DioBeth newSpin

newSpin 100930

The newSpin newsletter, Sept. 30, 2010

Spinning ... [Bill Lewellis, blewellis@diobeth.org] (1) To reduce religion to belief or morality is to reduce religion to superstition/magic or judgmentalism. Obviously, hyperbole. The trick, however, is to determine where reality fades and hyperbole begins. Reductionism (i.e. "nothing but"), however, usually destroys anything it attempts to explain.      (2) The words truth and reality are commonly used as though they were interchangeable. But while they are integrally related, they really are two very different things. If we were to look at them in the form of a mathematical equation, the relationship might be expressed like this: T = R + M, i.e., Truth Equals Reality plus Meaning (what we seek when we seek what we call truth). More here.     (3) "I am grateful," Bishop Paul Marshall said a few years ago in an address to our Diocesan Convention, "to be part of a church that strives to represent the very best of the Christian tradition in ways that speak to contemporary hearts. I am humbled by the gracious fact that the Episcopal Church is so often also a place of refuge for divorced people, intellectual people, artists and many others who are, in fact, no longer welcome at the Lord's Table in other communities. The thing that compels me about the story of Jesus is that he spent his time teaching -- and eating with -- outcasts, that he sought them out and was even accused of being their friend. I am grateful to be a member of a church less and less interested in its former glory and more and more interested in the poor, the oppressed and all the people whom it is easy to discount or despise. I am grateful to be a member of a church that does not run away from difficult issues or deceive itself about the complexity of biblical interpretation."

Sermon by Father McGinty at the recent Clergy Retreat ... Find the sermon preached by Father Bill McGinty's on the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul here.

Private moment made public, then a fatal jump ... [NYTimes] It started with a Twitter message on Sept. 19: “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.” That night, the authorities say, the Rutgers University student who sent the message used a camera in his dormitory room to stream the roommate’s intimate encounter live on the Internet. And three days later, the roommate who had been surreptitiously broadcast — Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman and an accomplished violinist — jumped from the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River in an apparent suicide. More here.

Banned Books Week ... Caught earlier this week between the end of an unexpectedly brief 1:30 committee meeting at Episcopal House and a 5:00 appointment at the dermatologist, I took advantage of the free wireless at the Allentown Public Library. While booting up, I was distracted by an attractive display for Banned Books Week, sponsored by the American Library Association: "Think for yourself and let others do the same." I was surprised to see Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time among the banned books on display. More here and here.

Exercise round up ... From NEHM, National Episcopal Health Ministries. [H/T to Diana Marshall]

Profound paranoia and deliberate deception ... [Robert Parham, EthicsDaily] American Christians are living in a divisive time of profound paranoia and deliberate deception –– much of it advanced by Christian politicians, those the prophet Ezekiel might identify as the false shepherds. More here.

Religious illiteracy and the literate irreligious ... [Laurie Goodstein, NYTimes] Researchers from the independent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life phoned more than 3,400 Americans and asked them 32 questions about the Bible, Christianity and other world religions, famous religious figures and the constitutional principles governing religion in public life. On average, people who took the survey answered half the questions incorrectly, and many flubbed even questions about their own faith.Those who scored the highest were atheists and agnostics, as well as two religious minorities: Jews and Mormons. More here and here and here.

We need St. Francis now ... [Sister Joan Chittister] Well, I am an animal lover, too. And I have been threatening for years now that my last book would be Two Dogs and a Parrot: The Spiritual Lessons I Have Learned From My Pets. The parrot, named "Bennie" for obvious Benedictine reasons, is the most obvious educator of them all. From Bennie I am learning persistence and emotional sensitivity. Both of which are needed in this world of invisible women and neglected children. Persistence is a very good thing for a woman to know in a man's church. If Bennie needs something, she simply refuses to give up trying to get it. She will knock at her hopper until it gets filled, until the door gets opened, until you put her on your shoulder and make her a real part of the community. Emotional sensitivity, the awareness of the needs of needy others, is her forte. She stretches herself out on the top of her cage, thin as a pencil, rigid as a piece of steel and stares at you until you stop work and give her the loving she seeks, for her sake and yours. She teaches us to be very aware of very small signals in life. No wonder that churches to this day bless animals on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis. St. Francis would find it all very normal, very necessary. From where I stand, we need to take another look at what animals have to teach us today, yes, but we have to take another look at what the saints have to say to us today, too. Somehow or other, the models we have put in their stead have not, as a class, managed to fill the gaps. More here.

From The Episcopal Church ... •NewsLine  •News & Notices   •Infoline  •Episcopal News Service  •Website  •Twitter  •Facebook  •YouTube

From The Diocese of Bethlehem ... •The newSpin blog  •The Diobeth website. Enter your name and email address in the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You will find quite a few public news and info lists there. You are welcome to subscribe to any or all of them. "Bakery" is the diocesan interactive list.  •Twitter 

From Episcopal Cafe ... •The Lead  •Daily Episcopalian 

ENS Weekly bulletin inserts ... For October 3: Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, suggests that Episcopalians "look at old practices in new ways" as they prepare their personal and church budgets in challenging economic times. For October 10: In July the Episcopal Church's Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music launched a year-long open forum on Holy Women, Holy Men, the first complete revision of Lesser Feasts and Fasts in 40 years. The book recently was issued by Church Publishing Inc. for trial use. In the second of a series, Episcopal Life Weekly bulletin inserts for Oct. 10 lists new commemorations added to the calendar in September and October, and gives directions for contributing comments to SCLM's forum. Download inserts here.

Study guide added to For the Bible Tells Me So ... When Daniel Karslake set out to make his 2007 documentary For the Bible Tells Me So, all he wanted to do was start the conversation, because he believed there was power in talking. He attracted some big names to the project: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, and Gene Robinson, the Episcopal church's first openly gay bishop. But the core of the film is really the intimate stories of Christian families, including Gephardt's and Robinson's, who discovered they didn't have to choose between their faith and their gay children. Remarkably, when most documentaries would have come and gone, For the Bible Tells Me So is still riding a wave of momentum three years since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Screenings are going on around the country and as far away as China, Chile and Botswana, and the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly has put it in the company of An Inconvenient Truth and The Cove, two Oscar winners, as one of "Five Movies That Changed the World." It has earned audience awards at nine major film festivals, but most of its success has truly been word of mouth, which is proof enough that it's doing exactly what Karslake had hoped. Even more powerfully, from the countless stories and testimonies he's heard, he knows the film has reached into people's hearts. It's given them the courage to start talking and, for that matter, listening. Now, with the release of a companion study program, the film seems destined to stretch its reach even further. More here and here.

Waiting for Somebody ... [NYTimes op-ed, Gail Collins] The new documentary “Waiting for Superman” gives a heartbreaking depiction of the sorry state of American education. More here.

You are asking me to change ... [H/T to Torey Lightcap, writing on his blog, Irreducible Minimum] A young friend went to church close to my home a few weeks ago - the first time since her baptism over twenty years ago. She told me that she will not go again and handed me a list which read: "You are asking me to change the way I speak, the sort of music I enjoy, the length of time I usually listen to a speaker, the type of people I mix with, my body temperature, the type of chair I sit on, the type of clothes I am used to seeing people wear, my sense of humor. You expect me to know when to stand, sit and kneel and the answer to prayers I have never heard. I am prepared to change but there was nowhere I could connect any part of my life with that service." -- Anne Lehanne, Rochester Diocesan newspaper, quoted in Richard Giles' Re-Pitching the Tent: Reordering the Church Building for Worship and Mission.

