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February 5, 2020

Transformational Vestries: February 2020 Vestry Papers

Dear friends,

As individuals, we sometimes seek out transformation at different points in our lives, or perhaps an experience thrusts it upon us, whether we’re ready or not. But what does transforming as a team look like? What happens when a willing group starts on path of discovery, learning together and sharing the joy and burden of vestry service? In this issue, we focus on how vestries in their very structure allow for meaningful and joyful transformation.

Can working together with others deepen one’s understanding of self? In Part of One Body, Mary Barber narrates her personal experience as a property warden and shares how it started her on a transformational path to seminary. This article is available in English and Spanish.

What does it mean to be the gatekeepers of God’s house? In The Sons of Korah, Nicole Foster examines striking parallels between vestry service and the fearless protectors of God’s temple in 1 Chronicles.

How can we be more intentionally transformational? In A Path of Transformation, Lou Blanchard uses Otto Scharmer’s book Theory U to explain the process of moving through four emotional “fields” to a spiritual place of transformation.

ECF recently launched a new publication – the Finance Resource Guide. In The Finance Resource Your Vestry Needs, Nicole Seiferth breaks down what the book offers and shares why this is a must-have publication for every transformational vestry.

Would you like to become an ECF Fellow? Open to lay and ordained Episcopalians, our Fellowship Partners Program supports emerging scholars and ministry leaders throughout the Church. The deadline for applications is March 16, 2020. Learn more about the program and how to apply here.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices

Additional Tools and Resources

Vestry papers

Vestry As a Life-Giving Team

What constitutes a life-giving and productive team? Chris Holmes explains the difference between a ‘group’ and ‘team’ and how an effective team and vestry doesn’t just come into existence.

Blog Post

Five Meeting Tips for New Leaders

Five principles to consider to help your first meeting go smoothly.

Webinars

Making the Most of Your Vestry Retreat

This one-hour webinar will provide an overview of a design process for vestry retreats that will help you make the most of these investments.

Vestry papers

The Consent Agenda: More Efficient Meetings

Could the way you run your meetings be keeping people away from leadership positions?

Blog Post

The Budget, aka The Other Half of Good Stewardship

In the pledge-driven madness, let us not forget the other half of good stewardship: faithful and realistic budgeting.

Connect with Us!

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475 Riverside Drive, Suite 750
New York, NY 10115
1-800-697-2858

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ECF News: Issue 46 February 12, 2020 Finding Vocation Finding Vocation explores the vocational journey of ECF Fellow Carla Roland Guzmán. Carla is currently an Affiliated Professor of Church History at General Theological Seminary, the senior pastor at St. Matthew and St. Timothy’s on NYC’s Upper West Side, and a tireless advocate for Latinx and LGBTQ inclusion in the Church. She grew up in a tight-knit family in Puerto Rico and Texas. Carla attended Cornell University as an undergraduate, where she majored in engineering and also where she started on the path to ordination through participation in Cornell’s Episcopal Chaplaincy. To read more of her story, please click here.


ECF 360 After 15 years of providing fee-for-service capital campaign consulting, ECF is initiating a new approach. ECF is pleased to announce the advent of an exciting new resource for the Church. ECF 360, currently in active development, will be an innovative, cloud-based solution that will put ECF’s depth of capital campaign knowledge directly into the hands of Episcopal ministries. For more information, please click here.		Rooted in Jesus 2020 From January 22-24, nearly 1,300 people convened in Atlanta to participate in Rooted in Jesus 2020, a gathering produced by ECF in conjunction with several other Episcopal organizations including the Episcopal Church, Forward Movement, Forma, the Diocese of Atlanta and more. Rooted in Jesus began with the goal to break down the silos that have formed between the evangelism, missional and formation communities. Click here to read more.


Apply now for an ECF Fellowship! The application deadline for ECF Fellowships is March 16, 2020. The ECF Fellowship Partners Program is geared towards lay and clergy leaders pursuing advanced academic studies or special ministries. Click here for the application and details. To read about ECF’s 2019 Fellows - Tucker Adkins, Francisco Garcia, Christopher McNabb and Callie Swanlund - please click here.		Planned Giving on Demand Planned Giving on Demand provides easy-to-use resources to help you launch and sustain a planned giving program in your church, all in one place. A combination of printed and online resources, Planned Giving on Demand will walk with you through every step of the way to establish, enhance, and sustain an effective planned giving ministry. Planned Giving on Demand can be ordered through Forward Movement or by calling 800-543-1813.


