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What is Christmas?
Christmas is a mood, a quality, a symbol. It is never merely a fact. As a fact it is a date on the calendar; to the believer it is the anniversary of the Event in human history. An individual may relate himself meaningfully to the fact or to the Event, but that would not make Christmas.
The mood of Christmas-what is it? It is a quickening of the presence of other human beings into whose lives a precious part of one's own has been released. It is a memory of other days when in one's path an angel appeared spreading a halo over an ordinary moment or a commonplace event. It is an iridescence of sheer delight that once bathed one's whole being with something more wonderful than words can ever tell. Of such is the mood of Christmas.
The quality of Christmas-what is it? It is the fullness with which fruit ripens, blossoms unfold into flowers, and live coals glow in the darkness. It is the richness of vibrant colors-the calm purple of grapes, the exciting redness of tomatoes, the shimmering light of the noiseless stirring of a lake at sunset. It is the sense of plateau behind a large rock where one may take temporary respite from winds that chill. Of such is the quality of Christmas.
The symbol of Christmas-what is it? It is the rainbow arched over the roof of the sky when the clouds are heavy with foreboding. It is the cry of life in the newborn babe when, forced from its mother's nest, it claims its right to live. It is the brooding Presence of the Eternal Spirit making crooked paths straight, rough places smooth, tired hearts refreshed, dead hopes stirred with the newness of life. It is the promise of tomorrow at the close of every day, the movement of life in defiance of death, and the assurance that love is sturdier than hate, that right is more confident than wrong, that good is more permanent than evil.
- Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas (1973)
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- Theology put into practice
- Leadership skills to build strong communities
- Tools that work in dynamic ministry settings
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Register now for Spring Courses
For credit, CEUs, or enrichment
Refresh your skills...gain perspective...expand your knowledge. Take your pick of learning opportunities for our Spring term. All of our courses combine classroom sessions with online learning so you can pursue your studies alongside your ongoing ministry/professional and family responsibilities.
Classroom sessions will meet on campus in Chicago's Hyde Park/Woodlawn and will be led by faculty who are top category experts who have practical experience in a range of dynamic ministry settings.
3 campus weekends over 3 months linked by online learning
- "Anglican Theology & Ethics" with Jason Fout
- "Liturgy & Music: Theology and Practice" with Victor Conrado and Milner Seifert
- "Faith & Life Together" with Ellen Wondra
- "Anglican Spirituality & Ethos" with Bradley Pickens
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8th Annual Bexley Seabury Leadership Institute
For lay and ordained leaders, June 18-20, 2018 in Chicago
Congregations...church organizations...judicatories -- all need strong leaders to make a difference.
Our annual Bexley Seabury Leadership Institute
helps lay and ordained teams at all levels become more confident and effective.
Participants interact and collaborate with one another and with faculty from Bexley Seabury and the Kellogg School Center for Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University's downtown campus, located a brief walk from St. James Commons, home to St. James Cathedral and the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.
Topics that 2018 Institute participants will explore are:
- Leading and following
- Difficult Conversations: Finding Compassion & Healing Through Conflict Management
- Leadership in 5G: Multiple Generations in the Workplace and Church
- Building Your Brand
- Effective External Communications
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Bexley Seabury on Amazon Smile
Make a difference while you shop
For anything you buy at Amazon Smile, Amazon will donate 0.5% to Bexley Seabury.
Amazon Smile offers Amazon's exact same prices, selection and shopping experience with a "mission bonus" for Bexley Seabury paid by Amazon.
All you need to do is go to smile.amazon.com and select Bexley Seabury as your desired charity, or go directly to our unique store page:
Bexley Seabury at Amazon Smile.
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On and Off Campus
New Communications Team
An Emmy award winning communications professional, coupled with a graphic designer, make up the new Bexley Seabury communications team of MessagePoint Communications and Maass Design.
Hired upon the retirement of Sharon Johnson of ipov Creative, the communications team of
Sophia Twaddell and
Bill Maass, both of Evanston, have begun work for the seminary.
Sophia has created public and professional education programs, and worked with clients on positioning, messaging, and leadership initiatives. She is the winner of an Emmy for Make a Splash-Volunteer, a half-hour documentary on volunteerism that was broadcast nationally on PBS. A graduate of Connecticut College, Sophia has a Master's from Northwestern University, a Master's in Liturgical Studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and is a doctoral student at Garrett. She has also studied at Bexley Seabury. Bill, a talented graphic artist and skilled social media professional, has managed projects for eight departments at Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tufts. We at Bexley Seabury extend our deep gratitude to Sharon Johnson for her years of service and a warm welcome to our new team!
Diploma in Anglican Studies students
Shay Craig and
Scott Lybrand Zaucha were ordained to the transitional Diaconate on December 16 by
Jeff Lee, Bishop of Chicago, who serves on Bexley Seabury's Board of Directors. They were ordained with
Joseph Butler and
Brian Prall.
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Shay Craig
after being vested as Deacon by her three children
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Brian Prall and
Scott Lybrand
administering the chalice. At left is
Milner Seifert
,
lecturer in music at BSSF.
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Joseph, Shay, Brian, and
Scott with
Bishop Lee
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Shay Craig with her sister, Minka Sprague from the Diocese of Louisiana, and Christopher Powell
, Christ Church Winnetka, Shay's sponsoring congregation.
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 Diploma in Anglican
Studies student
Erin Hougland
was ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 14 by Indianapolis Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church in Brownsburg, IN. On hand for the ordination was Erin's father, Whayne Hougland, the bishop of Western Michigan.
The Nov. 30 ordination of
Andrew Kunihito Shirota (Seabury-Western '09)
in Louisville, Ky, brought together these Seabury-Western graduates (from left)
Edgar Wallace ('84), Roger Walker ('09), Bill Bippus ('84) and Andrew.
 Diploma in Anglican Studies student
Estime Frader
will be ordained to the priesthood in the Iglesia Episcopal Anglicana de Chile (The Anglican Episcopal Church of Chile) by Archbishop
Patricio Viveros
Robles on December 30. Estime has been attending All Saints Episcopal Church in Chicago. He earned a MA in Theology from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
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In Memoriam
We recently received word that
James M. Gibbs
(Seabury-Western '57) died in Birmingham, England on July 23, 2017.
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