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Diocesan Life March/April 2012

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The Best Karaoke Night Ever, March 23

The St. Andrew’s choir invites you to a fundraiser event at The Historic Weaversville Inn, Friday night March 23, 2012 7 pm – 10 pm. The Weaversville Inn is located at 6916 Weaversville Road  Northampton, PA 18067

 

Come earlier and enjoy some of the amazing entrees created for you by Chef Mark Prostko and his staff. Food and beverage selections will be available all evening.

 

Stay all night and be entertained by Dale & Gina Lakatosh, our Karaoke DJs for the evening. Ask your friends, get a table together.

 

You may not want to sing but you’ll want to watch some of the others share some of their favorites with you. Cover charge is $8.00 per person. Tickets can be purchased in advance from any choir member. Reservations are strongly suggested. All proceeds will be used to purchase music and additional instrumentation for worship services.

 

Come out, join us, and make a joyful noise. The St. Andrew’s Choir thanks you.

newSpin 120227

The newSpin Newsletter, Feb. 27, 2012
By Bill Lewellis
Published Monday, occasionally also on Thursday

TopSpin
• Diocesan Training Day ... The annual Diocesan Training Day is now open for online registration. The event, Saturday, March 24 at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre will feature 12 workshops from a variety of ministries. Registration and more info here. Vestry members and Finance Commission members are especially encouraged to attend the Wardens/Vestry 101 Workshop led by Bishop Paul and Archdeacon Stringfellow: An introduction for new wardens and vestry members, or a refresher for experienced vestry members to the roles, responsibilities, and realities of parish leadership. We will look at canons, models, strategies, and resources to assist the elected leaders of parishes.

• Grace Kingston seeks part-time sexton ... Here.

• March 2 Episcopal webinar forcuses on social media as hospitality ... Social Media as Hospitality is the topic of the next Digital Formation webinar, slated for March 2 at 1 pm Eastern (noon Central, 11 Mountain, 10 Pacific). Pre-registration is required. To register for the free webinar: http://digitalformation.eventbrite.com. A joint program of the General Theological Seminary (GTS) of the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church Office of Communication, Digital Formation is an educational series for clergy and laity to understand and appreciate the importance of the use and effects of social media in the church as well as its theological foundations and implications. More here.

• DioBeth GC Deputies blog ... A vehicle for communication created by the deputation of the Diocese of Bethlehem to the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church to be held July 5-12th, 2012 in Indianapolis. Here.

• Trinity West Pittston flips out over pancakes ... [Janine Ungvarsky] On Shrove Tuesday, Trinity West Pittston flipped out, serving 600 pancakes in just over three hours at our 8th Annual Pancake, Egg and Sausage Supper.  The dining hall was filled with a steady stream of neighbors, friends and parishioners all enjoying the pancake flipping skills of Father John Major, who manned the griddle for the evening.  The event was a great success, thanks to the nearly two dozen Trinity parishioners and friends of the parish who served food, kept coffee pots and syrup pitchers filled and made sure the guests all left happy and full. A number of the guests at the pancake dinner were local residents affected by the September flooding, who were provided complimentary tickets courtesy of donations. The event got an honorable mention in an article about Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday that ran in the Times Leader the following day.

• Christ Church Stroudsburg welcomes new rector ... [Pocono Record] Here.

• Ashes on the go in Kingston ...Here.

• Diarmaid MacColluch on the Anglican Covenant ... [Episcopal Café] The Anglican Covenant is bad theology for many reasons: the most important of which is that it gives to central bodies the authority to decide who is fully an Anglican, in a way that offends every canon of Anglican history. It also makes an elementary mistake about discipline in our tradition. There is no question but that the Covenant originated in a wish on the part of certain primates of the Communion to put the Episcopal Church of the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada in the Naughty Corner. More here.

• Eleven principles for medical conscientious objection ... [Episcopal Cafe, Andrew Gerns] What has been missing from the on-going controversy over contraception and conscience--beside the voices of women--has been a useful way of thinking through how to balance equal and competing claims. In this case, the claim to equal and quality access to health care has run into the claim that the caregiver should violate ones own conscience in providing care.Part of the problem is that Catholic Bishops have not only politicized the issue, they refuse to apply their own standards of debate within Catholic moral theology. Part of this is that they refuse to see access to contraception as a competing good, and they refuse to recognize the validity of other views--even within Catholicism. Consequently all they do is complain and criticize. They, and the politicians who have jumped on this bandwagon, have refused to recommend any solutions that can move the conversation forward, settling instead to label the President and call their opponents names. There has to be a better way. More here.

• Youth at General Convention ... President of House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson, has posted the following to 18-30 year olds who would like to attend General Convention in Indianapolis July 4-12. Here. [h/t Scott Allen]
 

Wellness Committee

On Starting a Wellness Committee for your organization. Download pdf file below.
 
Diana Marshall
Diocese of Bethlehem Liaison to National Episcopal Health Ministries

Download Wellness_committee

Lenten Evensong at Mediator, Allentown on March 4

By Clint Miller

Lenten Evensong
March 4, 4:00 p.m.

Mediator’s choir will sing Choral Evensong on the afternoon of March 4 at four o’clock. Of special interest for this Lenten Evensong will be a performance of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis composed by our own Neil Farrell. We are, indeed, fortunate to have Neil, his wife, Leslie, and their two sons, Liam and Jack as members of our church family. 

Neil and his family arrived in the Lehigh Valley from New York City a few years ago where Neil had a distinguished career as a professional musician, composer and singer. He was a frequent tenor soloist with most the city’s best professional and volunteer choruses; among the most notable being the renowned Renaissance ensemble, Pomerium,  Voices of Ascension and the New York Virtuoso Singers, to name only a few. For five years he was a member of the choir of The Cathedral of St. John the Divine and has also been featured as soloist on numerous recordings by these and other prominent musical ensembles. As a composer and arranger, his works have been performed and recorded by the above ensembles as well as The Western Wind Ensemble, Canticum Novum, and Equal Voices, among others. He has written more than a dozen anthems for the Choir St. Ignatius of Loyola, of which he was a member for 18 years. The Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis were his first adult compositions written while he was in the choir at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Neil still travels back and forth to New York to perform with several of these musical ensembles, most recently with Pomerium. He also occasionally sings with our choir when his schedule permits and when we are in need of his enviable talents. 

