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The End of the Story
President Ferlo on Nicodemus and the danger of religion
I have always felt a close kinship with Nicodemus. He is one of several figures in the Gospels who approach Jesus in good faith only to get much more than they bargained for: like the rich man who had followed the Law diligently from his youth, the man whom Jesus loved, and yet felt forced to flee his presence in guilt and sorrow because the demand Jesus made-to sell all he had and follow him-was more than he could bear. Or the Syro-Phoenician woman who sought a cure for her daughter, only to be rebuked like a dog for presuming to cross the boundary dividing insider from outsider, circumcised from uncircumcised, Jew from Gentile, men from women. To her credit she had the temerity to stand up to Jesus. Not many of us would, I suspect. Certainly not Nicodemus.
By the time Jesus has finished with him early in John's gospel, Nicodemus all but disappears from view. He asks God what we all ask God at some point in our lives: How can these things be? And Jesus' response is so total, so overwhelming, that Nicodemus doesn't stand a chance. Nicodemus is always in the dark: masking his quest in the darkness around him, struggling hard against the darkness within him. And Jesus has no patience with him.
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Jon White's Ecumenical Expressions
Bexley alum develops new worshiping community in West Virginia
 | | White with the Pathways Sister's Lunch group |
Jon White might not have graduated from Bexley with the intent of pursuing ecumenical ministry, but when the opportunity presented itself, he was ready.
Since his 2012 graduation from seminary and his arrival that July at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Beckley, West Virginia, White has created joint services with a local Lutheran parish, started a satellite ecumenical congregation, and spearheaded a weekly, community-building lunch group 40 miles from his parish.
"I don't know that Bexley did it formally, but I think its atmosphere of how to be two traditions together opened me up to the idea and helped me learn to speak Lutheran," White said. "I was the sacristan for the Lutheran seminary, so I know Lutheran worship pretty well."
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2014 Leadership Institute Filling Up
Register now for June program with Kellogg School
The Leadership Institute, a three-day program with the Center for Nonprofit Management, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, is tailored to meet the distinctive needs of lay and clergy leaders. The 2014 session is filling up, but some spaces still remain. Apply online.
This year's program includes seminars titled Leadership Today, Branding Your Congregation, Understanding Changing Generations, Social Media Strategy, Major Gift Strategies and Donor Relations, Leading and Following, and Communicating Vision and Values. Learn more and apply online. Questions? Talk with Roger Ferlo.
KyungJa (KJ) Oh (Seabury '00), rector of Church of the Advent in Cincinnati, Ohio:
"I was just blown away by it. The entire course was brilliant, with top-notch, engaged faculty; the cross-disciplinary approach was stunning." |
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Lifelong Learning in Chicago
Spring courses offer open sessions
This spring, two Bexley Seabury courses offer open sessions for $10 each:
Death of the Beautiful Young Man with John Dally
April 4, 7-8:30 pm
Strange Fruit: The Cross and the Lynching Tree
April 5, 11 am-12:30 pm
What You See Is What You Get: Rethinking Images of Redemption
Learn more and register online.
Anglican Liturgy and Music with Milner Seifert and Victor Conrado
Friday, May 2, 6-9 pm
Celebrating Baptism
Learn more and register online.
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A Pilgrimage to Sarum
August 31-September 5, 2014
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George Herbert on the West Front of Salisbury Cathedral
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Join President Ferlo and the Rev. Gwynne Wright, member of the Bexley Seabury Federation Board, for a pilgrimage to the heartland of our Anglican heritage. Explore the sacred ruins of Old Sarum, the magnificence of Salisbury and Winchester Cathedrals, and the humble beauty of Bemerton parish church, where the poet George Herbert shaped the Anglican cure of souls for generations to come.
The pilgrimage will include opportunities to study George Herbert with Ferlo and the founder of the George Herbert in Bremerton Group and conversation with the bishop of Salisbury, the Rt. Rev. Nicolas Holtam, whose vision for pastoral care and social justice transformed St. Martin in the Fields in London and now marks the life and ministry of this thriving community.
Learn more, download a brochure, or visit MTS Travel online to reserve a spot. |
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June Courses in Chicago
Weeklong intensives on community organizing, congregations
Congregations in the 21st Century: June 2-6
Dwight Zscheile teaches a course that explores inherited assumptions, structures, and patterns of Christian congregational life in light of today's new apostolic environment. Students will consider organizational, leadership, and innovation theory with an eye toward leading local churches deeper into mission. Learn more and register online.
