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Fall Continuing Education Offerings at Moravian Theological Seminary

[From the Office of Continuing Education courtesy of Steve Simmons]
(unless otherwise noted, all are at the Bahnson Center, 60 W. Locust, Bethlehem, PA)

To register, please go to the Continuing Ed site for the Seminary found here:
http://www.moravianseminary.edu/conted/index.html

The Calling: What Is Religious Leadership Now?
Dates: September 13 and 20 (Tuesdays)    7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Fee: Free

Using segments from the PBS series “The Calling,” we will explore the character, challenges, and rewards of ordained and lay leadership in contemporary faith communities. These sessions will be co-facilitated by Deborah Appler, Steve Simmons, and Walter Wagner, who are both ordained clergy and faculty at MTS.
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Ho’oponopono: Practicing Forgiveness, Balance, and the Abundant Life
Date:  September 16-17 (Friday and Saturday)        Time: Friday, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.
Program Fee: $140
Contact Hours: 9 (.9 CEU)

In this workshop, kahuna and master teacher Harry Uhane Jim will introduce traditional Hawaiian practice of managing trauma and transforming chaotic patterns of life into order and profound peace. As Harry puts it, “Live peacefully inside and out instead of exhausted outside, chaotic within. Stop negotiating and start navigating!”
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Theology, Literature and Coffee
Dates: September 19, October 3, & October 17 (3 Mondays)  2:30-4:30 p.m.
Site: Wellness Game Room, Luther Crest Retirement Community, 800 Hausman Road, AllentownProgram Fee: $25 (Early Reg. Discount: $20 by 9/12/11)

Enjoy a time of learning and fellowship as theological themes in selected literature are are presented and discussed.  Beverages will be provided. If you wish, you may buy TLC books from the Moravian Book Shop at a 10% discount.  Selections include: (9/19) The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, (10/3) Tinkers by Paul Harding, (10/17) Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott.
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Scripture Talks: Muslims and Christians Share Cherished Passages

Dates: September 27- November 1 (Tuesdays) 7 p.m. (6:30 on September 27; 7:30 on October 18)
Program Fee: $15
Contact Hours: 10 (1 CEU)

Sharing about key meaningful passages in the Qur’an and the Bible can deepen our mutual understanding of ourselves and of one another. The presenters will provide starting points for frank and respectful roundtable discussions. The Program is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Dialogue Center and Moravian Theological Seminary, and will be facilitated by Walter Wagner, Lutheran pastor, adjunct faculty member at MTS and Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and by Muslim Scholars and Leaders from the Pennsylvania Dialogue Center
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Pastoral Counseling Retreat
Date: September 30 (Friday)     9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Site: St. Francis Center for Renewal , 395 Bridle Path Road, Bethlehem
Program Fee: $70 (incl. lunch)   [Early Reg. Discount  $60 by 9/16]
Contact Hours: 5 (.5 CEU)

The Use of Art Media in Therapeutic Environments

In the context of music, scripture and meditation, we will experience self-directed image making using art media, and also other-directed image making in therapeutic role play, exploring their use in both personal growth and counseling practice.  Studio artist and art therapist Dorothy Heine Rudolph will lead us through the day.
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Making Sense of Our Lives through Story
Date: October 5 - 26   (Wednesdays) 7-9 p.m.
Program Fee: $50 (Early Reg. Discount $40 by 9/21)

It has been said that “We don’t so much have stories. We are our stories.” Using Christina Baldwin’s book, Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story, we will explore the narrative shape of our own lives as a source of self-discovery and growth. The sessions will be led by Emily Wallace, MAPC and Spiritual Director.
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The Walter Vivian Moses Lectures in Moravian Studies

Instructions for Body and Soul:  Moravian Pastoral Care in the 18th Century
Oct. 13  (Thursday)    9:30 a.m. – 12 noon
Program Fee: Free
Contact Hours: 2 (.2 CEU)

In these lectures, Dr. Katherine Faull of Bucknell University will discuss pastoral care through the life cycle as practiced by Moravians in the 18^th century in their individual and corporate life at “the intersection of care for the body and soul,” drawing out some of its implications for our own life in community.
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The Challenges of Being an Ethical Therapist
Date: October 14 (Friday)   Time: 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Program Fee: $50 in advance; $60 at the door (All tuition monies will go to Moravian Counseling Scholarships.)
Contact Hours: 3 (.3 CEU)

 The purpose of this workshop is to enable practitioners in the caring professions to cultivate an awareness of their own need to establish clear ethical boundaries while maintaining an empathic and helpful relationship with clients. 

