.......online

News from The Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, Bill Lewellis, Editor


I recently attended a dinner for the completion of a capital campaign for the Mid-Atlantic Career Center. Of course there was a speech (quite good actually). It addressed the changing nature of the ordained vocation in response to changes in our society and culture.

The speaker mentioned as one of his sources a new book by Lyle Schaller (his 599th, I think) entitled Discontinuity and Hope: Radical Change and the Path to the Future (Abingdon Press, 1999). I "amazon.com-ed" right away and had the book in three days. I haven't been able to put it down.

The book is an incredibly rich look at church and society and how we, the church, find ourselves caught in the "in-between time." The life we live today is so disconnected from the past we have known that discerning and planning for the future becomes both critical and courageous. "Keep on, keep'in on" is not an option for most denominations and congregations. A bishop we all know has been known to remark that, when something isn't working, the church too enough responds by doing it again, even more intensely.

An example. Schaller reminds us that babies born in the 50's and 60's grew up with television that presented a much faster pace of life in a world filled with color. MTV and Sesame Street taught new generations that people are to interact with what they see and hear, not simply receive it, and that effective communications include color, music, spoken words, motion, repetition, visual images, a change of pace, humor, drama, trust surprises, and interaction. What does this say about liturgy which is meant to engage people born after 1960? Schaller builds his book around three convictions.

"...while there was considerable continuity in American Christianity (between) 1800 and 1960, the past four decades of Christianity in America have been marked by an unprecedented degree of discontinuity.

"There are three consequences to this change. 1. It is far more difficult and challenging to be an effective parish pastor today... 2. The competition among churches for future constituents is without precedent ... 3. For many the most threatening is the emergence of the very large regional church."

"...most of the consequences of the discontinuity are turning out to be signs of hope..."

Schaller cautions that the "normal, natural and predictable response to discontinuity is denial." Unfortunately, denial has never been a source of creativity, innovation or renewal." Probably the least helpful/hopeful response is one limited to bemoaning the passing of "how it used to be." Whether the various changes are good or bad "depends on your values, your goals, and your criteria for evaluation." Is God continuing to create? Is God's creation abundant or impoverished? Do we work in cooperation with God, in "making all things new" or do we dig in our heels to hang on to our comfort.

Schaller gives one example of discontinuity and response looking at the diocese (or regional judicatory, by whatever name). "A growing number are aggressively building partnerships with congregations around three goals: (a) strengthening congregational life, (b) developing new missions, and (c) resourcing congregational leaders. This tends to further isolate the national denominational agencies.

"A smaller; but significant, number of regional judicatories, often for financial reasons, have chosen to partner with national denominational agencies."  A third group of regional judicatories have attempted to find space to sit on the fence, but what once was a rail fence has been replaced by barbed wire."

The vision and mission of the Diocese of Bethlehem as we have discerned and designed it is well described by Schaller as we work together to strengthen and build and renew congregational life and ministry. At the same time, we do work hard to be in communion with all dimensions of the church.

This is a spare introduction into Schaller's book which is a banquet of useful observation, insight, and reflection. He looks closely at most facets of church and society in light of discontinuities with the past and hope for the future. I commend it for reading and study.

back to Diocesan Life index

Grace Montessori School in Allentown

The Montessori program at Grace Episcopal Church is unique because it offers this early childhood educational experience to families who could not normally afford it and includes an economically, ethnically and socially varied student population.

Though the Montessori method of education for preschool children -- based on principles of early childhood development described by Maria Montessori, M.D. -- was originally designed to help low-income, "at risk" children, contemporary Montessori schools in the United States rarely reflect this. Because of the specially designed and relatively expensive materials needed and the extended training required for Montessori teachers, these programs usually serve affluent communities.

In 1992, however, Grace Episcopal Church in downtown Allentown (108 N. 5th Street) and parishioner Cathy Constantin opened Grace Montessori School in an urban environment and HUD target area.

Offering this early childhood educational experience to families who could not normally afford it and the economically, ethnically and socially varied student population are what make the Montessori program at Grace Church unique.

The program has grown from seven students in 1992 to 44 this year.

