VeNews October 2007

Welcome to VeNews, the newsletter for Vesper Society friends!

Exploring Vesper Society’s Work with Laity

Imagine two men carefully scrutinizing documents, letters, and publications in a magnificent library in central Manchester, England. They make many notes and now and then consult with one another in whispering tones, sometimes in excitement at a new discovery and sometimes in frustration in not finding what is being sought.

The time: Late August 2007

The men: Melvin George and Nelvin Vos

The setting: The John Rylands Library, part of the University of Manchester built in 1899 in late Victorian grandeur, complete with statuary and fine stained-glass windows.

The purpose: To dig into the archives of the British Anglican layman Mark Gibbs, whose writing and correspondence were placed here after his death in 1986. Some 63 pages of itemized materials are in this depository, including many that deal directly with Gibbs’ extensive work with the Vesper Society over nearly 20 years.

This research is part of a larger project to trace the many-sided activities that the Society has engaged in to empower the laity in their mission in the world. The goal is not only to document the past and Vesper’s commitment to laity but to see this undertaking as a springboard for the Society’s work with laity in the future. The project is related to a current goal of Vesper Society’s Board of Directors to re-emphasize the Society’s traditional role in support of the ministry of the laity.

The product is intended to be a print publication of about 125–150 pages with most likely all or some of it also available online. The work was initially conceived as a tribute to Robert Brorby on his retirement as a long-term Director and Member of Vesper Society.

Melvin George, current member of the board, and Nelvin Vos, past member of the board, are joined in this effort by Daniel Pryfogle, who in his consultative role with the Society has already conducted in-depth interviews with people involved in Vesper Society’s beginnings, including Robert Cummings, George Spindt, Barbara Varenhorst, and Robert Brorby, among others.

Thus the publication tentatively titled: Faith in Action: Vesper Society and the Laity, will narrate the role of the Society in relationship to ecumenical laity movements, both in its programs and its leadership.

The Society’s two founders, its presidents and board members have primarily been laypeople, and its programs in areas such as justice, health, and peace have provided advocacy and support for lay ministry in the world and in the structures of society.

The context of the post-World War II world encouraged institutions to be intentional about advocating and developing ways to promote healthy communities. Vesper Society's beginnings, heavily influenced by the role of the Evangelical Lay Academies in Germany, were motivated by the commitment to connect church and world through laity in society and thus help bring about healthier communities.

A very important dimension of the Society’s influence in laity work was centered in Mark Gibbs, who through his initial friendship with George Spindt and subsequent involvement with Vesper Society became an international voice advocating the necessity of the laity’s involvement in relating their faith to the spheres of their daily lives. He was well-known and highly respected in ecumenical circles.

From 1970 until his death in 1986, Gibbs, under the sponsorship of the Society not only in his countless speeches and meetings but also in his regularly published issues of Laity Exchange and Vesper Exchange, spread the name of Vesper Society far and wide. The seed for these publications is planted in a letter we found in the Manchester archives from Gibbs to co-founder Eugene Heckathorn in May 1970: “You would like me to help with and be co-editor of a regular mailing of suitable articles of professional, theological and ethical interest.”

The Society initiated an annual series of Mark Gibbs Lectures, which featured such outstanding laypeople as civil rights leader Rosa Parks, Senator Paul Simon, businessman William Diehl, Catholic leader Dolores Leckey, and sociologist Robert Bellah. The speakers shared their personal stories and insights and encouraged their listeners to increase their commitment to public service.

The vision of Vesper Society has been and continues to be to help create a more compassionate world. There is no doubt when the project is completed in late 2008 that the result will not only be a reminder of the Society’s past but will also open up new opportunities to be explored by the Society to serve and demonstrate faith in action by laity in the world.

—Nelvin Vos

VeNews informs readers of Vesper Society programs and activities. We welcome your feedback at . If you would like to add your name to our email list, please click here.

Vesper Society, a private operating foundation, promotes social justice locally and globally by addressing critical social issues including the provision of health services for the underserved.