Weekend on Wednesday
Episcopal News Service. April 6, 2005 [040605-1-A]
Coming up Friday, April 8, 2005...
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia -- Songwriter Pierce Pettis will perform live in concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 8, in the Lettie-Pate Auditorium at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. The concert is presented as part of the seminary's "The Art of Kerygma: The Communication of the Gospel in the 21st Century" series.
"Pettis' music is distinguished by his ... ability to capture universals in human experience by drawing on the humor and trials in daily." For further information, please visit http://www.vts.edu/common/calendar/events.asp.
Virginia Theological Seminary, 3737 Seminary Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22304.
Coming up Saturday, April 9, 2005...
ELMHURST, Illinois -- Young people from the Diocese of Chicago have organized a fundraising and teaching event for Sudan on Saturday, April 9, at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois. "Remember Sudan: Hope for the Future" will feature members of the Chicago Association of the Lost Boys of Sudan, a performance by the Lost Boys choir, and a presentation by the diocesan Sudan mission team that visited the Diocese of Renk, Sudan, in early February. Also speaking will be Deacon Daniel Kout Deng on the situation in Darfur, and Bishop William Persell of Chicago.
The event will be held at the Frick Center at Elmhurst College starting at 10 a.m. and concluding with a closing vigil at 3:30 p.m. The day's activities will include a Friendship Fair with activities for children such as crafting cards and quilt squares and a silent auction which will include an autographed Chicago Bulls basketball.
Funds raised will be sent to Episcopal Relief and Development for relief work in Sudan. For further information, contact Amy Cade at 773.562.3920, or Mallory Holding at 630.927.1016.
Elmhurst College, 190 Prospect Avenue, Elmhurst, Illinois. For a map and directions, please visit: http://public.elmhurst.edu/about/1260852.html.
FORT WASHINGTON, Pennsylvania -- The Rev. Roger A Ferlo will lead a seminar titled "Imagining Scripture" from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on Saturday, April 9, at St. Thomas' Church in Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania. The lecture forms part of the Center for Spiritual Inquiry series.
Ferlo, director of the Center for Lifetime Theological Education at the Virginia Theological Seminary, will look at some of the characteristics of Biblical storytelling and explore some of the ways that it has shaped the imagination of the West.
The Center is a series of spiritual formation seminars which brings in well-known religious speakers from around the region, country and overseas. Its goal is to stimulate spiritual growth, understanding and wisdom to clergy and members of the Diocese of Pennsylvania and
residents of the extended community surrounding the Church. All are welcome.
For further details of each seminar, please visit http://www.stthomaswhitemarsh.org. Each seminar will be held in MacColl Auditorium at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh. Onsite registration is $20 at the door. Please call 215.233.3970 for more information or to register over the phone.
St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh, Bethlehem Pike and Camp Hill Road, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania 19034. Tel: 215.233.3970; http://www.stthomaswhitemarsh.org
Coming up Sunday, April 10, 2005...
BOSTON -- This week's Sunday Afternoon Forum, "Radical Welcome" Series: "The Door is Open: Introducing the Journey," will be held at 4:30 p.m. on April 10, in the Commons of Trinity Church, Boston, and presented by Stephanie Spellers, a candidate for Holy Orders in the Diocese of Massachusetts.
"In this six-week journey, author and consultant Stephanie Spellers will introduce the theology of radical welcome and Christian hospitality, and help participants to imagine God's radical dream for our community, anticipate and sit with fear of change, and create and identify the resources we need to move through fear to transformation and welcome. This series is open to all, and is offered particularly with Trinity Connection groups in mind."
Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116. Tel: 617.536.0944. http://www.trinityboston.org/default.asp.
BROOKLYN, New York -- The music of David Hurd, internationally renowned composer and organist, will be featured in a special 20th anniversary concert by Rejoicensemble at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, New York.
Rejoicensemble will give the world premiere of a composition especially commissioned from Hurd for this event and funded by New York State Council on the Arts.
Hurd has written nearly 200 published compositions and was a major contributor to Lift Every Voice and Sing I & II. Since 1976, he has held the post of professor of church music and organist at General Theological Seminary, New York. For the last six years, he has worked as director of music at Holy Apostles Church, New York City.
Rejoicensemble is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to commissioning and presenting works of African American composers as well as increasing the general public awareness of the cultural significance of sacred music of the African Diaspora.
Coinciding with the concert date is the release of a new Rejoicensemble CD, "A Tribute to David Hurd" on the RJM Music label.
