The newSpin newsletter, August 29, 2011
By Bill Lewellis
Published Monday, occasionally also on Thursday
"Everyday, women and men come to organizations like the Lehigh County Conference of Churches asking for the life of their families. In just two days this past week 50 people lined up for rental assistance. One in five Lehigh Valley households goes to bed hungry at night or uncertain if they will have anything for breakfast in the morning. These families are not only having the life sucked out of them by hunger and homelessness, but drugs and alcohol, neglect, the lack of jobs and abuse are taking their lives." [The Rev. Christine Nelson, executive director, Lehigh Valley Conference of Churches]
Clarification: You are reading the newSpin newsletter. Additionally, the newSpin blog, which includes the newsletter and other items, is available here. When the newsletter is completed on Mondays and occasionaly, more often than not, on Thursdays as well, it is published immediately to the blog and on Bakery and on a ChurchPost list of some 1,000 addresses. Bakery and the blog are interactive. The ChurchPost list is not. Regarding feedback and items from your parish or agency ... Send both to Bill. If you're wondering why you haven't seen something related to your parish or agency here, it's probably because no one has sent relevant info.
TopSpin
• Many 9/11 nonprofits did not fulflll mission, and continue to raise funds, acc to AP investigation ... See below, under TailSpin.
• Asking candidates tougher questions about faith ... See below, under Commentary.
• Warmth in the Night Shelter at Grace Honesdale ... See below, under DioBethSpin.
DioBethSpin
• Learning the value of labor ... [Bishop Paul, Diocesan Life, Sept. 2011] As Labor Day approaches, I am reminded of the tour I took of the Lackawanna Coal Mine years ago. It changed my thinking. ... The world we enjoy was built by the backbreaking labor of millions of people, supported by the unpaid labor of those who made what homes they could for them, with little hope for something better. We need to acknowledge our debt to them, not because they made some owners and investors wealthy, but because they helped build a country, and for a long time provided much of the economic backbone of our region. The miners’ conditions became a little more humane, but not without cruel bloodshed perpetrated by mine owners whose sense of justice was self-serving. ... We need to be clear in attitudes we model to our children, that while different kinds of work have different levels of responsibility, creativity, and reward, and while social conventions acknowledge this in many ways, everyone has the same personal worth. Our children need to hear us speaking of people from any walk of life with respect -- whether they have more or less education, responsibility, or money than we. Teach children gratitude for and admiration of others where some people have envy or contempt. Read it all on page 2 of September's Diocesan Life.
• Diocesan Life for September, a 12-page edition, is available here.
• The Sleeping-Bag Project ... [St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre, Flo and Jim Wheatley] For those looking for something different as a project, how about making an ugly quilt? if you don't sew, donations of fabric, bedspreads, flat sheets, mattress pads, fleece etc would be welcome by this group. If you need bedrolls/ugly quilts to give to the homeless, give this couple a call ( Flo and Jim Wheatley, My Brothers Keeper Quilt Group, R.R. #1, Box 1049, Hop Bottom, PA 18824, 570.289.4335). They will deliver or pickup in a 200 (2hr drive) mile radius from Hop Bottom (Wilkes-Barre) area. More info: The Sleeping Bag Project, Directions on how to make an ugly quilt, How this project snowballed.
• Leadership Program for Musicians ... Here. Also here.
• Warmth in the Night Shelter at Grace Honesdale ... [Ed Erb, rector, Grace Honesdale] What began as an emergency shelter in the extremes of winter weather, has now developed into one of Wayne and Pike counties major resources for emergency assistance. Grace Church in Honesdale is working with county and borough agencies to house any adversely affected by tragic weather and other disasters. For almost 30 years, Grace Church has hosted weekly community luncheons and festive dinners for Holidays. "So we have a storehouse of food in our basement" says Fr. Ed Erb, rector. This past year, we started collecting cots, bedding, personal health items and clothing for a new "Warmth in the Night" shelter, for when temperatures or wind-chill fall below zero degrees - as is common in the northern corner of the Diocese. Now, with the Red Cross, the Wayne County Emergency Services, and the local police and hospital Emergency Room, Grace Church is able to offer more - up to 100 cots, wool army blankets, medical and psychological assistance, as well as referral service to local agencies. With Hurricane Irene, the scheduled annual Parish Picnic is turning into an open house for welcoming the many of the community who may need shelter and safety from the storm. No permanent shelters and only one national hotel chain 20 miles away make the mission important to the Honesdale community. "It is important for us all to remember that the Parish House at Grace Church was designed and built as a Civil Defense facility way back when" says Fr. Ed. Grace Church then and now sees itself as a safe place for those in need.