Andrew H. Johanson, Jr., D.Min., LMFT, Adjunct Professor at Moravian Theological Seminary in the Department of Pastoral Counseling, and is a psychotherapist in private practice in Lansdale, and Bethlehem.
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Irene Marold Lectures in Biblical Studies

White Fire: Biblical Texts and Folkloric Tradition
Date: October 25 (Tuesday) 4:00 – 8:30 p.m.   (Lecture 1: 4:00 p.m.; Lecture 2: 7:00 p.m.)
Site: Prosser Aud., Haupert Union Building, Moravian College
Program Fee: Free

In these lectures, Dr. Howard Schwartz, three-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award and Professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will introduce us to a rich tradition of Jewish folklore involving biblical characters and themes, and invite us to let it broaden and deepen our own readings of the Bible.

Pastoral Care Week Lectures

Health and Wealth: A Widening Gap?
Date: October 28 (Friday)   Time: 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Program Fee: $25
Contact Hours: 3.5 (.35 CEU)

  A large and growing body of evidence suggests that there is a direct and decisive correlation between one’s socioeconomic status and one’s state of health and longevity.  Using clips from the PBS documentary, Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?, area health professionals and community leaders will discuss disparities in health access and outcomes across social and racial/ethnic lines, and lead us in a conversation about how we as a society can improve the health and well-being of all our citizens.
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Couillard Memorial Lectures

A New Pentecost: A Theology of the Spirit for the Third Millennium
Date: November 4 (Friday)                     Time: 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Site: Prosser Aud., Haupert Union Building, Moravian College
Streaming Video Available
Program Fee: Free
Contact Hours: 3.5 (.35 CEU)

Pentecostalism has exploded in recent decades as the vanguard of a world Christian movement. These lectures will provide an overview of the pentecostal theology and pneumatology (the doctrine of the Holy Spirit) that has emerged in the last twenty years,  and discuss the nature and role of theology considered from a Pentecostal and pneumatological perspective.

Amos Yong, PhD, is J. Rodman Williams Professor of Theology at Regent University School of Divinity in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
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Vital Worship in the Smaller Church
Date: November 12  (Saturday)  9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Site: Bahnson Center, Moravian Theological Seminary, 60 W. Locust, Bethlehem
Program Fee: $15 ($50 for congregational teams of 4 or more)
Contact Hours: 3.5 (.35 CEU)

In this workshop, we will look at principles and resources for worship in the smaller congregation (many of them available for free or at little cost), and share our own experiences with creative and transformative worship in the “compact” (70 or fewer in worship on a typical Sunday) church. 

David De Remer, DMin, is senior pastor of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Nazareth, and serves as an adjunct faculty member at Moravian Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary.
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Seminary Information Session
Date:  November 12 (Saturday)   10-12 a.m.
Fee: Free

Faculty, staff, and students offer an overview of our Master’s and Dual degree programs, our Graduate Certificate in Formative Spirituality, and information on the admissions process, scholarships, and financial aid.
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MAPC Professional Counseling Day
Date: November 18                  12:00 noon – 2:00 p.m.
Program Fee: Free
Contact Hours: 2  (.2 CEU) (Lunch included)

Social media are everywhere, yet their impact on personality and relationships (including therapeutic relationships) is only beginning to be understood.  Barbara Keller, Consultant for Misconduct Prevention, Vocation and Education Unit, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and a panel of area counselors will help us explore some of the possibilities and challenges that Facebook, Twitter, and other social media pose to counselors and clients.
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Words and Whispers of God: A Spiritual Formation Workshop with Bishop Kay Ward
Date: Saturday, December 3    9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Fee: $30 (Lunch included)

Come and explore how we use words to speak of God and how God may use those same words to speak to us.  Through written words, by our own hand, we may read the whispers of God.  No previous experience is necessary. If you can write a grocery list, you are qualified for this workshop.

