To seek the presence of Jesus Christ
About Brother Scott
This is about Scott Benhase my long time friend and brother in the Order of the Ascension (OA). The point of this is to encourage you to listen to a podcast of Brother Scott being interviewed on managing conflict and living the Christian life. More about that at the end.
I’ll begin by telling you about Brother Scott - priest, husband and father, a believer in the reality of sin and redemption, and the 10th Bishop of Georgia and in recent times the Assisting Bishop, Diocese of Florida. I’m just going to explore the early years. I think you will see what kind of person he is.
In 1986 I received a letter from Ohio Bishop Jim Moody recommending Scott for membership in OA. "Scott has been serving in the Diocese of Ohio since the spring, as Rector of St. Paul's Church in East Cleveland. In his brief time in the parish, Scott has kindled fresh hope in the lives of parish leaders who had been struggling for years with the challenges of ministry in a changed and changing neighborhood. His clear commitment to Jesus Christ on the one hand and to ministry with poor and depressed persons on the other. He has already raised up the first fruits of a fresh apostolate. His openness to sharing insights, skills, and faith with fellow clergy has quickly made him an important part of the Urban Division of the Diocese of Ohio. Scott Benhase is a priest who’s doing good clearly flows from a disciplined life of daily prayer and the study of the scriptures.”
Scott and I were professed and took the Promise together on January 30, 1988 in the chapel at General Seminary. At that time the Order was working with the seminary in sponsoring a national form of the Church Development Institute (CDI). Scott went through that training program before being professed and later was a CDI trainer himself. When he became Bishop of Georgia he brought CDI into that community.
In the Newsletter of the Order of the Ascension in the Spring of 1988, we read about Scott's love for his family, "Scott has been happily married to wife, Kelly for four years and they are enjoying son, John Caleb born last August. Kelly is a middle school English teacher who has a vital ministry of her own. Her parish is her classroom and her parishioners, by virtue of their age, always seem to have a crisis or two in their lives. Scott believes her teaching ministry is remarkable and stands i n awe of and respects her gifts for this ministry."
And in the Newsletter one year later we learned, “Father Scott Benhase, OA, has begun a series of house fellowships at St. Paul's, East Cleveland. Five groups of eight members each meet one Sunday evening a month for an hour and a half. This has allowed people to get into each others' homes and talk about family and jobs. East session is led by the host family, and includes time to talk and visit, Bible study and prayer. Scott is also continuing to work on a Ph. D. in Urban Affairs.He is specializing in urban organizations and development.”
He endeared himself even further to me in a letter he sent to the Order when he took over as Superior in 1993. “I was elected Superior at the Order's chapter meeting in early October. Fr Gallagher has served as the Order's Superior from the very first days. His leadership of the Order has been visionary and indispensable. ... I believe that Bob, maybe more than anyone else in the Church today has a vision for the Church that will lead us into renewal and redevelopment in marginal areas like urban and rural parish ministry.' It was an example of his kindness and graciousness that we've seen again and again. If only I could have lived up to that description.
Here’s the Wikipedia page on him.
Yesterday morning Shaping the Parish (STP) wrapped up Module One of the St. Scholastica Cycle. At the end of the session, which had focused on managing conflict, a few participants offered some kind words about the program. They dwelt on how STP effectively pulls together the resources of organization development and ascetical theology. A few comments about this is something we didn’t learn in seminary. It was wonderful to hear.
Later I saw an announcement for “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.” podcast. Scott’s comments touched directly on what we had done that day in the STP class. I thought about how the participants would learn from his presence as one of the trainers in the January module.
I loved his thoughts about managing conflict, especially, “Slow things down”
He was sharing his experience serving in a diocese that has been engaged in serious conflict. “So I was asked to come in and provide pastoral care and leadership for them during this time in the wilderness”... slow things down. Because people are highly reactive ,,, People have not done the work of introspection, of self awareness. How do I come across to other people? ... by slowing things down and saying okay now we’re gonna stand up and we’re gonna walk over here and then we’re gonna sit down again. It sounds like kindergarten but when people are really hurting (you) slow things down and build trust slowly overtime."
Listen to “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.”
This abides,
Brother Robert, OA
Feast of Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, 899