Mormon leader apologizes for Prop 8 ... Mormon Elder Marlin K. Jensen listens to the pain and hurt caused by Prop. 8, and responds by apologizing for his role in the campaign to enact the proposition. More here.

Choosing ourselves sick ... [Telegraph, UK] Most, but not quite all, readers of this article will remember a time when coffee only arrived in black or white; when women bought a new winter coat perhaps every five years; and when there were just three channels on television – oh, the national excitement when Channel 4 arrived! – and you had to heave yourself up from the sofa to walk across and change them. To older readers, these reminiscences might evoke pleasant memories of a slower, simpler time. To much younger ones, it will sound as if you are describing life in North Korea. In the past decade we have been hit with an extraordinary explosion of choice in almost every aspect of our lives. As a result, more energy than ever before is squandered simply in the tortuous art of selection. More here. [H/T to Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.

Send this 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 Monday and Thursday. 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. You may find samples of the newSpin newsletter at the newSpin blog, www.diobeth.typepad.com.

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 newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor, but the views expressed, 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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833

Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]

Sermon by Father Bill McGinty at Clergy Retreat

Vincent de Paul
27 September 2010
Clergy Retreat
Wernersville, PA.
Rev. Bill McGinty
“Vincent.”

Today is the feast of Vincent de Paul. It speaks volumes about the life of Vincent that on this 27^th day of September he is honored by catholic and Protestant alike. He lived in a 17^th century world of class division; religious wars and the chasm between rich and poor; Vincent bridged them all so well, that his name is forever associated with ministering to the poor and with charitable causes.

Vincent was the personification of the Gospel mandate we find in the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. His whole life was an energized proclamation of Jesus Christ in word and action. In all his dealings with the poor Vincent did not seek to convert or bring them to Christ by preaching or teaching alone. Rather he brought them to Christ by becoming Christ for them. He bandaged up their sores, comforted them in dying, and nursed them through cholera and disease of every kind. The poor were touched by the presence of God that surrounded him; the tender mercies he administered to them; and the humility he exhibited at the gift of life and grace he found in them.

There is something here we all recognize. We have seen it in Gandhi, Mother Teresa; Albert Scheitzer and Mandela. It is a humanity and compassion for the human condition in the worse of times and in its struggle to survive. Vincent de Paul had that compassion; it was born of the Gospel within him and his own humble beginning.

Pray For...

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families:

Robert F. Baldwin, 39
Michael J. Buras, 23
Marvin R. Calhoun Jr., 23
John Carrillo Jr., 20
William B. Dawson, 20
Brendan J. Looney, 29
Jonah D. McClellan, 26
David B. McLendon, 30
Denis C. Miranda, 24
Donald S. Morrison, 23
Gebrah P. Noonan, 26
Jaysine P. S. Petree, 19
Joshua D. Powell, 25
Anthony J. Rosa, 20
Mark A. Simpson, 40
Adam O. Smith, 26
Clinton E. Springer II, 21
Matthew G. Wagstaff, 34
Marc C. Whisenant, 23

Pray also 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

newSpin 100927

The newSpin newsletter, Sept. 27, 2010

Spinning ... [Bill Lewellis, blewellis@diobeth.org] (1) Don't miss a recent Dilbert on communication skills.      (2) Women clergy in TEC make $10,000 less than their male counterparts.     (3) Johann von Goethe called architecture "frozen music." Ernest Dimnet said, "Architecture is the art that acts most slowly, but most surely, on the soul." Dimnet, 1866-1954, was a French priest, writer, lecturer and author of the 1930s best seller, The Art of Thinking.    (4) Scott Allen at the WDIY controls.

The Pennsylvania Avenue Interfaith Food Pantry ... [From Scott Allen] The Express-Times did an article on the one-year anniversary of the Pennsylvania Avenue Interfaith Food Pantry housed at St. Andrew's. We give thanks to God for the folks who made this happen and the generosity of the New Hope Campaign. More here.

Jay Paterno on his father's gift of tolerance ... In the 1940s few people possessed my grandfather’s open mind on racial and religious tolerance. His belief system became part of my own father’s values, as early as his time in college. One of the stories my father’s fraternity brothers told me has shown me the principles he had even then. One year during rush, a Jewish student wanted to join their fraternity. The secret vote allowed each brother to place either a white ball (a yes vote) or a black ball (a no vote) into a box. The presence of a single black ball would eliminate the potential candidate—which is what nearly happened to the Jewish student.In this particular case, all the brothers openly claimed this student would be a great fit. Another vote was taken and, again, a single black ball appeared in the box. My father and a few of his brothers had an idea. They’d vote again. If the black ball appeared again, my father would stand up, apologize and take the black ball out, saying he had cast the “no” vote all along. They knew the brother responsible would not come forward. Joe would take out the ball and the Jewish student would become a member. Sure enough, the plan worked. Years later, just days after 9/11, he was out to dinner with some family members, including my brother. That night four Muslim women wearing headscarves arrived at the restaurant. People stared and Joe knew the women felt uncomfortable. He went to their table, sat down and talked to them for a few minutes. He wanted the women and the people in the restaurant to accept and be accepting of one other. [H/T to son #1, Jim] Read more.

What the Bible teaches about Christian-Muslim relations ... [Richard Hughes, professor of religion, Messiah College, writing at the Huffington Post] Hostility toward Muslims is so pronounced in this country that a headline on a recent cover of Time virtually screamed off the page, "Is America Islamophobic?" But if the 83 percent of the American people who claim to be Christian were to take the teachings of Jesus seriously, this headline, and the story it referenced, could never have been written. ... Jesus had much to say about strangers in our midst. ... In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Rt. Rev. Nathan D. Baxter, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, issued a pastoral letter to Muslims in that region on the very day that a pastor in Florida, Terry Jones, had threatened to burn copies of the Holy Quran. Regarding that burning, Baxter wrote, "Please know that we deplore such an act of disrespect. With many other area churches, the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania stands firmly in caring and support of you. ... We are all member communities in the family of God." As a black man, Bishop Baxter knows from experience what it means to be a "stranger," and so his words carry added weight. Read more.

A stranger-than-fiction fatal accident ... Monica and I received word last week that the husband of Monica's sister's close friend died in an ironic and stranger-than-fiction accident.  Steven B. Johnson, 49, was riding the hand cycle he received last weekend from the IM ABLE Foundation at a fundraiser, a bicycle modified for people with leg paralysis,  when he collided Thursday at 11:43 a.m. with a Boyertown ambulance. He was a longtime cycling road racer who was paralyzed as a result of a spinal cord injury in a 1993 downhill road bicycling accident. He was pronounced dead at the scene, less than a mile from his Reading area home. The Reading Eagle story. Please pray for Steven, his widow Katy, and their children, Zara, 8, and Tia, 5.

First woman and openly gay dean of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral ... According to a NYTimes story, the installation of Jane Alison Shaw as the eighth dean of Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill on Nov. 6 is a milestone — she will be the first woman to lead the cathedral, which was founded during the Gold Rush in 1849. Dr. Shaw will also be the cathedral’s first openly gay dean. ... Though Dr. [Jane] Shaw’s appointment is significant, it was not her sex or her sexual orientation that earned her the position. Those who have spent time with her described her as “brilliant.” She also appears to have a sense of humor, admitting that at Oxford she regularly debates Richard Dawkins, an anti-religion author, and yet, “We get along really well.” “She was chosen for her qualifications,” said the Rev. Mark E. Stanger, canon precentor at the cathedral. “She brings a deep faith; she’s very perceptive about the needs of the church.” More here. [H/T to Andrew Gerns, writing at Episcopal Cafe]

South Carolina's race against accountability ... The Episcopal Forum of South Carolina says the Bishop and leadership of the Diocese of South Carolina has not only allowed a parish to withdraw from the Episcopal Church taking their property with them, but that they are setting the stage to attempt to alienate the entire diocese from the Episcopal Church. The group wants the Executive Council and the Presiding Bishop to investigate. Read more at Andrew Gerns' comprehensive post at Episcopal Cafe. You may recall that the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Bethlehem took the lead in a successful attempt to deny South Carolina to seat Bishop-elect Lawrence. After a second attempt by South Carolina during which Lawrence stated he would not remove the diocese from the Episcopal Church, that diocese received the required number of votes from Standing Committees and Bishops.

