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From the President
The Vocation of Bexley and Seabury 
What is the vocation of our new Bexley Hall Seabury Western federation? Just before our recent, historic board meeting, the combined faculty of Bexley Hall and Seabury met for two days in Columbus with the Very Rev. Martha Horne, dean and president emerita of Virginia Theological Seminary, to consider this question. Over many years serving on university and seminary faculties, I have learned that faculty members constitute the heart and soul of the educational enterprise. Especially at our seminaries, faculty are important not only for what they teach but also for who they are. As so many of our alumni attest, their teachers at Bexley Hall and Seabury played a key role in their students' intellectual and spiritual formation. This is a legacy we cherish, and one that will continue. But the radical changes and restructuring of the past few years of our shared history have forced us to re-examine our own vocations as theological educators, as well as the vocation of the institutions we are committed to serve. Read more.
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An Historic Day for Bexley and Seabury
Boards Approve Creation of Federation
At a joint meeting on October 3-5, the boards of Bexley Hall and Seabury Western Theological Seminary approved the creation of a federation to unite the two seminaries into a single institution.
"This was a historic moment," said the Rev. Roger Ferlo, who became president of both schools on July 1. "What Bexley and Seabury have done is unprecedented in the world of theological education and will serve as a model for many other schools. I applaud the daring and courage that both boards demonstrated during this long and fruitful process." Read the entire story.
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January Courses Spend a Week with Us in Chicago
Contemporary Issues in the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church: January 7-11
 People of faith are called to transform the world through the power of God's love. But how is that best done? What is the role of faith in responding to pressing global concerns, choosing proper courses of action and sustaining dialog despite differences? And what resources does the Anglican tradition offer in answering these questions? Join Professor Dwight Zscheile of Luther Seminary at Seabury. Learn more and register online.
 This course with Professor John Dally will explore the nature and practice of Anglicanism as it is expressed in works of art, particularly novels, plays, poetry and music spanning the 15th to 21st Centuries. Taking its cue from Evelyn Underwood's 1911 book Mysticism, "Embodied Grace" will apply her hallmarks of mysticism to Anglicanism itself: it is practical, spiritual, rooted in love, and experiential. Learn more and register online.
Visit our Events page to learn more about participating in some or all of this course for enrichment.
Nonprofit Management and Community Development: January 21-25
 Money matters, and people want their money to make a difference. This course in nonprofit management and community development with Professor Susan Harlow will explore how mission focused fundraising and greater neighborhood involvement can breathe new life into congregations at a time when many are struggling with shoe-string budgets and the exploding social needs of their communities. Learn more and register online.
Anglican Theology and Ethics: January 21-25
 With some 85 million members in more than 160 countries, the Anglican Communion is defined by a diversity that sometimes causes headline-making conflict. Join Ellen Wondra, Seabury's academic dean, to get beyond the headlines and explore the rich theological and ethical debates that flourish in the Communion. By examining Anglican theologians from the 16th century through today, this intensive, hybrid course will discern how classic theologians continue to influence contemporary Anglican thought, particularly on issues including authority, the use of Scripture, conscience, and the Incarnation. Learn more and register online.
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Kellogg School Summer Institute
June 17-19
Our popular Kellogg Summer Institute returns as a three-day program tailored to meet the distinctive needs of lay and clergy leaders. Join us for lectures, interactive exercises and dialog with faculty at the Center for Nonprofit Management, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University that will:
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Enhance skills for effective church leadership
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Create and articulate a vision that values strong, dynamic Christian communities
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Gain a deeper understanding of complex cultural change
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Explore branding, marketing and funding
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Develop concrete plans to further the vitality of your congregation
Download a flyer to learn more and read reflections from 2012 participants. Applications will be available on November 1. |
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Birth of an Empire
The Lukan Advent and Christmas in Chicago or Cleveland
 Join Professor John Dally for an experiential workshop in Chicago or Cleveland that will introduce clergy, musicians and laypeople to Advent and Christmas in Lectionary Year C. What is constant, and what is particular to this year? How do the themes in Luke's Gospel speak to our parishes, our local communities, our nation and the world? Learn more.
Cleveland: Friday, October 19, 6:30 to 8:30 pm and Saturday, October 20, 9 am to 2:30 pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. Please plan to participate on both days. Register online.
Chicago: Friday, October 26, 6:30 to 8:30 pm and Saturday, October 27, 9 am to 2:30 pm at Seabury. Please plan to participate on both days. Register online.
