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Threshholds
Message from President Ferlo
A few days ago, I joined Jaime Briceno, our recruiter and digital missioner, in hosting here on campus a national Episcopal Church program called "Why Serve?" We welcomed an energetic group of Latino, Asian-American, and African American young people (and a few not so young) who were considering ordained ministry in a time of radical cultural and political change. For me, it was both an encouraging and bittersweet occasion. Encouraging, as committed young people from these minority communities are just the kind of leaders we need to ensure the future of the Episcopal Church -- or, as Presiding Bishop Curry would say, the future of the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. Bittersweet, as this engagement with young people in discernment would be my last such encounter before I retire as president of Bexley Seabury, drawing to a close 13 years of seminary service, and 31 years of priesthood.
I reflected with the group about what it means to negotiate life's thresholds. When God meets you at a threshold in your spiritual
 life, you have a choice. You can give in to threshold anxiety and turn back, either settling for what you have been or hoping for an easier spiritual alternative. Or you could go forward, taking the risk in faith, and boldly cross into a future with a God you know you can't control. You will want to hover at the threshold a bit, weighing your options, trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide you. But you can't hover forever, because in matters of faith, even to make no choice is nonetheless to choose.
I told the group that what was true for them as they hovered at the threshold of a new vocation was also true for me, as I hover at the threshold misleadingly called retirement. Misleadingly, because the word "retirement" implies a turning back, a retreat, a giving up. But as I look around at people I admire who have reached my stage of life, crossing this new threshold is less a retreat than a breaking through. I think of retirement as an entryway to a deepening sense of purpose marked by a lively sense of gratitude for the gifts that God has brought me, and a
determination somehow still -- even as one's body ages and one's circumstances straiten -- to give back even beyond the measure in which I have received.
As I approach the threshold of retirement, I am deeply grateful to God for guidance and grace in leading our two seminaries-now one-across several challenging thresholds of their own in the past several years. I am also grateful to God for our dedicated Board of Directors, and for our faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, for their love, patience, commitment, and support. I am grateful for my wife Anne Harlan, who has walked with me through these challenging years of ordained ministry with courage and understanding and abiding love. And I am most grateful for our students past, present, and future -- threshold crossers par excellence -- who will take their rightful place as pastors, prophets, and teachers in the world God continues to love in Jesus Christ.
Godspeed to all.
Roger
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THANK YOU, Why Serve Conference Participants
Energized and enthused after five days with promising young leaders
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Why Serve 2017 participants at Bexley Seabury
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During the week of June 11, Bexley Seabury hosted 37 participants for "Why Serve," a conference sponsored by the Episcopal Church Department of Ethnic Ministries. The conference is dedicated to people of color looking at ministry in the Episcopal Church. Ethnic Missioners of the Episcopal Church were in attendance, including
Bradley Hauff, who works with leaders from Indigenous communities;
Angela Ifill, Black communities;
Winfred Vergara, Asian American communities, and
Anthony Guillén, Hispanic/Latino communities.
The main focus of the conference was to create a space where people of color could share their experience of service in the Episcopal Church, and to create a network of support for their ministries moving forward. The conference also demonstrated to them that they are not alone in the church in ministering to people of color in their midst.
The conference included an opportunity for the ethnic missioners to share highlights of their work and invite people to take part in their initiatives, as well as time to caucus by ethnicity, focusing on particular challenges and opportunities.
Other topics included leadership in a multicultural church, Involvement in the public square, vocation, and the values of the Jesus Movement. Bexley Seabury's Recruiter and Digital Missioner
Jaime Briceno was the point person responsible for all the pre-conference arrangements and participated daily in conference activities.
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WANTED: Your News, Insights & Suggestions
Help us keep the Bexley Seabury community connected & better informed
 Our community spans generations, time zones, and nations. We welcome your news and views for the good of the order.
- Are you celebrating an anniversary or a recent accomplishment?
- Do you have insights to share from a retreat or sabbatical?
- Do you have suggestions for how we can make our communications more useful?
Let us know what's new in your world and on your mind!
TO SHARE YOUR NEWS & IDEAS...
please
send an email
-- remember, photos are always welcome! THANK YOU.
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Seeking Entrepreneurial Leaders
REFERRALS WELCOME!
Who in your circle has emerged as an imaginative leader with a desire to learn and create community? Can anyone you know take advantage of these opportunities?
- FULL 3-year MDiv Scholarship, one per year for the next 3 years -- APPLY BY JULY 15
Thanks to the generosity of two anonymous donors, we are seeking to award the first of three Bexley Seabury St. Marina Scholarships. Successful candidates will receive a full
 3-year MDiv scholarship (tuition, fees, and all expenses paid). Eligibility criteria include being an LGBTQ leader; a demonstrated commitment to justice ministry in the Episcopal Church; academic criteria required under the Bexley Seabury Scholars program. APPLICATIONS DUE JUNE 30 for MDiv studies beginning September 2017.
