retired communication minister Bill Lewellis and ordinarily published twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays. To have it emailed to you, you may subscribe at the "Get Connected" box on the right column of www.diobeth.org. Select newSpin under the groups. The Diocese of Bethlehem also has a newSpin blog (www.diobeth.typepad.com) where you may find samples of the newSpin newsletter.

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About the newSpin newsletter ... Composed at least weekly (usually twice a week) by Bill Lewellis, the newSpin newsletter appears as a post within the newSpin blog, but newsletter and blog are not identical. The newsletter currently goes to some 1,000 email addresses on a separate list. The views expressed, seemingly implied, or inferred in items or links contained in the newsletter or the blog do not represent the official view of the Diocese of Bethlehem unless expressed by or forwarded from the Bishop or the Archdeacon as an official communication. Comments may be addressed to Bill. 

Bill Lewellis, Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]

Bill Lewellis, Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]