080307newSpin
News with Spin
Edited by Bill Lewellis
The newSpin newsletteris published six to eight times monthly for clergy, members of diocesan ministry committees, wardens, vestry members and all who have specific ministry responsibilities in congregations of the Diocese of Bethlehem. Any interested parishioner may be added to the list. Send your email address toBill Lewellis.The newsletter may be found also on the newSpin blog. Bookmark the newSpin blog on your browser.
Messages in the Mall --Looking at Life in 600 Words or Less This is a new book by Bishop Paul, available fromChurch Publishing. For more than a decade, Bishop Paul has written a monthly column for secular newspapers, usually 600 words or less and different from the monthly column he writes for Diocesan Life.This rigorous discipline of writing to strict space requirements was meant from its beginning in 1996 to engage the secular culture and to bring the church's message to it by commenting on the realities of the human condition and on issues of general interest. This book is a compilation of many of the columns, organized along thematic lines. Some six to eight papers currently publish the monthly column. Their combined circulation is about 400,000. More info to come. Checkhere.
Chrism Mass March 13, Cathedral, Bethlehem, 11:00 a.m. Clergy willrenew their vows. All arewelcome to attend. Those with ministries with the sick and in teaching areespecially encouraged to attend as we bless the oil of catechumens andthe oil for the sick. Lunch will be provided. Parish offices have been asked to provide a count by Monday, March 10, and communicate that toEly Valentinat Diocesan House.
$569,500 needed to reach the goal At this writing, the total of pledges received for the New Hope Campaign for a New Sudan and the Poor Among Us was $3,030,500 of our $3.6 million goal. Updated totals will be posted at ourwebsite.Ignite our hearts, O Holy Spirit, with the love of Jesus. Let his compassion for the poor burn in us as we respond joyfully to his call to serve the least of his sisters and brothers. Let our participation in the work of New Hope transform us as individuals and as a community. May our unity of purpose and love for your creatures witness to the world the truth you have revealed to us in Christ. Receive our work as praise for our creation, redemption, and the call you have given us; receive it as our response to your eternal love. Amen.
Living Water: Gushing in Bethlehem, Flowing in Kajo Keji Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow and Charlie Barebo, chair of the New Hope Campaign and member of Diocesan Council, visited our companion Diocese of Kajo Keji in Southern Sudan on behalf of the New Hope Campaign and the Diocese of Bethlehem to strengthen the ties between our dioceses, meet with the person who is to be Bethlehem's representative in Kajo-Keji during the Campaign's construction of schools and the Canon Benaiah Poggo College, and inspect the progress of those constructions. Find an initial storyhere, text and photos by Howard Stringfellow.
Caring for others changes us [From Bishop Paul] "Since last September I have been spending a few hours each week at the Trinity Soup Kitchen in Bethlehem, trying to be of use to some of Trinity’s guests for whom life has been harsh. I come away from Trinity each Monday and Friday more convinced than ever that our New Hope decision to assist parishes with seed money for social ministry is God-pleasing and necessary. I am aware of plans in Mt. Pocono and Scranton to undertake ministries of compassion, and know there are more being formulated. My own commitment to New Hope has increased because of this hands-on experience. I share this story as one paltry example of the grand truth that caring for others changes us, takes us out of ourselves, transform our souls. I know that many of you have had similar experiences of feeling that you have received a gift when you made an effort for those in need."Find Bishop Paul's pastoral letter, written for New Hope Renewal Sunday, March 2,here.
Please pray for Father Henry Peasewho is recovering from radical and complicated surgery undergone on Thursday.
Set clocks forward one hour Saturday night/Sunday morning.The transition officially happens at 2:00 a.m. local standard time, which becomes 3:00 a.m. local daylight time.Visit USA.gov for additional information about daylight saving time.
Events calendar
March 13:Chrism Mass, Cathedral, 11:00 a.m.
March 27:Diocesan Council, at Grace Kingston, 6:30 p.m.
April 10:Unbinding the Gospel: Real-Life Evangelism, Martha Grace Reese, 9:30 to 2:30, at Moravian Seminary.
April 19:Evangelism consultant training at Trinity, Mt. Pocono. More infohere.
April 25-27:Christophany in the Springtime. More infohere.
