This Week In Common

See the Invitation at http://esr.earlham.edu/~crowetr/Invitation.pdf

For our final Common Meal of the Semester on December 1st, we'll be celebrating the Christmas season in several ways.

Be sure to read this while on Thanksgiving break, as there are things you may want to plan in advance.

On each Sunday of Advent and the Monday of the Winter Solstice there will be a labyrinth walk. Each walk will have a different focus: love, peace, joy, hope, and light.

Only two more opportunities to watch Julia! Take a 1 hour break from studying and join the fun every other Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the ESR Dining Room. The entire simple event consists of watching 2 old episodes of The French Chef featuring Julia Child. No food; no moving furniture; over in about an hour -- an opportunity for you to take a short break from the books and watch something unrelated to seminary (although we know Julia Pantoga could talk to you all day about the intersections of food and theology). The two dates remaining are: November 18 and December 2.

Discover "Fertile Ground" in Bethany Chapel's 2009 Faculty Preaching Series, in Nicarry Chapel, Wednesdays in September and October, 11:20am-12 noon.

In this dawning of new beginnings, we bring our vision of individual lives into the collective community together for a period of time. We can let God's momentum plant the way into fertility, new birth, and new life. Perhaps it is a time to explore the point of drought or saturation as the seasons of our lives change. We may even ask ourselves how we can create fertile ground to allow growth.

The Fall 2009 Bethany Preaching Series will focus on the ways in which our lives are brought into the seminary community in ways that grow, mature, die and continue on toward harvest through scripture, faith and theology.

This theme is especially appropriate as the word "seminary" is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "A piece of ground in which plants are sown to be afterwards transplanted." Join us as we explore what it means for Bethany to be a fertile ground for growth and transformation.

Here are the dates, preachers and themes for each chapel service in this series.

September 16, Scott Holland: Beauty & Abundance Without Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

September 23, Elizabeth Keller: Fallow or Fertile Future (Genesis 38:1-30)

September 30, Amy Gall Ritchie: Trust Beyond Ourselves (Exodus 16:1-36)

October 7, Tara Hornbacker: Theotokos (Luke 1:39-56)

October 14, Russell Haitch: Theme & Scripture TBA

October 28, Ruthann Knechel Johansen: It Shall Not Return To Me Empty (Isaiah 55:10-13)

Want to sing?

Bethany Common Meal

All are invited to join the Bethany community for worship in Nicarry Chapel on Wednesdays, 11:20am-12 noon, with one exception:

One Wednesday a month, Bethany either has a program common meal or hosts joint common meal 11:20am-1pm, in which case there is no Wednesday worship.

Bethany worship will take place on the following dates.

September 2, 16, 23, 30
October 7, 14, 28
November 11, 18
December 2

Don't miss the faculty preaching series on the theme "Fertile Ground" during Bethany chapel through October 28,

Did you know.....

that Academic Services has not sent paper "grade" reports to each student since before the 2004-05 school year?

that students can see their "grades" (credit/no credit notations) on Web DB the day after Academic Services enters them into Banner?

that Academic Services no longer accepts or sends narrative evaluations on paper?

Reminder: "Spring forward" this Sunday, March 8, at 2:00 a.m. Set your clocks up one hour before going to bed Saturday evening so you don't miss church on Sunday morning.

Students and advisors can always view "grades" as they are posted.
Students and advisors can always print an unofficial transcript.

Here's how:

Here are the dates for Bethany Common Meals, as we know it. The common meal committee may add a few Friday common pot lucks to the list from time to time. Those will be announced separately. Please look at dates you'll be able to help clean up! Day Date Chapel or program September Wednesday 9/3 Chapel - Bethany Student Leadership Team will lead us in worship, introducing this year's Fall Preaching Series theme "Intersections." Wednesday 9/10 Programmed CM, led by Student Leadership Team. Wednesday 9/17 Joint Wednesday 9/24 chapel October Wednesday 10/1 Programmed CM Wednesday 10/8 chapel Tuesday 10/14 Joint Wednesday 10/22 chapel Wednesday 10/29 programmed CM November Wednesday 11/5 chapel Wednesday 11/12 Joint Wednesday 11/19 chapel December Wednesday 12/3 chapel January Tuesday 1/6 Joint/intensive students Tuesday 1/13 Joint/intensive students Wednesday 1/28 February Wednesday 2/4 programmed CM Tuesday 2/10 Joint Wednesday 2/18 chapel Wednesday 2/25 programmed CM March Wednesday 3/4 chapel Wednesday 3/11 Joint Spring Break Wednesday 3/25 chapel April Wednesday 4/1 programmed CM Wednesday 4/8 chapel Tuesday 4/14 Joint Wednesday 4/22 chapel Wednesday 4/29 programmed CM