newSpin 140122
January 22, 2014
newSpin, the newsletter
January 22, 2014
Bill Lewellis
Published weekly, usually by Tuesday
• Standing Committee chooses Sean Rowe as Bishop Provisional nominee. Special Convention set for March 1. DioBeth website ... newSpin Blog ... Bakery • Letter to Diocese from Standing Committee. DioBeth website ... newSpin Blog ... Bakery. • Q&A: Bishop Provisional nominee and election. DioBeth website ... newSpin Blog
• Joshua Wagner in Afghanistan ... [Posts on Bakery by Fr. John Wagner] Folks, our youngest son’s Squadron has just posted a message concerning a Taliban attack on FOB Pasab, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. One US Soldier has been killed in that attack and Josh likely attended to him, as a Combat Medic at that facility. The post indicated that the fallen soldier’s family has been notified, but we’ve not heard from Josh since the attack. Please do pray for the peaceful repose of the fallen soldier’s soul, the family who has lost a son/daughter/husband/wife, and for all who are in harm’s way. I’ll let you know when we do finally hear from Joshua. Thanks in advance for your prayers! ... We’ve heard from Josh via IM. He has a concussion from the shock wave of the explosion, but is otherwise okay. He did attend to the fallen soldier, and several others who were wounded. After more than a half-hour, they ceased CPR and other interventions with the fallen.He’s also told us that he was on Patrol in November and they were ambushed by the Taliban. As a result of that engagement, he’s being awarded the Combat Medical Badge. He expects to receive that award on Feb. 3rd.I love (and at the same time abhor) being able to stay in touch via media like IM.Thanks for the prayers!
• The eighth diocesan Renewal Assembly ... will be held on Saturday, February 22, from 9:00 to 2:00 at six venues across the diocese. Registration is open. More info here.
• Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ... January 18-25. Read note from Canon Maria Tjeltveit.
• The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, with funding from Pennsylvania Department of Health, invites faith-based and community organizations to apply for mini-grants up to $5,000 to train volunteers to provide families of children with disabilities with an occasional break from caregiving. This is a pilot project that will begin in the South Central regions of Pennsylvania and eventually expand across the state. For more information and a link to an application, click here.
• Obama to chat with Francis ... in Vatican City on March 27. The two are slated to talk about their shared interest in reducing poverty and inequality, according to the White House. What to look for.
SoulSpin
• Philippians 4:13 – How many Christians misuse the iconic verse ... [RNS, Jonathan Merritt] On July 27, 2009, the cover of “Sports Illustrated” featured an arresting image of Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. The headline—“Tim Tebow: Man of Many Missions”—riffed on the way he’d created a fan frenzy with his unique blend of faith and football. The championship quarterback seemed poised to jump off the glossy cover with pursed lips that oozed determination and a simple Bible verse scribbled within the black grease underneath his eyes: “Phil. 4:13.”Tebow’s highly churched Southern fan base didn’t need to look up the passage. No, most of them knew it by heart: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:13 is one of the most popular verses in any of the 66 books of the Christian Bible, having been printed on millions of key chains and t-shirts, cellphone cases and coffee mugs. (If one wanted to argue the trinketization of Christianity, this Bible verse would be a good starting point.)But it also one of the misunderstood, misused, and misinterpreted. Read on.
• Harvard online course on 'Early Christianity: The Letters Of Paul' ... [HuffPost] draws 22,000 students from 180 countries – and counting. Harvard professor Laura Nasrallah's edX online course has been called the largest and most concentrated scholarly discussion of Biblical studies in history. Read on.
On July 27, 2009, the cover of “Sports Illustrated” featured an arresting image of Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. The headline—“Tim Tebow: Man of Many Missions”—riffed on the way he’d created a fan frenzy with his unique blend of faith and football. The championship quarterback seemed poised to jump off the glossy cover with pursed lips that oozed determination and a simple Bible verse scribbled within the black grease underneath his eyes: “Phil. 4:13.”
Tebow’s highly churched Southern fan base didn’t need to look up the passage. No, most of them knew it by heart: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 is one of the most popular verses in any of the 66 books of the Christian Bible, having been printed on millions of key chains and t-shirts, cellphone cases and coffee mugs. (If one wanted to argue the trinketization of Christianity, this Bible verse would be a good starting point.)
But it also one of the misunderstood, misused, and misinterpreted.
- See more at: http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2014/01/16/philippians-413-many-christians-misuse-iconic-verse/#sthash.btZ7xsTO.dpuf• How to be a crazy Christian ... [Episcopal Café] The Rt Rev Michael Curry and ChurchNext are offering The Big Class: How to Be a Crazy Christian beginning January 27. Over 700 people around the world have signed up for this online course. Read on.