More here
- NEW Baptismal Ecclesiology Course Placing baptism at the center of Christian life, as the Episcopal Church has done, is a bold move with bold consequences. Our new team-taught course, "Baptismal Ecclesiology," will consider how the church is (or is not) embracing the opportunities of shared mission in our congregations, in our dioceses, and across denominational lines. ALL LEADERS ARE WELCOME, lay and ordained. The course is the first offering of our new Diaconal Enrichment program, created to help dioceses offer new training options for new and experienced deacons and reinvigorate our communities.
- SEEKING Master of Divinity and Anglican Studies program candidates for 2017-2018 and beyond. Who in your congregation or diocese would you like to know more about Bexley Seabury's flexible and innovative curriculum?
Please send your suggestions by
email to Jaime Briceno or phone Jaime at 773-380-7045 -- or ask your referrals to contact Jaime directly.
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Making Our Annual Fund Bloom -- Can You Help?
Every gift makes a difference
MANY THANKS to those who have already responded to our year-end Annual Fund Appeal. Every gift helps us bridge the gap between tuition and the full cost of theological studies, and continue our tradition of open scholarships, based solely on need. THANK YOU ALL!
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Planting More Seeds
3 new shoots growing from our "Learning from London" travel course
 ONE...
Bexley Seabury Director Tom Breidenthal, bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio, has offered a brief video summary of Bexley Seabury's "Learning from London" course. Bishop Breidenthal has also posted a longer, 29-minute video interview in which he reflects on his experience as a January 2017 course participant.
TWO...
Likewise, Deborah Galante Seles (Seabury-Western '01) is offering an evangelism seminar in the Diocese of San Diego based on what she learned participating our  "Learning from London" travel course in January 2016.
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"I'm really excited to see these kinds of connections being made and the learning going out!" said course author and leader Jason Fout.
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THREE...
Offered annually in January, "Learning from London" is now offered twice a year. Several months of online coursework  is followed by a week of "mobile classroom" meetings in and around London, England. For 2018, the in-country dates are:
> J-term: January 13-19
> June term: June 2-8
The number of participants is limited and consistently fills early. ACT SOON if you are interested -- contact Jason Fout
for more information or to register.
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Plan Now for Fall -- Five Excellent Courses Await
Registration open now!
Our upcoming Fall 2017 term offers five compelling study opportunities. Register now for your choice of courses, created and led by members of our world-class faculty.
1...
ANGLICAN AND EPISCOPAL HISTORY -- Know your/our roots! Study the history and development of Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion with Tom Ferguson. On campus sessions meet September 15-16, October 13-14, November 10-11, 2017.
2...
ANGLICAN LITURGY & MUSIC: DEVELOPMENT AND THEOLOGY -- Delve into the nature of worship and the history of its evolution, and the theology and use of music in worship with Therese DeLisio and Milner Seifert. On-campus sessions meet September 22-23, October 20-21, December 1-2, 2017.
 3...
BAPTISMAL ECCLESIOLOGY -- What is the shape of a church called into being by baptism, and what are the implications for leadership. Find out in this new course taught by the entire faculty team. Suitable for anyone pondering what it means to "be church," particularly appropriate for new and experienced deacons and for persons considering a call to ordained ministry. On-campus sessions meet September 8-9, October 6-7, November 3-4, 2017.
4...
CONSTITUTIONS & CANONS -- This not-for-credit course led by Ellen Wondra covers the basics of the canon law and polity of the Episcopal Church. The course is required for ordination in the Episcopal Church and of great interest to church scholars, religion writers, and many lay leaders. Meets weekly online beginning August 31, 2017.
5...
TOPICS IN THEOLOGY: SARAH COAKLEY AND ROWAN WILLIAMS
-- Join Jason Fout for an in-depth exploration of the work of two significant contemporary theologians, both deeply involved in ministry and representative of broader trends in Anglican theology. Students will consider central texts and weigh key ideas through poetry and different forms of prayer. On-campus sessions meet September 29-30, October 27-28, December 8-9, 2017.
Clustered classroom sessions + ongoing online study
Except for Constitutions & Canons (100% online) classes meet two days a month for three months at our
environmentally responsible campus in Chicago's Hyde Park/Woodlawn district. On-campus sessions are linked by ongoing online study.
Housing & Tuition Options
Register for academic credit ($1,860), continuing education credit/CEUs ($523), or for enrichment/audit ($498).
CHECK HERE for student housing and nearby hotel options.
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Bexley Seabury is now part of Amazon Smile
Help us 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
In Memoriam
The Rev. Carlson Gerdau died May 27 at age 84. Gerdau served on the board of directors for Bexley Hall and for Bexley Seabury and was a central leader in the federation of Bexley Hall and Seabury-Western. He was canon to the presiding bishop under the Most Rev. Frank Griswold and the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts-Schori.
More here
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