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Toward a World Transformed
A message from President Ferlo
Bexley Seabury continues to attract and form leaders for a 21st century church--called to engage the world as it is, with a vision for the just world it might become, a world transformed by the Spirit of God blowing in our midst.
I am delighted to announce that, this past summer, the Association of Theological Schools, our accrediting body, recognized the value of what we are about by granting Bexley Seabury a full seven-year accreditation as a single institution.
Building on the strength of that ATS decision, our Board of Directors has planned some bold initiatives for increasing the affordability and accessibility of a Bexley Seabury theological education. I look forward to sharing news of these new initiatives with you very soon.
Meanwhile, I invite you to join me in supporting the mission of Bexley Seabury, both by your prayers and by your support for our Annual Fund. Please take time to contribute online now.
Your contribution--in whatever amount--will have an immediate positive impact in the lives of our students and program participants, and will make a lasting difference in the formation of vibrant leadership for the 21st century church.
That formation occurs in our classrooms and in the community...
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Faith in the City Dialogue with John Danforth
Thanks to everyone who participated on October 22
With 40-plus years of experience as a public servant and an Episcopal priest, John Danforth has a particular perspective on the intersection of faith and politics. Faith in the City cosponsors Bexley Seabury and St. Chrysostom organized two lively conversations with Danforth in Chicago last week.
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Senator Danforth signing his book at St. Chrysostom's Chicago
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A luncheon for a small group of church and civic leaders on Thursday, October 22 was followed by a larger gathering that evening with people representing different belief communities generated an enthusiastic response to Danforth's challenge to people of all faith traditions: speak up to government, be heard, make the case for the dignity of all persons and a renewed commitment to the common good.
Like the three stimulating Faith in the City sessions with Walter Brueggemann last month, the two dialogues with John Danforth have set a high bar for future guests. Stay tuned for more news about upcoming Faith in the City forums.
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New year...new start with January 5-day intensives
For credit...for CEU's...for enrichment
Time to refresh your outlook or strengthen your resume? Consider a 5-day intensive in Columbus or Chicago.
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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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Board Members in Action
THANK YOU for your leadership !
Here is a glimpse of the Bexley Seabury Board of Directors in action at their regular fall meeting, October 15-16 in Chicago. The meeting was preceded by an orientation session for recently elected members Jan Saik and J. Robert Lind, Jr. Once convened, in addition to officer and committee reports, the board heard an exciting and very well received presentation from the Beyond Walls task force. Stay tuned for a detailed report on next steps.
| Director Deb Stokes, St. Philip Episcopal Church, Columbus
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| Bishop Tom Breidenthal of Southern Ohio |
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Directors the Rev. M.E. Eccles of St. Martin's Des Plaines, Ill. and Bishop Alan Gates of Massachusetts
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L-R: President Roger Ferlo, Board Chair Bishop Mike Klusmeyer of West Virginia, and Director Dan Shannon, PhD
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Director Melinda Rhodes-DiSalvo, PhD, of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Columbus
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Director and Task Force Chair, the Rev. John Denson of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Indianapolis
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Ordained and Called to DO MORE?
Perhaps 2016 is your year to begin a DMin
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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The Lived Faith of Each Generation, Each Culture
Remembered days...shared ministries
As October becomes November, the Church calendar marks several well-remembered days. October 30 may or may not be well remembered, the commemoration of John Wyclif. He is best known for his landmark translation of the Bible from Latin into English. Part of the importance of his translation is that it is part of the Church's ongoing mission and theological work of bringing Christian faith -- with its apostolic origins in Jesus' incarnation, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection -- bringing that into the lived faith of each generation in each place, culture, person. Bexley Seabury and its legacy schools have always found themselves at that intersection: the origins of Christianity, and the lived, authentic faith of our own generation. 
The true expression of Bexley Seabury's vocation is found in the ministry of each of our alumnae and alumni, as each takes her or his place in the Church and the world. Wyclif lived well before there was a Church of England (indeed, he was an early advocate of such an idea), an Anglican Communion, or an Episcopal Church. But, like us now, he strove to bring the fullness of Christianity and its treasures to every person. The Bible in English made it readily available to his neighbors, in that place, culture, time.