• The (Online) Book of Common Prayer ... Here.
• SoulSpin Resources ... Below, near the bottom.
DioBethSpin
• Kajo Keji, South Sudan Trip ... January 17-25, Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow and Charlie Barebo.
• 2014 United Thank Offering Grants ... [Cathy Bailey, Diocesan UTO Coordinator] If your parish is considering applying for a UTO grant, please begin to gather the information needed. Find grant information here so that you can prepare your grant application. Deadline for submission to Diocesan House is January 31. Please send via email to Anne Kitch, [email protected]. For more info: Cathy Bailey, [email protected] or Anne Kitch. Read on.
• EYE: The 2014 Episcopal Youth Event ... will take place at Villanova University, July 9-13. Read on.
• DioBeth news, info ... DioBeth website, newSpin blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, and LinkedIn,
• Public news and info lists ... At the Diobeth website, enter your name and email in the "Get Connected" box. You are welcome to subscribe to any or all of these. "Bakery" is our diocesan interactive list.
ParishSpin
• Winter Warmer Concert Series ... St. Stephen’s Episcopal Pro-Cathedral will present its inaugural Winter Warmer Concert Series featuring three concerts by three very talented solo artists—harpist Meghan K. Davis on January 17, guitarist Tim Farrell on January 31, and singer/songwriter Janet Burgan on February 14. More here.
• Calendar of events in our parishes ... Here.
• When it comes to church growth, it's not the theology ... [Andrew Brown, The Guardian UK] Evangelicals like to think their beliefs boost numbers. But really it's because they take growth seriously – a lesson liberals could learn. Read on. [Bill] I think evangelism usually begins after people come to church. "Come and see," Jesus said.
• Communication tips and tools ... Here.
Rest in Peace
• Betsy B. Kitch, 82 ... mother of Canon Anne Kitch, suffered an automobile accident in Ohio on January 13 from which she did not survive. She was a long time member and lay minister of Christ Episcopal Church in Xenia, Ohio. She was an exceptional wife and mother, a spiritual director, retreat leader, teacher, poet, artist, gardener, and abiding friend. She, with her husband Jack of 58 years, was widely known in the church and worked extensively in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Please hold Betsy and all of her family in your prayers. Rest eternal grant to her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Find her obituary here. Anne's email address: [email protected]. Her home address: 119 West Goepp Street, Bethlehem, 18018.
• Margaret Tjeltveit, 89 ... [Maria Tjeltveit] I want to let you know that my husband Alan’s mother died peacefully Monday morning, in Red Lodge, Montana, at the age of 89. Margaret Tjeltveit grew up on the east coast but became deeply involved in the community of Red Lodge, when she married Alvin in the early 1950’s. They had four boys, of whom Alan is the second. Margaret was a very faithful Lutheran and active in Messiah Lutheran Church. She was a loving grandmother to William and Anna, and their four cousins. Margaret’s health had declined in the past year and she had moved into a nursing home. We are very grateful that we went to Red Lodge and had a good visit with her just a few weeks ago. She was not in pain at the end of her life and died with her eldest son and a close friend at her bedside. The funeral will be the weekend of February 9. May she go from strength to strength in the life of perfect service with all the saints.
• Solomon Tilewa Johnson, 59 ... [Episcopal Café] Primate of The Church of the Province of West Africa died January 21. Archbishop Dr Solomon Tilewa Johnson, 59, was also Metropolitan Archbishop of the Internal province of West Africa, and Bishop of Gambia. A popular figure both home and abroad, he died suddenly in Fajara while playing tennis. Read on.
• Our young men and women who died recently in Afghanistan and for their families ... Here ... Pray also for the fallen heroes also of our coalition partners, and for the citizens of Afghanistan who have died, unnamed and unknown to us, and for those who mourn ... and for the end to this endless war.
Employment Opportunities
• Episcopal Positions (NYC/DC) ... Here.
TaleSpin
• Quello chi sempre dice salute ... Yesterday, Jan. 20, was the birthday of Italian film director Frederico Fellini, (1920-93), best known perhaps for La Dolce Vita. Marcello Mastroianna (1924-96), the premier Italian actor of the postwar era, starred in many of his films. During the early 60s when I was a student in Rome, I spent a few days in Salvator Mundi Hospital where they got my elbow back in place. (That's another story.) I walked around the hospital corridor with my arm in a cast that made me seem as though I were waving at someone. My neighbor in the adjoining room, whenever she saw me used to laugh and refer to me as "the one who is always saying "salute." When her son visited, she brought him into my room to say hello. Her son was Marcello Mastroianni.