The Choir will also sing Maurice Greene’s (1896-1755) wonderful anthem, “Lord, let me know mine end”, one of the choir’s favorites, which they last performed a couple of years ago. Greene succeeded to every major musical post in England becoming organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral (1718), organist and composer of the Chapel Royal (1727) and Master of the King’s Music (1735). He was also professor of music at Cambridge. 

Sadly, Gerre Hancock, the distinguished organist and Choirmaster of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Manhattan for over three decades, died last month, January 17, in  Austin, Texas where he was Professor of organ and sacred music at the University of Texas. He was renowned in the profession for his skills of improvisation, virtuosity at the organ and his superb skills as choir trainer. Writing about the St. Thomas choir in The New York Times in 2004, the music critic, Allan Kozinn, said, “ It produces a polished and beautifully balanced sound that for sacred music ….. is about the best that New York has to offer. The concluding voluntary on March 4 will be his organ composition “Aria” composed in 1963 and dedicated to his wife, Judith, also a distinguished organist and musician. 

As is our custom, a gala reception will follow the Evensong in the Commons Room so mark your calendars and invite a friend. 

Grace Kingston seeks part-time sexton

to do general cleaning, routine maintenance and repairs, lawn care and snow removal. If interested and for more information call Nancy at 570-287-8440.  An Application for Employment is attached.

Application for Employment.pdf

The Baseball Fan and 2012 predictions

By Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow

The Baseball Fan observes with great devotion the days of the Baseball Season, and it became the custom to prepare for Opening Day by a season of reflection and prediction.  This season provided a time for converts and seasoned Fans alike to share with each other their allegiances and analyses so that conversations, whether appointed or joyously unexpected, could begin with mutual understanding and awareness.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Game we love, to the observance of a truly great Season by self-examination and objectivity; by reflection, contemplation, and self-awareness; by differentiation from past rivalries and present and obligatory pay-backs; and by reading and studying The Sporting News' Baseball Annual, the sports pages, baseball blogs, and websites, and, perhaps, conversing (at arm's length) with baseball handicappers of renown (one of whom in The Great Gatsby sports cuff-links made of human molars).

Those of you whose predictions achieve a high congruence with the Season's outcomes may fully expect an appropriate acknowledgment after the last pitched ball.  To be considered for this prize, I shall need to have your predictions by Midnight of Tuesday, March 27, the day before (actually, six hours and ten minutes before), the first pitched ball of the 2012 Season in Tokyo, when the (Ancient) Mariners of Seattle visit the (White) Elephants of Oakland.  Opening Day in America will be April 4 when the Champion Cardinals open the Miami Marlins' new ballpark.

Your predictions this year should include two Wild Card picks per league.  A new playoff format, as I understand it, calls for a one-game playoff between wild card winners in what amounts to a play-in game for each league.  Whether this format will begin this Season or next is unknown at the moment.  A final decision is required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement by March 1.  I do not know if two Wild Cards can come from the same division.  MLB press releases have not addressed the new format.  If the new format is delayed, Wild Card 1 (not 2) will stand as your Wild Card pick.  For the purposes of tallying results, predicting correct playoff spots (Wild Cards or Division Champions) garner 3 points, League Champions 5 points, and World's Champion 10 points.

And, to make a right beginning to the Season, let us now kneel in silence to determine the results of our studies and our hopes for the Teams, and to set forth those results below:

2012 Baseball Season Predictions
Winners of Divisions and Wild Cards, League Champions, and World's Champion

AL East:
AL Central:
AL West:
AL Wild Card 1:
AL Wild Card 2:
AL Champion:

NL East:
NL Central:
NL West:
NL Wild Card 1:
NL Wild Card 2:
NL Champion:

World's Champion:

Play Ball!

Grace, Kingston Rector imposes ashes in a novel way

By Joe Jackloski
In Wyoming Valley,  this heavily blue collar and service work area, picking the proper time for Ash Wednesday service is a challenge, and there are some, like nurses though faithful, simply can't find the time to go to Church.

Fr. John hit upon a novel idea. He would impose ashes on such souls on their way to work by standing on the sidewalk in front of Grace Church. Fully 15  of our Parishioners took advantage of this, but here's where it gets good.

Nurses at the nearby Geisinger Clinic, seeing this, began to line up too, perhaps 20 of them.
And a bedridden neighbor, not a Parishioner, saw this and called the Church office to see if Fr.John would come to her home.

Then Jane Ritsick, a Parishioner, called.  It seems when she told her fellow workers at the Saxton Pavilion (a large outpatient medical facility)  what Fr John was doing in front of the Church, they wanted in!   So Fr. John trundles the mile or so to impose ashes on an eclectic band of the Faithful of several denominations, 60 in number. They were ever so grateful, there are already plans to repeat this next year.

Then of course was our usual evening Eucharist at which our usual half hundred people showed up.

With a little novel thinking, at the end of the day nearly 150 people number had shared their Lenten commitment.

Kudos Father John.

***************

See also WaPo/RNS column by Lauren Winner here.

And Episcopsl News Service on "Ashes To Go" here.

And some sharing on Ash Wenesday services here.

Trinity West Pittston flips out over pancakes

By Janine Ungvarsky

On Shrove Tuesday, Trinity West Pittston flipped out, serving 600 pancakes in just over three hours at our 8th Annual Pancake, Egg and Sausage Supper.  The dining hall was filled with a steady stream of neighbors, friends and parishioners all enjoying the pancake flipping skills of Father John Major, who manned the griddle for the evening.  The event was a great success, thanks to the nearly two dozen Trinity parishioners and friends of the parish who served food, kept coffee pots and syrup pitchers filled and made sure the guests all left happy and full.
 
A number of the guests at the pancake dinner were local residents affected by the September flooding, who were provided complimentary tickets courtesy of donations.
 
The event got an honorable mention in an article about Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday that ran in the Times Leader the following day.

Christophany Registration opens today

Pray For...

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

Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada, 21, of Maricopa, Ariz.
Capt. Ryan P. Hall, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Petty Officer First Class Paris S. Pough, 40, of Columbus, Ga.
Sgt. Jerry D. Reed II, 30, of Russellville, Ark.
Senior Airman Julian S. Scholten, 26, of Upper Marlboro, Md.
Capt. Nicholas S. Whitlock, 29, of Newnan, Ga.
1st Lt. Justin J. Wilkens, 26, of Bend, Ore.

