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Embodying the Word...Watering the Faith
Celebrating the call to serve God's beloved
Sermon given at Orientation Eucharist, August 31, 2016 by Therese DeLisio, Academic Dean
Lessons: Isaiah 55:6-12; Psalm 104: 32-35; John 10: 25b-30
 Good morning, and welcome to Bexley Seabury Seminary in Hyde Park. We are delighted to be with you for this first time together at Christ's table in our new home on this new campus.
We're here because each of us -- and all of us -- have been called to be here in this place, at this time, as individuals and as a seminary community. We have heard, in our own ways and contexts, the voice of the Shepherd. And the word we have heard was "Come." And we have said "yes," with a willingness to embark on a new adventure together.
With every new adventure that we willingly accept there is an element of excitement and joyful anticipation, but also, perhaps, a bit of anxiety. It's natural to wonder whether and how our work here together will be fruitful for ourselves, for the church, and for all of God's beloved.
I find in today's readings, though, a welcome word of reassurance, of encouragement, of promise, and a comforting word of hope.
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Beginning a New Chapter
Glimpses of Fall Term 2016 as it gets under way
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| Anglican Formation students are shown with their professor, KJ Oh, and Bexley Seabury President Roger Ferlo August 31 at a break before the afternoon class session. Students participated in a Eucharist in the Clark Chapel, orientation sessions with other faculty members, a class dinner, a ceremonial invitation to community (see next story), and Compline to end the day. |
 
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Welcoming the Newest Members of Our Community
Incorporating new leaders to share the Gospel
Academic Dean Therese DeLisio presented new students to President Roger Ferlo during a ceremonial invitation on August 31 with these words: "Roger, President of the Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation, I present to you these persons invited to be members of our Bexley Seabury Community."
President Ferlo asked, "Will you now publicly affirm your desire to enroll at this seminary and pledge yourself to the vocation of student?" at "An Invitation to Community" at Bexley Seabury on August 31.
The response in unison: "We apply to be received as members of the Bexley Seabury community and pledge, God helping us, to devote ourselves to spiritual growth, wisdom, and study to prepare ourselves as leaders in God's Church."
Each of the students then signed the book of enrollment. Pictured below, left to right, are Pedro Acosta (Diocese of Milwaukee), Anna Risch (Diocese of Ohio), and Noah Sutter (Diocese of Ohio).
  
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Next Online Open House
: Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Help Us Build Our Student Body
Join us from your favorite internet connection Tuesday, October 11, online, 6:30-7:30 p.m. CST
Learn about our historic commitment to serving the Gospel and what it's like to study at Bexley Seabury today, through our Online Open House. You'll hear from our leadership, faculty and student body, and be able to ask questions from the comfort of your couch or wherever you prefer to connect via the internet. You'll hear multiple perspectives on the Bexley Seabury experience, how our course design creates new possibilities, and ways we create community.
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A New Dawn
Breaks
Biennial conference for Latino/Hispanic ministry
Recruiter
Jaime Briceño
attended Nuevo Amanecer (New Dawn) 2016 at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina Aug. 29-Sept. 1. The conference was co-sponsored by the Episcopal Church's Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries and the Latino Ministries Office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Jaime said the conference was one of the largest at Kanuga, with about 500 attending. He said that it was a joy to gather and celebrate Hispanic heritage in the Episcopal Church with other lay leaders and clergy.
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"Bridging the Political Divide"
Laying the groundwork for productive dialogue and civic engagement
 I will stop
I will stop at nothing
Say the right things
When electioneering
I trust I can rely on your vote
-- From "Electioneering" by Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Even if your play list doesn't include Radiohead, chances are these lyrics will resonate. This year's electoral campaign season has revealed disturbing fissures in our society. Living -- and leading -- faithfully in such a polarized environment is more challenging every day.
Bexley Seabury is proud to be one of five sponsors for "Bridging the Political Divide, a series of online video lectures and discussions from ChurchNext, led by theologian, author and social justice activist Parker Palmer. Our sponsorship support made it possible to offer the course free of charge to anyone with access to the internet through September 19.
Participants learned about:
- How civil discourse has broken down
- The role of public debate in creating a better social order
- Keys to making a difference in our communities
- Ways to move forward
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Inviting Your Vote of Confidence
Help us raise more leaders for ministry beyond walls
 Thanks to your prayerful support and the dedicated leadership of our Board of Directors, faculty, and staff Bexley Seabury has initiated the next phase of its ministry beyond walls.
- We have consolidated all of Bexley Seabury at Chicago Theological Seminary, an ecumenically and otherwise diverse community of scholars and students.
- Our faculty has revised and refined our curricula to position Bexley Seabury as among the most imaginative and innovative seminaries.
- Our student body is growing through new partnerships with Province V diocese and a spirited and expanding recruiting effort.
- Our students have access to the well-resourced onsite Lapp Learning Center and a robust learning platform developed by CTS to power distance learning and enrich classroom sessions.
- Cross-registration with other ACTS schools is easier than ever, with four member schools within a mile of Bexley Seabury.
- Our one-site campus within a campus is modern, accessible to people with differing needs, and environmentally responsible.
Please consider a gift to help us continue this good work and increase scholarship support for our students.
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With a Little Help From Our Friends
Our apologies for our mix-up with the 2016 Commencement photo and caption that appear in the 2016 magazine. Troy Preston, not Gene Sheppard, is pictured in the top row to the left of Scott Steiner. Fellow 2016 grads (L-R) are Paul Castelli, Mary Naughton, James Pashturro, Maggie Leidheiser-Stoddard, and Kevin Beesley. Thanks to Scott for pointing out our mistake.
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On and Off Campus
In Memoriam
John D. Evans (Seabury-Western '55) died on July 7, 2016 at the Orchard House Assisted Living in Frankfort, MIich He was the second Vicar of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Beaulah, Mich., serving from 1962 to 1966. Two Seabury-Western graduates followed him at St. Philip's. From 1995 to 1997, John returned to St. Philip's as a "regular supply" priest between rectors. The complete obituary can be found
here
We have learned of the death of
Peter H. Igarashi (Bexley Hall '46) on April 15, 2016. According to
Rodney Michel (Seabury-Western '70), assisting bishop in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, Peter was adversely affected by his internment during WWII, but overcame that obstacle to become part of the translation team for the New Jerusalem Bible.
Joseph Moore (Seabury-Western '75), died on July 14, 2016 in New Jersey. The complete obituary can be found
here
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Chicago's Hyde Park/Woodlawn district. With new CTS students, our students and faculty were introduced to an array of online learning resources that CTS has developed to power distance learning.