Fifteen of 44 students now enrolled in this nonprofit preschool for children 2 1/2 to 6 years old receive scholarship assistance through grant writing and fund raising efforts. That level of scholarship funding has been generally maintained through the program's seven years. More than $20,000 has been raised each year to do this. One indication of the high quality of the program is that the waiting list of children from families who have no problem paying full tuition is longer than families needing financial assistance.

Scholarships are made available to families based upon financial need using Title XX gidelines on the low end and HUD low-income guidelines on the upper end. The actual cost per child is approximately $2,500 per year -- lower than early intervention programs that are publicly funded. All families of scholarship children pay part of this tuition monthly for one of three programs currently offered: two three-hour programs, morning and afternoon, and one a full-day kindergarten.

The Grace Montessori classroom is a large sunny space well-equipped with Montessori educational materials and large enough for 28 children with three teachers for both the morning and afternoon programs.

The program includes outdoor activities at city parks and the nearby playground of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Active parents volunteer to help as substitutes, field trip chaperones, and fundraisers.

Grace Montessori School director Cathy Constantin has 25 years of combined teaching/administration experience. She received her BA from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. After teaching in traditional and Head Start programs in Appalachia and urban settings, she decided to study the Montessori method of education through the St. Nicholas Training Centre based in England. she worked in both teaching and administrative positions in Montessori schools for the next 15 years, though her dream was to design a program that would also serve low income, inner city families.

She saw the opportunity to begin such a program while volunteering in the playroom of the Food Bank at Grace Church. She noticed that many of the children of the Food Bank's clients were developmentally delayed. After talking to parents of the children and adminstrators at Head Start, she found that 1/3 of children in the Lehigh Valley cannot attend because of a lack of funding. She began Grace Montessori School in 1992 with seven children and a $10,000 grant from the Diocese of Bethlehem.

Children's House Day Care was recently begun at Grace Church to serve the families of Grace Montessori School and the downtown community. The affordability of both the school and day care is due in part to the church's support and advocacy for young children and families. Affiliation of the day care with the Montessori School, located in the same building, generates a commitment to the unique nature of each child, to active self-directed learning and to the child's enjoyment and appreciation for the environment inside and outside of the classroom. The day care also benefits from the school's mix of diverse ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds.

More information: Grace Montessori School -- 610-435-4060 Catherine Constantin, Director Maureen Shannon Joly, Business Administrator

back to Diocesan Life index

Ministry Matters
Clergy Shortage? A Reality Check
Archdeacon Rick Cluett
Diocesan Life, May 1999

As part of my ministry, I chair the Episcopal Church's Board for Church Deployment and I serve on the Standing Commission on Small Churches. Also, Jane Teter and I attend a semiannual deployment conference with colleagues from more than 35 dioceses during which we discuss the state of the deployment art and share information about clergy and congregations in the search process. From these perspectives, I want to provide a status report on clergy availability based on recent experience and observation.

SOME RECENT AND STARTLING FACTS In the deployment conference held in October, 1998, 270 parishes were presented as looking for rectors. Only 70 clergy were presented as looking for new parish ministries.

In the conference held in March, 1999, 179 parishes and only 71 clergy (including several clergy looking only for interim positions) were presented.

Clergy are not looking to move to new parish ministries - at least not as often as in former times. Of those looking for new ministries, (at least at these conferences) the vast majority were looking at large parishes only; 200+ people worshipping on a Sunday.

The key factors reported by clergy for either not moving or seeking only large parishes are: spouses with their own work/professional lives and needs, homes with mortgages, and children to educate.

The average age of students in Episcopal seminaries is 45 - people pursuing second vocations. Of the approximately 8,000 active Episcopal clergy, fewer than 350 are under the age of 35. Very few (to understate the case) are moving from college to seminary.

About 65 people graduated in my Virginia Theological Seminary class in 1970. There are approximately 35 in the 1999 graduating class. Many other Episcopal seminaries have much smaller graduating classes.

At a recent meeting with deployment officers in neighboring dioceses, every one of us complained about the difficulty-to-impossibility of putting together a short list of three to five appropriate and competent candidates to give to search committees of small parishes or parishes in small communities.

The minimum cost to a parish for a full-time, seminary trained rector or vicar is in the range of $50-55,000.

Does it help to know that this is "reality" for other mainline denominations as well? Only in the category of "misery loves company."

OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED Do we have a clergy crisis? Yes. I am told that the Chinese character for crisis also means opportunity. I do believe that we have both a crisis and an opportunity. I believe that God does not allow crises that are not also opportunities.

What are some opportunities presented by these realities?

* In the short-term, the opportunity and necessity to work quickly, attentively, and caringly with clergy in the interviewing and calling process.

* The opportunity to fulfill the Canons of the Church, specifically from Title III: Canon 2: Of Commissions on Ministry, Sec. 3. The Bishop and Commission shall actively solicit from the clergy and laity of parishes, college and university campus ministry centers, and other communities of faith, nominations of persons whose demonstrated qualities of Christian commitment, leadership and vision, and responsiveness to the needs, concerns and hopes of the world mark them as desirable candidates for positions of leadership in the Church.

Canon 4: Of Postulants for Holy Orders, Sec. 1. All Bishops of Dioceses and other Clergy shall make provisions to identify fit persons for Holy Orders and encourage them to present themselves for Postulancy.

For years, Commissions on Ministry have received applicants, approving those with formed and mature wisdom and experience. It is time for COM's, parish clergy, parents, and all of us to actively seek out young people who have faith, gifts and the potential to serve the church in ordained ministry. It is also incumbent upon the church to provide ministries which nurture youth through their college years in knowledge and love of the Lord.

* The opportunity to explore alternative models of parish ministry which do not depend on seminary trained, professional clergy, but instead provide a priestly presence and ministry in the midst of all the ministries present in congregations.

* The opportunity to work with seminaries and diocesan schools to prepare clergy for, and support them in, ministry in small congregations, which comprise 80% of the congregations of the Episcopal Church.

* And the opportunity to thank God that the Church is still being born anew.

back to Diocesan Life index

What Are You Doing About Y2K?
By Jane Williams
Diocesan Life, April 1999

Churches tend to be centers of meaning for their communities. Whether Y2K is a bump in the road, a detour, or a traffic jam, we need to address anxieties (and denial) with clear messages and examples of how we spiritually face such situations... Only the informed will be able to act intelligently.

PD visited Amish country stores to look at nonelectric heating and cooking devices, kerosene lamps and books on self-sufficiency. He has had difficulty sleeping because he fears this may be the end of the world as we know it.

KJ bought steel shelving units for him and his wife to stockpile canned goods, toilet paper, and dried foods. They are devoting $20-40 per week to these supplies. While they don't expect the end of the world, they're willing to believe that this may be God's judgment on a world gone mad.

KD knows he can convert his gas fireplace into a wood-burning fireplace in an hour. He will buy a cord of wood, a two-week supply of canned goods and a nonelectric can opener. "But I don't think I'll ever have to use any of this. We'll be ok," he says, confidently. He thinks this may be a wake-up call for the world regarding how interdependent we are.

MM rolls his eyes skyward: "I don't think we'll have to worry about this. Nothing is really going to happen."  These are my family's responses to Y2K. I think they reflect what we are likely to encounter in most of our families, churches, and communities.

Y2K articles have begun to hit the media with fear-inducing headlines like FEMA warns people to 'prepare for the worst' with Y2K bug. The article says "the worst" is unlikely to happen. Most people will only read the headline.

People who have until now dismissed the Y2K furor as silly may begin to take notice now that Senator Christopher Dodd and others on the Senate Y2K Task Force are saying such things as, "Y2K is a lot like predicting weather. You can only track the storm and watch the effects."

Victor Porlier of Westergaard 2000 is one of several experts calling for "nationally televised town meetings with Y2K experts across the spectrum of concerns" to stem both lack of public preparedness and end-of-year panic.

Only the informed, he says, will be able to act intelligently. "Leave the national conversation as it currently is and panicky supply riots are not out of the question," he warns.

All levels of government should begin informing citizens on how they are planning to keep order and assure the public safety in case of panic as the dawn of 2000 approaches.

While no one knows for certain what the reality of Y2K's impact will be, we keep being assured that there is only a minimal chance of long term breakdowns of utilities, water or food supplies in the US and most developed countries. Most experts agree, however, that there will be periods of electrical brownouts (remember the rolling brownouts following the blizzard of several years ago), some shortages of food and other essentials (more likely caused by panicky consumers hoarding food than by supply glitches), some difficulty accessing medical services and/or prescription medicines, and possible delays in receiving disability/insurance/Social Security/dividend/public assistance checks.

