July 16, 2015
In This Issue
Leaving for College, Keeping the Faith
Emily Garrity, a leader in the Diocese of Bethlehem's youth programs, is headed to Penn State in Wikes-Barre this fall.

Ask 18-year-old Emily Garrity what influence her involvement with parish and diocesan youth groups has had on her life, and she answers without hesitation: "It has made me the person I am today. If it were not for the youth programs, I don't know how much I'd be connected with my faith."

 

The person she is today is one of many talents and interests. Garrity, a member of The Church of the Redeemer in Sayre, Pennsylvania, graduated from Sayre High School in June and in the fall will attend and play basketball for Pennsylvania State University in Wilkes-Barre. In high school she was a member of the National Honor Society, participated in band and chorus, played volleyball and was the co-captain of her basketball team. She also threw the shotput and the javelin for the track team, has a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and earned Bronze and Silver awards as a cadet in the Girl Scouts. Her skill and love of BMX (bicycle motocross) racing earned her a Bob Warnicke Memorial Scholarship.

 

Garrity also received college scholarships through both the Diocese of Bethlehem and Church of the Redeemer where, as she puts it, she's "been pretty much involved in every program" they have involving youth. She's a member of the youth group, an acolyte and a Sunday School teacher.

 

Garrity also has been active in the diocese. Since the ninth grade she's been a member of the Youth Council, a group that meets several times a year to plan diocesan-wide youth events such as Christophany, a weekend event for middle and high schoolers that usually is held in spring.

 

Read more on the Diocese of Bethlehem's new website.
General Convention Wraps Up in Salt Lake City
Deputies from the Dioceses of Bethlehem and Northwestern Pennsylvania with Bishop Sean at General Convention

The 78th General Convention  of the Episcopal Church was held in Salt Lake City from June 25-July 3. The General Convention, which meets every three years, is the governing authority of the Episcopal Church.

 

Just after the close of General Convention, Bishop Sean wrote to the Dioceses of Bethlehem and Northwestern Pennsylvania. "It has been a momentous time, both in the church and in the world. I am preparing to leave General Convention with great hope for the Episcopal Church." Read Bishop Sean's letter.

 

At General Convention, bishops and deputies voted for  liturgical marriage equality and for reforms to the Title IV church disciplinary canons. The Convention also authorized the development of processes to revise the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the 1982 Hymnal. 

 

The 2016-2018 budget for the Episcopal Church, which was authorized by Convention, reduces the assessment expected from dioceses from 18% of the diocesan budget after certain offsets in 2016 to 15% in 2018. It includes a total of $6.5 million for variousevangelism initiatives and $2 million for racial reconciliation work. Read more about the budget.

 

Read General Convention coverage in Episcopal News Service and Deputy News.

 

Presiding Bishop-elect Michael Curry

On June 27, the House of Bishopselected the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, bishop of North Carolina as the next presiding bishop. Curry will be the first African American to hold the job when he takes office on November 1. On the final day of convention, he preached a powerful sermon at the closing Eucharist. Watch it below.

 

 

Diocesan Convention: October 2-3 in Bethlehem

This year's diocesan convention takes place at the Best Western Conference Center in Bethlehem with Convention Eucharist at the Cathedral of the Nativity. "The diocesan convention offers our diocese the opportunity to gather for prayer, strategic mission planning, and worship," says Bishop Sean. "Our focus this year will be deepening our understanding of mission through consideration of our particular adaptive challenges and opportunities. Hugh O'Doherty, a leading practitioner in the area of adaptive leadership, will be with us to facilitate our conversation. A change of venue will give us the opportunity to work together at round tables and utilize different technology."

 

Learn more about diocesan convention on the website.


Call for Resolutions

Resolutions for the 144th Diocese of Bethlehem Convention are being accepted through August 2, 2015. Resolutions should be submitted in the following format:

 

1.Title of the resolution

2. The full resolution beginning with "be it resolved"

3. The expiation of the resolution

4. The names of those submitting the resolution (three (3) delegates or by a Committee or Commission.)

 

The resolution can be emailed, faxed to 610-691-1682, or mailed to Jo Trepagnier in the diocesan office.

 

The Certificate of Elections of Lay Delegates has been emailed to each parish and can be downloaded here.

News of the Diocese
Bishop Sean visited Vacation Bible School 
at the Church of the Redeemer in Sayre this week.
 

Lauren Todero of St. Andrew's in Allentown with two Grace House interns during the diocesan youth mission trip last month
The Diocese of Bethlehem newSpin Blog

newSpin is Bill Lewellis' eclectic sampling of religion news from around the Episcopal Church and beyond.  Read the July 9 issue and browse past issues. To be added to the new newSpin email distribution list, please email office@diobeth.org.
People of Bethlehem

The Rev. Megan Dembi, a native of the Diocese of Idaho and a 2014 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, is the new priest-in-charge at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Morgantown. Her first Sunday with the congregation was July 5.
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