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

Want to receive this in your email box? Subscribe to our "Pray For..." list via our "Get Connected" box on our web site: www.diobeth.org

newSpin 120220

The newSpin newsletter, Feb. 20, 2012
By Bill Lewellis
Published Monday, occasionally also on Thursday

TopSpin
• I saw you kneeling there ... [Bishop Paul] In a few days it will be that time again. What will you be thinking? How do you suppose people the age of toddlers, teens, seniors, and so on will hear the Ash Wednesday words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return?” We will all hear them as we gather later this month, February 22, for the beginning of Lent, and it might be interesting to imagine for a moment what you and the people next to you could be thinking. Here are some possibilities that occur to me. More here.

• Christ Church Stroudsburg celebrates new rector ... [Pocono Record] Here.

• Diocesan Training Day ... The annual Diocesan Training Day is now open for online registration. The event, Saturday, March 24 at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre will feature 12 workshops from a variety of ministries. Here and here.

• A Space for Common Prayer ... [General Seminary Events] On Tuesday, Feb. 28, The General Theological Seminary (GTS) will offer A Space for Common Prayer, a daylong event on church art and architecture lead by one of the country’s leading sacred space planners, Richard S. Vosko. Participants will gather at 9 a.m. for a keynote talk by General’s Associate Dean and liturgical scholar, the Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy. More here.

• General Convention...  The new website of the General Convention is up and running. Here.

• DioBeth GC Deputies blog ... A vehicle for communication created by the deputation of the Diocese of Bethlehem to the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church to be held July 5-12th, 2012 in Indianapolis. Here.

DioBethSpin
 • Benjamin Albro, 17 ... a junior at Emmaus High School, was killed Thursday in a one-car accident. He and his family were members of St. Anne's Trexlertown.The church was open Saturday for family and friends to gather. Rector  Michael Piovane said visitors had an opportunity to talk about Benjamin and support each other. Morning Call story here. Obituary here. Please pray for Benjamin and his family.

• Defeating our Enemies: Our need for Lent ... [Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow] The Lord’s words to Cain never quite become silent.  They never leave, and they remind me, as they linger, of the need we have of using every means possible to prefer the good and to leave the evil alone: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:7). The choice is ours, of course, whether we do well or do not do well, or whether we master sin or permit sin to master us.  The desire to defeat our enemies as much as anything I know points to our need for Lent—our need to repent and to return to the Lord. Defeating our enemies clearly belongs to the category of not doing well and letting sin become our master.  As long as we’re clear on that, some room may remain to have a little fun. More here.

• Mary could get you out of jail –– and put you in ... [Bill Lewellis, The Morning Call] When I was growing up in a small town in Schuylkill County, a strong woman was my hero. Before folks heard the word, Mary was a feminist in the Forties. More here.

• Jubilate for Lent to Trinity Sunday ... Hymnody for Lent to Trinity Sunday (February 22 to June 3, 2012), published by the Diocese of Bethlehem for our diocesan community and for free distribution to the world, may be downloaded below as an Acrobat or MSWord file. Jubilate is a service of our Liturgy and Music Commission, specifically Canon Cliff Carr who has been doing this for more than 30 years. More here.

• Small group study on Nicene Creed ... Mediator Allentown will be doing a We Believe small group study on the Nicene Creed during Lent. The study was developed by a planning group in the parish to help people explore what the Creed means to us individually and communally. People from outside the parish are invited to join a small group on Thursday evening at 7:00, Saturday morning at 10:00, or Sunday at noon, at the church, located at 1620 Turner St., Allentown. The study begins the first full week of Lent, February 26. For more information go to www.episcopalmediator.org or call 610-434-0155.

• Disciples of Christ in Community Training ... DOCC training will be offered at the Cathedral March 2-3 by the Rev. William Barnwell of Trinity Church New Orleans. Cost: $125 for presenters (clergy or EFM graduates), $50 for facilitators (small group leaders). If your congregation is interested in starting a DOCC experience you are invited to participate by recruiting a small team of leaders and registering for this event. Contact Dean Pompa or Canon Partee. Disciples of Christ in Community is a step by step journey into the heart of Christianity. One word can be used to describe DOCC and that is transformational. What does it mean to hear God's Call? What does it mean to be the church as opposed to belonging to the Church? What difference can Christ really make in our lives? Through short presentations and small group discussion around such important topics participants are invited to grow in faith in community. For more information about D.O.C.C. visit www.trinitynola.com/docc.

 • An evening with C.S. Lewis ... Trinity, Easton is hosting “An Evening with C.S. Lewis,” a one man show starring British actor David Payne on Friday, March 2, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20. The presentation is sponsored by the Music and Arts Ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church. Please see the blog post.

• Christian formation specialist adds days to calendar ... In a bold move, The Rev. Anne E Kitch, Canon for Formation in the Christian Faith of the Diocese of Bethlehem, presented a new calendar late last week. Known as The Calendar 2012 (but to be referred to as the New Calendar for the next 30 years), its main feature is the addition of three days to the month of March. “It’s quite straightforward,” said Canon Kitch from her office in Bethlehem. “This year March has 34 days.” More here.

• Calendar of Events ... updated Feb. 15. Here.
• Diocesan Events for 2012 ... Here.

• Bishop's Beach Party (Rescheduled) ... March 17, 2:00 to 7:00, Cathedral. More here.

• Weekly Parish eNewsletters ... Here are links to the attractive, newsy, and user-friendly weekly electronic newsletters of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Grace Allentown, Prince of Peace Dallas, Trinity Easton and St. Anne's Trexlertown. The Cathedral's newsletter is created with ChurchPost that, through a diocesan contract, is available free to all parishes. Cathedral, Feb. 17, here. Grace Allentown, Feb. 16, here. Trinity Easton, Feb. 17, here. Prince of Peace Dallas, Feb. 17, here. St. Anne's Trexlertown, here, click on "Weekly Calendar." There may be other weekly electronic newsletters, besides these five, that might be looked at. If so, please send me a link.

• Episcopal News Weekly bulletin inserts ... Download inserts here.

• DioBeth Website ... newSpin Blog ... Re:Create blog for youth and young adults ... Twitter.DioBeth ... Twitter.Kat Lehman ... Facebook.DioBeth ... Flickr, search under dio_beth

• 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.

TailSpin
• Why are so many dolphins beaching themselves on Cape Cod? ... [Christian Science Monitor] In the past month, 177 short-beaked common dolphin have beached themselves on Cape Cod. Depite rescue efforts, 124 have died. More here.

• Lack of women will irreversibly harm the church ... [NCR, Joan Chittisterr] it is clear that the church already lost a good proportion of one generation of women in the last 25 years and is now willing to lose the next one to reassert its maleness. The question rises again with new and demanding urgency for many: Why do we go there? Here.