 Community Organizing for Missional Living: June 8-14
Michael Gecan of the Industrial Areas Foundation and Roger Ferlo will lead this course in relationship building and community change through community organizing. Students will consider the biblical groundings of organizing and its practical application to congregational renewal.
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Fall 2014 at Bexley Seabury
Weekend intensives, semester-long courses
Chicago
September 19-20, October 24-25, November 14-15
Tom Ferguson offers an introduction to and overview of history and development of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion, with particular attention given to Anglicanism as a diverse, globalized communion.
Anglican Spirituality and Ethos
September 26-27, October 31-November 1, December 5-6
Roger Ferlo will introduce students to Anglican spirituality and the Anglican ethos in theology, liturgy, music, poetry and the visual arts. Students will consider baptismal and Eucharistic theology for spiritual life; the roots of Anglican Christianity in the Benedictine tradition; Anglican social witness and the life of prayer; and new expressions of Anglican community.
 Atheism 101
October 10-11, November 7-8, December 12-13
The premise of this course with John Dally is that Christians in general and seminary-trained leaders in particular ought to know why people who have heard the gospel and understand it choose not to be a part of the Christian community.
Columbus
Anglican Liturgy and Music: Development and Theology
Fall semester weekly course
This course with Jason Fout is an introduction to the principles and practices of Anglican worship with particular focus on the Episcopal Church. The course will cover the nature of worship and the history of its evolution; and the theology and use of music in worship.
Online
 Episcopal Canon Law and Polity
August 25 - December 13
This online-only course covers the basics of the canon law and polity of The Episcopal Church. This is a not-for-credit course that meets ordination requirements in The Episcopal Church.
Current Bexley Seabury MDiv students can also register for an Anglican Formation course and field education seminar.
Download a flyer or learn more on our website. All classes offer graduate credit and are also available, at significantly reduced rates, for continuing education or simply for the love of learning. Registration for Fall 2014 opens in mid-April.
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Learning from London: A Travel Course
Diocese of London pledges 100 new communities by 2020
 | | The Opening of St David's Holloway |
In the Church of England's Diocese of London, average weekly attendance has increased by 48% since 2000 and giving has grown by 50%. Now the diocese has pledged to start or renew 100 worshipping communities by 2020. St. David's Holloway, profiled in this video, closed in 1984 and reopened last November.
What are they doing right, and what can Episcopalians learn from it?
From January 17-24, 2015, Dr. Jason Fout will lead an in-depth introduction to the mission and evangelism taking place in the Diocese of London. Students will learn best practices from seasoned practitioners and come away energized to tell a different story about the possibilities present to the church in America.
MDiv and DMin students can take this course for academic credit, and other church leaders can participate for lifelong learning and enrichment. Details about the course, including schedule, cost, and answers to frequently asked questions, are now available online. Questions? Please talk with Professor Fout via email.
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Online Application Now Available
Apply for 2014 admission to MDiv, Anglican Studies
Through our partnership with Trinity Lutheran Seminary, students can now apply to Bexley Seabury's MDiv, DMin and Anglican Studies programs online. Find application links on our website.
Our MDiv and Anglican Studies programs offer rolling admissions; to learn more, please talk with Dean Tom Ferguson via email or at 614-231-3095. For questions about housing, financial aid, or campus visits, please be in touch with our admissions staff, which is shared with Trinity Lutheran. |
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National Worship Conference 2014
July 20-23, 2014 in Edmonton, Alberta
From July 20-23, 2014 in Edmonton, Alberta, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada will host the 2014 National Worship Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This year's theme is "Weaving Strands - Liturgy for Living."
The conference will include presenters and participants from across North America, including Bexley Seabury President Roger Ferlo. Learn more and register online before June 15 for the early bird rate, and check out student and group discounts.
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Alumni News
The Rev. Aaron Gerlach (Bexley '09) will become rector of Old Trinity Episcopal Church in Tiffin, Ohio on April 1. He finishes his time as priest-in-charge of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Sidney, Ohio and St. James Episcopal Church in Piqua, Ohio on March 31.
The Rev. John R. Kirkman (Bexley '68) has retired after nearly 20 years as rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, MI in the Diocese of Western Michigan. He was the youngest member of the 1968 Bexley Hall graduating class; Bexley Seabury Federation board member Stephen Bergmann is older by about a month!
In Memoriam
Emory Williams, a Chicago business executive and civic leader who was a longtime friend of Seabury, died on February 11 at the age of 102. Read his obituary in the Chicago Tribune.
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