On Faith at the Washington Post ... A conversation on religion and politics with Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn. Here. 

Diocesan Life ... Download the October 2010 issue here.

Kwame Anthony Appiah on what future generations will "condemn" us for? ... [The Atlantic Wire] The Princeton philosophy professor takes to the pages of The Washington Post to ponder what practices will be looked upon with "incomprehension" by future generations who will be asking, "What were they thinking?" He gives his criteria for which institutions or ideas will eventually be discredited, settling on three "signs" from which this information can be gleaned. 1)"People have already heard the arguments against the practice," meaning that the debate is currently raging about the issue right now. 2)"Defenders of the custom tend not to offer moral counterarguments but instead invoke tradition, human nature or necessity." 3) "Supporters engage in what one might call strategic ignorance, avoiding truths that might force them to face the evils in which they're complicit." He concludes by hypothesizing that our society's prison system, industrial meat production, institutionalized elderly, and treatment of the environment fit this criteria for "future moral condemnation." More here. 

Calendar of Events for the Diocese of Bethlehem here. Including Diocesan Convention and Pre-Convention meetings.

Creating a Culture of Peace (Training) ... Gather with others from the Diocese November 5 – 7, 2010, for this spiritually-based, interactive and experiential training for teens and adults that will prepare you to make a difference in your life, your family, and in the world. Event to take place at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre. More here.

The habitual brain ... Habits are a blessing, and a curse. What is a habit? It is a skillfully routinized manner of action or thought. And while some philosophers have supposed that a habit-free existence would be preferable to our own, they are mistaken, philosopher Alva Noë writes at NPR's Cosmos and Culture blog. In fact, Noë says, such an existence might not even be possible. Without habits nothing recognizable as a human or even animal form of life would be possible. To have a mind like ours, you need habits like ours. Habits form the skeletal structure of life as we know it. More at NPR. [H/T to Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

Register here for all diocesan events.

ENS Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... [Episcopal News Service] Sunday, Oct. 3: "On the autumnal equinox just a week ago, as the earth was tipping on its axis, congregations all across the Episcopal Church were hoping to tip themselves into the black by preparing for their annual stewardship campaigns," writes Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, in ENS Weekly bulletin inserts for October 3. Anderson suggests that Episcopalians "look at old practices in new ways" as they prepare their personal and church budgets in challenging economic times. Download inserts here.

US Roman Catholic bishops rebuke Creighton University theologians ... [John Allen, National Catholic Reporter] Two theologians at Creighton University, a Jesuit-run school in Omaha, Neb., have been sharply rebuked by the Committee on Doctrine of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for defending the moral legitimacy of homosexuality, contraception, premarital sex, and other hot-button issues in sexual ethics. Read more. 

Troubles on the Tenth Parallel ... [By Frederick Quinn] No question facing the Anglican Communion today is more explosive that the present and future of Muslim Christian relations. Eliza Griswold’s new book, The Tenth Parallel, Dispatches From the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) is a must read for anyone seriously wishing to explore this subject. Along this latitude line seven hundred miles above the equator, sometimes described as part of a wider “an arc of instability,” live more than half the world’s Christian and Muslim populations. They interact both peaceably and in conflict in impoverished, unsettled conditions that were this skilled journalist’s beat for nearly seven years. The Fault Line’s s deteriorating ecological political, economic, and demographic tensions are often explained in the language of religious conflict, and the award-winning American writer set out to explore these issues first hand. Read more.

Pray for ... [From Kat Lehman] The Diocese of Bethlehem started a prayer ministry a few years ago. Weekly, we have been posting the names of fallen service members in Iraq and Afghanistan –– those officially released publicly by the Department of Defense after notification to families -- to several of our email lists to be added to parish prayer lists. Since we have been getting more and more requests for the list from outside our diocese, I have set up an electronic newsletter for this under our ChurchPost account. I heard just yesterday from a woman in North Carolina. She says she sends our "Pray for" list to some 50 email addresses, including her parish. Her parish incorporates the list in their weekly Prayers of the People. If you or any of your parishes would like to subscribe, the name is "Pray For." You can subscribe on our web site. Enter your name and email address in the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You will find quite a few public news and info lists. You are welcome to subscribe to any or all of them. We will continue to upload the "Pray for" list weekly on our newSpin blog.

Religion doesn't matter much ... [By Mark Silk] A recent Pew survey on the influence of religion on Americans' policy views is notable for revealing how little influence there is. The only areas where religion appears to play a significant leading role in influencing opinion are same-sex marriage, abortion and the death penalty. Sixty percent of pro-lifers and 45 percent of those opposed to same-sex marriage cite religion as the most important reason for their position, while 32 percent of those opposed to the death penalty do the same. But only 12 percent of those who support additional government assistance to the poor cite religion as the most important reason. More at Spiritual Politics. [H/T to John B. Chilton at Episcopal Cafe]

From The Episcopal Church ... •NewsLine  •News & Notices   •Infoline  •Episcopal News Service  •Website  •Twitter  •Facebook  •YouTube

From The Diocese of Bethlehem ... •The newSpin blog  •The Diobeth website. Enter your name and email address in the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You will find quite a few public news and info lists there. You are welcome to subscribe to any or all of them. "Bakery" is the diocesan interactive list.  •Twitter 

From Episcopal Cafe ... •The Lead  •Daily Episcopalian 

Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.

Send this 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 Monday and Thursday. 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. You may find samples of the newSpin newsletter at the newSpin blog, www.diobeth.typepad.com.

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 newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor, but the views expressed, 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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833

Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]

newSpin 100923

The newSpin newsletter, Sept. 23, 2010

Spinning ... [Bill Lewellis, blewellis@diobeth.org] (1) T. Scott Allen serves as weekly host on WDIY 88.1, NPR in the Lehigh Valley, ...... DIY stands for "Do it yourself." Scott does. Look here. Scott is rector of St. Andrew's Allentown/Bethlehem and serves on several diocesan committees.     (2) There's a new slang word for wanted emails, not spam, which clutter inboxes: bacn.     (3) "He has the courage of his ignorance." –From the 1957 film, A Face in the Crowd. (4) Read about the quiet death of English here.

News from the recent House of Bishops meeting ... (1) House of Bishops issues 'theological resource,' pastoral letter on immigration, here. (2) House of Bishops speaks on immigration, Haiti, MDGs, here. (3) House of Bishops calls on Bennison to resign, here. (4) Bennison declines request to resign, here.

Hymn-a-thon at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre ... Saturday, September 25. More here.

Diocesan Life ... Download the October 2010 issue here.

Hellertown welcomes new rector ... Read it here.