Resources
• In-Formation in Bethlehem ... Canon Anne Kitch's February newsletter.

• Lent with SSJE ... Here.

• Episcopal Church offers Lenten resources, meditations ... Here.

• Congregational Resource Guide ... Here.

Episcopal/Anglican
 • Continuing split ... [RNS via Episcopal Café] Religion News Service summarizes the current struggle within the Anglican Mission in America and the difficulty the breakaway church has in maintaining an Anglican identity while drifting farther away from their roots. [h/t/ Andrew Gerns] 

• Virginia Episcopalians prepare to take back their churches ... [WaPo via Episcopal Café] Here.

• New Jersey's Episcopalians keep the faith despite papal invitation ... [Bergen County Record] The Vatican has invited Episcopalians who oppose their church’s liberal leanings to join the Roman Catholic fold, but so far, New Jersey congregations aren’t budging. Some Episcopal clergy note that the Vatican’s invitation comes after years of a reverse trend, where they’ve seen many Catholics joining and attending their churches. Often it’s because they disagree with the Vatican’s conservative stance on issues like homosexuality, female ordination and divorce. More here.

• Episcopal Church new website ... complete transformation and redesign, launched December 28, efficient and user friendly. Read about it here. ... Episcopal News Service ... ENS blog ... Episcopal Church on Facebook ... Episcopal Church on YouTube ... Anglican Communion website ... Anglican Communion News Service. ... 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 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. News Service Here. Communication Resources Start here. Communication newsletter (tips and tools) Here. Eastern PA Conference website  Here. Facebook Here. Bishop Peggy Johnson's blog Here.

Roman Catholic
• Five questions about the Vatican's leaks scandal ... [John Allen, NCR] Here.

• Diocese of Allentown ... Here.  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.

Opinion/Commentary
• Our unrealistic attitudes about death, through a doctor's eyes ... [Washington Post] As a hospital internist, Craig Bowron is often asked by families to use his physician superpowers to push a patient's tired body further down the road, with little thought as to whether the additional suffering will be worth it. For many Americans, modern medical advances have made death seem more like an option than an obligation, Bowron writes in the Washington Post. "We want our loved ones to live as long as possible, but our culture has come to view death as a medical failure rather than life's natural conclusion." More here. [h/t Leadership Education at Duke Divinity]

• Contraception controversy roundup ... [Episcopal Café] Cable news channels and the web make news developments around controversial issues easy to keep up with but, perhaps, not so easy to understand. A post by Canon Andrew Gerns on Episcopal Café may help. Catch up with the nuances here. Andrew's post is well worth reading. This post raises a question that I'm surprised I haven't seen elsewhere over the past few days: To whom does health insurance that is part of a compensation package belong? Employer or employee? Might it be similar to asking to whom does one's salary belong? Does an employer have the right to tell you how to spend your salary? See also a WaPo column by E.J. Dionne. And, Laurie Goodstein's story in the NYTimes: "The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops have rejected a compromise on birth control coverage that President Obama offered on Friday and said they would continue to fight the president’s plan to find a way for employees of Catholic hospitals, universities and service agencies to receive free contraceptive coverage in their health insurance plans, without direct involvement or financing from the institutions."

Media/Films/DVD/TV/Books/Music/Tech
• Twenty iPhone tips and tricks ... [Christian Science Monitor] Here.

WordSpin
• Daily Office ...  Lectionary Page ... Lectionary ...  Oremus Bible Browser ...  Revised Common Lectionary. 

Be there 
February: Music at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral. Updated. Here.

March 2: An Evening with C.S. Lewis at Trinity Easton. Here.

March 5: Financial Sanity Seminar At Trinity Easton, Four Mondays, 7 to 8:30 p.m., March 5 to 26. More here.

March 9-11: Nativity Cathedral's 10th annual retreat for Episcopal women, here.

March 17: Bishop's Beach Party (Rescheduled) Here.

March 24: Diocesan Training Day, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 9:00 to 3:00.

March 29: Chrism Mass, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem 11:00 a.m.

April 13: Ordination, Nativity Cathedral Bethlehem, 7:00 p.m.

April 15: Trinity Pottsville Concert: Mark Laubach, organist; Cora Gamelin-Osenbach, soprano. Here.

April 20-22: Christophany Retreat, grades 6-12, at Pocono Plateau Retreat, Cresco.

April 22: Celebration of New Ministry, Good Shepherd Scranton
The Rev. Peter Pearson as rector, 4:00 p.m.

May 3-6: Icon Workshop with Peter Pearson at Cathedral.  More info here.

May 16: Episcopal Church Women Annual Meeting, Kirby House 9:00 to 2:30.
Program:  Prefer Nothing to Christ – Benedictine Wisdom for the Christian Life.
The Rev. Laura Thomas Howell

May 18: Ordination to priesthood of Charlie Warwick and Lou Divis at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre, 7:00 p.m.

May 20: St. Matthew's Society Gathering, Lehigh Country Club, Allentown 3:00 p.m.

June 1-3: Vocare Retreat for Young Adults, Kirkridge Retreat Center.

June 16: Renewal Assembly 5, various locations.

June 30: Bishop's Day with Kids

July 5-12: 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, Indianapolis.

July 28: Bishop's Day with Kids

Summer: Senior High Mission Trip. Dates and destination TBA.

Sept. 20: New Hope 5th Anniversary

Sept. 25: Pre-Convention Meeting, St. Alban's, Sinking Spring 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 27: Pre-Convention Meeting, Church of the Epiphany, Clarks Summit 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 2: Pre-Convention Meeting, Nativity, Bethlehem 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 5-6: Diocesan Convention at Good Shepherd Scranton

Nov. 11: Joint Eucharist with United Methodists
Asbury UMC, Allentown, 4:00 P.M. Bishop Paul to preach.

• Calendar of Events ... updated Feb. 15. Here.
• Diocesan Events for 2012 ... Here.

Follow
• The Diocese of Bethlehem on Twitter and Facebook ... http://twitter.com/#!/Diobeth ... https://www.facebook.com/DioceseOfBethlehem
• Kat Lehman on Twitter ... http://twitter.com/#!/KatLehman

Additional sources of news/info/commentary
• Religion News Service Daily Roundup ... here.
• Faith in Public Life ... here.
• Episcopal/Anglican
 (1) The Episcopal Church
 (2) Episcopal News Service
 (3) Episcopal Café
 (4) AngicansOnline.
 (5) AnglicansOnline News Centre.