While moving to rural areas and fortifying one's home is an extreme and unnecessary action, ignoring any possibility of problems is equally extreme. Just as most of us think it necessary to carry homeowners and medical insurance, it is cas necessary to make prudent preparations for possible Y2K disruptions. Having enough canned goods, paper products, bottled water and cash to carry oneself and one's family for one to two weeks is a reasonable precaution. So is seeing if one's neighbors, especially the elderly or disabled, can prepare themselves.

Eric Utne, founder and editor of the Utne Reader, suggests that Y2K may be a blessing: "As we prepare for Y2K, something surprising and quite wonderful is going to happen. We're going to get to know our neighbors."

The Church's role can be critical. Churches tend to be centers of community, often the first line of response for persons in need.

As the year 2000 dawns, persons who experience difficulties securing food, money, health care may be on our doorstep. If our churches already have food ministries, clothing banks, fuel funds for the needy, or centers for the elderly or disabled, we are likely to experience an increase in persons needing services. How can our parish prepare for such needs?

Churches also tend to be centers of meaning for their communities. People look to us to help them make sense of crises. Whether Y2K is a bump in the road, a detour, or a traffic jam, we need to address anxieties (and denial) with clear messages and examples of how we spiritually face such situations.

Are we considering ways to relate Y2K to opportunities to witness to God's loving support of us through any difficulty? Are we talking about our responsibilities to our community and parishioners in vestry meetings and homilies? How do we address Y2K as a spiritual crisis calling for us to be the body of Christ as we prepare a practical and spiritual response that takes Y2K seriously?

Churches also ought to be prophets in their communities. We can call upon municipalities, townships, school districts, and other public groups to talk about community responses to Y2K.

Dioceses and the National Church should take the lead in calling for national forums and discussion of plans for dealing with Y2K and its social ramifications. We can be voices of hope and reality as we write letters to the editor, talk at public meetings to ask public officials to convene local forums to plan for reasoned responses and preparation for disruption of normal services. Know that such a stance will not be popular. Many of Pennsylvania's smaller municipalities and townships are still deeply in denial regarding Y2K.

How can our parish provide leadership in our community to be certain that our responsibilities to "the least of these" is met? How can we be part of helping to create real community in our communities to counteract the prevalent attitude of "I'll take care of myself and the heck with anyone else?"

How can our parish promote cooperation rather than defensive isolation among persons and organizations? Should we make a parish survey of resource people such as medical personnel, conflict management experts, mechanically inclined persons, those who can offer emergency transportation, those willing to staff food cupboards, soup kitchens, etc.?

The Church is rich with resources, persons and networks with which to address the Y2K opportunity. This may be a time like none before for the Church to offer hope to a world likely to become paralyzed with fear. It was to us that angels came with their message of "Fear not." With many hands ready to work together to prepare for whatever comes, and with hearts full of hope for a world filled with fear, we will make a difference.

The Rev. R. Jane Williams, priest associate at Christ Church, Reading, and resident of Wyomissing, is a licensed psychologist/ pastoral counselor (Holistic Counseling Resources).Email: hcrwill@fast.net

For information on Y2K, updated regularly, visit: http://www.year2000.com/   www.y2ktoday.com  http://www.cassandraproject.org/  The Y2K Citizen's Action Guide, by the Utne Reader magazine, offers advice on preparing ourselves, our families, and our communities for challenges that may lie ahead. It is available for $4.95 or free on the web at www.utne.com/y2k .

back to Diocesan Life index

Grace and Miracles
Bill Lewellis, from "Bethlehem of PA", the Diocesan online meeting

Our adult forum at Grace Church, Allentown (We call them "Conversations with Grace") was on grace and miracles. We used the video, "What about Grace and Miracles" from the Questions of Faith series. I highly recommend that series as a tool that encourages thoughtful, positive conversation.

Several simple thoughts came to me during our conversation.