• Scranton Temple performs same-sex marriage ceremony ... [Scranton Times-Tribune, Aug. 28] Includes quotes from St. Luke's Scranton rector Peter D'Angio. Here.
• Renewal III Assembly ... Renewal Assembly III, Finding Your Voice, will take place in eight locations Nov. 12. See Renewal Assembly II video, Connecting the Dots, here.
• Cathedral will host 9/11 Interfaith Service of Remembrance and Reconciliation ... [Dean Anthony Pompa] The Cathedral will host an Interfaith Service of Remembrance and Reconciliation on Sunday September 11 at 5:00 p.m. Bishop Paul will preach. Participant Leaders include Rabbi Allen Juda, Congregation Brith Shalom, Bethlehem, The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Mohomad Rahmohamed, Cedar Crest College and the Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley. The service of remembrance will include the symbolic lighting of candles in honor of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and a Litany of Prayers reflective of the Abrahamaic faith traditions. Special music will be offered by the Cathedral choir with selections of Faure Requiem, Naoko Cauller soloist, and sung prayers and music offered by Cantor Ellen Sussman, Temple Shalot Shalom, Allentown.
• Trinity Easton will host a 9/11 interfaith community Service of Remembrance and Hope ... [Canon Andrew Gerns] Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 2 p.m. Prayers, hymns, reflections and litanies will led by religious leaders from the Easton area representing Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions. Music will be provided by a Double Quartet of members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus of New York City, a local chamber orchestra and members of the Easton Area High School Choir. Scheduled selections will include: Faure's "Requiem in d minor, Op 48" (Intoit and Kyrie; Sanctus; Pie Iesu; Agnus Dei and Lux Aeterna; In Paradisum.), Bach's "Cantata 106: Gottes Zeit ist dis Allerbeste Zeit" movement III a & b. The Service is open to the public and is being hosted and coordinated by the Music and Arts Ministry of Trinity Church, Easton. A free will offering will be taken. At 4 p.m., the City of Easton will hold a Tribute for Emergency Services Workers at Scott Park on Larry Holmes Drive, Easton. Fr. Gerns will give the invocation, and choristers from the Metropolitan Opera will also perform at that event. Trinity has taken the lead in bringing the community together with representatives of all the major religious traditions in the area--several flavors of Christian, both Synagogues and the Muslim Community of Easton. In addition to all that, we will have a first rate musical program bringing together Easton Area High School students, members of various faith communities as an orchestra, anchored by a double-quartet from New York's Metropolitan Opera.
• Register for Diocesan Convention ... 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
• Becoming Human ... [NOVA. PBS] Wednesday, August 31, at 9 pm ET, check local listings. Watch all three parts of a special that examines the factors that caused us to split from the other great apes. Also now available for online viewing: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
• Teaching psychiatric patients writing, and hope ... [NYTimes, Aug. 26] Wearing her clerical collar and lugging a tote bag of supplies, the Rev. Bonnie McDougall Olson strode down the halls of Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens. She was due, moments later, to conduct a weekly writing workshop for three patients. It was the means for her mission, a way of bringing grace and mercy to the broken. Here. [h/t Bishop Paul]
• How we got the best-selling book of all time ... [WSJournal Op-Ed, Leland Ryken, Aug. 26] The KJB is celebrating its 400th anniversary and deserves its longevity. Here. [h/t Deacon Larry Holman]
TailSpin
• Many 9/11 nonprofits did not fulflll mission, and continue to raise funds, acc to AP investigation ... One RC priest seemed duped, an Episcopal priest and an Assembly of God minister seemed to dupe others [Associated Press] Americans eager to give after the 9/11 terrorist attacks poured $1.5 billion into hundreds of charities established to serve the victims, their families and their memories. But a decade later, an Associated Press investigation shows that many of those nonprofits have failed miserably. There are those that spent huge sums on themselves, those that cannot account for the money they received, those that have few results to show for their spending and those that have yet to file required income tax returns. Yet many of the charities continue to raise money in the name of Sept. 11. One charity raised more than $700,000 for a giant memorial quilt, but there is no quilt. Another raised more than $4 million to help victims, but didn't account publicly for how it spent all of the money. A third helps support a 9/11 flag sold by the founder's for-profit company. There are other charities that can account for practically every penny raised — except that all the money went to pay for fundraising, and not the intended mission. To be sure, most of the 325 charities identified by the AP followed the rules, accounted fully for their expenditures and closed after fulfilling identified goals. More here. And at Episcopal Café.
