Category: Announcements

Please pray for Br. Jeffrey Gros, FSC

Recently we posted a news article on the Bridgefolk website: “Leading ecumenist Br. Jeffrey Gros, FSC, highlights Lutheran-Mennonite footwashing in keynote address.”  Brother Jeffrey has asked for the prayers of Bridgefolk as he prepares for surgery to treat a pancreatic tumor this month.  He writes:

I am doing very well and the MDs are optimistic. I am in chemo, will go into chemo+radiation in March in preparation for an April removal of a contained pancreatic tumor. Prognosis sounds good for now, though I have had to drop my classes at Lewis and at Catholic Theological Union, as well as miss my presidential meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.

May God grant our friend and colleague peace to face surgery in hope and confidence in God’s merciful care.

American Benedictine Academy to “Seek Peace and Pursue It”

The American Benedictine Academy has chosen as the theme of its 2012 annual meeting, “Seek Peace and Pursue It: Monasticism in the Midst of Global Upheaval.”  The conference will be held at St. Scholastic Monastery in Duluth MN.  Bridgefolk board member Weldon Nisly will be one of the featured speakers.  (Those planning to attend the Bridgefolk conference in Minnesota in late July should note that the ABA conference is the following weekend, approximately three hours away.)

For more information and registration forms, go to http://www.osb.org/aba/2012/.

Bridgefolk invites applicants for part-time Coordinator position

 

Bridgefolk, an organization committed to ecumenical dialogue and sharing between Mennonites and Roman Catholics, seeks a part-time Coordinator to work eight hours per week assisting the Executive Director with administrative tasks, including financial bookkeeping, grant writing, fundraising appeals, and database management.  The Coordinator will also assist with communication needs, including correspondence, website postings, and editing work, as well as event planning.

The ideal candidate would bring a collaborative spirit, an ability to work independently, enthusiasm about ecumenical relations, and good communication and logistical skills. The Bridgefolk Board welcomes applicants who can volunteer their time; as funding is available, the Board aims to provide an honorarium for this role.

To apply for this position, or request more information, write to search[at]bridgefolk.net.

Darrin Snyder Belousek wins award for article on financial crisis

Bridgefolk board member Darrin Snyder Belousek has won an award from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute for an article he wrote in 2010 in the Journal of Markets and Morality entitled ““Market Exchange, Self-Interest, and the Common Good: Financial Crisis and Moral Economy.”  The Templeton Enterprise Awards on the Culture of Enterprise are given annually to the best books and articles published in the previous year on the culture of enterprise. The awards are designed to encourage young scholars (thirty-nine or younger at the time of publication) to explore and illuminate the process by which economics and culture are related throughout the world.  Snyder Belousek, a Mennonite, notes that the article is “effectively a Catholic-Mennonite affair,” since “the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching substantially informs the argument.”

  • Click here to read the award-winning article.
  • Click here for award website.
  • Click here to read a shorter version of Snyder Belousek’s article which appeared in America magazine in 2009

 

Margaret O’Gara to address Washington (DC) Theological Consortium on Christian unity, February 2

Professor Margaret O’Gara, Canadian ecumenical leader and Bridgefolk Board member, is scheduled  be the featured speaker at the annual Washington Theological Consortium Figel Lectures on Christian Unity in Washington DC Feb 2 2012.  Additional information can be obtained by visiting the  Washington Theological Consortium website:  http://www.washtheocon.org/consortium_events.html

Continue reading “Margaret O’Gara to address Washington (DC) Theological Consortium on Christian unity, February 2” →

Week of prayer for Christian unity begins tomorrow

VATICAN CITY, 17 JAN 2012 (VIS) – The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is due to begin tomorrow, 18 January, under the theme “We will all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ”. The Week is promoted by the World Council of Churches (WCC), a worldwide fellowship of 349 Churches seeking unity, common witness and Christian service. The Catholic Church participates in this ecumenical initiative, despite not being a member of the WCC. Continue reading “Week of prayer for Christian unity begins tomorrow” →

