Telling the Good News

Easter is, of course, the ultimate Christian Good News season. The communication pros will tell you that good news doesn’t sell papers. The sexy and sensational work better. As a result, clergy don’t usually make the headlines unless they have messed up, and Big Time. Here are some Good News headlines we wish we could see:

“Rocky marriage mended; Family saved.”
“Estranged Son Reunited with Parents.”
“Successful Business Leader Confronts Alcoholism; Puts Life Back Together.
“Forty Homeless Find Warm Shelter”
“Church provides Easter Dinner for 150 Families”
“Volunteer Team Heads South; Helps Repair Disaster Damage.”
“Donations Buy Vaccine to Prevent AIDS in African Newborns”
“Volunteer Physicians Assist Brazilian Teen Drug Rehab Program”

These are the Good News stories someone could tell about the Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania. They’re all happening here; many happen every day. Thanks be to God, whether it makes the news or not.

Taking a Break

Your editor will be away for a couple of weeks on family business. More when I return. Stay tuned...

More on the Presiding Bishop

Two “takeaways” from Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s visit yesterday:

First, she accurately points out that the Episcopal Church is itself an international body. There are Episcopal Church dioceses in sixteen foreign countries, from Taiwan and Micronesia to Central America and Europe. She also notes that God’s work is being done in these places in marvelous ways, and that outreach and mission, in Africa and elsewhere, are alive and well.

Second, she offers a challenge. Speaking softly, she reminds us that angry people are angry because they are hurting in some way, and that though it seems counterintuitive, these people present an opening for engagement. Call it listening or something else; our opportunity is in offering response and involvement, not rejection. That’s hard work, but it’s work worth doing.

The P.B. Speaks

The Presiding Bishop visited Harrisburg today to preach and celebrate at the annual renewal of Ordination Vows. She is a woman with a gracious presence, yet her language combines precision and metaphor in powerful ways. Inspiring a room full of clergy in the middle of Holy Week is no easy task. Katharine Jefferts Schori did it effortlessly and thoughtfully. More about this tomorrow.

New Hope

Our Amish brothers and sisters in Lancaster County opened a new school building today. It replaces the one destroyed after the shootings in Nickel Mines last fall. They’ve named it New Hope School. How’s that for a message about forgiveness and resurrection.