• American Theocracy Revisited: On liberal misconceptions of the religious right ... [NYTimes Op-Ed, Ross Douthat, Aug. 28] During George W. Bush's presidency, some liberals tended to see the rise of religious conservatives as more than a political threat. "Rather, it was an essentially illiberal force, bent on gradually replacing our secular republic with what Kevin Phillips's 2006 best seller dubbed an 'American Theocracy,'" writes Ross Douthat in The New York Times. Journalists are right to probe politicians who "wear their religion on their sleeves" about their beliefs, but they should keep in mind some points, Douthat writes. First, conservative Christianity is a large, complex community of diverse beliefs. "It's easy to succumb to a paranoid six-degrees-of-separation game, in which the most radical figure in a particular community is always the most important one," he says. Second, journalists should "avoid double standards. If you roll your eyes when conservatives trumpet Barack Obama's links to Chicago socialists and academic radicals, you probably shouldn't leap to the conclusion that Bachmann's more outré law school influences prove she's a budding Torquemada." Third, journalists should avoid the language of conspiracy. Just because Bush or others dropped Biblical language into speeches without citing it as such does not mean they were signalling with "code words" or "dog whistles". In fact, "all they're doing is employing the everyday language of an America that's more biblically literate than the national press corps." And lastly, journalists should remember that even when politicians successfully rally the religious right, they do not always follow their agendas once elected. The enthusiasms and excesses of the religious right are not the sign of the movement's success, Douthat reminds us, but in fact, "evidence of its persistent disappointments and defeats." More here. [h/t The Atlantic Wire]
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. Better still, at the "Get Connected" box on the right side of our diocesan website, fill in your name and email address, and click on "My Groups." In the next window, check "Pray for." Then, you will receive the weekly update by email.
Commentary
• A chance to bend toward justice ... [Washington Post, Jamie Stiehm, Aug. 25] The newly opened Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall includes numerous quotes from the civil rights leader, but one of them is misattributed to him. The quote is Barack Obama's favorite, and one the president attributes to King often. "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." But King borrowed the words from Theodore Parker, a Boston abolitionist and minister who died just before the Civil War. King saw Parker as an ally during America's "first civil rights movement," Stiehm writes. In the 1850s, Parker participated in a network of anti-slavery activists using nonviolent civil disobedience to affect profound social change. It was the tradition upon which King built his own movement in his own time. "King honored Parker's original thought by breathing new life and meaning into his 19th-century words. There is no question of plagiarism; King made no secret of the source." We should not omit Parker's name from the memorial, writes Stiehm, not only out of fairness, but because "the Parker-King connection across generations and color lines should be celebrated as an example of how an unfinished life work can be carried on." Just as King was assassinated before he could see through the movement he symbolized, Parker died on the eve of the Civil War, never living to see Emancipation. "Perhaps someday soon history's arc may bend and give Parker a little justice of his own," Stiehm concludes. More here.
• Dangerous White Stereotypes ... [NYTimes Op-Ed, Patricia A. Turner, Aug. 28] One of the most noteworthy movies of the summer is “The Help.” Set in Jackson, Miss., in the early 1960s, it focuses on the relationships between white upper-middle-class women and the black domestics who took care of them and their children. Although many reviews of the film were quite positive, numerous critics, including some African-American commentators, have lashed out against it, arguing that the film does not deserve the accolades it has received. More here.