Darrin Snyder Belousek publishes major study on the atonement and peacemaking

Bridgefolk participant and board member Darrin Snyder Belousek has just published a major new book on atonement.  The book develops a biblical theology of the cross in connection with justice and peacemaking.  Published by Eerdmans, the book is entitled Atonement, Justice, and Peace: The Message of Cross and the Mission of the Church.   Belousek notes that “one chapter focuses on ecumenical peacemaking in the church and is directly influenced by my experience in and reflection on Bridgefolk.”  Here is the publisher’s description and a link to purchase online:

In this substantial new study Darrin Belousek presents a comprehensive and critical examination of standard Protestant atonement theology and offers an alternative to the theory of penal substitution that is both biblically grounded and theologically orthodox. Beginning with Paul’s message of the cross and the Gospel narratives of Jesus, Belousek develops a comprehensive vision of justice and peace in light of the cross — a vision that connects theology and ethics, salvation and mission. Integrating his biblical study and theological reflection with philosophical analysis, historical considerations, and social-scientific evidence, Belousek shows that Christian thinking on atonement is no mere academic exercise, but rather a practical theology that speaks to such concrete realities as economic justice, capital punishment, the war on terror, ethnic and religious conflict, and Christian disunity.

Click here to order.

Advent greetings from Bridgefolk

 

Dear friends,

The season of Advent is a time of hopeful expectation and prayerful reflection.  At Bridgefolk, we share in this spirit of hope for what is to come, as well as gratitude for what has been.  The past year has brought many blessings to the Bridgefolk movement:  A successful conference at MCC Welcoming Place challenged and enriched us.  New friends have broadened our circle.  Developments in ecumenical dialogue have given us cause for hope and renewed opportunities for progress.  We have much cause for praise and celebration.

At the same time, we are aware that we rely on the support of committed friends of Bridgefolk to continue to pursue the vision set before us.  In the coming year, we hope to devote resources to adjusting our administrative structure, developing our annual conference and encouraging participation in local and broader Bridgefolk activities.  To meet our aspirations, we will rely on your support.

We invite you to take a moment during this busy time to consider making a financial contribution to the ongoing work of Bridgefolk.  Your contribution will help ensure that the work of Bridgefolk moves forward in the coming year.

Bridgefolk is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.  Your contributions will be tax deductible. Please consider sending a check of $50, $100, $250 or more to Bridgefolk, Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville MN 56321.  You can also donate online by going to http://bridgefolk.net/howtohelp.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.

In deep gratitude,

 

Marlene Kropf and Abbot John Klassen,
Bridgefolk Co-Chairs

Exploring Christian formation, post-Christendom

New book honors legacy of Alan & Eleanor Kreider

by Mary E. Klassen

News Release

Forming Christian Habits in Post-ChristendomElkhart, Ind. (AMBS) – “For people who think being a Mennonite or Anabaptist is a disadvantage today, Alan and Eleanor Kreider prove it is not true,” James Krabill said at an event celebrating a new book that honors the mission-worker-and-educator team.

Krabill and Stuart Murray, a leader in the Anabaptist Network in England, hope to extend the Kreiders’ gracious and unapologetic approach to matters of faith with the book they have edited. Forming Christian Habits in Post-Christendom: The Legacy of Alan and Eleanor Kreider is a way to recognize their contributions and to expand on themes important to them, Krabill said.

Alan and Eleanor served in England with Mennonite Board of Missions for 26 years. In addition, they have traveled extensively inNorth Americaand many other countries in their ministry of teaching. More recently, Alan served on the faculty of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary from 2004 to 2009, and Eleanor was an adjunct instructor at AMBS in addition to being involved in Prairie Street Mennonite Church. They have participated regularly in Bridgefolk, often as conference speakers.

“The thing that has been most important,” Krabill emphasized, “is the balance in their approach to engaging people in conversations from a missional perspective. Alan and Eleanor have stayed in conversation with people in high-church groups, with Pentecostals, and with other believers, all with such a gracious spirit.” Continue reading “Exploring Christian formation, post-Christendom” →