(1) One way most of us, I suspect, might experience grace and miracles this very day is by forgiving others. That works wonders for ourselves. An even greater grace (and miracle), however, might be experienced if we would forgive ourselves for those things we know in faith that God has already forgiven us. During our conversation about this, Linda Lobach pointed out that to withhold our own forgiveness of ourselves until we feel we have "earned" that forgiveness seems arrogant because we are setting a standard we think must be somehow "better" than God's.

(2) One of the comments on the video, from Ann Ulanov, I believe, was to the effect that it would be a "cheap" miracle if the bread and wine came to look like the body of blood, whereas a "good" miracle is our believing that what continues to look like bread and wine is the body and blood.

That sent me way back to my early twenties, to an academic setting, when Bernard Lonergan introduced me to the term "acritical realist." There are two ways to approach "reality." Reality for some is limited by what they can see, hear, touch, smell and feel. They are "acritical realists." Might we translate that as "non-discerning realists?" "Pre-moral materialists?" On the other hand, there are those, not imprisoned by this sense-construct, for whom reality extends beyond what they can see, hear, touch, smell and taste.

What a crucial insight that is for those of us who worship in sacramental ways, for those of us who "know" (as critical realists) that there is something and someone beyond the bread, the wine, the oil, the touch, the promise and the words that we see, heart, touch, smell and taste as we worship together. Check the catechism (BCP, p 857): Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace.

(3) Finally, a comment I loved from the video -- though I forget who said it: Miracles happen when we do God's will, not when we get God to do our will.

Thanks.

Bill

***************** ***************** Bill Lewellis, Communication Minister/Editor, Diocese of Bethlehem Be attentive. Be intelligent. Be reasonable. Be responsible. Be loving. Develop and, if necessary, change. --Bernard Lonergan

back to Diocesan Life index

The Parked Chariot
Risking Our Lives To Save Six Minutes
By George Loeffler
Diocesan Life, March 1999

The Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. (Acts 8:29-31)

You may recognize the title of this column, The Parked Chariot, as describing a venue for hearing a deacon's words on the mystery of salvation. Presumptuous, perhaps; but who could speak without presumption on this topic? Philip was supposed to assist in dispensing charity to Greek widows, not go about evangelizing - or so the bureaucratic plan would have it; actually, of the original seven deacons, only Philip and Stephen are known through their works, which were definitely not in their job descriptions. Or were they? The Spirit has a certain contempt for Tables of Organization.

In any case, recent events turn my attention to the chariot itself. The June 2 issue of U.S. News & World Report had a cover story on Road Rage, the bizarre transformation that overcomes one who slips behind the wheel as the full moon animates the vampire. Nothing really new here: the apocalyptic words of Nahum the Prophet: A shatterer has come up against you. Guard the ramparts; watch the road; gird your loins; collect all your strength. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day when he musters them; the chargers prance.

The chariots race madly through the streets, they rush to and fro through the squares; their appearance is like torches, they dart like lightning. Devastation, desolation, and destruction! Hearts faint and knees tremble, all loins quake, all faces grow pale! See, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke... Ah! City of bloodshed...The crack of whip and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!

That Philip was impelled by the Spirit is infallibly shown by his first question to the Ethiopian: "Do you understand what you are reading?" Had he simply encountered him by the roadside, his first comment would have been, "Nice wheels!" - Remember, "Philip" means "lover of horses."

What really triggered me was a newspaper article stating that increasing the speed limit to 65 mph had not increased the highway death rate. Of course it didn't. The limit is totally irrelevant to the speed at which most people drive. So why should there be such a connection?

Driving speed is set by fear, and fear alone. Fear of getting a traffic citation is far down the list; I suppose there is some rational basis for this, although rationality is often not obvious in what many do. Buying lottery tickets is a lousy deal, but people do it. Casino gambling is twice as productive, and you still lose. The screwiest thinking of all comes from the people who buy radar detectors: I don't know what a speeding ticket costs these days, but the price list formerly posted at Pennsylvania's borders started at about sixty bucks. A radar detector costs about three tickets, and one can avoid radar traps with a glance at the equipment common to all cars at no extra charge: the speedometer. The Bible had the besotted driver's number, too. Turning to Second Kings:

In Jezreel, the sentinel standing on the tower spied the company of Jehu arriving, and said, "I see a company." Joram said, "Take a horseman; send him to meet them." The sentinel reported, "He reached them, but he is not coming back. It looks like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi; for he drives like a maniac."

