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Remembering the Emanuel AME Nine
A message from President Ferlo
Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find a description of the important gathering of community leaders held earlier this week, during our annual Columbus Convocation. Mike Kinman, dean of the Episcopal cathedral in St. Louis, was the keynote speaker, addressing the challenges to the church  in combating its own structural racism, now more than a year since what he termed "the Ferguson uprising."
In the same week, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president managed to address two large gatherings in Charleston, South Carolina without once mentioning the impact of the horrible racially motivated murder of nine churchgoers--including a state representative--that took place less than six months before. Once again, strategic silence on issues of racial injustice has begun to haunt our political process, as it has always haunted the church.
This past summer, I was honored to serve as guest preacher at Christ Church in Cranbrook, Mich., a suburb of Detroit (a city that has known its share of racial turmoil). Although I previously shared a portion of the sermon, I offer the full text here, in the hope of adding my voice to those seeking to counteract the racial amnesia that seems to bedevil us all.
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The Joy of Connecting
Giving thanks for our going-and-growing community
September has been a highly rewarding and very active month for everyone at Bexley Seabury. The start of our Fall term brought dozens of students, many with us for the first time. We also welcomed hundreds of church and faith-minded community leaders to events in Chicago and Columbus.    In Chicago, on September 20 and 21 we welcomed more than 225 friends, familiar and new, to three opportunities to experience scholar-author-educator t he Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggeman. Dr. Brueggemann preached at a Choral Evensong, presented a breakfast address, and conducted a roundtable conversation with church and civic leaders. His Chicago visit was part of our Faith in the City initiative cosponsored by Bexley Seabury and St. Chrysostom's, Chicago. Days later we gathered with more than 100 alums, students, friends and neighbors for Columbus Convocation 2015. After a casual lunch, we devoted the afternoon and early evening to "Faith After  #Ferguson," a long overdue community conversation on the sin of racism and the work we must do to heal and unite. The Very Rev. Mike Kinman, dean at Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis, gave a sobering and stirring keynote address. Our panel of church and community leaders, assembled with assistance from Bexley Seabury Director Deborah Stokes, offered generous and challenging responses to Mike's  address. We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated, and especially thankful to: - Our distinguished panel moderator, Ray Miller, founder & publisher, Columbus African American News Journal
- Our equally distinguished panelists: Beryl Anderson, JD, former Ohio Deputy Secretary of State and former member of City Council, Gahanna, Ohio; The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio; The Rev. Dr. Eric H. Brown, pastor, Woodland Christian Church, Columbus; and Charles Allen Wynder Jr., missioner for social justice and advocacy engagement, The Episcopal Church;
- The people of St. Philip Episcopal Church, Columbus, who hosted us in a spirit of grace and abundance.
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Study with Us in 2016
For your ministry or for your enrichment
Interested in polishing your skills for ministry or deepening your spiritual life? Bexley Seabury courses are open to all lay and ordained persons. Although most of our students are in a diploma or degree program, it is not required. Consider these 5-day January  intensives:
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Have News to Share?
Help us keep the community better informed
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 Have a new position? - Celebrating a recent accomplishment?
- Found a new resource or inspiration that might also help others?
- Have feedback to offer?
We want to hear what's new in your world so we can recognize you in our monthly newsletter and keep our Bexley Seabury friends and colleagues better informed. SHARE YOUR NEWS & IDEAS...please send an email to Ron Fox - and include photos if possible. THANK YOU.
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Save These Dates
2016 CONVOCATIONS April 28 and September 21
 Chicago Convocation 2016
featuring Amy-Jill Levine
Thursday, April 28, 2016
We're pleased to feature Amy-Jill Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, as keynote speaker for Chicago Convocation 2016. A self-described "Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominately Christian divinity school in the buckle of the Bible Belt," Amy-Jill is known for her commitment to eliminating anti-Jewish, sexist, and homophobic theologies, and for her finely tuned sense of humor. Plan to be with us for an enlightening day.  Columbus Convocation 2016
featuring Sarah Coakley
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Sarah Coakley, one the leading theologians of our time, will anchor Columbus Convocation 2016. Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity at University of Cambridge, Sarah had established a successful decades-long academic career before deciding to pursue ordination. She is known for her work bridging theological, philsophical-ethical, and scientific concerns. Don't miss this opportunity to examine the possibilities for the people of God in a new light.