February Vestry Papers: Transformative Vestries As individuals, we sometimes seek out transformation at different points in our lives, or perhaps an experience thrusts it upon us, whether we’re ready or not. But what does transforming as a team look like? What happens when a willing group starts on a path of discovery, learning together and sharing the joy and burden of vestry service? In this issue, we focus on how vestries in their very structure allow for meaningful and joyful transformation. For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF is a lay-led and independent organization, serving the Episcopal Church since 1949. Our mission is to be a comprehensive and holistic resource that helps vitalize Episcopal faith communities. Please make a gift today to help strengthen congregations across the Church.



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2020 Highlights ECF News: Issue 56 – December 2020 December 9, 2020 2020 Highlights 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. ECF’s focus this year has been to undertake new ways of transforming ministry to adapt to the times. Some of the highlights of this year include: A COVID-19 resource hub providing resources on worship, general information, online events and more; a two-month issue of Vestry Papers dedicated to racial justice and reconciliation; a Racial Justice resource page in English and Spanish; the incredibly well-attended Rooted in Jesus conference in Atlanta, and more. Please click here to read more.


Ten resources for Advent As this difficult year comes to a close, we invite you to take the time to celebrate Advent. A season of anticipation and waiting, Advent can be a wonderful time to pause and reflect not just on what has happened, but what is to come. To help you celebrate this season, we’ve gathered ten resources for Advent. From all of us at ECF, we pray that your Advent is filled with health and hopeful anticipation!		Apply to become an ECF Fellow Since 1964, over 200 ECF Fellowships have been awarded to individuals pursuing advanced academic studies and special ministries with the aim of educating and equipping future lay and clergy leaders. In 2020 ECF named two Fellows – Hannah Mudge Armidon and Sarah Monroe; learn more about them and their work here. The application for the 2021 Fellowship is now open; please share with any potential applicants.


Donor impact plus tax deduction! Donor-advised funds put you in the driver’s seat. A DAF allows you to make a donation this year and receive a current tax deduction, while delaying your grant-making decisions until the right time. You can make contributions over time, choose multiple charities to support, and start with as little as $2,500. You can even teach your heirs about generosity. To learn more, email giving@episcopalfoundation.org, or call your friendly partners at ECF - 800-697-2858.		COVID-19 resource hub ECF’s top priority this year has been to support our faith communities during this time of pandemic crisis. As part of our response, we created a resource hub on the ECF Vital Practices website that includes helpful information on topics such as worship, prayer and meditation, online events, finance, and resources for children. Take a look here.


December Vestry Papers: Spiritual Wellbeing One thing this strange and difficult year has forced us to do is confront ourselves. Reflecting in the solitude of our homes and quiet moments, we have learned more about our personalities, our coping mechanisms and our strengths. It is no surprise that in this issue about wellbeing, all our contributors have relied heavily on their personal experiences to share ideas for spiritual self-care, especially during the holidays in this challenging year. For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF’s mission is more important than ever. As we look to the future of the Episcopal Church, know that ECF will remain an independent 501(c)(3) organization helping you and your congregation face new challenges. Please ensure that your local congregation has received your support, and if you can support another Episcopal institution, please help us form the future of the Church.



