The newSpin newsletter, July 28, 2011
By Bill Lewellis
Published Monday, occasionally also on Thursday
Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes. –Oscar Wilde
[Bill] This newsletter has been sent from the Church of the Redeemer, Longport NJ, where I can be reached as usual, blewellis@diobeth.org.
TopSpin
• When you want to communicate with your elected officials ... USA.gov can help.
• RC Bishops reject House GOP budget approach ... See below, under Commentary.
DioBethSpin
• Christmas at Sea ... [Canon Jane Teter] While you are enjoying the summer heat (outside or in the air conditioning!!) don't forget the mariners on the high seas
at Christmas - away from family and friends. Knit a hat and/or scarf, a vest or a pair of socks. Items may be dropped off at Diocesan House at anytime or brought to
Diocesan Convention in October. Patterns may be found at: seamenschurch.org/christmasatsea.
• Trinity Bethlehem parishioner Irene Alice (Becker) Harding died July 26. She was the mother of St. Anne's Wescosville parishioner Jim Harding. Her funeral will be Saturday, 1:00 p.m. at Trinity. Read obituary here.
• Douglassville seeks part-time organist/choir director ... More here.
• Diocesan Convention ... Nominations and Resolutions for our October Diocesan Convention are due August 1. Questions: Canon Jane Teter.
• Diocesan Life ... Read or download the July/August issue here.
• NEPA New Hope grant applications ... Father Daniel Gunn reminds us that the Northeast PA grant applications are due no later than the end of July. Details may be found here.
• Episcopal News Weekly bulletin inserts ... Download inserts here.
• DioBeth Website and newSpin Blog
• Public news and info lists ... At the Diobeth website , enter your name and email in the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You are welcome to subscribe to any or all of these. "Bakery" is our diocesan interactive list.
TaleSpin
• Caring for Your Introvert ... [The Atlantic] Do you know someone who needs hours alone every day? Who loves quiet conversations about feelings or ideas, and can give a dynamite presentation to a big audience, but seems awkward in groups and maladroit at small talk? Who has to be dragged to parties and then needs the rest of the day to recuperate? Who growls or scowls or grunts or winces when accosted with pleasantries by people who are just trying to be nice? If so, do you tell this person he is "too serious," or ask if he is okay? Regard him as aloof, arrogant, rude? Redouble your efforts to draw him out? If you answered yes to these questions, chances are that you have an introvert on your hands—and that you aren't caring for him properly. Science has learned a good deal in recent years about the habits and requirements of introverts. It has even learned, by means of brain scans, that introverts process information differently from other people (I am not making this up). If you are behind the curve on this important matter, be reassured that you are not alone. Introverts may be common, but they are also among the most misunderstood and aggrieved groups in America, possibly the world. I know. My name is Jonathan, and I am an introvert. More here.
TailSpin
• Why are manholes round? The ten toughest interview questions ... [The Atlantic] A job interview at one of Google’s 75 campuses around the globe might seem to have more in common with pledging a secret fraternity than job-hunting. An often months-long interview process, iron-clad non-disclosure agreements and back-to-back hours of interrogation in windowless offices are a matter of course, but the added intrigue of allegedly absurd interview questions takes the experience into cloak-and-dagger territory. More here.
Pray
• The Daily Office ... with the Mission St. Clare .
• With The Book of Common Prayer ... Here .
• For our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families. Check the newSpin blog for an update.
Commentary
• RC Bishops reject House GOP budget approach ... [David Gibson, Commonweal] Leaders of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops today released a letter that has been sent to all members of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in the name of the USCCB. The two-page letter clearly rejects the all-cuts-and-nothing-but-the-cuts approach of the House GOP, which is led by prominent Catholics like Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Paul Ryan. More here.
• Pretend or acknowledge ... [Stephen Colbert] If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we have to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it. [h/t Elizabeth Geitz]
• The 14 Biggest Ideas of the Year ... [The Atlantic] A guide to the intellectual trends that, for better or worse, are shaping America right now. (Plus a bunch of other ideas, insights, hypotheses, and provocations.)
Episcopal/Anglican
• Episcopal evangelist, biblical scholar John Stott dies at 90 ... [Episcopal News Service] Anglican evangelist, author and biblical scholar John Stott died July 27 in England. Stott, 90, retired from public ministry in 2007. New York Times columnist David Brooks once wrote (quoting Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center) that if evangelicals chose a pope, they would likely select John Stott. ENS story here. NYTimes obit here.
