For Priests in the Diocese:

Priests active in the Diocese should read the post in the News and Notes section of the Diocesan web site about the Planning for Tomorrow conference, sponsored by the Church Pension Fund. The conference, which deals with retirement planning issues, takes place September 21 and 22 in Camp Hill. There is an $80 per person charge. Find more information here.

The Potter Perplex

The release of J.K. Rowling’s latest 700+ tome continues to stun. First, it has sold both hugely and quickly; second, it debunks the common wisdom that today’s youth are somehow organically wired to their cell phones and computers, neatly demonstrating that a ten-year-old will read a 700-page book if it’s got something interesting to say.

Much ink has been spent on analogies that liken Potter to heroes of old, Biblical and otherwise. However, in a recent edition of his weekly online newsletter, Sightings, one of Martin Marty’s co-writers opines that it’s not Potter but Severus Snape, the “greasy-haired” Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who remains the real conundrum. In her column, Elizabeth Musselman notes that Snape remains the only character in the Pottter ensemble whose moral character remains in question. That is, we still don’t know whose side he’s on.

Ms. Musselman posits that Americans will instinctively hope Snape turns out to be a “narrative of redemption,” rather than the face of evil personified. She adds, “If Snape's story concludes as a narrative of pure evil, it may provide hope that in the end, with much struggle, evil can be defeated by good. But it will fail to reflect the struggle that each individual faces between sin and redemption in this post-Fall world.” You can read the entire article here, and the weekly postings of Sightings are available here.

Your editor’s copy of the latest Potter remains in the grip of an errant owl, so I can’t provide the answers. I’ll leave it to our readers to figure out for themselves where good, evil, and sin lie in the latest text, and in the larger world.

More New Faces

We also welcome the Rev. Nancy C. Miller, late of West Hartford, CT, who begins her tenure this week as the interim Rector of Trinity Church, Williamsport. She served as Diocesan Deployment Officer for the Diocese of Connecticut from 1995-1999, and has been specializing in interim work since then. She will serve Trinity as the congregation continues its search for a successor to Canon Andrew France, who retired this past spring. The Williamsport Sun Gazette ran a nice story on the subject, which you can read here.

Belated Welcomes…

We’ve neglected to welcome two clergy who have recently begun new ministries in the Diocese. The Rev. Kate Kelderman’s first Sunday as Rector of Prince of Peace, Gettysburg, was July 1. She was most recently Associate Rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church, Minnetonka, MN.

Also, a more belated welcome, actually a “welcome back,” to The Rev. Peter Harer, the new Rector of St. Andrew’s, Lewisburg. While most recently in the Diocese of Bethlehem, PA, Peter had previously assisted at several parishes in Central Pennsylvania, and so will be a familiar face to some.

We welcome them both; better late than never…

Sharing the Good News

The newly reconstituted Diocesan Communications Commission met last week. One of the items high on the agenda was finding better ways for congregations to share information about what they’re up to. To that end, I have a request. If you know about something your parish has done, is doing, or is planning to do, please share that with us so that we can tell others – in Tidings, on the web, or elsewhere. All news is welcome, but we’re particularly interested in items about:
- outreach projects
- new ministries
- youth activities
- discoveries… any project you’ve tried that worked well.

You can submit items by simply posting them to this blog. We’ll take care of getting them into the appropriate spot.

… and thanks for sharing!

Bishop Baxter Speaks

Bishop Baxter gave the keynote address at the annual conference of the Union of Black Episcopalians. You can find a link to the Episcopal News Service story about the event here.

Summer Projects

Kudos to the young people from St. John's, Carlisle, who head to Williamsport in a few days for a week of painting, trimming, and that-which-needs-doing at the four churches there. Theirs is one of several such trips this summer to destinations within the Diocese, along the Gulf Coast, and elsewhere. Thanks to them all.

Some of those same young people recently attended the Diocesan Summer Youth Conference at Messiah College. You can find pictures here.

One more note: Diana commented on my mention of Jennifer Looker as the youngest priest in the Diocese. I mentioned that fact in my post only because she used it in the opening of her sermon at Diocesan Convention, saying, “Even the youngest priest in the Diocese knows that when the Bishop asks you to preach, you say yes.”