The Bexley Seabury board is diligently working through the Strategic Plan it developed earlier this year. A couple of specific goals underscore how our ministry continues that of people such as John Wyclif. Among other things, the Federation seeks to, "increase the racial and ethnic diversity of both faculty and student body." The Federation sees part of its vocation as bringing "renewed theological discipline and insight to the Episcopal spiritual body." When you support Bexley Seabury, it is such a vocation you support.
It can be easy to take for granted, or even not clearly see, things of great value in our own lives. We live in a multilingual world. Just the sound of different languages is wonderful. Asian languages rise and fall in pitch. I understand that the meaning of a word can be markedly changed just by intonation. Sub-Saharan African languages have consonants quite unfamiliar to our English speaking ears, what with clicks and all. The Semitic and Arabic languages of Northern Africa and the Mid-East move along with intensity. European languages do not all sound the same. Romance languages, Germanic ones, and Slavic ones each have their own cadences and contours. A poetry professor of mine once said that he was told that English, when heard by someone who does not speak the language, "sounds like cellophane crinkling in my mouth." I had never thought of that before, the sound of my own native language. I had not heard it clearly, or had taken it for granted.
You do not take your own ministry for granted. We do not take ours, which we share with you, for granted. It is a connection with roots, and an affirmation of each person.
Thank you for your support. I encourage you to continue to include us in your giving priorities, even in this busy time of the year. By giving, you are doing your part, strengthening a legacy. Your gift is important. It has an impact. Thank you.
Conrad Selnick
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Faith After #Ferguson
Photos from our Sept. 23 Columbus Convocation

Visit us on Facebook to see MORE PHOTOS
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On Campus & Beyond
Alums and Students
The Rev. Thomas J. Fehr (Bexley Hall '09) recently became chaplain for the Sisters of the Community of the Transfiguration in Glendale, Ohio.

The Rev. Lisa Hackney-James (Seabury-Western '03) has been named sub-dean of the St. James Cathedral, Chicago by the Very Rev Dominic Barrington, who was installed as cathedral dean on September 13. Lisa has been serving as Interim Associate Priest since July 2015.
The Very Rev. Philip Kasey (Seabury-Western '79) reports that the Church Pension Group adage, "everybody works, even in retirement," has begun to resonate. After settling into what he called a "very part-time position" as Priest-in-Charge of St. Luke's in Branchport N.Y., he's been appointed as Dean of the Southeast District of the Diocese of Rochester. That said, three years after planting a small vineyard, his first batch of home-grown Kasey's Korner wine is fermenting in his basement.
Jessica Nelson (Seabury-Westerm '09) has been named to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of the Episcopal Church and will serve through 2021. Jessica is organist/choirmaster and assistant for liturgy and music at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Tupelo, MIss.
The Rev. Gina Volpe (Seabury-Western '93) is serving as rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Nativity in Chicago's historic Beverly neighborhood. Shortly after her installation Gina was featured in an article in the Beverly Review. Congratulations to Gina, and to the people of Holy Nativity, who celebrated the community's 116th anniversary on Oct. 18.
Faculty
Ellen Wondra preached at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Chicago on October 4.
Tom Ferguson is author of The Episcopal Story: Birth and Rebirth, volume 2 in the series, "Church's Teachings for a Changing World."
The recently released book is Tom's account of the history of Christianity with a focus on the emergence of the Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church.
Jason Fout was recently a featured speaker at Trinity Lutheran Seminary's Hamma Library "library cafe" event at which he led a discussion of his recent book, Fully Alive. A
conversation about the book among Ellen Wondra, Roger Ferlo and Jason was published in the Bexley Seabury 2015 magazine.
Earlier this month, Jason was in Auckland, New Zealand, where he participated in the Common Life Mission Conference, held by the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, giving a workshop on his research into the growth of the church in London.For more information, here is a link to
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