TailSpin
• Paradigm shift ... [Episcopal Café] The pressing question of how we, in the church, confront the changing contexts of the 21st century continues to spark debate. Should we batten the hatches and wait out the storm, changing nothing? Should we take to the decks, and reorganize everything? Or will we need a different idea of what this ship is? In the most recent Vestry Papers Ken Howard suggests that a wholly different paradigm of church is needed. Read on.
HeadSpin
Evangelical Lutheran
• NEPA Synod website ... Here.
• ELCA website ... Here. The new ELCA.org website will be launched on Monday morning, Nov. 18. The launch is the culmination of extensive planning and implementation, during which the ELCA gathered input from a wide range and number of colleagues, constituents and end users from across this church. The result of their collective work is now ready to be published online. Check it out!
• ELCA News Service ... Here.
• ELCA's blogs may be found here. See especially "Web and Multimedia Development."
Moravian
• Moravian Church in North America website.
• Moravian Church Northern Province website.
• Moravian Theological Seminary website.
United Methodist
• Communication tips and tools ... Here.
• UMC website Here.
• News Service Here.
• Communication Resources ... Start here.
• Eastern PA Conference website Here. Facebook Here. Bishop Peggy Johnson's blog Here.
Roman Catholic
• Chicago archdiocese releases clergy sex abuse documents ... [NCR] More than 6,000 pages detailing past allegations, reports and procedures related to clergy sexual abuse in the Chicago archdiocese became public Tuesday morning, part of a 2008 settlement between the archdiocese and alleged victims. The documents pertain to 30 archdiocesan priests credibly accused of sexually abusing children. Of the 30, four have been removed from the priesthood and four have been criminally convicted. Only Joseph L. Fitzharris was both convicted and laicized. Fourteen of the priests are deceased. According to the archdiocese, 95 percent of the cases predate 1988. "Today no priest with even one substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor serves in ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago," the archdiocese said in a statement made ahead of the release. Describing the documents as "upsetting" and "painful to read," the archdiocese apologized to victims and said the image the files portray "is not the Church we know or the Church we want to be."
• Diocese of Allentown ... Here.
• Diocese of Scranton ... Here.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ... Here.
• Catholic News Service ... Here.
The Vatican
• Vatican Bank arrest ... A former Vatican monsignor, already charged with a plot to smuggle 20 million euros into Italy, was further charged today with laundering millions through the Vatican bank, according to Reuters. These new charges against Monsignor Nunzio Scarano had been expected, but they further tarnish the image of the beleaguered bank, which Pope Francis has vowed to reform or close.[h/t Religion News Roundup]
• Pope Francis cleans house at the Vatican Bank ... [AP] Just before he resigned a year ago, Pope Benedict XVI reappointed five cardinals to five-year terms overseeing the scandal-plagued Vatican Bank. Now, 11 months later, Pope Francis has replaced four of them. [h/t Religion News Roundup]
• Pope’s man to top prelate: loosen up ... Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, the head of the pope’s “kitchen cabinet,” told the Vatican’s doctrinal watchdog Monday to be more open to reform in the Roman Catholic Church. Reuters’ Tom Heneghan writes about the rare public chiding, in which Maradiaga calls out Archbishop Gerhard Mueller, picked by the previous pope to lead the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.
• The Joy of the Gospel ... Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, with detailed table of contents. Here.
• Vatican website ... Here.
• Vatican Information Service blog ... Here.
• Vatican News/Info Portal ... Here.
HealthSpin
• We're not dead yet ... [Slate, Judy Oppenheimer] The Internet is awash these days with stories about aging parents—suffering, terminal, demented, irritating, just plain old old parents. How difficult it is to care for them, how to evaluate nursing homes, how to broach important subjects like wills, funerals, power of attorney, DNR, so on into the night. OK. It makes a certain amount of sense. Baby boomer issues have had a stranglehold on the media for the past 60 years or so. There are a lot of us, and now we are aging. And dealing with aging parents can cause difficulties, true enough; it can be comforting to hear how others have handled these situations.Comforting, that is, for those who have aging parents. Not always all that comforting to the aging parents themselves.As a member of this latter group, I have drawn up a few pointers I’d like to share with everyone out there whose parents have managed somehow to get beyond 65, 70, 75, even further. Things to keep in mind. Read on.
• Resources for caregivers ... Here.