Just so. We all know drivers whose offer of a lift inspires us to seek the good exercise of walking.

I will conclude with an example from my own experience and a tip from 18 months of busting hither and yon throughout the diocese. I often travel to the diocesan offices, which means traveling the length of US 22 in Lehigh County. Above Allentown I think there pass some 84,000 cars a day, half of them local traffic trying to avoid city streets.

In good weather - cruise control and the speed limit are for good weather - I lock in 55 mph, the legal limit, and usually have nothing to do but steer for the whole distance. Most people aren't really speeding, but they do drift past me; and the spirit of Jehu lives on in a few. Space constantly opens ahead, I seldom have to change lanes, and the trip is quite relaxing.

My wider travels throughout the diocese turned up an interesting fact. If you measure the airline distance to your destination on the map, and figure your time assuming 32 mph, you will arrive within plus or minus ten minutes by any reasonable route, keeping to all speed limits.

A corollary to this is subtler: If you think you can substantially cut your time by rushing, forget it. Ten percent of an hour's trip is only six minutes, and increasing your mean speed by ten percent is not routinely practical. This is the situation tailor-made for the old saying: Better late than never.

Meditate now on the words of G. K. Chesterton: "There are an infinity of angles at which one falls, only one at which one stands=8A To have avoided them all has been one whirling adventure; and in my vision, the heavenly chariot flies thundering through the ages, the dull heresies sprawling and prostrate, the wild truth reeling but erect."

[The Rev. George Loeffler, a deacon of the Diocese of Bethlehem, serves on diocesan staff as the bishop's chaplain.] 

back to Diocesan Life index

Thelma Ratcliffe retires
Prince Of Peace Church Recognizes 37 Years Of Service
By Jim Saba
Diocesan Life, March 1999

Thelma Ratcliffe announced her retirement as parish secretary of Prince of Peace Church, Dallas, at our parish's annual meeting in January.

As we look back on a ministry that has spanned 37 years, we can not help but celebrate her dedication and involvement at our church and in the Diocese.

Thirty-seven years as a parish secretary, doing all she has done, is an outstanding accomplishment, but Thelma went far beyond that.

She was on the diocesan Standing Committee (which is an advisory board to the bishop), the Grant-in-Aid Committee (now Congregational Development), the Planning Committee for the Hood Conference in Province III, and the Commission on Ministry.

She was a diocesan delegate to the Women's Triennial, a delegate to Diocesan Convention, and a secretary of the diocesan ECW.

She represented Prince of Peace on the District VI Council, was a secretary for District VI, and served on the vestry of this parish.

She was involved in our own ECW and has helped at every event held here at our church.

Her love and dedication to us is obvious. So I hope she knows the love and appreciation we feel for her.

On behalf of the congregation we can only humbly say, "Thank you so much for all you have done, and know you will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

[Mr. James Saba is senior warden of Prince of Peace Church, Dallas.] 

back to Diocesan Life index

How Anglicans Crack The Code
By Howard Fegan
Diocesan Life, March 1999

Some time ago I had the good fortune to hear a lecture by one of the men involved in breaking the German codes during the Second World War. Most of the lecture consisted of stories about the great man of the enterprise, Alan Turing. However, the lecturer made the point that to say one has "broken a code" has two meanings: 1) to have devised a procedure that when applied to an encrypted message will allow the message to be read; 2) to actually read a message in a timely fashion.

Of course the military in the field is only interested in meaning two. However, one does not reliably read messages without having meaning one in place. Alan Turing was a key figure in solving the first problem. The job of applying this was passed on to a small army of other people. As we now know, they were very successful. Many American soldiers who were sent across the Atlantic owe there lives to this success.

One notes in passing how ironic it is that so many soldiers were saved by a gay man whose motivation came, in part, from his knowledge of the dreadful things the Nazis were doing to the homosexual people they got hold of. Unfortunately this story does not have a happy ending. After the war, because of his homosexuality, Alan Turing was prosecuted by the British authorities, excluded from the U.S. (effectively ending his collaboration with American mathematicians) and eventually driven to commit suicide.