Kay Ward, D.Min., educator and author, is a bishop in the Moravian Church and former MTS faculty member.  Her books include Of Seasons and Sparrows, Heading Home, and Hoping for Spring.

 

New locally commissioned hymn to celebrate Christian unity

By David Howell

Three center city Bethlehem churches have joined together to commission a new hymn.  Moravian Seminary, Trinity Episcopal Church, Salem Lutheran Church, and Central Moravian Church have asked noted hymn writer Brian Wren to pen a new hymn to reflect the joy of their union. The new work will debut March 11 at Moravian’s College’s Foy Concert. Brian Wren will be in Bethlehem to present the Weber Memorial Lecture. (See below)

Bethlehem is the focus of an historic event as the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the largest U.S. Lutheran church) and the Moravian Church in North America celebrate full communion agreements that allow the three bodies to share clergy and minister together in significant ways.

The Rev. Dr. Steve Simmons, director of Moravian’s Continuing Education program, writes, “A good new hymn may surprise and delight us with its theology, poetry and music. Sung often, it can lull us into inattention, or surprise us with sudden relevance. With this in mind, Brian Wren, one of the most significant and popular hymn writers of our time, will introduce some of his own recent work, as well as new hymns by Richard Leach and Shirley Murray, and invite us to converse about them and sing them. In the process, he will discuss the history, practice, and future of congregational singing in a time of rapidly changing styles of worship.”

Dr. Wren says, "Perhaps one or two will catch our imagination and become familiar enough to express our deepest needs and beliefs, yet still be able to surprise."

Dr. Brian Wren studied at Oxford, taking degrees in Modern Languages and Theology, including a D. Phil for work on the Hebrew prophets. After ordination, he pastored a Congregational church in Essex, served as consultant to the British Council of Churches, and worked in the student-based world poverty campaign, Third World First. Since 1983, Brian has followed a freelance ministry, helping worshippers, ministers, educators and musicians to improve skills, and deepen spirituality. Recently retired as John and Miriam Conant Professor of Worship at Columbia Theological Seminary, he currently lives in upstate New York with his wife Susan Heafield, a United Methodist pastor.

 

 

Weber Memorial Lectures in Pastoral Ministry
Surprise Us by the Words We Sing: New Hymns to Sing and Ponder
March 11, 2011 (9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)
Foy Concert Hall, Payne Campus, Moravian College
Free, but registration is recommended.
3.5 CEUs
Visit here for more information or to register: http://www.moravianseminary.edu/conted/Spring11/weber.html

Father Abraham and Gandhian peace work

On Saturday afternoon, November 14, ten persons from around the Diocese of Bethlehem came together at St. John's, Palmerton, to listen to Father Abraham Valiath tell the story of his very active involvement in Gandhian peace work in his home country of India. Gandhi, who based much of his thought on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, embraced the concept of ahimsa or nonviolence which, Father Abraham pointed out, is a spiritual and moral force Gandhi applied to affect social change.

Father Abraham's early work involved publishing literature opposing the actions of the government and social institutions that violated people's civil and social rights, particularly the poor. Later he affected significant land reform, arranging for poor people to finally be granted ownership of land they had been working for generations

His inspiration and effectiveness through all this has been his Christian faith and his life of active prayer. “Peace comes first from within –– in the silence and quietness –– and from developing our inner [person] by exercising that discipline everyday in everything we do,” he said. And this is not just a personal venture, but rather “peace is the responsibility of all Christian people.”

