Bill Lewellis, Communication Minister/Editor (1986), Canon Theologian (1998)
Diocese of Bethlehem, 333 Wyandotte Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015
Website, Blog, Email (c)610-216-2726, (w)610-691-5655x229, (h)610-820-7673
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]
091104.newSpin.interesting, perhaps useful, news and spin
November 04, 2009
Duruflé Requiem in Bethlehem ... The Duruflé Requiem, Op. 9, will be performed by the combined choirs of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, and St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre, in a concert setting, at the Bethlehem Cathedral on Sunday, November 8, at 4 p.m. The combined choirs will be conducted by Canon Mark Laubach and accompanied by Canon Russell Jackson at the organ.
Remembering Loved Ones ... At
the beginning of November, most Christians of the world, celebrate All
Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2), two sides of
one very thin coin. From the dazzling white of the All Saints liturgy
and its boisterous celebration of all that God has done through the
faithful who have gone before us, a celebration of the great heroes of
the faith, we move to the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, to
the black of the requiem, where we remember that they have indeed gone
from us and joined the great procession of lives returning to their
source. Two days are hardly enough –– we need most of November, before
Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas –– to dwell deeply in the one basic
Christian truth: in Christ we are tied to God and each other in a way
that the circumstances of time and space cannot defeat. We need more
than two days, for that great truth has to be broken down into its
component mysteries. [This is the beginning of Bishop Paul's November
2009 column for secular newspapers throughout our 14 counties. Find it all here.]
Meet Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori ... Plan to come to Evensong (6:00 p.m.) at which Bishop Katharine will preach and, immediately afterwards, to a reception and open forum at which you may dialogue with her ... at the Cathedral Bethlehem on Monday, Nov. 9, at St Luke's Lebanon on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Diocesan youth are invited to meet with her at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre. More info on this from Kimberly Rowles. Clergy Day with the Presiding Bishop will take place on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Good Shepherd Scranton.
New Hope Campaign tops $4 million ... With the addition of two substantial gifts, our New Hope Campaign has surpassed the $4 million mark. Check out Good Shepherd Scranton's project to provide emergency homeless shelter. Charlie Barebo and Howard Stringfellow recently returned from Kajo Keji. Terrific pics soon. Check at the DioBeth website and the newSpin blog.
Become a baker in the House of Bread ...
If you are interested in more news, issues, ideas, opinion and
conversation related to our diocesan community, the Episcopal Church
and the Anglican Communion, you might consider becoming a baker in the
House of Bread's new Bakery. Go to 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 that comes up, check Bakery. Bakery, of course, is a play
on Bethlehem meaning "House of Bread" in Hebrew. Subscribed to Bakery,
you will receive several notes daily (perhaps two, perhaps ten when the
oven is hot) and you will be able to enter the conversation by posting
your own notes to the group, i.e., to the other bakers. News is fresh
in the Bakery long before you see it in print in Diocesan Life. If you
choose to do so, thank you for becoming a baker in the House of Bread.
Diocesan Life, November ... Find it here. Diocesan Convention photos and news on pages 1 to 5. The second annual 12 Days of Christmas for Kajo Keji project is on page 8.
Fall Retreat for Youth, grades 9-12 ... Nov. 13-16 at Kirby House. Doors open at 6 pm and a Family eucharist will be held on Sunday at 12 noon.A chance to spend time in fellowship, worship and discussion about God and the world we live in in the 21st century. Teens will be engaged in spiritual and social activities orchestrated by youth for youth and with youth. Youth are eligible to attend even if they have "happened" previously. Registration is now open on the Diocesan website; space is limited. This event costs $100.00 per participant. If you have any questions, please contact Diocesan Youth Missioner Kimberly Rowles at 610-751-3931 or [email protected].
Diocesan Youth Scholarships – How you can help ... [From Kimberly Rowles, diocesan youth missioner] In the current economic situation, the youth of the diocese are depending more on scholarship funds to attend events than in the past. Our scholarship funds has been depleted. Please read more here.Fight the flu with facts ... See the comprehensive flu.gov website.
A bit of wit in the midst of precautions ... I
do not intend this to make light of the H1N1 precautions being taken in
many of our churches –– I've been following the precautions myself ––
but simply for its bit of wit (though it may not have been so
intended). It comes from another list I follow: Considering the
percentage of the population that claims to be Episcopalian AND that
attends church on a regular basis, I would think the likelihood of
contracting H1N1 or anything else at an Episcopal parish is extremely
low!
Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families ... Find names here.
Out in the Silence at Stroudsburg High School ... The Stroudsburg High School Student Diversity Council’s Gay-Straight Alliance will screen the PBS documentary Out in the Silence on Thursday, November 12, in the high school auditorium. Out in the Silence (57 minutes) chronicles the controversy that began after the announcement of filmmaker Joe Wilson’s wedding to another man ignited a firestorm of controversy and a quest for change in the small Pennsylvania hometown he had left long ago. Drawn back by a plea for help from the mother of a gay teen being tormented at school, Wilson takes viewers on an exhilarating journey through love, hate, and understanding in rural America. The documentary explores the struggle of being a gay teen in a small Pennsylvania town and the bullying, controversy and challenges that he experienced. It challenges viewers to rethink their values and helps close the gaps that divide communities. Read more here.
