Immigration Ministry: An Ecumenical Opportunity

Friends:

Each year at the April Reception for the Friends of the Consortium we have a speaker.
The speaker is usually a faculty member of a Consortium Institution.

Two years ago at Washington National Cathedral, Father John Ford of Catholic University spoke on Immigration Ministry. This produced a lively discussion.

This presentation--now with footnotes and further elaboration--has now appeared at an article in the January 2010 issue of Ecumenical Trends.

Dr. Ford concludes in part:

"The needs of immigrants often out-pace the resources--both financial and personal--of a particular church. Yet what a single church can not do on its own, might be an ecumenical opportunity for churches to do together."

In his article he mentions 6 areas of need which provide opportunities for ministry together.

Fr. Ford also mentioned in his email to me that he recalls the magnificent view we had that evening of the Washington skyline from high above in the Cathedral. He also provided a magnificent view of an important issue.

Peace,
John

Doctor of Ministry--Comments

Friends:

Our friend Gerald Stover, who works with the Lehigh Valley Council of Churches, as well as having his own business, sent some comments on the Doctor of Ministry in Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue at Wesley.

He says in part:

"Thanks be to God, the WTC, and Wesley Seminary administration for cultivating this new program and witness....

Simultaneous grassroots field work and disciplined reflection are the model that is currently lacking in Ecumenical training...."

Its always encouraging to hear such comments.

Peace,
John

Dedication of Lawrence Neale Jones Library at HUSD

Friends:

Dr. Lawrence Jones, who died this past December, was a leading influence in the Consortium throughout his tenure at the Howard University Divinity School. [1975-1991]

Yesterday, after a moving Worship Service and several 'Reflections" on Dean Jones, the Lawrence Neale Jones Library of the Divinity School was dedicated. I was very happy to be able to attend the Worship and Dedication.

Dean Jones led the Divinity School to its present campus. He built the Library. He put it in the very center of the Divinity School.

He hired outstanding faculty still present at the Divinity School. Dr. Cain Hope Felder offer comments on behalf of the faculty. Dr. Cheryl Sanders called the community to worship.

Dean Alton Pollard offered a fine Meditation on the moment--he tied several important topics together in a creative fashion.

Dean Jones, writing in 1985 said:

"I have three basic theological propositions which anchor what I do: (1) God's grace is sufficient for you--if you seriously intend to live according to his will and if you repent of your rebellion against him. (2) God does not require you to be successful. He only requires that you be faithful. (3) You can trust in the trustworthiness of God."

Dean John Kinney of VUU offer short but powerful reminiscences on his Uncle Dean Jones.


Peace,
John

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Friends:

I was very happy to preach at St. Paul's Lutheran Church this past Sunday for the Littlestown Ministerium Unity Service. Pastor Tom Stellhorn of St. Paul's was a student of mine [he studied virtue ethics of course] at Gettysburg Seminary. He is now president of the Littlestown Ministerium--which has a food bank, monthly meetings of clergy, .... Several ministerium colleagues were present for the service--including the local Catholic pastor who had studied Scripture many years ago with Father Roger Balducelli--one of my fellow Oblates [a small world] who later taught me.

My outline:

1. Thank you for the kind invitation to share a few thoughts with you. Prayer together is essential, is the foundation for the ecumenical movement—the search for full communion and common witness.

a. Last week I was teaching an intensive course on Spiritual Ecumenism at Wesley Theological Seminary on behalf of the Washington Theological Consortium. The 13 Doctor of Ministry students and I prayed together several times each day. It was wonderful.

b. Spiritual ecumenism is the foundation of the ecumenical movement and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity manifests a visible and most important universal commitment. Jesus Himself called us to be one [Jn 17:21]

c. These days as we have come to mutual understanding on so many things—I think of the Joint Declaration on Justification—endorsed by Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists. The convergence is real—and startling for someone who great up in the Catholic Philadelphia of the 1950’s.

d. We need to pray together even more as we engage the remaining difficult questions.

