newSpin 100111

New Orleans, six months later ... A reflection by diocesan youth ministry coordinator Kim Rowles.

Senior Space at St. Luke's Scranton brings together downtown seniors from local high-rise buildings for an afternoon of sharing food and fun. It began at in June 2009. Read more.

Outreach at Trinity Athens ... Read an excerpt from the message of the rector, Mother Trula Hollywod, in the January issue of the parish newsletter.

Religion and Women ... In his NYTimes column, Nicholas Kristoff contends that religions have helped shape a context in which women are often second-class citizens, and have not pushed hard to change it. [H/T to Torey Lightcap, reporting at Episcopal Cafe]

Dive In! A Day Exploring Baptism ... This day of Christian Formation will offer resources for parents, Christian educators, clergy, and anyone seeking a deeper life in Christ. What does it mean to be baptized and to live a baptized life? How can you nurture your life in Christ? How can your congregation live more deeply into baptismal ministry? Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 9:30 am until 3:30 pm at Church of the Good Shepherd in Scranton. More info here.

Diocesan Life ... The most recently published issue you received and which is also available online was December. A January issue will not be published. Diocesan Life will resume with the February issue. Beginning then, the national print insert, Episcopal Life, will be replaced by Episcopal News Monthly (ENM) which will continue to offer in-depth reporting and analysis of local, regional, national and international news compiled from Episcopal News Service. ENM will replace Episcopal Life as the officially sponsored monthly newspaper of the Episcopal Church published for Episcopalians and others interested in the church's mission and ministry. For daily news and information, visit Episcopal Life Online and the Diocese of Bethlehem's newSpin blog.

Recent columns, sermons, reflections by Bishop Paul ... • Redeem the gift card, a Christmas sermon ... • Are church leaders getting it, at last ... • The Presiding Bishop - An appreciation and reminders for parish leaders ... • Pastoral Provision for same-sex couples ... • Remembering Loved Ones ... • Address to 2009 Diocesan Convention ... • The Spirituality of Integrity ... • Mother Jones - More than a magazine ... • Don't confuse being valuable with being right ...

Recent reflections by Archdeacon Stringfellow ... • A reflection on the Baptism of Our Lord in the gospels for Epiphany I ... • His heart and his $80 million treasure ... • A New Year's Reflection on the Miracle of Compound Interest ... • A reflection on Matthew's Infancy Narrative ... • Bridging Ideas and Things, a reflection on John's prologue ... • Friends in low places, A Christmas reflection ... • We don't help people, we help them help themselves ... • Jesus' birth exalts the poor ... • Sudan –– U.S. Policy and New Hope ... • The Religious Sports Fan: the boundaries blur, the boundaries clarify ... • A prophet with a new message, but he's not the Savior ...  • Revelation gives hope ...

Resolved: 20 Religious Resolutions ... By Andrew Gerns. Read here.

Got a question? Need some info? InfoLine can help you find answers and make connections to churchwide ministries, events and activities.

Plan Ahead ...Jan. 16: Bishop's School begins. Courses for the spring session will be Planning and Leading Liturgy taught by Raymond Harbort, and Pastoral Care taught by Andrew Gerns.  More info here. If you intend to register, please do so asap. Jan 18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ... Resources here. Suggestions from Canon Maria Tjeltveit here. ••• Jan. 23: St. Paul's Montrose will celebrate the new ministry of the congregation with Father Paul Walker as their rector, 4:00 p.m. ••• Jan. 23: Lay Worship Leaders Training, formerly Lay Readers, will take place Jan. 23 at Trinity Mount Pocono. More info here. ••• Jan. 27-29: Trinity Institute, Building an Ethical Economy,  at Zion’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Old Zionsville, PA, $35. More info or to register, call 610-966-3834 or or email [email protected]. ••• Jan. 28: Diocesan Council, Grace Kingston 6:30 p.m. ••• Jan 29/30: Bishop's Bakery, Coffee House and Open Mic Night for Youth ... Friday, Jan. 29 (6:00pm) - Saturday, Jan. 30 (9:00am) at Good Shepherd Scranton. Poster and info here. Online registration is now open.  Get more info and register online. ••• Jan. 30: Lay Eucharistic Visitors Training, St. Brigid's Nazareth, 9:00 to noon. More info here. ••• Feb. 6: Grace Kingston will celebrate the new ministry of the congregation with Father John Hartman as their rector on February 6 at 4:00 p.m. ••• Feb. 17: Ash Wednesday ••• Feb. 27: Dive In: A Day Exploring Christian Baptism will be held Saturday, February 27, at Good Shepherd Scranton. This day of Christian Formation will offer resources for parents, Christian educators, clergy, and anyone seeking a deeper life in Christ. More info here. ••• March 25: Chrism Mass at the Cathedral, Bethlehem, 11:00 a.m. ••• April 16-18: Christophany, Watson Homestead, Painted Post, New York. Registration will open February 12 online at www.diobeth.org. ••• April 24: Diocesan Training for MInistry will be held on Saturday, April 24 at St. Stephen's Wilkes-Barre. Details will be available here when online registration opens on February 20. ••• April 30-Mary 2: Creating a Culture of Peace at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. ••• July 10: Bishop's Day with Kids at Good Shepherd Scranton. [If you have a brief announcement you'd like listed in this PlanAhead, send it to Bill. Please keep it brief.]

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families … Brushaun X. Anderson, 20;  Bradley R. Smith, 24; Joshua A. Lengstorf, 24; Brian R. Bowman, 24; John P. Dion, 19; David A. Croft Jr., 22 ... for the seven CIA employees killed in the suicide bombing in Afghanistan ... 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. [Emailed usually on Mondays, with names found over seven days. Archived on the newSpin blog.]

The 2010 standard mileage rates per IRS ... 50 cents business, 16.5 cents for medical and moving, 14 cents for charitable service.

The Diocese of Bethlehem ... DioBethWebsite ... newSpin Blog ... DiobethKids ...  Share the Bread ... Bakery (Get Connected) ... Audio ... Photos ... On Twitter ... On Facebook ... On YouTube ...

The Episcopal Church ... Website ... NewsLine ... News & Notices ... EpiScope ... InfoLine ... Episcopal Life Online ... FastFacts ... I am Episcopalian ... Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... On Twitter ... On Facebook ... and on YouTube.

Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.

Bill Lewellis, Communication Minister/Editor (1986), Canon Theologian (1998)
Diocese of Bethlehem, 333 Wyandotte Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833, (h)610-820-7673
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]

Bill Lewellis, Communication Minister/Editor (1986), Canon Theologian (1998)
Diocese of Bethlehem, 333 Wyandotte Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015
Blog, Email (c)610-393-1833, (h)610-820-7673
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]