newSpin 100621
June 21, 2010
Moravian/Episcopal Full Communion ... The Northern Province of the Moravian Church voted June 18 to enter into full communion with the Episcopal Church. The nearly unanimous voice vote [one dissenting vote] came during an evening session on the second day of the church's June 17-21 quadrennial Provincial Synod at Moravian College in Bethlehem. The Episcopal Church voted to affirm full communion at las summer's General Convention. Read the Episcopal News Story story here. The story as it appears on the Moravian Church blog is accessible here and here. Over the years of dialogue with the Moravian Church toward full communion, Nick Knisely, Jane Teter and Maria Tjeltveit have served consecutively on the dialogue team. We've been way ahead at Diocesan House in that Kat Lehman, our Info-Tech coordinator and Diocesan Life editor, is a Moravian and the spouse of Derek French, pastor at East Hills Moravian Church on Butztown Road, Bethlehem. Photos taken by Kat are at the DioBeth Flickr site.
On June 21, 1607, English settlers celebrated the first recorded Holy Communion at the Jamestown settlement in Virginia.
The longest day, the shortest night ... the spiritual meaning of summer solstice. Read it here.
Hats-off to the Presiding Bishop ... The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church preached at Southwark Cathedral Londonon the weekend of June 12-13. The Archbishop of Canterbury said she could not wear a mitre. Something to do with women bishops not yet being allowed in the C of E. She carried the mitre. The subject for her sermon: God welcomes everyone, regardless of dress or condition. More here. [H/T to Ann Fontaine] Read the PB's sermon here. And read here for a follow-up on ecclesial temper. Finally, the PB calls the ABC's treatment of her "bizarre, beyond bizarre." Ordinarily it would not be news that in 2005 Frank Griswold, then presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, wore his mitre at Southward Cathedral. But these are not ordinary times. Read Religion News Service story, "Hat's- off to Episcopal bishop ..."
Trained and Educated ... “A well-trained man knows how to answer questions, they reasoned; an educated man knows what questions are worth asking.” [Sociologist E. Digby Baltzell explaining the Bell leaders’ concerns in an article published in Harper’s magazine in 1955]
A dad relishes the miracle of shared pleasure ... [By Garrison Keillor] A father needs to make a bond with his children based on pleasure, and this is a delicate negotiation. My daughter and I love to sing the University of Minnesota Rouser, and we enjoy jokes, bookstores, old musicals, ice cream, trains, water fights and hilarity at the dinner table. Have fun on Father's Day. A good joke is the only gift I need. How about the one about the father who asked for a cup of coffee, no sugar, no cream, and the waitress said, "Sorry, we don't have any cream — how about no milk instead?" What you don't want, you can't have it anyway, so how about not wanting what's available? Story of my life, kid. And then you came along. An inside-the-park home run on the first pitch. More here.
God and Dad: A Father's Four Lessons of Faith ... Wrestle with God. Befriend the stranger. Plunge into the waters. Be reunited with the ones you love. More here.
Sally Hampson, R.I.P. [From Mother Hillary Raining, Trinity Bethlehem] It is with a sad heart that I share with you the news that our beloved sister in Christ, Sally Hampson, passed away on Saturday evening. May light perpetual shine upon her and may she rest in peace.Executive Council sends message to Episcopal Church ... Read it here.
A summary of Executive Council resolutions ... Read it here.
Vatican newspaper: 'Blues Brothers' is a 'Catholic Classic' ... Thirty years after Jake and Elwood went on "a mission from God," the pope's newspaper has given the Blues Brothers two thumbs up, and then some. More here. [H/T to Duke Divinity's "News and Ideas"]
The risks God takes ... Why a little church history is a dangerous -- and necessary -- thing. Without dissenting voices, there would have been no Reformation. This tempers my response to fellow Christians whom I believe are doctrinally unorthodox. I disagree with them as my conscience dictates, but I must also respect them as potential sparks in a reforming fire. As long as the church is made up of humans, it will need reform, and reform will require dissent from the status quo. Read more at Christianity Today. [H/T to Duke Divinity's "News and Ideas"]
Acting Locally Inspiring Globally ... A newsletter from the International Parish Nurse Resource Center. Read it here. [H/T to Diana Marshall]
Lost Horizons on TV and in Life ... By Bishop Paul. Read it here.
'Time to give it up,' Buffett and Gates tell the super-rich ... [By Tom Petruno - Los Angeles Times, Money & Company] Warren Buffett and Bill Gates want the richest Americans to promise to give most of it away. In a campaign launched on Wednesday, the two billionaires are calling on the nation's wealthiest people to formally pledge at least 50% of their money to philanthropic causes and charity. Read More.
No room for nuance ... The media's black and white world. A push toward polarization on cable TV and talk radio. Washington Post op-ed by Michael Smerconish.
The Anosognosic’s Dilemma: Something’s Wrong but You’ll Never Know What It Is (Part 1) ... Can you be so incompetent that you can’t know you’re incompetent? Ignorance profoundly channels the course we take in life. Unknown unknowns constitute a grand swath of everybody’s field of ignorance. More here.The U.S. Roman Catholic Bishops and the Abortion Law ... An "Essay in Theology" by Richard McBrien, writing in the National Catholic Reporter. Part 1. Read it here.