2. The Internationally chosen text, embedded in Lk 24—“You are witnesses to these things [v.24]” is a challenging one. It reminds us that we are to share Jesus message with the world.

a. This text is very appropriate for the 100th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Movement that we are celebrating this year. In Edinburgh, 100 years ago, missionaries met in what turned out to be the beginning of our movement.

b. They realized i. Their divided witness was preventing people from coming to Christ.
ii. The needed to pray

c. This is no less true today—We need to pray and to come to a common witness--here and in other lands.


3. We are familiar with our context—here is where we will witness to Christ

a. A secularizing culture—seen for example in the emphasis on material prospering as measuring our worth! Many live as if God does not exist.

b. A decline in participation in church, especially by young people—and a tendency for our churches to become more introspective in response, more concerned with our identity.

c. Yet many people are searching for God in confused ways


4. We have much to offer—the message of Christ—seen in today’s reading

a. We see in this chapter, Luke and the early Christians coming to understand Jesus, recognizing Him in the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread.

b. He brings a message of Peace—“Peace be with You” he says—this is an inner peace and a peace in this world that people are seeking

c. People were radically changed by meeting Christ—forgiven and healed


5. We are seeking to live in the Spirit—confessing Jesus as Lord. We pray for the Spirit’s guidance.

a. The early community was, say the scholars, in this chapter, forming a shared narrative. The community was coming together. The people were sharing with each other their experience of the Risen Jesus.
i. Women came back to share with the others
ii. The two disciples returned to Jerusalem

b. Today our community is partially united. We have much in common—united in our Baptism. We need to continue to share our gifts with others—and grow in appreciation of what we have and of what we have received.

c. My image for this is the attic like we had at home. I think that some of the gifts have been in our Roman Catholic Attic, almost covered with dust, occasionally used!

d. Our Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox brothers and sisters in sharing their gifts have reminded us of the richness which we have forgotten

e. Yet we will need the fullness of the Gospel message fullness of life in the Spirit to effectively witness. We need our identity and that of our brothers and sisters.

6. How do we come together? We do it right here

a. We continue to pray together and share our minds and hearts with one another

b. We take advantage of our opportunities right here:
i. Washington Consortium—sharing resources, developing Certificate programs, providing a Doctor of Ministry programs, hosting events,..
ii. The Ministerium—working together for the poor and those in need, meeting regularly to pray, ....

7. Let us continue to pray together—expecting that the Resurrected Jesus will be with us—and will send us the Spirit to guide us.

Peace,

John

Aromatic Coffee

Friends:

I am happy to report that I am still drinking coffee and discussing ecumenism--and urge you to do the same. I have had opportunities to try a variety of coffees--strong is good!

I must confess, however, that I am drinking more decaff these days--doctor at annual check up says to cut down!

Hope your dialogue is well.

Peace,
John

Doctor of Ministry in Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue
Cohort Begins at Wesley

Friends:

I am happy to report that a cohort of 13 Doctor of Ministry students began their work this past
Monday at Wesley. Their first course on the History of Ecumenism and the Dialogues, with Dr. Mitzi Budde of VTS, lasts all this week--6 hours a day. Reports indicate that it is a diverse group with great pastoral experience that has had interesting discussions already.

I will be teaching them next week--Spiritual Ecumenism and the Ethical Horizon--and am looking forward to it. I always learn when I am teaching.

Please keep these students in your prayers as the courses are intense and cover many significant questions.

Peace,
John

First Orientation of New Year

Friends:

The new year 2010 has really begun now.
I had the first New Student Orientation--at Howard.

I arrived in time for the luncheon--simple but fun with plenty of humor from Dean Alton Pollard.
Dean of Students Claretta McDaniel handled the details of my presentation and that of Student Representative Linwood Blizzard [also Co-Chair of the Consortium Student Board]with her normal aplomb.

The students were quite attentive. At the luncheon they share a few details about their backgrounds--and the call.

I was gratified after lunch when Dr. Kortright David mentioned to me that he had used my book Everyday Virtues in one of his classes--and that the students had found it helpful.

I also talked to Dr. Delores Carpenter and she mentioned her recent retirement from pastoring. I was very happy to hear that she is still on faculty and teaching.

Peace,
John