*************

You are reading the newSpin newsletter. The newSpin blog, which includes the newsletter and other items, is available here. When the newsletter is completed on Mondays and occasionally on Thursdays as well, it is published immediately to the blog and on Bakery and on a ChurchPost list of some 1,000 addresses. Many recipients forward it to many more. Bakery and the blog are interactive. The ChurchPost list is not. The newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor. 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. 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. Regarding items about your parish or agency as well as feedback on any other items ... send email 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]

 

 

 

I Saw You Kneeling There

Bishop Paul Marshall

[Frst published in the February 2012 edition of Diocesan Life, the newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem]

In a few weeks it will be that time again.

What will you be thinking? How do you suppose people the age of toddlers, teens, seniors, and so on will hear the Ash Wednesday words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return?” We will all hear them as we gather later this month, February 22, for the beginning of Lent, and it might be interesting to imagine for a moment what you and the people next to you could be thinking. Here are some possibilities that occur to me.

Three to six
I suspect that for young children, three to six years old, going up to the rail and being smeared with ash is a new part of their exploring and experiencing the world. The words may not mean very much, but doing all this with parents or grandparents says that something important is going on, a part of what it means to be big. Impressions are being stored, and the intent to be big is forming. This is a bank of experience that cannot be made up later.

Six to twelve
For a six-to-twelve year-old, busily gaining competences in the world but also wondering if they can make it, the words may have some meaning to add to the by-now familiar act of coming up, kneeling down, and being smudged. By this time a great-grandparent or other important figure has died, and the years of awe are tainted with other, darker, realities.

How good to be in a place where this is not denied, and people can be open about reality without freaking out! The calmness of it all. We accept reality and also go forward. As the child’s conscience develops during this period, the calm acceptance of responsibility and comforting words of forgiveness provide a note of balance. Taking on a Lenten discipline of some appropriate kind can be a way of gaining the “mastery” in life that this age group seeks.

Teens
For teens, life’s big question is “who am I?” with “what can I become?” as a close second. Perhaps the last thing teens want to hear is that they are mortal and limited, but they do know about frustration and perhaps rage against it as they seek to become their own person. Perhaps in the midst of that they can also hear that even when they are most alienated they are still God’s person. Finding out who they are involves taking moral responsibility on their own—and beginning to experience that they can mediate as well as receive grace.

Adults through middle age
If we can generalize about adults from their twenties through middle age, big questions form about the ability to love and be loved. Questions of vocation and of financial survival enter along with reproduction and the increasing interest in “what it all means.”

The other side of the coin of the downturn in the economy is that some people are sensing the difference between having and being and are re-examining what it means to be human. Remembering one’s dustiness is remembering that he who dies with the most toys is still dead, and that nobody on their deathbed ever wished they had spent more time at work. Repentance for adults may be about choosing meaning, maintaining balance.

Older adults
Older adults are seeing their parents die.  That is profoundly sad, but not unanticipated. The shock is that one’s friends are dying off.  The world is becoming a lonelier place. The concept of being dust that we’ve lived with all our lives comes closer to home: I start to feel the dust, and some of it is in my hip joints.  I can and--I suspect--will die.  How do I tell the story of my life? How will I use the time I have left? Will I choose to contribute what I can or will I withdraw?

Looking for the end
And there are those who are waiting to die. For them the words may speak hope and release. They are given little permission to have or express their feelings in our life-affirming culture, and they are a little tired of hearing about plans for their 115th birthday party when they know they are done and now wish for stillness and rest. At least God is honest with them and will be there to receive them. It is OK to say “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace.” These ashes may be the only affirmation they get this season as they prepare for the last transition, and the agèd eagles spread their wings.

The gifts of Lent
One sentence in a long liturgy, a liturgy about mortality, repentance, forgiveness, and rebuilding the self, and so many ways to hear and respond. These reflections have been in the long run about my awareness that while we are all so different, we are all embraced in a single set of symbols that carry us through life, and beyond it.

As you look at the people around you in worship (and that’s OK to do!), let your imagination go and see if one of the gifts of Lent isn’t increased empathy and prayer for those who stand around the table with us. See if the other gift is not a greater sense of our own belonging to the human community that Christ came to redeem.

Mary could get you out of jail – and put you in

Bill Lewellis
The Morning Call, Feb. 18, 2012

When I was growing up in a small town in Schuylkill County, a strong woman was my hero. Before folks heard the word, Mary was a feminist in the Forties.

She kept Port Carbon, except for a few contrarians, Republican. In nearby Pottsville, she had a patronage job, matron at the county courthouse. I never had the nerve to ask her what the matron did.

She knew every judge, lawyer, bureaucrat, policeman and politician in the county. And they knew her. In Port Carbon, Mary was your network. She could get you out of jail quicker than a lawyer could.

Mary had a big heart. She and Vince had no children of their own, but they raised a few. None bore their name. Billy came to live with them when he was eleven after appearing in juvenile court on a petty theft charge. Mary happened to be sitting in the courtroom. Billy’s parents told the judge they couldn’t handle him. The judge said he’d have to send Billy away. They called it “reform school,” in those days.

“Judge, you can’t do that to this nice boy,” Mary said. “What can I do?” the judge replied. “I’ll take him home,” she said. She did. She and Vince raised Billy until he enlisted in the service.

That would have been enough to make Mary my hero; but she also did something for the women of Port Carbon that no man could have done.

My parents operated a neighborhood tavern in Port Carbon for some 35 years. That’s where I got the scoop. After I was ordained a Roman Catholic priest, my mother quipped that she may have already heard more confessions than I ever will.

Domestic violence, wife battering, may have been every small town’s dirty secret. The word in town, however, was that if a woman was abused by her husband she should call Mary. Mary went to the house, She’d go jaw to jaw with any man, confronting the abusive husband for the jerk he was. Her language was vivid. I’d love to supply samples. The confrontation often ended with the husband spending the night in jail. Mary could get you out of jail – but she could also put you in.

Some women didn’t call Mary. Some felt they had no economic alternative. Some feared that something worse might happen to them later. Some stayed in the “relationship” for what they called religious reasons. It was difficult to convince some that God did not want them to be abused.

One of my favorite readings is from the Book of Isaiah: Thus says the Lord who created you, who formed you: [Hear this word the Lord speaks to each one of us.] Be not afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God… You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you… Be not afraid, for I am with you…

Hear this word of the Lord… hear it in your mind and heart: You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.