Anarchy institutionalized ... a bit like what the church is at our best. Catholic Worker houses rock. Especially when they’re Protestant. More here. [H/T to John B. Chilton, reporting at Episcopal Cafe]
Morning Meditation ... Our sacred communion, a grain of sand within billions of galaxies. Begin your morning meditation with the Art Blog at Episcopal Cafe. See also, On Fathers' Day.
Kajo Keji's New Hope Newsletter, April-June 2010, includes an update on New Hope construction. Download it at the newSpin blog.
Letters of Intent requested for New Hope grants ... [From the Rev. Daniel Gunn] The Social Ministries Committee is now ready to receive and consider requests for disbursements from the New Hope Campaign. The total amount we are able to grant for the 2010-11 calendar year is $100,000. Therefore, we are inviting Letters of Intent from parishes and Episcopal related organizations within the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem. The Deadline for Letters of Intent is 30 July 2010. More here.
Diocesan Life, the July/August issue ... Download it here.
Calendars ... •Download the current Calendar of Events for the whole diocese here. (If you would like and event listed, email Kat Lehman with event name, date, location, costs, time event starts and any contact info. She will gladly add any events your parish is hosting. •Find the Calendar of Diocesan Events here. Please note the difference between the two calendars.
•June 26, Communication
Workshop at the Cathedral,
Bethlehem, 8:30 to
3:00. $10.00 includes lunch. Open to anyone interested in
communication as ministry. Download
a brochure here. Register online
here.
•June 29, Brian Pavlac will be ordained to the priesthood 7:00 p.m., at St Stephen's Wilkes-Barre. A reception will follow.
•July 10, Bishop's Day for Kids, The Gospel according to Dr Seuss, at Good Shepherd Scranton. More info here. Register online.
•August 5-8, Middle School Mission Trip in Bethlehem. More info here. Register online here.
Beyond filling slots ... The Alban Institute's focus this week is worship planning and going beyond the linear 'who does what when' model to a more expansive and spacious planning process.
Hymn Sing at St. James Dundaff, June 27 at 6.30 p.m. The Tunkhannock Dulcimers will also join the fun, and a Biblical storyteller will make an appearance. Dessert afterwards. St. James is a summer chapel. Worship services with Communion, 10.30 Sunday mornings from Memorial Day through Labor Day. St. James was one of the original churches in Dundaff Corners, and is one of two still in use today. Founded in the 1830’s, the parish grew as the community did, and people often found ‘standing room only’ for worship services. When a different site was selected as the county seat, Dundaff began to decline somewhat, and is now a pleasant, quiet place to live. There are many families who summer at Crystal Lake and Newton Lake, and others who are year-round residents in the near-by townships. Surrounded by Elk Mountain, Clifford, Forest City, and Carbondale, Dundaff offers near-by antiquing, restaurants, parks, golf and other recreation. Located about 6 miles from Interstate 81, the chapel is easy to find on Route 247. For more information, call the Rev. May Lou Divis at 570-878-4670 or Bob at 570-222-2724. Other programs this summer include a yard sale on July 24, and a picnic/worship in Merli-Sarnoski park on August 21. St. James especially welcomes campers, bikers, golfers, and neighbors.
Does your church use a wireless microphone? ... If so, note that new rules by the Federal Communications Commission now restrict the frequency on which wireless microphones can operate. The 700 MHz Band became off-limits to wireless mics on June 12. That band now is dedicated to public safety agencies. More information is on the FCC website at http://fcc.gov/cgb/wirelessmicrophones/
The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion ... Find a kind of Cliff Notes here.Diocese of Bethlehem photos on Flickr ... View them here.
Consecration Sunday Assistance will be offered at Good Shepherd, Scranton on June 23 at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Dan Charney at [email protected] or call 610-837-4613 to register for this event by June 21. Please give the name of your parish and the names of those attending.
Smith College fires its chaplains to save money ... When a chaplaincy dies, there is nobody to preside over the funeral. But if there were a funeral, would anyone show up? Smith fires its chaplains for the first time since 1935. More here.
Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.
Please send the following to friends you think may be interested ... newSpin is an electronic newsletter that includes news, information and commentary related to the Diocese of Bethlehem, the Episcopal Church, he Anglican Communion and the world of religion ... with some spin, of course, from the editor. It is edited by retired communication minister Bill Lewellis and ordinarily published twice weekly, on Monday and Thursday. To have it emailed to you, you may subscribe at the "Get Connected" box on the right column of www.diobeth.org. Select newSpin under the groups. You may find samples of the newSpin newsletter at the newSpin blog, www.diobeth.typepad.com.
About the newSpin newsletter ... Composed at least weekly (usually twice a week) by Bill Lewellis, the newSpin newsletter appears as a post within the newSpin blog, but newsletter and blog are not identical. The newsletter currently goes to some 1,000 email addresses on a separate list. The newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor, but 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. Comments may be addressed to Bill.
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