• Dr. King's Dreams ... [NYTimes Editorial, Aug. 27] The new Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, set between those for Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln in Washington, commemorates Dr. King’s quest to fulfill the American dream of equality for all. Jefferson defined it, Lincoln fought for it, and Dr. King acted out of the conviction that “our nation is challenged to realize” it. Here.
• Asking candidates tougher questions about faith ... [NYTimes, Bill Keller, executive editor, Aug. 25] If a candidate for president said he believed that space aliens dwell among us, would that affect your willingness to vote for him? Personally, I might not disqualify him out of hand; one out of three Americans believe we have had Visitors and, hey, who knows? But I would certainly want to ask a few questions. Like, where does he get his information? Does he talk to the aliens? Do they have an economic plan? Yet when it comes to the religious beliefs of our would-be presidents, we are a little squeamish about probing too aggressively. More here.
Resources
• For the 10th anniversary of 9/1 ... [Compiled by the staff of the Diocese of Bethlehem] Here.
Episcopal/Anglican
• Give thanks for the life of Pamela Chinnis ... [Episcopal News Service] Pamela Chinnis, who was the first woman to lead the Episcopal Church's House of Deputies, died Aug. 24 at her home in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She was 86. Chinnis served three terms as president of the House of Deputies from 1991 to 2000, the maximum allowed."She was a champion of including the voices of all the baptized in the governance system she cherished and helped to lead," said current House of Deputies president Bonnie Anderson. "As the first woman to serve as president of the House of Deputies, Dr. Chinnis opened the 73rd General Convention by saying: 'The House of Deputies was a complete innovation when this church was organized following the American Revolution. Laity, clergy and bishops have an equal voice in determining policy, establishing our legal framework and maintaining a living liturgical life.' Her invaluable service to the Episcopal Church sought to bring these words to life." More here.
• Applications accepted for Episcopal Church educational scholarships ... Here.
• Episcopal News Service on Twitter.
• Anglican Communion News Service ... on Facebook.
Moravian
• Moravian Church in North America website
• Moravian Church Northern Province website
• Moravian Theological Seminary website
Evangelical Lutheran
• NEPA Synod E-News ... August 26. Here.
• NEPA Synod website ... 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 ... Communication tips and tools. Here.
• Eastern PA Conference of the UMC website ... Here.
• Facebook ... Here.
• Bishop Peggy Johnson's blog ... Here.
Roman Catholic
• O'Malley puts down a new marker on abuse crisis ... [John Allen, National Catholic Reporter] If one were to poll Catholic insiders as to which bishops are considered global leaders on the sexual abuse crisis, a few names would likely pop up repeatedly: Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Ireland, for instance, or Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Germany. Martin's searing candor has made him a hero to some and a lightning rod for others, while the German bishops are considered to have mounted one of the most effective responses to the scandals of any national conference, and Zollitsch is their chairman. Right at the top of the list, however, would be Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston. Here.
• Diocese of Scranton ... Here.
• Diocese of Allentown ... 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.
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.
DaySpin
• Diocese of Bethlehem Events Calendar ... Updated monthly, August 22. Here. Find weekly updates on the DioBeth Facebook page. Also here.
• Episcopal Church Calendar ... Here.
Be there
• Sept. 11 ... 9/11 Service of Remembrance and Reconciliation , 5pm, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. Bishop Paul will preach. See above, under DioBethSpin.
• Sept. 11 ... Trinity Easton will host a 9/11 interfaith community Service of Remembrance and Hope. See above, under DioBethSpin.
• Sept. 11 ... Benefit Concert for Trinity Bethlehem Soup Kitchen. See above, under DioBethSpin.
• Oct. 7-8 ... Diocesan Convention , Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem.
• Oct. 22 ... J2A Training , 8:30 - 3:00, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem.
• Nov. 11-13 ... Happening Retreat by Youth for Youth, grades 9-12, at Kirby House.
• Nov. 12 ... Renewal Assembly III.
• Jan. 21 ... Bishop's Day with Youth, grades 6-12.
• April 20-22 ... Christophany Retreat, grades 6-12.
• June ?? ... Vocare Retreat for Young Adults.
• Summer ... Senior High Mission Trip.
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.
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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]