One in Christ? [Presentation at ECW annual meeting]

What is Christian unity? What would it look like if we had it?  On Wednesday, May 13, The Rev. Maria Tjeltveit will explore these questions in her presentation, One in Christ? at the annual meeting of our diocesan Episcopal Church Women at Kirby House. Maria is rector of Mediator Allentown and serves the Diocese of Bethlehem as Ecumenical and Interfaith Officer. She will lead an exploration of the ecumenical movement, including dialogues on the national and international level as well as in our own parishes. This is an opportunity to learn and to share our experiences of working together and connecting with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus prayed that “they all may be one.” Come find out how we, as women and as members of the body of Christ, seek to live out Christ’s prayer.

Send reservation, $12, to Catherine Jeffery, 1839 Ulster Road, Allentown, by May 1. No reservations accepted after this deadline. Call Catherine at 610-868-6682

Sacred connection is costly

By The Rev. Canon Andrew T. Gerns

[Canon Gerns, rector at Trinity Easton, was invited to speak to the volunteer clergy, volunteer chaplains and lay pastoral visitors and office volunteers of the pastoral care program at Easton Hospital at their pastoral care week luncheon today. This is his talk. Also present were community clergy, hospital senior and middle management. Easton Hospital is the only (explicitly) for-profit hospital in the Lehigh Valley.]

I have 166 friends, according to Facebook. I mention this to say we live in a culture that aches for connection and will do just about anything to connect.

Facebook allows me to have some connection –– many fleeting, some fun, a few intense –– with people around the globe. Depending on how a person uses this social network, I can know their little peeves. (One fellow said this morning that he wished that people knew about ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you.’ There is no doubt a story behind that!) or their trials (A woman asks for prayers for her husband) and their whimsy (Someone else just poked me and my niece in Vermont just threw a sheep at me). We are every bit as creative in finding ways to build connection (not all of them healthy) as we are in building protective walls and safe distances.

All of us embody the contradiction of “come closer” and “stay away.” Very few of us keep our balance. We can be like Ebenezer Scrooge who, before his conversion, was described by Dickens as a man whose very mannerism telegraphed to strangers and even dogs: “keep your distance.” Literature ancient and modern describes the pitfalls of uncontrolled intimacy. We need and crave connection, and spend a lifetime learning how to navigate it.

It’s easy to see why. Connection brings intimacy and relationships, our sense of self, dignity of life, purpose in living, meaning we make of and draw out of our lives. The list goes on. What Frederick Buechner once said about sex is true about our quest for connection and so for the ministry of health care: like nitro-glycerin, it can heal hearts and blow up bridges.

Ian Douglas will give two lectures in Bethlehem

[ Info updated as of January 30, 2009]

Professor Ian Douglas Brings Mission Focus to Campbell Lectures
March 26, 4:00 PM
Moravian Theological Seminary
Bethlehem, PA

Dr. Ian Douglas of Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusettes, will make two presentations focusing on mission and diversity. Instrumental in the design and organization of the Lambeth Conference of Anglican Bishops, Dr. Douglas will bring the following presentations:

• Lecture I: God's Mission and Difference in Ecumenical Perspective – to include a small group exploration on the nature of mission and how differences in the many identities each of us inhabit affect our faithfulness to the missio Dei.

• Lecture II: Christian Unity and the Challenge of Single Identity Politics – examining how relationships across differences in service to the missio Dei can draw Christians together.

To register for the lectures with or without dinner call the LCCC main office at 610-433-6421 or
email lccc@lcconfchurch.org.

The program, 4:00 to 9:00 p.m., includes two lectures and dinner.

4:00 pm - Welcome & Registration
4:15 pm - Presentation I ($5.00)
God’s Mission and Difference in Ecumenical Perspective
5:30 pm - Dinner ($20.00)
6:45 pm - Ecumenical Worship
7:30 pm - Presentation II ($5.00)
Christian Unity and the Challenge of Single Identity Politics
8:45 pm - Closing

You may attend one or both presentations and register or not for dinner. Download Campbell09flyer with registration form.