new church life: march/april 2016
through the Church – all 67 children in the orphanage in Kenya are sponsored.
Their goal is to build dormitories for boys and girls and an eating pavilion.
The traditional congregations in South Africa – Durban and Johannesburg
– are doing well. There are real challenges in the Zulu congregations.
We are being very careful with what we expend in Africa, which could
become a New Church Diocese in the future.
There is potential for church growth in Cuba, under the leadership of the
Rev. Brad Heinrichs.
General Church Outreach is “scattering seeds” though the internet and
following up with inquiries. It is also establishing small group models to build
community and is working to get more church services online.
general church education open house
Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss Jr.
General Church Education is the department in the central offices devoted
to supporting schools and producing religious educationa l materials for use
in homes and Sunday Schools. We held two successful Open House events
on January 13 and 15. The purpose of these events was to reach out to people
who have shown interest in our activities in an effort to further inform them
of what we are up to.
The invitation list consisted of Board Education Committee members,
Bryn Athyn Church School faculty, attendees at recent General Church
Education events, people who have met with our staff on education-related
topics, and a few others.
About 115 invitations went out, representing about 150 people. We had
approximately 25 people at each event – a pretty good response rate for two
work-day afternoon slots. At the events Rachel Glenn and I highlighted our
three major focal points over the next five years:
1. Generate renewed commitment to the use of New Church education by
promoting scholarship, communicating relevance and gathering people
together to focus on it.
2. Update and develop New Church educational materials and make them
more readily available.
3. Provide professional development and support for teachers, staff and
Sunday School leaders.
As for generating renewed commitment to the use, this happens in large
part through presentations and gatherings. For example, a digest of the article
I published last year in New Church Life is being reprinted in the Theta Alpha
Journal this spring. And Scott Daum also has prepared a new in-service
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