Fee: $40 per person. Lunch on Saturday is available for $10.
Questions? Please email Ruth Frey.
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A Pilgrimage to Iona
By Robert E. Reber
 The Isle of Iona, off the northwest coast of Scotland, has attracted pilgrims for more than two millennia. It is a place, as described by George MacLeod, where the veil between heaven and earth is very thin. This wind swept island with its thirteenth century abbey and nunnery and rich history of Celtic Christianity embodies the sacredness and oneness of all creation in ways that are overpowering, deeply personal and communal. Today, it is a vibrant center of renewal attracting visitors and pilgrims from around the world who come to experience the beauty and wildness, the solitude and community, and inexplicable and inextricable presence of God in all creation.
Responding to the invitation of Bexley Hall and Seabury to join in a week-long pilgrimage to Iona, a group of laity and clergy travelled together by air and land and sea to reach this remote island in the Hebrides off the western coast. We stayed at the St. Columba Hotel with fabulous views of the sea and surrounding islands and the ancient abbey next door which has been restored and houses year round members of the Iona Community headquartered in Glasgow.
Read more.
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Meet New Bexley Students
This fall, seven new students began their studies at Bexley Hall. In the next several newsletters, we'll introduce all of them. This month, meet Jennifer Oldstone-Moore and Peter Pond:
Jennifer Oldstone-Moore
I am a postulant from the Diocese of Southern Ohio, sponsored by Christ Church in Springfield. I'm married and have three high school and college aged daughters. I teach in the Religion Department of Wittenberg University. My undergraduate majors were in religion and art history at Swarthmore College, and my graduate degrees from the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. I've been thinking about religion in formal settings for a long time now! This thinking has always been accompanied with seeking and with living the tradition as fully as possible. Read more.
 Peter Pond
I am an entering junior, a Postulant from the Diocese of Southern Ohio. I am attending Bexley Hall on a part time basis, commuting from the Cincinnati area. My home parish is St. Anne in West Chester. My wife Donna and I have four children: two daughters in college, one in high school, and a son in junior high school. We relocated to Ohio in 2008 for my current job and we have all fallen in love with the Buckeye state. Read more.
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Claiming the Episcopal Future
In late September, Seabury held "Claiming the Episcopal Future," a two-and-a-half day leadership conference at Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra, Florida. "The Anglican tradition and the Episcopal Church have much to offer the 21st century," said the brochure, "but to realize the future that is within our grasp, laypeople and clergy must be effective leaders, sound administrators, and inspiring teachers." Seabury Chabraja Fellows Diana Butler Bass, Robert Bottoms and Bill Sachs led the group of more than 50 participants in considering the church's cultural past and future and how we can shape future leaders and learn from the business world. On the conference's final morning, President Roger Ferlo led a culminating session titled "The Business of Scripture." A few weeks later, the evaluation results are in. "Very dynamic and hopeful about the world we are living in now," wrote one participant. "Great! Lots to think about and consider next steps in the evolving story of God's walk with God's world," said another. "Absolutely fabulous. Roger's presentation provided not only knowledge, but food for the soul," commented a third. Is your parish, diocese, or church organization interested in claiming the Episcopal future? Consider hosting a Seabury conference at your location. To discuss possibilities, please talk with Ruth Frey, director of continuing education, at 773-380-6787 or via email. |
Frey Appointed to Churchwide Leadership
 Ruth Frey, director of continuing education, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Episcopal Church's Standing Commission on Lifelong Christian Formation and Education. She will serve as the representative of the president of the House of Deputies.
The commission, which comprises fourteen people, is charged with developing "comprehensive and coordinated policies for children, youth, adults, and seniors for lifelong Christian formation."
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For the Healing of Nations: An Advent Retreat
December 9-12 in Indianapolis
 Clergy, spouses and partners, and lay church professionals in the Diocese of Indianapolis are invited to explore Christ's incarnation through music, art, and prayer and the lens of the seven "O Antiphons" with the Rev. Dr. Elise Feyerherm.
Dr. Feyerherm is director of Anglican formation & assistant professor of church history and christian spirituality at Bexley Hall Seminary and director for Ecumenical Relations of the Advent Project Seminar in the North American Academy of Liturgy.
This three-day retreat will be held December 9-12, 2012 at Waycross Camp & Conference Center in Morgantown, Indiana. Learn more.
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Alumni News
Do you have news to share with your fellow Bexley and Seabury alums? Email Debbie Franz at Bexley or Ron Fox at Seabury.
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