Well what does this have to do with Anglicanism? The point is that Anglicanism sets out to address the issue of how to cope with life. The answer is immediate: to live in the light of Christ Crucified and Risen.

The trouble with such an answer is that we still need to decode the messages from God that tell us how to do it. We are led to the same problem as other code breakers. The characteristic Anglican contribution is to give a process: study the scriptures, follow tradition and apply reason.

This "solves" the code in the sense labelled number one earlier. It makes an unusual answer to the question, "What do we believe?" by giving a process to find the answer in any particular situation rather than a statement of confession.

Many works have been written which expand on this basic process. It seems to have been first articulated as an Anglican way by Richard Hooker, although it is surely implied in the Prayer Book of Thomas Cranmer.

This does not mean that we have no written confessions of faith, rather we take each and every statement offered and apply our test. Then, to the extent that it agrees with the scriptures, follows tradition and is reasonable=8A we believe it.

There are some statements which we recognize as meeting this test: the creeds, for example. Thus on Sunday when we start the creed: "we believe=8A" we are noting that what follows is supported by scripture, tradition and reason.

We are also left with the meaning two problem: how to actually carry out the process in any particular situation. Unfortunately, matters are often not easily settled in the real world. Different people read scripture and find different meanings. Our reason is in disagreement with our reading of scripture and tradition seems different as well.

To deal with this some tolerance is in order. There are many questions on which reasonable people can reasonably disagree - a fact which our tradition has a long and valuable history of recognizing. The example of Alan Turing shows the terrible damage that can be done by intolerance: the world lost a great mind and we are all the poorer for it. It is sad to say but our daily news papers provide many more examples to add to this one.

The more active answer to the question "What are we to do?" is provided by our practice. This is where attending worship, prayer and our other activities come in.

By being part of the Body of Christ we have a community to help balance our warring ideas and limit how far astray we go. To reap this benefit one must participate. The form and appearance alone is not enough, but does make a good starting point.

Further the participation has to be two sided: both the individual and the church have to take each other seriously. One important activity for us is to share this wisdom of tolerance and balance, but how do we share this wisdom? Well the only real way is to say to the interested person : "Follow me."

[A mathematics professor at Lehigh University, Dr. Howard Fegan is a parishioner at Grace Church, Allentown, and a board member and treasurer at AIDS Outreach of the Lehigh Valley.] 

back to Diocesan Life index

Blue Ribbon Panel Helps New Bethany Ministries Find Its Way
By Bill Lewellis
Diocesan Life, March 1999

A panel of leaders in business, social service, church and philanthropic fields, convened by Bishop Paul V. Marshall to explore the problems and challenges facing New Bethany Ministries, has offered a series of recommendations to the New Bethany board.

The board has adopted the report, a steering committee will be created to implement the panel's plan, and changes will begin immediately, said New Bethany board president and acting director Robert Wilkins.

An $800,000-a-year operation that feeds, counsels and houses 250 homeless, poor, and mentally ill people daily, New Bethany experienced a shortfall in funding during the last two years, caused in large part by the failure of its venture into personal-care services for the mentally ill.

The sprawling ministry opened its doors in 1985 near Diocesan House and the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in South Bethlehem.

Among the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Study Committee that met during the last quarter of 1998 were the following:

That New Bethany's primary focus be "transitional housing for families and individuals, with related services providing meals, day care and counselling for vocational training, acquisition of life-skills, drug and alcohol abuse, and short-term mental health problems."

That New Bethany "phase out its ministry to persons with long-term or permanent mental health need . These services are more appropriately provided by other agencies. However, we urge that all care be taken not to eliminate these ministries until the persons served are being cared for elsewhere."

That New Bethany enter into serious conversations with Center City Ministries, a few blocks away, "with a view toward either merger or very close cooperation between the two organizations."

That New Bethany develop new strategies for public relations, fund raising and staff and board recruitment.

By mid-1998, New Bethany was buried in debt, and low morale had spread through the staff as its executive director and two executive board members resigned.

The Blue Ribbon Committee was formed to right the ship. Board members say it's back on course.

The first six months of the fiscal year ending December 31, 1998, show a loss of only $12,000 compared with $86,000 for the same period a year earlier.