God doesn't resolve ... [By Bill Lewellis, The Morning Call] Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) never liked jazz because it doesn't resolve. One night he listened for 15 minutes to a man on the street play the saxophone without opening his eyes. "Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way. I used to not like God because God didn't resolve." God doesn't resolve. Intransitive. It's not about resolving problems, also problematic. Godself isn't resolvable. Throughout our lives, God remains a question rather than an answer. Some say mystery. As we pursue the mystery, however, our questions about God do resolve into questions about ourselves, more embraceable questions. Read more.

Calendar of Events for the Diocese of Bethlehem here. Including Diocesan Convention and Pre-Convention meetings.

Creating a Culture of Peace (Training) ... Gather with others from the Diocese November 5 – 7, 2010, for this spiritually-based, interactive and experiential training for teens and adults that will prepare you to make a difference in your life, your family, and in the world. Event to take place at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre. More here.

PB calls for prayers for Sudan ... Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori calls on the Episcopal Church to dedicate a "season of prayer" our brothers and sisters in Sudan. More here.

The muse of church revival in Sudan ... [Jason Byassee] Mary Alueel Garang’s songs power a revival in the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS), helping to bring in millions of members during that country’s brutal two-decade long civil war. “I just found myself singing,” she explained when asked how she wrote so much and so movingly. If songs come to her, she writes them down, “if they are meaningful.” She herself describes their themes this way: “During the war there was suffering, we ran from place to place, but we encouraged people not to give up and to come to church. You can’t save your life on your own.” More here. [H/T to Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

Sister Michael-Patricia Hauze will make solemn profession at Trinity Bethlehem. More here.

Congregational Development Grants for 2011 ... Applications are available for Congregational Development Grants for 2011. Those currently receiving grants (and those who have asked for an application) will receive the application in the mail. If you would like to receive an application or have questions about the grants, please be in touch with Canon Jane Teter. The absolute deadline for the application is November 15.

In Montrose ... St. Paul’s Crafters Corner is back for another season with a move to the first Saturday of October, November and December. The event offers unique shopping opportunities through the original creations of area crafters and will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., commencing on October 2nd and returning on November 6th and December 4th. New crafters will be joining some of the long standing favorites to further expand the variety of merchandise, with the list of participants growing each month. More here.

Brian McLaren ... An interview with Brian at Busted Halo, the Internet outreach of the Paulist Fathers. [H/T to Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

Prayer expands the heart and inspires action ... [Camille D'Arienzo, a Sister of Mercy for 59 years, National Catholic Reporter] The invitation to offer an essay on prayer came as a surprise. I am not a contemplative. My personal history recalls prayer styles that failed to increase my faith or stir my spirit. As a young sister, litanies bored me. As an older one, labyrinths hold no appeal. I explored the charismatic movement, and I profited from its emphasis on shared prayer and scripture, cherishing forever the injunction of the prophet Micah: To act justly, to live tenderly and to walk humbly with God. I walked away from the rest of it because it felt artificial. But each of the three I discarded is a wellspring of grace for others and I am happy for them. ... My sacred space embraces my computer ... My favorite prayer is the one attributed to St. Francis of Assisi... It pleases me that this universally appealing peace prayer is also the favorite of my godson, David Hammer, who recites it in his cell on death row in Indiana. More here.

How to keep your cool in angry times ... [Wall Street Journal] Anger management tips from customer service representatives. More here. [H/T to Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

Register here for all diocesan events.

ENS Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... [Episcopal News Service] Sunday, Sept. 26: The Southern Province of the Moravian Church voted Sept. 10 to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church, echoing a similar vote in June by the Northern Province. ENS Weekly bulletin inserts for Sept. 26 outline the agreement between the two churches and how, as Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said, "we will be better able to serve Christ our chief Elder and all God's people." Download inserts here.

The parting of the waters ... Computer simulation and Moses.

Pray for ... [From Kat Lehman] The Diocese of Bethlehem started a prayer ministry a few years ago. Weekly, we have been posting the names of fallen service members in Iraq and Afghanistan –– those officially released publicly by the Department of Defense after notification to families -- to several of our email lists to be added to parish prayer lists. Since we have been getting more and more requests for the list from outside our diocese, I have set up an electronic newsletter for this under our ChurchPost account. I heard just yesterday from a woman in North Carolina. She says she sends our "Pray for" list to some 50 email addresses, including her parish. Her parish incorporates the list in their weekly Prayers of the People. If you or any of your parishes would like to subscribe, the name is "Pray For." You can subscribe on our web site.Enter your name and email address in the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You will find quite a few public newsletters listed there and you are welcome to subscribe to any or all of them. We will continue to upload the list weekly on our newSpin blog.

Catholics to get DVDs opposing gay marriage ... [By Mary Jane Smetanka - Minneapolis Star Tribune] More than 400,000 DVDs are being mailed to the homes of Minnesota Catholics on Wednesday, courtesy of Catholic bishops in the state who want to stop the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in its tracks. More here.

News/Info from The Episcopal Church ... •NewsLine  •News & Notices   •Infoline  •Episcopal News Service  •Twitter  •Facebook  •YouTube

Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.

Send this 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 Monday and Thursday. 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. You may find samples of the newSpin newsletter at the newSpin blog, www.diobeth.typepad.com.

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 newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor, but the views expressed, 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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833

Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]

Montrose Crafters Corner

[News Release from St. Paul's Montrose]

St. Paul’s Crafters Corner is back for another season with a move to the first Saturday of October, November and December. The event offers unique shopping opportunities through the original creations of area crafters and will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., commencing on October 2nd and returning on November 6th and December 4th.

New crafters will be joining some of the long standing favorites to further expand the variety of merchandise, with the list of participants growing each month.

Sister Patricia-Michael Hauze will make solemn profession

[From Mother Laura Howell]

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

God willing, on the eve of the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, Sr. Patricia-Michael Hauze will make her solemn profession as a solitary religious in the Diocese of Bethlehem.  Bishop Paul will receive her lifetime vows and will celebrate.  As a solitary, Sr. Patricia-Michael's community is the entire Diocese.  And part of her job in religion is to pray for us all.  We invite all the members of that community to come and support Sister as she takes this momentous step.  A monastic profession is rare these days, so we hope that you will be able to attend. 

Sr. Patricia Michael resides in Easton, and is the administrator at Trinity Easton.

The service will be at Trinity Bethlehem, September 28, 7:00 p.m. A reception follows.  Please pray for Sr. Patricia-Michael as she
prepares.

Hellertown welcomes new rector

[News Release from St. George's Hellertown]

St. George’s Welcomes New Rector 

On Thursday, October 14th, 2010 St. George’s Episcopal Church Hellertown will
have a “Celebration of New Ministry” with the institution of Father H. Jonathan
Mayo as rector.   The congregation and local clergy will gather for a special service at
7:00 P.M. that will include Holy Eucharist and a visit from the Bishop of the Diocese of Bethlehem, The Rt. Rev. Paul V. Marshall.

Father Jonathan is a native of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, and has returned to
Pennsylvania after a 30-year absence.  He has served parishes in California,
Minnesota, and Wisconsin, before coming to St George’s on August 1.  He had
previously served small churches, and therefore had a secular career in Information
Technology.  He graduated from Wilkes College, Wilkes-Barre, in 1975, and St
Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, NY, in 1980.  He has
immediate family living in the Lehigh Valley, the Pocono region, and St Louis, MO.  
 
In 2008, St. George’s celebrated 100 years of worship having been a part of the
Hellertown community since 1908.  Regular services are held on Sundays at 9:30
A.M. and Church School is offered for children ages 3-13 years old.  

 

God doesn't resolve

By Bill Lewellis
Published in The Morning Call
September 18, 2010

Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) never liked jazz because it doesn't resolve. 

One night he listened for 15 minutes to a man on the street play the saxophone without opening his eyes. "Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way. I used to not like God because God didn't resolve."