[Canon Bill Lewellis, blewellis@diobeth.org, a retired Episcopal priest, served on the Bishop’s staff of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem for 24 years and on the Bishop’s staff of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown for 13 years before that. He has written hundreds of columns for newspapers and collaborated with Jenifer Gamber in the 2009 book, Your Faith Your Life: An Invitation to the Episcopal Church.]

Christian Formation Specialist Adds Days to Calendar

Editor's note: This was recently submitted by the head reporter for Noino. All attempts at verifying the new calendar have met with worldwide committee requests for clarification at the UN.

In a bold move, The Rev. Anne E Kitch, Canon for Formation in the Christian Faith of the Diocese of Bethlehem, presented a new calendar late last week. Known as The Calendar 2012 (but to be referred to as the New Calendar for the next 30 years), its main feature is the addition of three days to the month of March.

“It’s quite straightforward,” said Canon Kitch from her office in Bethlehem. “This year March has 34 days.”  Kitch claims this is hardly an innovation, but rather a formation opportunity (or as others call it, a learning experience). According to the sometimes clamorous canon, both the Julian calendar adopted in 46 BCE and the Gregorian calendar of 1582 only approximate the solar year. “Every 400 years or so, we need to add three days. I thought this was the year to do it,” she articulated.

Tax accountant Royce Beiner was grateful. “We are always so crunched at tax time,” he said, “having these extra days sure makes a difference. I got right down on my knees and thanked her.”

Major John W. Pittston was also enthusiastic, “Wow! I had no idea she was that clever. I’m hopeful she can find some extra days in August too. I could really use them there, September rolls around so swiftly.” Effects were noted as far away as Moscow, where a minor noble hoped all would “use the extra days wisely.”

A venerable official from Diocesan House, who spoke on condition of anonymity, voiced a note of caution. “This does raise some serious issues. For example, where will the Ides of March fall?”

Some speculated that the choice of March for the additional days was not related to ancient precepts but merely because it is Kitch’s birth month. Her Bishop could not be reached for comment.

*****Responsive Reports
Episcopal Laity and Clergy Protest Additional Three Days of Lent

The announcement of an additional three days added to March, and and extension of the already lengthy period of Lenten disciplines was greeted this afternoon by protests among both laity and clergy of the Episcopal Church.  A march on the Cathedral is planned for February 21 (the day before the Christian celebration of Ash Wednesday) and marchers have told Episcopal News Service that they will be wearing green, yellow, and purple in honor of Mardi Gras, and will be presenting Canon Kitch (who allegedly initiated the extended Lent) with a King Cake.  Their shouts of "let her eat cake" are expected to fill the corner of Bridge St. and Third St. around the Cathedral.

While some persons are reported to have jumped for joy at the new March calendar, and others are said to have gotten "down on [their] knees" in gratitude, most Episcopal laity and clergy feel differently, according to Episcopal cafe blogger, Gerns DrewAn.

"Why couldn't she have extended Easter Season to 53 days?  Why Lent?" he wrote.  "Is she some kind of killjoy?  We think she may be allergic to celebration, and hence she extended the season of Lent rather than Eastertide."

Gerns DrewAn suggested that Canon Kitch might want to consider taking a sabbatical on the Neuropsychology of Fun.

Pray For...

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

Pfc. Cesar Cortez, 24, of Oceanside, Calif.
Lance Cpl. Osbrany Montes De Oca, 20, of North Arlington, N.J.
Sgt. 1st Class Billy A. Sutton, 42, of Tupelo, Miss.

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

Want to receive this in your email box? Subscribe to our "Pray For..." list via our "Get Connected" box on our web site: www.diobeth.org

Calendar of Events updated February 15, 2012

Here is the latest Calendar of Events for events throughout the Diocese of Bethlehem. Remember, if you have an event, please let Kat Lehman know and she will add it to this list. Also, please let her know if any information changes so we can update this. As we transition to a new web site (YES, we are revamping our main web presence) we will be moving to a real-time calendar on www.diobeth.org. We wil let you know more as we move forward. in the meantime, we will continue to post the calendar here in Word format for you to download.

Download 120214calendarofevents

Lent and Holy Week Offerings around the Diocese of Bethlehem

The following are events and programing planned at various parishes throughout the diocese during Lent.

All through Lent
During Lent Trinity ECW in Carbondale will be selling Welsh cookies $5.00 per "baker's dozen." Call 281-3205 or 785-5673 to place order. Also we will be selling homemade soups: Red Clam Chowder, Pasta Fagiole, Broccali Cheese and Potato Leek  $4.00 per pint and $8.00 per quart on Sundays after the Eucharist (12:00) during coffee hour. Soup will be frozen...just heat and serve!

February 21st: Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday Pancake and Sausage Supper, Trinity, West Pittston, 3:30 to 7:00 P.M. Cost is $6.00 for Adults and $4.00 for ages 10 and under. Tickets can be purchased from the church office by calling 570-654-3271 or at the door.
Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Supper, St. John's, Palmerton 4:00 to 6:00 P.M. Cost is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children.
Dave's Special, Annual Pancake and Sausage Supper, Grace, Allentown, PA 4:30pm to 7:00pm. The cost is $8 for adults, and $4.00 for children ages 6-12. Children ages 5 and under are free. This is an all you can eat event some come early, sit long, and talk endlessly with your friends. Takeouts will be available! Please plan to attend and join us for a good meal, fun and fellowship! There will be Mardi Gras beads, coins, music and of course DOUGHNUTS! DOUGHNUTS! DOUGHNUTS!
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Christ, Towanda 5:00 P.M. Free will offering for supper.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Church of the Ephiphany, 25 Church Hill, Clarks Summit 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Free will offering benefits Dalton Food Pantry. For any questions, please call 570- 563-1564.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Nativity, Bethlehem 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. Cost is $5.00 and benefits Nativity’s Youth Camp. Entertainment by the Dixieland Five.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Mediator, Allentown 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. Cost is $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for Children.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 5:30 P.M. Suggested donation is $3.00.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and Prayer Service, St. Anne's, Trexlertown 5:45 P.M.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, St. George’s, Hellertown 6:00 P.M. $8.00 adults and $4.00 children under 10.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, St. Brigid’s, Nazareth 6:00 P.M.
Shrove Tuesday Mardi Gras Pancake Supper, Grace, Honesdale 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. We will have games for the whole family.  Our featured event is the traditional pancake races.  Any males wishing to compete in the pancake races must wear the appropriate attire of a kerchief and apron.  There will be games for the little ones, teens and adults. Free will donation for the dinner.  Bring your change for the games.  All proceeds from the games will go towards our purchase of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). Costumes are encouraged.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.