Admission to the concert is free. A freewill offering will be taken. Further information, call 212.613.0038.
St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 334 MacDonough St., Brooklyn, New York.
SAN FRANCISCO, California -- Jim Wallis, editor and founder of Sojourners magazine, will be this week's speaker at the forum at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 10, at Gresham Hall, on the Crypt Level of the Cathedral.
Wallis, a "progressive evangelical," is a well-known best-selling author and religious leader. His latest book, "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It," went straight to the New York Times best-seller list in its first week and has been regarded as "the right book at the right time," due to the recent election's connection to the "moral value" issue. In a time when the national and theological discourse is dominated by blanket descriptions and shortsightedness, Wallis says he is working towards getting the whole country to move beyond the politics of "right" and "left."
For more information about this event please call 415.749.6360 or email Larry Bisagni at larryb@gracecathedral.org.
Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St. (at Taylor St.), San Francisco, California 94108. Tel: 415.749.6300. http://www.gracecathedral.org.
STATEN ISLAND, New York -- In honor of the life of Pope John Paul II, St. John's on Staten Island will celebrate an Ecumenical Vesper Service with their Roman Catholic brothers and sisters at St. Mary's Church on Bay Street. The service will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, and will provide an opportunity to share respect for His Holiness John Paul II whose death this week has made a tremendous impact on Christians throughout the world. Further information: St. John's Staten Island, 718.447.1605. http://www.stjohnssi.org.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Washington National Cathedral will honor the State of Tennessee on Sunday, April 10, at 11 a.m.
The Tennessee Congressional delegation, the Governor and other elected officials, and religious leaders have been invited to participate in the service. The Choir of St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral (Memphis) under the direction of Dr. Jane Gamble, and the Calvary Church Choir (Memphis) under the direction of Thomas Pavlechko, will sing unaccompanied choral preludes to services on Tennessee Day. Guest preacher will be Rabbi Micah Greenstein of Temple Israel Synagogue in Memphis. The Rt. Rev. Don E. Johnson (bishop of Western Tennessee) and the Rt. Reverend Charles G. von Rosenberg (bishop of East Tennessee) will participate in this special worship service.
One participant will carry the Tennessee state flag, which will lead the magnificent procession to open the service, and the flag will remain on the chancel steps in the Cathedral for the following week. Acolytes and young people from Tennessee churches are encouraged to bring their banners and join the opening procession and other individuals are invited to represent Tennessee as bearers of the communion elements and the gifts to the poor. Guests from Tennessee will enjoy seating in a reserved section (by prior arrangement), a reception immediately following, and special tours highlighting the ways that Tennessee is represented in the Cathedral.
Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues Northwest (Mount St. Alban), Washington, D.C., 20016; 202.537.6200; http://www.cathedral.org. The Very Rev. June Osborne, dean of Salisbury Cathedral, England, will be guest preacher at the 11 a.m. service. Next Sunday, April 17: A major State Day will remember South Dakota.
ANGLICAN COMMUNION -- Following the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, this Sunday (Easter 2) will give thanks for the Diocese of Mount Kenya South (Kenya), the Rt. Rev. Timothy Ranje, bishop. The Anglican Cycle of Prayer can be accessed online at: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/main.cfm.
Coming up Tuesday, April 12, 2005...
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia -- Dr. Mark Noll, the Carolyn and Fred McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, will lead a lecture, "Race, Religion, the Civil War, and the Election of 2004," from 4 - 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, in Addison 101 at Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria.
As a leading historian of American Christianity, Noll's interests include American theology, politics, and society from the Great Awakening to the Civil War; the intellectual history of Protestantism; the cultural history of the Bible, especially in American public life; hymn singing; and Evangelicalism in the North Atlantic region of the United States.
Further information, contact Jeff Hensley at 703.461.1735 or email jhensley@vts.edu.
Virginia Theological Seminary, 3737 Seminary Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22304.
Looking ahead...
CHICAGO -- Episcopal Community Services in America (ECS) will hold its sixth national conference April 14-16, in Chicago, Illinois. The theme of the Conference, "Uniting the Church through Service" will feature a series of workshops on critical issues and best practices.
This conference is intended for directors and program managers of social service agencies affiliated with the Episcopal Church and incorporated as non-profit 501c3 organizations.
Conference begins with registration at noon, followed by ECS Site Tours and newcomers' reception.
For additional information please contact the Rev. Phil Rapp at 703.266.3073 or email p_rapp@yahoo.com.