God doesn't resolve. Intransitive. It's not about resolving problems, also problematic. Godself isn't resolvable. 

Throughout our lives, God remains a question rather than an answer. Some say mystery. As we pursue the mystery, however, our questions about God do resolve into questions about ourselves, more embraceable questions.

Scott Allen at the WDIY controls

If you tune into All Things Considered on WDIY 88.1, public radio in the Lehigh Valley, on Tuesdays, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., you will hear Diocese of Bethlehem Episcopal priest T. Scott Allen during the breaks. Scott chooses the local news to read "from a stack of stories other folks have written and prepared. I make the decision which ones I want to read and try and get a spread of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton/Phillipsburg news since our listeners are primarily in those towns."

DIY stands for "Do it yourself." Scott has been a volunteer for nearly three years. He quips about being "both a volunteer and an on air host---like a priest who is also a deacon."

Scott is rector of St. Andrew's Allentown/Bethlehem and serves on several diocesan committees.

Folks who are out of radio range can tune in on their computers here, www.wdiy.org.
 
"The NPR satellite feed has scheduled breaks when I play local adverts and give news, weather, traffic and time," Scott says. "My favorite traffic report was last Spring when I had to tell folks that cows who had broken through their fence were lounging on 309 and causing a traffic back up. It was hard not to laugh while reporting that."
 

Creating a Culture of Peace Training

[From the Peace Commission]

Creating a Culture of PeaceTM

  ...community-based training for generating nonviolent power

 

Gather with others from the Diocese November 5 – 7, 2010, for this spiritually-based, interactive and experiential training for teens and adults that will prepare you to make a difference in your life, your family, and in the world. Event to take place at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre. Cost: $45 for Episcopalians & Students (scholarships available). To register please contact Fran Hlavacek 570-296-5264, franhcmt@gmail.com   Registration Deadline – October 22, 2010 

Training sponsored by the Diocesan Peace Commission

Download CCP Bulletin Insert

Download CCPFlyer 2010

Download CCPregistration Fall 2010

Pray For...

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families:

Scott J. Fleming, 24
Ronald A. Grider, 30
James A. Hansen, 25
Joshua A. Harton, 23 (Bethlehem, PA)
Ryan J. Hopkins, 21
Joshua S. Ose, 19
Barbara Vieyra, 22

Pray also 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

Diocesan Life October 2010 issue

Attached you will find the latest Diocesan Life for October, 2010. Highlights include Trinity, Easton's new addition; From Risk to Opportunities: Congregational renewal in the Diocese of Bethlehem which will be discussed at length during convention this year; Consumers or shareholders?; The Martyrs of New Guinea; Youth Council; E.C.W's tea party; information on "Creating a Culture of Peace" training; Happening #19 and more. The file is in .pdf format and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0 or better to read it. The file size is 2.7 MBs.

Download October2010_DiocesanLifeSMALL

newSpin 100916

The newSpin newsletter, Sept. 16, 2010

Spinning ... [Bill Lewellis, blewellis@diobeth.org] (1) Before the World Trade Center fell, it contained a mosque.     (2) The next big movement, according to a piece in Harvard Business Review, is natural conversations, those based on what is already in our heads, unburdened by digital verification.     (3) "Now that I am a communicant in the Church of the Holy Family [Episcopal], Stanley Hawerwas said in a recent interview, I understand myself still to be Methodist because I believe the Episcopal Church is the embodiment of much that Wesley cared about."

Sermon by Bishop Paul at Trinity Easton, Sept. 14 ... My first word tonight needs to be “congratulations.” Congratulations are in order because the parishioners and friends of Trinity Church have done something remarkable. Led by your thinking-outside-the-box rector and devoted lay people, you have turned a potential disaster into a sparkling addition that will enhance your community life and better serve your neighborhood. What has happened here has an element of paradox worthy of Gilbert and Sullivan: your seeming disaster has become a striking achievement. The recipe was, take one set of problems, add creativity, love, and sacrifice, and then, find something new and beautiful. Congratulations. And I need to say Thank You, as well. You made the New Hope campaign a part of your capital project, building into your care of your physical plant care for others in Sudan and Northeast Pennsylvania. That will remain an important witness in the life of this diocese. More here.

Issues of immigration and evangelism will top the agenda as more than 100 bishops of the Episcopal Church gather Sept. 16-21 in Phoenix for their annual fall meeting, themed "Changing Contexts for God's Mission: What is the New Invitation?" The bishops also are expected to discuss congregational development and mission, all within a context of prayer, Bible study and worship. The bishops are expected to make a statement about immigration at the conclusion of the meeting. Read more.

Calendar of Events for the Diocese of Bethlehem here. Including Diocesan Convention and Pre-Convention meetings.

Congregational Development Grants for 2011 ... Applications are available for Congregational Development Grants for 2011. Those currently receiving grants (and those who have asked for an application) will receive the application in the mail. If you would like to receive an application or have questions about the grants, please be in touch with Canon Jane Teter. The absolute deadline for the application is November 15.

PB calls for prayers for Sudan ... Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori calls on the Episcopal Church to dedicate a "season of prayer" our brothers and sisters in Sudan. More here.

Register here for all diocesan events.

Making God's consolation more widely known ... Read Archdeacon Stringfellow's homily from the Thursday, Sept. 9, Eucharist at Diocesan House here.

ENS Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... [Episcopal News Service] Sunday, Sept. 19: Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson and Executive Council member Rosalie Simmonds Ballentine are calling on all Episcopal congregations to engage in discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant at some time during the next two years. ENS Weekly bulletin inserts for Sept. 19 explain the timelines for these conversations and how they may inform the church's official response at General Convention 2012. Sunday, Sept. 26: The Southern Province of the Moravian Church voted Sept. 10 to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church, echoing a similar vote in June by the Northern Province. ENS Weekly bulletin inserts for Sept. 26 outline the agreement between the two churches and how, as Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said, "we will be better able to serve Christ our chief Elder and all God's people." Download inserts here.

Pray for ... [From Kat Lehman] The Diocese of Bethlehem started a prayer ministry a few years ago. Weekly, we have been posting the names of fallen service members in Iraq and Afghanistan –– those officially released publicly by the Department of Defense after notification to families -- to several of our email lists to be added to parish prayer lists. Since we have been getting more and more requests for the list from outside our diocese, I have set up an electronic newsletter for this under our ChurchPost account. I heard just yesterday from a woman in North Carolina. She says she sends our "Pray for" list to some 50 email addresses, including her parish. Her parish incorporates the list in their weekly Prayers of the People. If you or any of your parishes would like to subscribe, the name is "Pray For." You can subscribe on our web site.Enter your name and email address in the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You will find quite a few public newsletters listed there and you are welcome to subscribe to any or all of them. We will continue to upload the list weekly on our newSpin blog.

Hymn-a-thon at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre ... Saturday, September 25. More here.

Slain aid workers were bound by their sacrifice ... [NYTimes] Their devotion was perhaps most evident in what they gave up to carry out their mission: Dr. Thomas L. Grams, 51, left a thriving dental practice; Dr. Karen Woo, 36, walked away from a surgeon’s salary; Cheryl Beckett, 32, had no time for courtship or marriage. Most of all, the 10 medical workers massacred in northern Afghanistan last week — six Americans, one German, one Briton and two Afghans — sacrificed their own safety, in a calculated gamble that weighed the risk against the distribution of eyeglasses and toothbrushes, pain relief and prenatal care to remote villages they reached on foot. Read more.