February 22nd: Ash Wednesday
Impostion of Ashes, Grace, Kingston 7:00 A.M.
Ash Wednesday Eucharist, St. Anne's, Trexlertown 10:30 A.M.
Lenten Organ Recital, St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 11:30 A.M. A community soup and sandwich lunch follows.
Ash Wednesday Service and Imposition of Ashes, St. Anne's Trexlertown 12:05 P.M. with Lenten Luncheon.
Imposition of Ashes, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 7:30 A.M. and 6:30 P.M.
Ash Wednesday Eucharist, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.
Ash Wednesday Service, St. Brigid's, Nazareth 7:00 P.M.
Ash Wednesday Eucharist, St. Anne's, Trexlertown 7:00 P.M.
Ash Wednesday Eucharist, St. Paul's, Troy 7:00 P.M.
Ash Wednesday Service, St. Peter's, Tunkhannock 7:00 P.M.
Imposition of Ashes, Prince of Peace, Dallas 7:00 P.M.

February 24th
Stations of the Cross, Christ, 700 Delaware St., Forest City 8:30 A.M. includes pizza sale.
Stations of the Cross, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 6:00 P.M. Followed by a movie series exploring "The Evil in Film" and potluck supper.

February 29th
Lenten Organ Recital, St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 11:30 A.M. A community soup and sandwich lunch follows.
Taize Service, St. Peter's, Tunkhannock 5:30 P.M. St. Peter’s Church, Tunkhannock, will offer soup suppers and Taize services during Lent this year.  Supper is at 5.30 pm. service at 6.00 pm.  Come as you are, if you wish you may bring a meatless soup to share, or a loaf of bread. A Taize service starts with love for God and one another, and through prayer, meditation, chant, and song, the gathered community may enter into the joy of God’s presence, and return to the world refreshed and eager to share community with one another.
First Lenten Soup/Bread Supper and Program: “Trials of Jesus:  Voices of the Prosecution”, St. Brigid's, Nazareth 6:00 p.m.
“Teach Us To Pray” – St. Andrew’s Lenten Series, St. Andrew's, Allentown 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Each Lenten gathering will start with our meal at 6:00 pm. The program begins at 6:30 pm. We promise to end by 8:00 pm.
Stations of the Cross, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.
Lenten Program and Book Discussion, Redeemer, Sayre 7:00 P.M. Refreshments served.
Lenten Program: "Making Time for God", St. Anne's, Trexlertown 7:00 P.M.

March 2nd
Stations of the Cross, Christ, 700 Delaware St., Forest City 8:30 A.M. includes pizza sale.
Stations of the Cross, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 6:00 P.M. Followed by a movie series exploring "The Evil in Film" and potluck supper.

March 7th
Lenten Organ Recital, St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 11:30 A.M. A community soup and sandwich lunch follows.
Taize Service, St. Peter's, Tunkhannock 5:30 P.M. St. Peter’s Church, Tunkhannock, will offer soup suppers and Taize services during Lent this year.  Supper is at 5.30 pm. service at 6.00 pm. 
Second Lenten Soup/Bread Supper and Program: “Trials of Jesus:  Voices of the Prosecution”, St. Brigid's, Nazareth 6:00 p.m.
“Teach Us To Pray” – St. Andrew’s Lenten Series, St. Andrew's, Allentown 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Each Lenten gathering will start with our meal at 6:00 pm. The program begins at 6:30 pm. We promise to end by 8:00 pm.
Stations of the Cross, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.
Lenten Program and Book Discussion, Redeemer, Sayre 7:00 P.M. Refreshments served.
Lenten Program: "Making Time for God", St. Anne's, Trexlertown 7:00 P.M.

March 9th
Stations of the Cross, Christ, 700 Delaware St., Forest City 8:30 A.M. includes pizza sale.
Stations of the Cross, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 6:00 P.M. Followed by a movie series exploring "The Evil in Film" and potluck supper.

March 14th
Lenten Organ Recital, St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 11:30 A.M. A community soup and sandwich lunch follows.
Taize Service, St. Peter's, Tunkhannock 5:30 P.M. St. Peter’s Church, Tunkhannock, will offer soup suppers and Taize services during Lent this year.  Supper is at 5.30 pm. service at 6.00 pm.
Third Lenten Soup/Bread Supper and Program: “Trials of Jesus:  Voices of the Prosecution”, St. Brigid's, Nazareth 6:00 p.m.
“Teach Us To Pray” – St. Andrew’s Lenten Series, St. Andrew's, Allentown 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Each Lenten gathering will start with our meal at 6:00 pm. The program begins at 6:30 pm. We promise to end by 8:00 pm.
Mid-Lent Retreat Soup and Bread Meal with Stations of the Cross, Prince of Peace, Dallas 6:00 P.M.
Stations of the Cross, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.
Lenten Program and Book Discussion, Redeemer, Sayre 7:00 P.M. Refreshments served.
Lenten Program: "Making Time for God", St. Anne's, Trexlertown 7:00 P.M.

March 16th
Stations of the Cross, Christ, 700 Delaware St., Forest City 8:30 A.M. includes pizza sale.
Stations of the Cross, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 6:00 P.M. Followed by a movie series exploring "The Evil in Film" and potluck supper.

March 21st
Lenten Organ Recital, St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 11:30 A.M. A community soup and sandwich lunch follows.
Taize Service, St. Peter's, Tunkhannock 5:30 P.M. St. Peter’s Church, Tunkhannock, will offer soup suppers and Taize services during Lent this year.  Supper is at 5.30 pm. service at 6.00 pm.
Fourth Lenten Soup/Bread Supper and Program: “Trials of Jesus:  Voices of the Prosecution”, St. Brigid's, Nazareth 6:00 p.m.
“Teach Us To Pray” – St. Andrew’s Lenten Series, St. Andrew's, Allentown 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Each Lenten gathering will start with our meal at 6:00 pm. The program begins at 6:30 pm. We promise to end by 8:00 pm.
Stations of the Cross, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.
Lenten Program and Book Discussion, Redeemer, Sayre 7:00 P.M. Refreshments served.
Lenten Program: "Making Time for God", St. Anne's, Trexlertown 7:00 P.M.