May 2-4:Retreat for Christian Educators/Youth Workers, Kirby House. More infohere.
May 4:St. Matthew Society Sunday. Bishop’s Appreciation Reception. See below.
May 13:Clergy Day
May 14:ECW Annual Meeting, Kirby House.
May 17:Safeguarding God's Children at Cathedral, Bethlehem and St. Luke's, Scranton. More infohere.
May 18:Jazz Eucharist at the Cathedral, 10:30 a.m. The Cathedral Jazz Band.
June 8:Clergy and spouse/guest dinner at St. Mary’s Center, Scranton.
June 10:Reception of RC priests as priests of the Episcopal Church
June 17-20:JrHigh Mission Trip. More infohere.
July 8-13:EYE 2008. More infohere. Application deadline, March 8.
Aug. 15:Ordination of priests, Cathedral, 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 25:Clergy Insensitivity Training,a systems approach to conflict in the parish. St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral. Registration info TK.
Sept. 28-30:Clergy Retreat at Jesuit Spiritual Center, Wernersville
Oct. 10-11:Diocesan Convention
Sunday, May 4 --St. Matthew Society Reception Bishop Paul will greet members of the St. Matthew Society as they gatheron St. Matthew Sunday, May 4, for a special reception to honor and celebrate their generosity to the Church.The St. Matthew Society was founded in 2001 throughout the Diocese of Bethlehem to recognize and thank all those who have planned a gift to their individual parishes.This year’s celebration event will be held at the Lehigh Country Club from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m., and will feature food, drink and good company. The Bishop sincerely hopes that all current St. Matthew Society members will plan to join him and each other at this special gathering.For information about enrolling in the St. Matthew Society, and/or to learn more about the stewardship of planned giving, please contact Char Horst, Missioner for Development, or 610.683.8625.
The challenge of the 44% [By Andy Gerns] The beauty of research like theU.S. Religious Landscape Surveyreleasedthis weekby thePew Forumon Religion and Public Life is that in many ways it tells us what we already knew. The survey has confirmed and challenged a few hunches that arise out of my experience as a parish priest.It is not particularly news to me that America’s life of faith is defined by fluidity. All I have to do is look out from the pulpit every Sunday. In my own parish, I have four basic groups of parishioners: people who used to be Catholic, people who used to be Lutheran, and people who used to be something else—they grew up in one of a myriad of other Christian traditions. Oh, I almost forgot, the fourth group of people are the ones who grew up and remain Episcopalian. That’s the smallest group in my own parish. And even then, there ought to be an asterisk because most of the folks who grew up Episcopalian were the children of parents who were themselves raised in another tradition.[Read the rest at theDaily Episcopalianportion of EpiscopalCafe.]
Thursday was Debra Kissinger's last day at Diocesan Houseas missioner to children and child advocate. She has been among us since Mary 2001. Debra has accepted a position with the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis as canon for education and formation on the staff of Bishop Catherine Waynick, effective April 1. At that time, her office address will be Diocese of Indianapolis, 1100 West 42nd Street, Indianapolis IN 46208 (317-926-5454). Her home address will be: 13053 Wembly Circle, Carmel, IN 46033.
We covered the religion pagesin last Saturday's Morning Callwith two columns. One, by Bishop Paul,What others say about you,may be foundhere. The sermonversionof the other,Discovering my inner Yook and welcoming an encounter with a Zook,by Andy Gerns, may be foundhere.
Edith B. Hearn, 85,formerly of Massachusetts, died on Tuesday, March 4, in her home in Wyomissing.She was the wife of The Rev. George E. Hearn, with whom she resided. Father Hearn is a retired priest of the Diocese of Massachusetts, licensed to officiate in the Diocese of Bethlehem.Born Oct. 25, 1922, in Fall River, Mass., Edith Hearn was a daughter of the late William and Doris (Booth) Bradley.She was a member of St. Alban's Church, Sinking Spring.Services will be private. A memorial service will be held in Rockport, MA.The Reading Eagle obituary is availablehere.
Responsive to language from the BCP "When something that is nearly unthinkable is poised to happen, such as the death of someone we love, what are we supposed to think? What are we supposed to say, or do? We've noted that even our friends who assert that they are not religious or that they are not Anglican are responsive to language from the Book of Common Prayer in grieving or burying the dead or praying for the afflicted." From an essay by the editors ofAnglicansOnline. Read it allhere.