Religion in America ... [Jon Meacham] I am a Christian, a churchgoing Episcopalian, and I like to think that I understand the failings and frailties of my faith. Because we have sinned, we have something to offer this moment in the long story of religion and power. If we remember our own hours of evil, then we can see the issues of this hour more clearly. What is being said of Islam in some quarters could have been said — can be said — of Christianity, too. But Christians of good will, I believe, like to think that the derelictions of the faithful were corruptions of Christianity, not manifestations of its core. We ought to extend the same courtesy and apply the same wisdom to Islam now. We are at war with terrorists who profess an extreme version of Islam, not with Islam itself. More here.

Robert Wright on the Meaning of the Koran ...  [The Atlantic Wire] The New York Times opinion writer points out striking parallels between the Bible and the Koran that are often ignored, particularly in the heated debate around the Cordoba House controversy and the would-be Koran-burning pastor. Wright cites two passages that appear in both holy books: the appearance of the "word as flesh" and the recognition that the Israelites are a "chosen people." He does this in the hopes of educating "guardians of Judeo-Christian civilization who might still harbor plans to burn the Koran." He addresses sections in the Koran that advocate violence, including the infamous "sword verse" (the jihadi call-to-arms), by noting similarly unflattering sections in the Bible that Christians often downplay. He concludes: "All the Abrahamic scriptures have all kinds of meanings--good and bad--and the question is which meanings will be activated and which will be inert. More here.

Benedict to step into buzz saw of dissent during upcoming UK visit ... [John Allen, National Catholic Reporter] A thoughtful recent piece in The Economist asserted that Catholicism's response to the sexual abuse crisis in Europe has been clumsy in countries where the church is accustomed to unchallenged power, while it's been "much more intelligent, and appropriately humble ... in places where the church was used to fighting in a noisy democratic space." If noisy democratic spaces are good for the faith, then Pope Benedict XVI's Sept. 16-19 visit to England and Scotland ought to be just what the doctor ordered. All indications are that the pontiff is stepping into a buzz saw. Read more. 

Study finds wider view of family ... [NYTimes] A majority of Americans now say their definition of family includes same-sex couples with children, as well as married gay and lesbian couples. At the same time, most Americans do not consider unmarried cohabiting couples, either heterosexual or same-sex, to be a family — unless they have children. Read more.

How animals made us human ... Human beings are a distinctly pet-loving bunch. In no other species do adults regularly and knowingly rear the young of other species and support them into old age; in our species it is commonplace. In almost every human culture, people own pets. In the United States, there are more households with pets than with children. On the face of it, this doesn’t make sense: most pets simply live with us, eating the food we give them, interrupting our sleep, dictating our schedules, occasionally soiling the carpet, and giving nothing in return but companionship and often desultory affection. What explains this yen to have animals in our lives? [H/T to Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

R. Luke Dubois on a year of music ... [NYTimes] Gently confronted by a friend over his increasing inattention to his real love, composing, Dubois set himself a challenge: "to create a piece of music every day, for an entire year." Dubois, a distinctly modern sort of composer who writes with computer programs may not be everyone's cup of tea. But his account of his project may resonate anyway: Within a few months, making music every day became not only second nature, but a necessary part of my routine, like a morning coffee or remembering to feed my cat. By six months in, it had become my favorite thing to do; the only hour or two of guaranteed privacy I would allow myself, to focus on something that I really enjoyed. More here.

Managing expectations of costly kids ... [WSJournal, Sue Shellenbarger] This column relates to stewardship and the work of Save, Share, Spend. Read here. [H/T to Jenifer Gamber]

News/Info from The Episcopal Church ... •NewsLine  •News & Notices   •Infoline  •Episcopal News Service  •Twitter  •Facebook  •YouTube

Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.

Send this 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 Monday and Thursday. 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. You may find samples of the newSpin newsletter at the newSpin blog, www.diobeth.typepad.com.

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 newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor, but the views expressed, 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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833

Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]

Hymn-a-thon at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre, Sept. 25

[From Canon Mark Laubach]

In days gone by, when people would visit in homes, a customary form of entertainment was to gather around a piano or pump organ and sing hymns. You didn’t have to always sing perfectly in tune, and you didn’t have to listen to a sermon – you just sang and had fun doing it!In that same joyous spirit, on Saturday, September 25th from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m., St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (35 South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre – right across the street from Boscov’s) will open its doors to any and all who wish to come by for a good, old-fashioned “hymn sing” – with a twist.  We’re calling it a “HYMN-A-THON”, as it will fill five full hours with singing hymns, and will raise money to support St. Stephen’s VOICE FOR LIFE Chorister Training Program for children and youth.

Fear not, you don’t have to be here for all five hours! But you’re invited to come and sing (or even just sit and listen) for as long as you’re able. If you have favorite hymns, you can request them in return for a designated contribution (pay by the verse). And for an extra contribution, you can even request a special organ piece or an improvisation based upon your chosen hymn!
 

Pray For...

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families:

Jesse M. Balthaser, 23
John C. Bishop, 25
Philip C. Jenkins, 26
James F. McClamrock, 22
Todd W. Weaver, 26

Pray also 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

Sermon by Bishop Paul at Trinity Easton Dedication, Sept. 14

At the Dedication of Reconstruction and New Facilities at Trinity, Easton
Holy Cross Day, 2010
Sermon by Bishop Paul Marshall  

My first word tonight needs to be “congratulations.” Congratulations are in order because the parishioners and friends of Trinity Church have done something remarkable. Led by your thinking-outside-the-box rector and devoted lay people, you have turned a potential disaster into a sparkling addition that will enhance your community life and better serve your neighborhood.

What has happened here has an element of paradox worthy of Gilbert and Sullivan: your seeming disaster has become a striking achievement. The recipe was, take one set of problems, add creativity, love, and sacrifice, and then, find something new and beautiful. Congratulations.

And I need to say Thank You, as well. You made the New Hope campaign a part of your capital project, building into your care of your physical plant care for others in Sudan and Northeast Pennsylvania. That will remain an important witness in the life of this diocese.

newSpin 100913

The newSpin newsletter, Sept. 13, 2010

Spinning ... [Bill Lewellis, blewellis@diobeth.org] (1) The big news, immediately below, is that the Southern Province of the Moravian Church has joined the Northern Province in its vote to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church.    (2) Don't miss the personal note below from Maria Tjeltveit about David Brooks.    (3) Think aloud with the Primus of the Episcopal Church of Scotland.    (4) Hoisted? An email that purports to offer free pornography but actually contains a virus is spreading like wildfire across the internet, security experts have warned. It contains what looks like a pdf file. (5) Have you explored the "Get Connected" box on our diocesan website?     (5) "I might as well be myself. Everyone else is taken." [Interview with Oliver Stone, NYTimes Magazine, Sept. 12, 2010] Borrowed from Oscar Wilde, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."

Moravian Church's Sourthern Province enters full communion with Episcopal Church ... [Episcopal News Service] The Southern Province of the Moravian Church voted 121-74 on Sept. 10 to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church. The Northern Provnce agreed by a nearly unanimous voice vote on June 18 to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church. Each province can independently enter into full-communion relationships. The Episcopal Church agreed during the 2009 General Convention to enter into a full-communion relationship with both the Northern and Southern provinces of the Moravian Church. The Moravian Church is relatively small and concentrated in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Moravians in America are part of the worldwide Christian communion formally known as the Unitas Fratrum, or Unity of the Brethren, which was founded in 1457 as part of the movement to reform the church in what is now the Czech Republic. The Episcopal Church says that it understands full communion to mean "a relation between distinct churches in which each recognizes the other as a catholic and apostolic church holding the essentials of the Christian faith." The churches "become interdependent while remaining autonomous," the church has said. The Episcopal Church is also in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Old Catholic churches of the Union of Utrecht, the Philippine Independent Church and the Mar Thoma Church of Malabar, India. More here.