• Medline Plus ... Here.
• WebMD ... Here.
• Alzheimers.gov ... For people helping people with Alzheimers. Here.
• Three Free Apps for getting qualified medical advice... [Techlicious] Urgent Care, HealthTap and First Aid. Info and links.
Media/Films/DVD/TV/Books/Music/Tech
• 'Gravity' and the unanswered questions of unbelief ... [RNS, Jeffrey Weiss] Reviews of the new hit movie “Gravity” note that it’s an unusually fine science fiction film. What they don’t mention is that the main character represents an increasingly common theme in American religion: The spiritual “none of the above.” Yes, the special effects are splendid. And I’ll take the word of astronauts who say the visuals capture amazingly well what it’s like to work in the microgravity of near-Earth orbit.But there are moments where spiritual and philosophical themes take center stage. Read on. [h/t Religion News Roundup]
• 12 Years a Slave ... (Critics Choice Best Picture at the Thursday night ceremony) offers searing history but the Catholic bishops of New Jersey want people to know there’s still modern slavery underway – maybe even in the house next to yours. They’ve issued a letter in “The Catholic Herald” full of grim statistics on human trafficking. The letter begins: “The nanny for your neighbor, the young woman who does your nails, the young man clearing your table at a restaurant, the people who pick the fruit you enjoy — each of these could be a victim of human trafficking — modern day slaves living within our midst.] [h/t Religion News Roundup]
• How to spot a dangerous email attachment ... [MakeUsOf] Here.
• How to find out if your password has been stolen ... Here.
Resources
• Many Congregational Resources ... The "Using Resources" series of publications by the Center for Congregations is designed to help congregations make the most effective use of capital funds, consultants, architects, contractors, books, congregation management software, and more.
• Church locators ... Here.
• Insights into Religion ... Here.
• Forward Movement ... Here.
• The Alban Institute ... Here.
• ECF Vital Practices ... Here.
• Faith in Public Life ... Here.
• Religion&Ethics News Weekly (PBS) ... Here.
• The Chalice, a publication created by Joan DeAcetis for older adults and caretakers. Download issues here.
• Weekly Bulletin Inserts from the Episcopal Church ... Here.
• Episcopal Web Radio ... Here.
• Updated Episcopal Church canons and constitution ... Here.
Additional sources for news/info/commentary
• Religion News Service Daily Roundup ... here.
• Religious Freedom Blog ... a weekly look back at the top stories and developments on religious liberty around the world. Here.
• National Catholic Reporter ... here.
• Back issues of the newSpin newsletter ... here.
• Episcopal/Anglican
(1) The Episcopal Church website, news service, news service blog,
(2) Episcopal Café
(3) AngicansOnline website and news centre.
(4) The Living Church
(5) The Anglican Communion website and news service.
SoulSpin Resources
• The Book of Common Prayer ... every edition from 1549 to 1979. Here.
• Prayers and Thanksgivings from the BCP ... Here.
• The (Online) Book of Common Prayer ... Here.
• The Daily Office ... can be read online in Rite I, Rite II or the New Zealand Prayer Book versions. At Mission St. Clare.
• Holy Women, Holy Men ... Download Holy Women, Holy Men as a .pdf file.
• Speaking to the Soul ... An Episcopal Café blog. Sermons, reflections, multimedia meditations and excerpts from books on spirituality. Here.
• The Imitation of Christ ... Available free online.
Bible&Worship Resources
• Lectionary ... A collection of Lectionary resources for the Episcopal Church, updated Sunday night. Here.
• Lectionary Page ... A liturgical calendar for upcoming weeks, with links to readings from the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), as adapted for use in Episcopal worship. Here.
• Revised Common Lectionary ... Here.
• Oremus Bible Browser ... Here.
• Enriching our Worship and Same-Sex Blessings ... Free download here.
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Comments are welcome at the newSpin blog. Click there on the title of the current newsletter. Comment below. As soon as the newsletter is completed, usually by Tuesday, it is uploaded to the blog and posted on Bakery and on a ChurchPost list of some 1,200 addresses. Many recipients often forward it to others. The newsletter comes, of course, with some spin from the editor. 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. If you're wondering why you haven't seen something related to your parish or agency here, it's probably because no one has sent relevant info. If you think something about your parish or agency merits inclusion, send email to Bill.
Bill Lewellis, Diocese of Bethlehem, retired
Communication Minister/Editor (1986-2010), Canon Theologian (1998)
Blog , Email (c)610-393-1833
Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible.
Be in Love. And, if necessary, change. [Bernard Lonergan]
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