Watch your mail and email for more information in the coming weeks and months, and contact Conrad Selnick with any questions. |
Is 2016 Your Year to Begin a DMin?
APPLY NOW to begin in June
 Bexley Seabury Doctor of Ministry programs equip strong leaders with new skills and pragmatic strategies to take their ministries forward.
- Choice of concentration--in Congregational Development or in Preaching
- Flexible, do-able scheduling--two- or three-week Chicago residencies in January and June (Congregational Development) or June only (Preaching), plus ongoing work in your home parish and with peer cohorts throughout the year
- Knowledge you can easily apply--both programs integrate theory and practice and blend collaborative study in small groups with lecture/discussion and practicums.
If you or someone you know is considering a DMin, help us reach out to initiate a conversation. To explore the possibilities or to refer a potential student, contact Suzann Holding
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Loyalty and Leadership
Your motivation to give is good
Mary and Joseph did not set up a gift registry for the baby Jesus. The magi were motivated on their own to bring gifts. Jesus understood why the woman brought a jar of nard for him. Congregations around the Mediterranean were glad to contribute money through Paul for the impoverished Christians back in Jerusalem. As with you, faithful people have always responded to the impulse to be generous, giving.
 Some of the basic motivations are familiar.
Loyalty is a strong one. I love my congregation. I am part of it. I readily make and fulfill an annual pledge. The seminary that helped shape my ministry has become part of my own identity. I want to help it
carry on.
It may be more generational, but many people still give out of a sense of duty. Giving is what a person does: we go to Church, we pray, we work and give for the spread of the Realm of God. Part of being an alumna or alumnus means making a contribution
when asked.
Clearly so many of us give out of thanks. We experience grace. We are blessed--twice blessed. It is right and good to give back,
pay forward.
Those may be more familiar motivations. There may, in addition to those, be some more profound, more sublime motivations.
A clear sense of stewardship, in its fullest sense, is one of these. I am simply the warden, the guardian, of what ultimately has come from or through God as Christ. So when deciding what to do with what I have, I should discern and serve the interest of The Holy One.
Generous and considered giving can also be an expression of leadership. I can steer resources to places where The Father's Will is being done on earth. I can support instances of the realm breaking in.
Perhaps most sublime, charitable giving can be a discipline of creativity. In my own small way, I can participate in grace; "Things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord." (BCP 291)
Whatever your inclination, THANK YOU for contributing to Bexley Seabury.
Conrad Selnick
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You May Be Eligible for an EES Grant
Opportunity for Episcopal students and their Episcopal spouses or partners
Are you involved in a novel evangelism project? Any Episcopalians who are part of an accredited seminary community like Bexley Seabury-including students and their Episcopal spouses or partners-are eligible for a grant of $500 to $5,000 from the Episcopal Evangelism Society for innovative ministry projects. For more information, visit EES online or contact Tom Ferguson.
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On Campus & Beyond
Alums and Students
The Rev. Frisby Hendricks III (Seabury-Western '74), rector at All Saints Church in Jensen
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Frisby Hendricks speaking at his 40th anniversary roast,
pictured with his wife, Jean at his left.
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Beach. Fla., celebrated the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Festivities included a roast organized by All Saints parishioners and attended by his wife, Jean, and sons Cary and Christopher; his third son Geoffrey was missed by all. Frisby has served other parishes in West Palm Beach, Portsmouth and Richmond, Va., and Binghamton, N.Y.
Faculty
Ellen Wondra was elected secretary and Roger Ferlo was re-elected president of the Board of Trustees of the Anglican Theological Review at its September 2015 annual meeting, hosted by Bexley Seabury. Ellen continues as interim editor-in-chief of the ATR until the end of the year. At that time, Anthony Baker, associate professor of systematic theology at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, will become the new editor-in-chief of the ATR.
The summer 2015 issue of The Hymn: A Journal of Congregational Song, included a review by Milner Seifert. Milner reviewed One in Faith, a hymnal published by World Library Publications.
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