March 23rd
Stations of the Cross, Christ, 700 Delaware St., Forest City 8:30 A.M. includes pizza sale.
Stations of the Cross, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 6:00 P.M. Followed by a movie series exploring "The Evil in Film" and potluck supper.

March 28th
Lenten Organ Recital, St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 11:30 A.M. A community soup and sandwich lunch follows.
Taize Service, St. Peter's, Tunkhannock 5:30 P.M. St. Peter’s Church, Tunkhannock, will offer soup suppers and Taize services during Lent this year.  Supper is at 5.30 pm. service at 6.00 pm.
Fifth Lenten Soup/Bread Supper and Program: “Trials of Jesus:  Voices of the Prosecution”, St. Brigid's, Nazareth 6:00 p.m.
“Teach Us To Pray” – St. Andrew’s Lenten Series, St. Andrew's, Allentown 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Each Lenten gathering will start with our meal at 6:00 pm. The program begins at 6:30 pm. We promise to end by 8:00 pm.
Stations of the Cross, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.
Lenten Program and Book Discussion, Redeemer, Sayre 7:00 P.M. Refreshments served.
Lenten Program: "Making Time for God", St. Anne's, Trexlertown 7:00 P.M.

March 30th
Stations of the Cross, Christ, 700 Delaware St., Forest City 8:30 A.M. includes pizza sale.
Stations of the Cross, St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre 6:00 P.M. Followed by a movie series exploring "The Evil in Film" and potluck supper.

April 1st: Palm Sunday
Holy Eucharist with neighborhood palm procession led by Henry and Honey Bun, the Grace adopted donkeys, Grace, Kingston 10:00 A.M.

April 4th
Taize Service, St. Peter's, Tunkhannock 5:30 P.M. St. Peter’s Church, Tunkhannock, will offer soup suppers and Taize services during Lent this year.  Supper is at 5.30 pm. service at 6.00 pm.
Stations of the Cross, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.

April 5th: Maundy Thursday
Agape Feast in the Nave, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M followed by the Holy Eucharist and foot washing.  An Agape Feast recalls an early church tradition where a community gathered for Eucharist shared in a common meal.
Prayer Vigil, Grace, Kingston 8:00 P.M. (24 hour prayer vigil)
Maundy Thursday Service and Stripping of the Altar, St. Paul's, Troy 7:00 P.M.

April 6th: Good Friday
Good Friday Liturgy and Stations of the Cross, St. Paul's, Troy 1:00 P.M.
Good Friday Liturgy with Veneration of the Cross, Grace, Kingston 6:30 P.M.

April 7th: Holy Saturday
Great Vigil of Easter, Grace, Kingston 10:30 P.M.

April 8th: Easter Sunday
Holy Eucharist, Grace, Kingston 10:00 A.M.

Defeating our Enemies

Our Need for Lent
Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow
15 February 2012

The Lord’s words to Cain never quite become silent.  They never leave, and they remind me, as they linger, of the need we have of using every means possible to prefer the good and to leave the evil alone: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:7).

The choice is ours, of course, whether we do well or do not do well, or whether we master sin or permit sin to master us.  The desire to defeat our enemies as much as anything I know points to our need for Lent—our need to repent and to return to the Lord.

Defeating our enemies clearly belongs to the category of not doing well and letting sin become our master.  As long as we’re clear on that, some room may remain to have a little fun.

newSpin 120213

The newSpin newsletter, Feb. 13, 2012
By Bill Lewellis
Published Monday, occasionally also on Thursday

In order to solve a problem, we need to rise above the level of thinking that created the problem. [Albert Einstein]

TopSpin

• Episcopal Church offers Lenten resources, meditations ... Here.

• Saul Alinsky, who? ... See below, under TaleSpin.

• Ellen DeGeneres, JC Penney's and traditional values ... [Episcopal Café] The video is a hoot. Here. Also see CBS News interview of former Apple executive now JC Penney CEO Ron Johnson here.

• Continuing split ... [RNS via Episcopal Café] Religion News Service summarizes the current struggle within the Anglican Mission in America and the difficulty the breakaway church has in maintaining an Anglican identity while drifting farther away from their roots. [h/t/ Andrew Gerns]

• General Seminary to partner with Church Center on social media ... [Episcopal News Service] The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church is working with the Office of Communication of the church’s denominational headquarters on a new education program called Digital Formation. The goal is to help clergy and lay leaders throughout the Episcopal Church appreciate the importance of understanding the use and effects of social media in the church as well as its theological foundations and implications, according to a seminary press release. The program begins with a series of webinars, each centering on a different topic related to social media. The first hour-long webinar starts at 1:00 pm EST on Feb. 17. Interested persons may register here. The program includes 45 minutes of content and a 15 minute question-and-answer session. Topics and more here.

• A Space for Common Prayer ... [General Seminary Events] On Tuesday, Feb. 28, The General Theological Seminary (GTS) will offer A Space for Common Prayer, a daylong event on church art and architecture lead by one of the country’s leading sacred space planners, Richard S. Vosko. Participants will gather at 9 a.m. for a keynote talk by General’s Associate Dean and liturgical scholar, the Rev. Canon Patrick Malloy. More here.

• General Convention...  The new website of the General Convention is up and running. Here.

• A one-sided conversation about reform ... [Episcopal Café, Jim Naughton] I continue to be dismayed by the manner that Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, formerly Bishop of Lexington, and now chief operating officer of the Episcopal Church, are pursuing their efforts to reform the structures of the church. Bishop Sauls has proposed legislation requesting that a special committee be created to devise resolutions regarding the restructuring of the church, and that this committee’s recommendations then be debated at a special General Convention to be held before the date of the next regularly scheduled General Convention in 2015. More here.

• Contraception controversy roundup ... [Episcopal Café] Cable news channels and the web make news developments around controversial issues easy to keep up with but, perhaps, not so easy to understand. A post by Canon Andrew Gerns on Episcopal Café may help. Catch up with the nuances here. Andrew's post is well worth reading. This post raises a question that I'm surprised I haven't seen elsewhere over the past few days: To whom does health insurance that is part of a compensation package belong? Employer or employee? Might it be similar to asking to whom does one's salary belong? Does an employer have the right to tell you how to spend your salary? See also a WaPo column by E.J. Dionne. And, Laurie Goodstein's story in the NYTimes: "The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops have rejected a compromise on birth control coverage that President Obama offered on Friday and said they would continue to fight the president’s plan to find a way for employees of Catholic hospitals, universities and service agencies to receive free contraceptive coverage in their health insurance plans, without direct involvement or financing from the institutions."