Recent publicity of New Bethany's plight brought in a new stream of donations, including $20,000 from one anonymous donor.

Its November Souper Day lunch raised $28,000, nearly doubling an ambitious goal and far surpassing the proceeds of earlier year's events.

An editorial in the Express-Times, Easton, said this six-fold support, compared to previous Souper Days, was "nothing shy of a community-spirited barn-raising."

"The response of the community and our adoption of the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Committee signals the resurgence of New Bethany -- after an unpleasant pause," said Wilkins.

Retired senior vice president of finance for Bethlehem Steel and former city administrator of Bethlehem, Wilkins took a leave of absence from his business last September to help New Bethany's recovery.

"The pieces are falling into place as if by divine intervention," said Alan Jennings, a New Bethany board member who is executive director of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley. "Critical elements still have to fall into place, but things have already begun to turn around. It's very encouraging."

Bishop Marshall expressed his gratitude to those "who offered their time and wisdom to New Bethany by serving on the Blue Ribbon Committee." He expressed his confidence that their recommendations, along with the leadership of the board and staff, will assure a strong future for this vital ministry.

The board and staff will implement the recommendations during the next few months, according to Wilkins who has initiated discussions with Lehigh and Northampton Counties about the personal care facility which serves the mentally ill.

Members of New Bethany's board have begun to meet with representatives of Center City Ministries and United Way of the Lehigh Valley to pursue the recommendation to develop relationships and cooperative programs.

"The blue ribbon panel recommended that New Bethany get back to its core principles, which are to provide shelter for homeless families on a temporary basis," said former Bethlehem Mayor Ken Smith, a member of the panel and Lehigh University's vice president of public affairs.

"From its beginning," Bishop Marshall said at Souper Day, "New Bethany has been primarily about giving people shelter and other services so that they can rebuild their lives with pride, and rediscover their God-given dignity= =8A

"The past year has been difficult, and we have had to learn lessons that=8A have caused us to look at New Bethany from the ground up. The Bishop and Trustees of the Diocese of Bethlehem have been reminded of our role in the Ministry's life, and have acted to keep it, as it were, afloat. We have done this through several loans of money, and through the added work of a number of our key personnel."

New Bethany was founded by the Incorporated Trustees of the Diocese as "Episcopal Ministries of the Diocese of Bethlehem" and named by former Bethlehem Bishop Mark Dyer after the biblical village where Jesus was cared for. The first homeless family moved into New Bethany in 1985.

Members of the Blue Ribbon Committee: Timothy Holt, Director Corporate Relations, Air Products Foundation Mr. Robert Spillman, President, Spillman Farmer Architects Donald Shire, Esq., Retired Senior Executive Vice President, Air Products Mr. Robert Wilkins, Retired Sr. Vice President, Bethlehem Steel Mr. John Seitz, Executive Director, Valley Housing Development Corporation The Rev. Dr. David Schattschneider, Dean and Vice President, Moravian Theological Seminary Mr. Tom Mohr, Administrative Assistant for the Honorable Paul McHale. Mr. George Maniatty, President, Precision Roll Grinders, Inc. Mrs. Anne Shire, Civic Volunteer The Right Reverend Paul V. Marshall, Bishop of Bethlehem Mrs. Marlene Fowler, Philanthropist Mrs. Cidney Spillman, President, Talbot Hall Foundation Mr. Thomas Church, Retired VP, Bethlehem Steel Corp. The Venerable Richard Cluett, Archdeacon, Diocese of Bethlehem Mr. Luke P. Cunningham, Sr., President, West Side Electric Mr. Richard Daugherty, Executive Director, Lehigh County Senior Citizens' Center Mr. Steven Follett, President & CEO, Follett Corporation Mr. Alan Jennings, Executive Director, Community Action Committee The Honorable Kimberly McFadden, Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County The Rev. Dr. Michael F. Piovane, Rector, St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Trexlertown; Joseph J. Russo, Esq., President, Quadramed The Very Rev. Robert D. Schenkel, Jr., Retired Dean, Cathedral Church of the Nativity Mr. Phillip Secor, Retired President, Secor & Associates Mr. David Shaffer, Co-President, Just Born, Inc. Mr. Ken Smith, Vice President Public Affairs, Lehigh University 

back to Diocesan Life index