You are among people at the front edge of theological education, and among good and faithful stewards
From THE LIVING CHURCH | August 16, 2015
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Strength in Numbers: Seminaries Pool Their Resources for Effective Ministry
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
History students at Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) might be tasting the future of Episcopal seminary education when they arrive for class this fall and find their professor is 2,437 miles away in Columbus, Ohio.
That’s because CDSP and Bexley Hall Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Federation are embarking on a closely watched experiment in sharing faculty. If it works, the partnership could become a prototype for other Episcopal seminaries as they hammer out how to work together in new ways to cut costs, reduce redundancies, enhance mission, and play to one another′s unique strengths.
Those are the opening paragraphs of an extensive article in The Living Church. It highlights the “Church History” course offered by CDSP, but taught by Bexley Seabury’s Tom Ferguson. Being a seminary beyond walls is core to our mission, and good stewardship of our resources.
An innocent Sunday question
This summer I did three Sundays of supply work at Church of the Transfiguration in Palos Park, a suburb southwest of Chicago. As I was greeting people after the main service one Sunday, among those in line was a young woman, by herself, who I guessed might be a high school or college student. She seemed new to the Episcopal Church, but comfortable being there.
Evidently, when the offering was taken up, she was not ready. But she was by the end of the service. Remembering the offering plates that had been passed and wanting to contribute, she shook my hand and asked me this question: “Where are the golden basins?” What reverence.
A note from friends
Recently, the mail brought an envelope from the Rev. Mary Carson, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Lorain, Ohio. Mary is an alumna of Bexley Hall who serves on the Bexley Seabury Board of Directors.
July 30, 2015
Dear Roger, Conrad, and others at BSSF,
This is a small contribution from Redeemer for the BSSF Annual Fund. I am delighted that our Endowment Committee and Vestry are willing to support our adventure in theological education. Peace and blessings be yours in the quieter days of summer.
Faithfully,
Mary Carson
Conrad Selnick
Vice President for Advancement and Church Relations