The newSpin Newsletter, June 18, 2012
By Bill Lewellis
Published Monday, occasionally also on Thursday
[Bill] Please know that I have been retired since the end of 2009. I do this weekly newSpin newsletter and the newSpin blog as a volunteer. They are not official instruments of the Diocese of Bethlehem, and they carry no authority. Though I welcome questions and comments about items I include here or on the blog, please direct questions about diocesan policy or diocesan-related issues to Bishop Paul or his staff. Of course, am honored to respond to or refer questions or comments about items in this newsletter. Send comments directly to me, or go to the newSpin blog, click on the current newsletter, and scroll to the bottom. Thanks. Bill
TopSpin
• West Pittston Tomorrow moves forward with plan ... [Sunday Dispatch, Citizens Voice] West Pittston Tomorrow, a group of residents attempting to rebuild the town after the destructive flood last year, unveiled its recovery plan in the auditorium of the Wyoming Area Secondary Center Thursday evening. The plan calls for the construction of protective levees around the river and a new joint library and community center, as well as things like sewer repair and historical status designation of West Pittston by the state, among other things. For many of the items, such as the levees, government approval and huge amounts of funds would be needed. ... In addition to the announced improvements, Rev. John Major of the Trinity Episcopal Church, who began the evening with a prayer, was pleased to announce that the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem donated $20,000 towards the borough’s recovery efforts. Sunday Dispatch and Citizens Voice.
• Flooded neighbors not forgotten: National church and Diocese of Bethlehem build on initiative of parish ... [Diobeth.org] The Diocese of Bethlehem has received a grant $72,796 from Episcopal Relief and Development to implement a plan intended to help residents of West Pittston still recovering from last September’s flooding while also preparing Episcopal churches in the region to respond to future disasters. The grant comes in addition to other assistance and resources. This partnership with ER&D, combined with funds provided by the Diocese will assist the recovery of the West Pittston area and the establishment of a regional disaster recovery and outreach center owned by the Diocese and run through a coordinated effort among the Luzerne County regional parishes. The center will be located in St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nanticoke and is planned to include storage and gathering space in addition to the worship area. See above. The diocesan community is also adopting a parish preparedness initiative. Using resources and training provided by ER&D, each parish in the diocese will establish individualized plans to protect their resources and resume services as quickly as possible during a disaster, while also responding to the needs of their parishioners and the community at large. More here.
• In Nanticoke: Pray with us, Work with us ... [John Major] In just the second week after the restored sign publicly announced that St. George's in Nanticoke is open for Noon Prayer on Thursdays, a most welcome visitor from the southern portion of the diocese answered the call to prayer. Tom Hyzinski, a former Nanticoke resident who now lives in Orefield and attends St. Stephen's in Whitehall, saw the sign while visiting family in Nanticoke and walked through the open doors of St. George's to join the small but dedicated crew that have been praying Noon Prayer there at each work visit since it was reborn to regional service as a disaster recovery, outreach and prayer space. More here.
• Regional Day of Service planned to commemorate 1972 Agnes Flood ... [Father John Major] On Saturday, June 23, Northeastern Pennsylvania will commemorate the 40 anniversary of the devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes in 1972. No one who experienced it will ever forget it, especially those who had to evacuate again in September 2011 as the area experienced its second “100 year flood” in less than four decades. On Saturday, June 23, the Episcopal Churches of the Northeastern Pennsylvania region will commemorate the 40 anniversary of the 1972 flood in a very special way: by dedicating the day to service at a new Regional Recovery and Outreach Center at St. George’s Church on East Main Street in Nanticoke. With the blessing and encouragement of Bishop Paul Marshall, St. George’s is being reborn as a site to store and distribute disaster supplies, train volunteers and coordinate recovery and resiliency services to help this region in future disasters. More here.
• Taxes, Taxes, Taxes vs Library, Library, Library ... [Addison Bross] Sometimes common sense and the common good can win -- even against what has become (thanks to the Tea Party, et al.) "conventional wisdom." In Troy, Michigan, Tea Partiers recently rallied to shut down the public library rather than pay "big [municipal] government" the 0.7% tax increase needed to keep books available to local readers. They spent big bucks on an ad campaign and staged rallies and protests to defy such tyranny. A brilliant counter-campaign to save the library used reverse psychology. It announced a "book burning party" to celebrate individual freedom ("Don't Tread On ME!") and get rid of all those useless, expensive books. It worked. Troy's citizens kept their library. Watch the video (including clever animation) here.
• Religion&Poitics fit for polite company ... Religion & Politics is an online news journal, dedicated to the two topics thought unfit for polite company. It is a project of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. "We feature articles from scholars and journalists who proceed from a single premise: that for better and for worse, religion and politics converge, clash, and shape public life. These intersections happen everywhere, from our homes to our courts, from the statehouse to the schoolhouse, in the lab and on the battlefield. We strive to publish a range of views, rather than promoting a specific political perspective. We honor frank and respectful debate. We inform these discussions by taking the long view, providing historical context, critical analysis, and thorough research with compelling writing." Here.
• Camp Noah ... is a free day camp offered by our Lutheran sisters and brothers for children affected by disasters. June 25-29 in Nanticoke. More here.