Pray for ... [From Kat Lehman] The Diocese of Bethlehem started a prayer ministry a few years ago. Weekly, we have been posting the names of fallen service members in Iraq and Afghanistan –– those officially released publicly by the Department of Defense after notification to families -- to several of our email lists to be added to parish prayer lists. Since we have been getting more and more requests for the list from outside our diocese, I have set up an electronic newsletter for this under our ChurchPost account. I heard just yesterday from a woman in North Carolina. She says she sends our "Pray for" list to some 50 email addresses, including her parish. Her parish incorporates the list in their weekly Prayers of the People. If you or any of your parishes would like to subscribe, the name is "Pray For." You can subscribe on our web site.Enter your name and email address in the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You will find quite a few public newsletters listed there and you are welcome to subscribe to any or all of them. We will continue to upload the list weekly on our newSpin blog.

Regarding David Brooks ... [From Maria Tjeltveit, rector, Mediator Allentown] I saw your posting about David Brooks. (In the last two newSpin newsletters, here and here.) He is a good friend of my brother, as they got to know each other at Incarnation Camp, the Episcopal Camp and Conference Center in Ivoryton, CT, where Brooks started out as a camper and was a counselor for a few years, I think the camp had an impact on his development as a public theologian, as did my father, William Eddy, an Episcopal priest and Niebuhrian, who Brooks got to know through my brother. Although Brooks is Jewish, he has a deep affection for the Episcopal Church through these positive experiences. He did a piece that mentioned my father about a year ago, when he was writing about Richard Neuhaus, the late editor of First Things.
 
If anyone wants to see David Brooks in person, he is doing a fundraiser for Incarnation Camp on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., at St. James' Church, Madison Ave., in New York. He will be in "a pre-election dialogue" with Jon Meacham. People can learn more at www.incarnationcenter.org. There's an ad for the fundraiser on p. 6 of the current Episcopal News Monthly inside Diocesan Life.

Benedict XVI and Rowan Williams ... Compare and contrast.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to speak at three national leadership events in October.

The Episcopal Public Policy Network ... Website.

How to recognize (and cure) your own hubris ... [Harvard Business Review] Confidence is an attribute that every leader needs to embrace and to foster in others. But when confidence goes too far, it can become hubris. More here. [H/T to Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

Late 19th-century American Catholics and today's American Muslims ... Writing in The New York Review of Books, Catholic scholars John T. McGreevy and R. Scott Appleby point out that American Catholics were regarded in the late 19th century very much the way in which American Muslims are regarded today. More here.

What it means to be a Muslim now ... On the occasion of the anniversary of 9-11, and in honor of the end of Ramadan, four New York Muslims reflect on piety and patriotism, on sharing classrooms and rituals of community life, on the courage and goodness of New Yorkers, and on the horrific event that has shaped a generation of American Muslim life. Read here.

Visiting Ground Zero, asking Allah for comfort ... [NYTimes] "When people run away from me, I feel sad. But I understand why they’re doing that. What happened was terrible."[Hadidjatou Karamoko Traoré, a Muslim woman whose husband was killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, on the response when she wears religious attire] Nearly every Sept. 11 since Sept. 11, Hadidjatou Karamoko Traoré has made sure that her three children were dressed in their best clothes, and taken them from their tidy brick home in the Bronx to the pit where the World Trade Center stood, and where her husband, their father, worked and died. Read more.

Sept 11, 2010: The Right Way to Remember ... [NYTimes Editorial] We’re not at war with Islam. We’re at war with terrorist organizations. More here.

Interview with Stanley Hauerwas ... explaining his new memoir, addressing his critics and explaining why he says, "We're all congregationalists now." Read here. [H/T to Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

Calendar of Events for the Diocese of Bethlehem here. Including Diocesan Convention and Pre-Convention meetings.

Register here for all diocesan events.

C, a novel by Tom McCarthy ... delves into the meaning of meaning: our need to find it in the world and communicate it. Read more in the NYTimes Sunday Book Review.

Religious illiteracy and the media ... [John Allen, National Catholic Reporter] Mayor "Diamond" Joe Quimby, from the TV series "The Simpsons," once found himself listening to talk radio while a Rush Limbaugh wannabe derided him as an "illiterate, tax-cheating, wife-swapping, pot-smoking spendocrat." Quimby's wounded response was, "Hey ... I am no longer illiterate!" I sometimes flash on that scene while listening to people complain about media coverage of religion, and of the Catholic church -- that it's biased, sensationalistic, sloppy, or whatever. I wish I could reply, "Hey ... at least we're no longer illiterate." By that I mean "illiterate" about religion, lacking a grasp of the A, B C's of belief and practice. Three items this week, however, suggest we've got some ground to cover if we want to catch up with Quimby. More here.

ENS Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... [Episcopal News Service] Sunday, Sept. 19: Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson and Executive Council member Rosalie Simmonds Ballentine are calling on all Episcopal congregations to engage in discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant at some time during the next two years. ENS Weekly bulletin inserts for Sept. 19 explain the timelines for these conversations and how they may inform the church's official response at General Convention 2012. Download inserts here.

Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.

Send this 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 Monday and Thursday. 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. You may find samples of the newSpin newsletter at the newSpin blog, www.diobeth.typepad.com.

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 newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor, but the views expressed, 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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833

Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]

Constance, Nun, and her Companions

Making God's consolation more widely known
Homily by Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow
Preached at Diocesan House on 9 September 2010

1 Corinthians 1:3-5, Psalm 25:15-21, Saint John 12:24-28

I find the Epistle of this Eucharist haunting. God consoles us, we are told, so that we may be able to console others. God consoles us, in other words, so that others may be consoled. God’s consolation, then, is not about us or our feelings; it’s about making God’s consolation more widely known. We are touched by it, washed in it, and refined by it, but it is not about us.

I believe that to some extent all martyrs understand this mystery. God’s love passes through them for the purpose of reaching someone else.

The Martyrs of Memphis made sure that more, much more, than yellow fever passed through them. They made sure that God’s love passed through them just as God intends. About the former, about the contagion, they may have had no choice. But about the second, about God’s consolation, they made the choice of their lives.

newSpin 100909

The newSpin newsletter, Sept. 9

Spinning ... [Bill Lewellis, blewellis@diobeth.org] (1) Imagine, if you can, the heart of anyone who believes God gave Christophter Hitchens cancer, and hopes that he burns in hell. See Unanswerable Prayers, below.    (2) Recipes from Wegmans, Williams-Sonoma and the NYTimes.    (3) Gospel of Wealth, below, is kind of a follow up to David Brooks as pubic theologian, an item in the Sept. 6 newSpin newsletter.    (4) Columnist Leonard Pitts writes that the little known (until now) Florida pastor who intends to burn the Quran on Saturday "proposes to commemorate an act of hate with an act of hate." Pitts continues: "There is in the act of burning something primitive and tribalistic, something that appeals to the lizard brain that has no ability or desire to reason, no comprehension of ideals and abstract concepts, that knows only that it lives in fear of a world it cannot understand and will do anything to send the fear away. The process of becoming a truly human being is the process of conquering that lizard brain. Unfortunately, some people never do." See By their Words and Deeds, below.