• Episcopal Church Website and News Service.
• Follow Episcopal News Service on Twitter.
• Anglican Communion News Service ... on Facebook. And weekly review, posted July 1.
Moravian
• Communication Strategy slide deck ... [Kat Lehman] Mike Reiss,Executive Director of the Interprovincial Board of Communications for the Moravian Church in North America, shared his slide deck from the recent Moravian Eastern District Training Workshops held last weekend. It's great primary information. If you decide to share, just let him know. His contact information is on the last page. Here.
• Fall Continuing Education offerings at Moravian Theological Seminary ... Here.
• Crossroads Lay Courses at Moravian Theological Seminary ... Here.
• Moravian Church in North America website
• Moravian Church Northern Province website
• Moravian Theological Seminary website
Evangelical Lutheran
• NEPA Synod website ... Here.
• Synod E-News ... July 22. Sign up to receive the weekly newsletter by email here.
• ELCA website ... Here.
• ELCA News Service ... Here.
• ELCA's blogs may be found here. See especially "Web and Multimedia Development."
United Methodist
• UMC website ... Here.
• UMC News Service ... Here.
• UMC Communication ... The United Methodist Church has long been a leader in providing useful resources for church communicators. Start here.
• Communication newsletter ... Here.
• Eastern PA Conference of the UMC website ... Here.
• Facebook ... Here.
• Bishop Peggy Johnson's blog ... Here.
Roman Catholic
• Diocese of Scranton ... Here.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ... Here.
• Catholic News Service ... Here.
• Vatican website ... Here.
• Vatican Information Service blog ... Here.
• Vatican News/Info Portal ... Here.
DaySpin
• Diocese of Bethlehem Events Calendar ... Updated monthly, July 12. Download here. Find weekly updates on the DioBeth Facebook page. Also here.
• Ordination of Deacons ... Nov. 1, at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre.
• Diocesan Training Day is Saturday, March 24, 2012, at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre.
• St. Matthew's Society reception ... Sunday, May 20, 2012, Lehigh Country Club, 3:00 p.m.
• Episcopal Church Calendar ... Here.
WordSpin
• The Daily Office from MissionStClare.
• The Lectionary Page ... Here. This is a new URL. Update your bookmarks or favorites.
• The Lectionary ... Here.
• Oremus Bible Browser ... Here.
• Revised Common Lectionary ... Vanderbilt.
Follow
• The Diocese of Bethlehem on Twitter ... http://twitter.com/#!/Diobeth
• The Diocese of Bethlehem on Facebook ... https://www.facebook.com/DioceseOfBethlehem
• Kat Lehman on Twitter ... http://twitter.com/#!/KatLehman
• Episcopal News Service on Twitter ... http://twitter.com/#!/episcopal_news
Additional sources of news/info/commentary
• Religion News Service Daily Roundup ... here.
• Faith in Public Life ... here.
• Diocese of Bethlehem
(1) The DioBeth newSpin blog
(2) The DioBeth website
(3) Twitter.DioBeth
(4) Twitter.Kat Lehman
(5) Facebook.DioBeth
(6) Public news and info lists: At the Diobeth website, enter your name and email in the "Get Connected" box on the right hand side. You are welcome to subscribe to any or all of these. "Bakery" is our diocesan interactive list.
• Episcopal/Anglican
(1) NewsLine
(2) News & Notices
(3) Infoline
(4) Episcopal News Service
(5) Episcopal Church website
(6) Twitter
(7) Facebook
(8) YouTube
(9) The Lead, Episcopal Cafe
(10) Daily Episcopalian, Episcopal Cafe
(11) AngicansOnline.
(12) AnglicansOnline News Centre.
(13) Anglican Communion website.
(14) Anglican Communion News Service.
• Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here and recent ones in the left column here.
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Composed at least weekly (usually on Monday and occasionally on Thursday) by Bill Lewellis, the newSpin newsletter appears as a post within the newSpin blog. Newsletter and blog are not identical. This notice that a new newsletter has been published currently goes to some 1,200 email addresses on a separate list. Many recipients forward it to many more. 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/Editor (1986-2010), 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]
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