Deacon Dolores Evans thanks us for our prayers, cards and calls on behalf ofher husband, Dave, and seeks our continued prayers and support. After one month and three days at the Reading Hospital Surgical ICU, Dave has been moved to the Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital inBethlehem. She expects that he willbe there for about a month after which he willprobably be sent to a sub acute facility for further rehabilitation.
Kat Lehman warns us of thisJury Duty scamthat has been making the rounds in Pennsylvania. It begins with a telephone call.
Diocesan Life/March Find ithere. Stories and features include: Bishop's Day with Youth in NYC.Bishop Paul's column on visit with youth to St John the Divine Cathedral forNightwatchprogram. Reflections by youth.What is Stella's future and what will become of baby Laura in Kajo Keji? Father Gerns named Canon Pastor to the Bishop. Three new deacons. Debra Kissinger accepts position with Diocese ofIndianapolis. NewHope column by Charlie Barebo.ASapp'sFables. A Spiritual Journey in Recovery from Alcohol. Calendar. Cycles of Prayer. Triduum, by Father Pat Malloy.
Basement Sale and Pancake Breakfast, May 17 at St. Mary's, Reading,7:00 a.m. to ?? All you can eat, $5 per person. More info: Scott Chambers, 610-373-0671 (home) or 484-333-8877 (cell).
Christian Educators Retreat: A Mary Heart in a Martha World May 2-4 at Kirby Episcopal House, Mountain Top. Retreat leader will be the Rev. Robyn Szoke. The retreat will feature a variety of forms of meditation, movement, music, massage and manicures. A chance to nurture your Mary in an increasing Martha world. More infohere.
Parish Websites and Newsletters Hereis a list, with links, of parishes of the Diocese of Bethlehem that have websites. It includes a user-friendly link to the newsletters of those parishes that send me pdf files of their newsletters. Please send corrections/updates toBill Lewellis.
Programs at Moravian Theological Seminary Among many programs during March and April are free lectures presented by by Martha Grace Reese (Unbinding the Gospel: Real-Life Evangelism) on Thursday, April 10, 10:00 to 2:30. More infohere.
Make something of yourself Thomas Aquinas said that a world without contingencies or accidents is theologically inconceivable. And, since Darwin, Catholic theology may plausibly suppose that the random, experimental character of evolution is consistent with a divine love that longs for the world to make something of itself instead of being constantly tinkered with or pulled like a puppet. [John F. Haught,SJ, professor of theology, Georgetown University]
Before Darwin Charles Cesaretti calls our attention to a recently pushed book by Amir D. Aczel, The Jesuit & the Skull, "a fascinating account of Teilhard De Chardin, evolution, and the search for Peking Man ... which contains a brief, but comprehensive, chapter on the Prelude to Evolution, providing an overview of not only the English but the French and German work on the concept, which influenced not only Darwin but also de Chardin.
Amateur Atheism: Why the new atheism isn't serious See theChristian Century articleby John F. Haught, SJ.
Suffering from teenage affluenzaThissatirical videoreminds us that we lead such lucky lives. Obviously, the point is not age specific.
Bishop Paul Moore's daughter details her father's private life in a story is nowavailable online at theNew Yorker, Honor Moore provides details of her father's (Bishop Paul Moore) private life. Bishop Sisk's (Diocese of NY) response ishere.
Archbishop Akinola and the Massacre of Yelwa Eliza Griswold, the daughter of our former Presiding Bishop, has writtenGod's Country, an in-depth report on the tensions between Christianity and Islam in Nigeria, for the current issue of The Atlantic.One story, according to the blog,Father Jake Stops the World,involves the attack on a Christian church in Yelwa in February 2004. The church was burned, and all 70 of the Christians who were worshipping there were killed.About two months later, the Christians retaliated.According to Human Rights Watch, 660 Muslims were massacred over the course of the next two days, including the patients in the Al-Amin clinic. Twelve mosques and 300 houses went up in flames. Young girls were marched to a nearby Christian town and forced to eat pork and drink alcohol. Many were raped, and 50 were killed...Jim Naughton contends, on Episcopal Cafe, that Archbishop Akinola owes the world some answers.