Pray for ... [From Kat Lehman] The Diocese of Bethlehem started a prayer ministry a few years ago. Weekly, we have been uploading the names of fallen service members in Iraq and Afghanistan –– those officially released publicly by the Department of Defense after notification to families -- to several of our email lists to be added to parish prayer lists. Since we have been getting more and more requests for the list from outside our diocese, I have set up an electronic newsletter for this under our ChurchPost account. I heard just yesterday from a woman in North Carolina. She says she sends our "Pray for" list to some 50 email addresses, including her parish. He parish incorporates the list in their weekly Prayers of the People. If you or any of your parishes would like to subscribe, the name is "Pray For..." since that's what we've titled it all these years. You can find it on our web site. Fill out your name and email address under the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You will find quite a few public newsletters listed there and you are welcome to subscribe to any or all of them. We will continue to upload the list weekly on our newSpin blog.

Memorial Service for Dean Pompa's Father ... A Memorial service to celebrate the life of Robert (Bob) A. Pompa, 75, who died September 1 in his hometown of Gettysburg, will take place Friday, September 10, at 2:00 p.m. at the parish of St. Mark's and St. John's in Jim Thorpe. Find obituary here. O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered; Accept our prayers on behalf of the soul of thy servant Robert, and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Gospel of Wealth ... [David Brooks, NYTimes op-ed] When Europeans first settled this continent, they saw the natural abundance and came to two conclusions: that God’s plan for humanity could be realized here, and that they could get really rich while helping Him do it.But the country is clearly redefining what sort of lifestyle is socially and morally acceptable and what is not. ... The United States once had a Gospel of Wealth: a code of restraint shaped by everybody from Jonathan Edwards to Benjamin Franklin to Andrew Carnegie. The code was designed to help the nation cope with its own affluence. It eroded, and over the next few years, it will be redefined. More here. [H/T to Deacon Larry Holman]

Humanitarian victims or Christian martyrs: What's in a word? ... A month ago ten humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan, most of them apparently called to medical mission by a deep Christian faith, were massacred by the Taliban. The New York Times’ front-page caption beneath their pictures read: “Humanitarian Victims of Afghan Violence.” The story began: “Their devotion was perhaps most evident in what they gave up to carry out their mission.” My question: should we not be calling them Christian martyrs? Perhaps the Times’ neutral language was meant to counter the Taliban charge that they were proselytizers — to assert that they were humanitarians, not missionaries. And perhaps the genre of their deaths is yet to be worked through by their friends and families — and by all of us. But imagine “Christian Martyrs” above the fold on the front page that first carried their story. How would readers have responded to the intrusion of deliberately religious language into the world of the well-educated Times reader, in which enlightened rationality is the lingua franca? More here.

Calendar of Events for the Diocese of Bethlehem here. Including Diocesan Convention and Pre-Convention meetings.

Register here for all diocesan events.

Unanswerable Prayers ... [Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair] What’s an atheist to think when thousands of believers (including prominent rabbis and priests) are praying for his survival and salvation—while others believe his cancer was divinely inspired, and hope that he burns in hell? Read it here.

The Peanut Solution ... [NYTimes] Like most tales of great invention, the story of Plumpy’nut begins with a eureka moment, in this case involving a French doctor and a jar of Nutella, and proceeds through the stages of rejection, acceptance, evangelization and mass production. The product may not look like much — a little foil packet filled with a soft, sticky substance — but its advocates are prone to use the language of magic and wonders. What is Plumpy’nut? Sound it out, and you get the idea: it’s an edible paste made of peanuts, packed with calories and vitamins, that is specially formulated to renourish starving children. Since its widespread introduction five years ago, it has been credited with significantly lowering mortality rates during famines in Africa. Children on a Plumpy’nut regimen add pounds rapidly, often going from a near-death state to relative health in a month. In the world of humanitarian aid, where progress is usually measured in subtle increments of misery, the new product offers a rare satisfaction: swift, visible, fantastic efficacy. More here.

Feisal Abdul Rauf on the Plan for the Cordoba House ...  [The Atlantic Wire] After months of remaining relatively quiet as the furor surrounding the proposed "Ground Zero mosque" reached a fever pitch, the Imam and chairman of the initiative explains his plans for the Cordoba House in a New York Times op-ed. The center, which takes its name from a city in Spain where "Muslims, Christians and Jews co-existed in the Middle Ages," aims at bridging the inter-faith divide while also remaining "authentic" to the individual culture of each religion. It will house separate prayer spaces for each faith, a swimming pool, classrooms and a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks. Rauf will also soon outline the financial backers for the center, and plans to seek support of the 9/11 victims' families as the process moves forward.

By their words... and deeds ... This is a CNN interview with the pastor of the Florida church that intends to burn the Quran on Saturday, Sept. 11. On the other hand, Nicholas Kristof writes, "This weekend, a Jewish woman who lost her husband in the 9/11 attacks is planning to speak at a mosque in Boston. She will be trying to recruit members of the mosque to join her battle against poverty and illiteracy in Afghanistan. The woman, Susan Retik, has pursued perhaps the most unexpected and inspiring American response to the 9/11 attacks. This anniversary of Sept. 11 feels a little ugly to me, with some planning to remember the day with hatred and a Koran-burning — and that makes her work all the more exhilarating." Read The Healers of 9/11.

Church leaders rally, speak out against anti-Muslim rhetoric ... [Episcopal News Service] Plans by a Florida-based evangelical Christian pastor to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11 -- the anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks -- and a recent surge in violence against Muslims is being met with widespread condemnation by church groups and leaders who are calling for religious tolerance and an end to anti-Islamic attitudes. More here.

Assimilation and Islamophobia ... As Americans mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, tensions over Islam and debates over the role of Muslims in the United States have rarely been more intense. Moreover, 9/11 this year coincides with Eid al-Fitr, the celebration at the end of Ramadan. And the toxic controversy over a proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero continues. Religion Link has resources for reporters here.

The Jewish High Holidays started with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, at sundown on Wed., Sept. 8, and conclude 10 days later with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Religion Link has resources for reporters on Judaism, including a source guide to U.S. experts and organizations.

ENS Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... [Episcopal News Service] Sunday, Sept. 12: Mary Getz, grassroots and online communications officer for the Episcopal Public Policy Network, explains EPPN's issues advocacy work, its roots in General Convention resolutions, and how Episcopalians can take part in its actions. Download inserts here.

Episcopal Peace Fellowship ... EPF's newsletter, Peace on the GO, is available weekly, on Wednesday.

The third half of your brain ... Google has introduced Google Instant, which predicts Internet search queries and shows results as soon as someone begins to type, adjusting the results as each successive letter is typed. “We want to make Google the third half of your brain,” said Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder and president of technology. More here.

Do the right thing ... In the midst of church scandal or other crisis, leaders need to remember: People expect the truth. More here.

Money can buy you $75,000-worth of happiness ... A new study purports to show that, to haul out the cliché headlines making the rounds, "money can buy you happiness"--but only up to around $75,000-worth. Beyond about $75,000 a year, your view of life's overall trajectory may improve, but as for mood, you're on your own. As you might imagine, journalists are eating this stuff up. More here. And here's an abstract of the Princeton study.

Final words ... Epitaphs from the Trinity WallStreet churchyard.

The Wandering Evangelical ... We're counter-cultural, but not cool; faithful, but not at home in our tradition; evangelical, still, but not sure what the word means. Read here.

Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.

Send this 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 Monday and Thursday. 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. You may find samples of the newSpin newsletter at the newSpin blog, www.diobeth.typepad.com.

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 newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor, but the views expressed, 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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
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, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication MInister (1985-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833

Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]