Saturday evening service in Athens
... [From the Trinity Athens office] Trinity Athens is adding an
additional worship service, beginning Saturday, November 7, at 5:00 pm.
It is Trinity’s hope that the addition of this new service will allow
more of our community members to join us in worship. Trinity was
established in 1848 as the first Episcopal Church in the greater Valley
area. We have a simple mission that encourages us to “To seek and serve
Christ in all people.” By God’s Grace, we strive to live into that
mission by reaching out to the community in to our Church family in
service, with love. The Rev. Trula Hollywood, Rector, invites you to
join us this Saturday. If you are just starting your faith journey, or
if you are searching for a church home, our hearts and doors are open
to you; all are welcome. For further information on Trinity Episcopal
Church you may visit our website at http://www.trinityathens.org or call the church at 570-888-5715.
Evensong at Trinity Bethlehem ... [From Mother Laura Howell] The
Choir at Trinity Episcopal Church, Bethlehem, will sing a service of
Choral Evensong on Sunday, November 15 at 4 p.m. The service is offered
in thanksgiving for the many gifts God has given us all. Evensong is an
ancient cathedral office sung at the close of the day and includes
Canticles, Psalms, Hymns and Prayers. The choir will sing music of
Josef Haydn, a Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis by George Dyson, a
wonderful Victorian English composer, and Psalm 65, set to Anglican
Chant by John Turle. The Rev. Canon Cliff Carr will officiate and
Dr. Timothy Smith will be at the organ. A dessert potluck follows. All are cordially invited.
Father Abraham's Ghandhian Peace Work in India ... On Saturday November 14 (1-3pm at St. John's Palmerton, 362 Lafayette Street) Fr. Abraham Valiath, priest-in-charge at St. John's Episcopal Church in Palmerton, will share stories of his involvement in Gandhian Peace Work in India. Based on nonviolent resistance to oppression and injustice, Gandhi's style is epitomized by the term, satyagraha, Sanskrit for "truth and firmness." His work inspired many who came after him and demonstrated that people gathered together in peaceful nonviolence can affect positive change in the world. This talk is sponsored by the Diocesan Peace Commission.
Best Christian T-Shirt ever? ... Check it out. [H/T to Andrew Gerns]
Christians should not allow themselves to be defined by anxiety and fear
... Some of us may remember Bob Gepert, Bishop of Western Michigan,
when he was rector of the former parish in Birdsboro. Read his op-ed here. and the full-page anti-discrimination ad taken out by Kalamazoo Episcoalians.
Taking control of your time is all about priorities [By Bradford Agry] Being
busy and fully scheduled doesn't always mean being productive.Too often
we unknowingly become victims of what I call the "tyranny of
busy-ness." We often are rapidly accomplishing things and crossing
off projects on our various lists yet not always getting the bigger
picture as to how these various activities really add up to reaching
our larger goals. Read the entire article here. [H/T to Anne Kitch]
Lehigh Valley Hosital made the top 10 in the country
on this particular list, in the company of giants such as Mass General
(Harvard), the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Duke and NYU Langone. [H/T
to Steve Lewellis]
The Ordination of Deacons will take place on December 21 at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre.
12 Days of Christmas for Kajo Keji ... Our Wold Mission Committee is again sponsoring the 12 Days of Christmas for Kajo Keji. Here's abulletin insert. Your support was so critical last year. Instead of giving Aunt Mildred a sweater she doesn't want, why not give a gift in her honor to those really in need? Items range in price from $5 to $250. Deadline is December 15. Call Jo Trepagnier, 610-434-0155, if you have any questions. Similar info appears on the back cover of the November issue of Diocesan Life.
UTO grant applications for 2010 are due in the Bishop's office by December 31, 2009. The application form and guidelines are available from Canon Jane Teter. Contact her if you are interested in submitting a grant.From Holidays to Holy Days - A Benedictine Walk through Advent ... [Church Publishing, Inc., by Albert Holtz, O.S.B., 127 pages, paperback, c. 2008, $16]
Rather than criticizing trappings of the holiday season, this book
looks at them from the viewpoint of Christian contemplation, once aptly
described as "a long, loving look at the real." The author, a
Benedictine monk who lives in the center of downtown Newark, New
Jersey, invites the reader to join him on his daily walks as he points
out dozens of often-unnoticed connections between our holidays and the
spiritual meaning of Advent and Christmas. In a string of colored
lights, a crowd of shoppers, or the window of a toy store, he uncovers
such traditional Advent themes as watchful waiting, repentance, and
selfless love. On the bustling sidewalks, he introduces us to Isaiah,
John the Baptist, and Jesus himself, all speaking their ancient Advent
and Christmas messages of peace and hope and good will. To order:
Episcopal Books and Resources, online at
http://www.episcopalbookstore.org, or call 800-903-5544 -- or visit
your local Episcopal bookseller, http://www.episcopalbooksellers.org
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