Wonderful Wellsboro

Today’s New York Times picks Wellsboro (in the real estate section, no less) as a choice destination. Read the article here. We hope that Fr. Greg Hinton will be snaring the New Yorkers as they head for the hills of northern Pennsylvania. Our favorite quote, “Don’t ever call this place ‘hillbilly,’ because the people are sophisticated,” We’d agree.

Pastoral Letter

Bishop Baxter released a Pastoral Letter yesterday. In it, he discusses his impressions of the recently concluded House of Bishops meeting. You can find the letter here, along with a link to the three documents the House issued at the end of its meeting.

Dialogue, Trust, and Leadership

This writer is struck by the contrast between the recent fractiously contentious Primates’ Meeting and the unanimity shown at the more recent meeting of the House of Bishops. Dialogue with those with whom you disagree is hard. Over the past four years, many parishes in this Diocese have worked hard to begin and build this dialogue. These parishes have been successful in large part because of the presence of trusted leaders, both clergy and lay. They deserve our thanks, support, prayers, and encouragement.

The emergence of a sense of unity, shared commitment, and ongoing dialogue within the House of Bishops likely reflects a new sense of trust in the leadership shown there by the Presiding Bishop and her colleagues, regardless of their individual positions on specific issues. They also deserve our thanks, support, prayers, and encouragement.

Remember the Mennonites

Jo Mitchell reminds us that the Mennonite Central Committee’s 2007 annual Pennsylvania Relief Sale is April 6-7 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrsiburg. Many of us came to admire the work of the Mennonite Central Committee in the wake of the shootings at the Amish school in Nickel Mines last October. This is a great chance to support that work. Events include the renowned Quilt Sale, delicious food, artisan displays, a country auction, children’s activities, and more. You can find more information here.

House of Bishops Briefing

Bishop Baxter met with the clergy and Council of Trustees yesterday for a presentation and discussion about the recently concluded meeting of the House of Bishops. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a pastoral letter on the subject soon. To read what the Bishops said, click here.

Welcome

Welcome… The Middle Pew is a collection of notes and comment about the Episcopal Church, mostly in Central Pennsylvania. What you read here is not “official” but I started this blog with the encouragement of my friends at the Diocesan Center, with whom I talk frequently.

You will find… mostly items that could be useful to others in our area – both clergy and lay folks – but which would lose their usefulness if they waited for inclusion in other “official” diocesan publications.

… occasional references to things happening or words spoken elsewhere in the Episcopal Church, usually with links to their source, along with notes as to why you might find them interesting. I will also try to include mention of goings on in our companion Diocese of Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Those of you fluent in Portugese will enjoy the links; the rest of us can look at the photos, which frequently speak with equal eloquence.)

You will not find… a lot of discussion about the trials and tribulations of the Anglican Communion and its various members. My friend Jim Naughton does a fine job of that in his blog, which you can find here. I will break this promise only to report those items that affect folks in Central Pennsylvania directly. Besides, there’s a wealth of other, more important topics.

Stop by again soon; I hope you’ll enjoy the journey.