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CARES Act Charitable Giving Incentives April 7, 2020 CARES Act Charitable Giving Incentives Most Episcopal organizations rely on generous donors to support their mission and ministry. Stewardship can be deeply spiritual, rooted in a desire to reorient our lives towards God, but it also has a practical side. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, includes several provisions that may affect charitable giving this year. We encourage churches to talk about these opportunities with their congregations. *New charitable deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize.* Beginning in 2020, individuals can deduct $300 in charitable contributions from their gross income even if they do not itemize their deductions. Donations must be made in cash to a charity. Gifts of appreciated securities, and gifts to a donor advised fund or supporting organization, do not qualify. Although the permissible amount is modest, it is a new benefit available to many of your donors. Opportunity: Let the entire congregation know that donors can get a tax deduction even if they do not itemize and that this is intended to encourage contributions at a time of great need. Talk online or by email about what your church is doing directly to help others. Encourage special gifts for these efforts. No cap on charitable deductions for taxpayers who do itemize. Donors who itemize their deductions can usually deduct cash contributions up to 60% of their adjusted gross income. For 2020, that cap is lifted, and donors contributing cash to charity may deduct up to 100% of their income, a significant tax savings for anyone able to contribute larger amounts. Again, this is only for gifts of cash, and only for gifts made directly to charity (not to donor-advised funds or supporting organizations). Opportunity: Let your larger donors know that they may be able to offset significant amounts of income if they are able to make cash gifts this year. This may be useful for donors with unusual income in 2020. *No required minimum distributions, but qualified charitable distributions still possible.* The CARES Act eliminates required minimum distributions (RMDs) from many retirement plans in 2020. Some donors have been using their RMDs for tax-advantaged charitable gifts by making a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) directly to charity. Under the CARES Act it is still possible for donors who are 70½ or over to contribute up to $100,000 directly to a charity without paying tax on the distribution. This remains a beneficial way for donors to make gifts to your church. Opportunity: Let your older donors know that they may still make a tax-advantaged qualified charitable distribution from an IRA this year. This might be useful for donors who have cash set aside in an IRA for an RMD that is no longer required. The CARES Act is a complex new law. This memo is intended only as a summary of provisions that may be important for church stewardship efforts. Donors should always consult with their own professional advisors before making a gift.



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ECF Announces 2020 Fellows ECF News: Issue 54 – October 2020 October 14, 2020 ECF Announces 2020 Fellows ECF is excited to announce the newest members of our Fellowship Partners Program - Hannah Mudge Armidon and Sarah Monroe. These innovative and emerging leaders are pairing their expertise with their passion to make a positive impact on the Episcopal Church and beyond. ECF President Donald Romanik, extending his congratulations to the 2020 Fellows, said, “For more than half a century, ECF''s Fellowship Partners Program has supported emerging and aspiring leaders across the Church. During these difficult times, our 2020 Fellows continue the tradition of pursuing important, innovative and potentially transformational academic and ministry initiatives. We look forward to working with these exceptional individuals.” Click here to read more about our new Fellows.


The Congregational Vitality Assessment Tool (CVA) FaithX and ECF are proud to release the first-of-its-kind diagnostic tool for measuring congregational vitality and sustainability, the Congregational Vitality Assessment (CVA). The CVA is available free online to help congregations determine how healthy they are (vitality) and whether they have the necessary resources to survive in the long run (sustainability). There are two ways to fill out the assessment, an individual can do so on behalf of the congregation (e.g., rector, pastor, or designee) or a group (e.g., vestry, board, entire congregation).		Strength for the Future How can your congregation begin to create financial resilience? ECF’s planned giving resources offer step-by-step guidance that can help spark awareness and encourage supporters to become donors. Planned Giving on Demand takes you on a journey from imagining more robust support through nurturing interest and commitment to creating a legacy society. And there’s more! Take a look: Funding Future Ministry, booklets and brochures, Finance Resource Guide, and more!


Lanterns in the Wilderness: Find Your Spark - A Virtual Retreat ECF Fellow the Rev. Callie Swanlund will hold an online retreat from October 16-18 to help find your deeper purpose, channel your creativity, and illuminate your path. As an Episcopal priest and Certified Daring Way Facilitator, Callie will draw on scripture and the work of Dr. Brené Brown to lead you on a journey of Finding Your Spark. To register online and learn more about the event, please click here.		ECF’s Racial Justice and Reconciliation Resources ECF continues its attention to the themes of racial justice and reconciliation through the Racial Justice Resources section of the Vital Practices website. This curated collection of resources is divided into four areas, Read, Watch, Listen and Act and includes materials in English and Spanish that are appropriate for adults, youth and groups at varying stages of knowledge. Take a look!


October Vestry Papers: Stewardship and Abundance Stewardship is challenging work every year, but things feel especially difficult for many this year. Are you trying to conduct a stewardship campaign on your own? Are you considering the people and community around you who can be partners in this collaborative work? In this issue we bring you experiences from around the Church that prove stewardship is a team activity every year, but even more so this year. For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF’s mission is more important than ever. As we look to the future of the Episcopal Church, know that ECF will remain an independent 501(c)(3) organization helping you and your congregation face new challenges. Please ensure that your local congregation has received your support, then if you can support another Episcopal institution, please help us form the future of the Church.



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ECF News: Issue 47 March 11, 2020 Call and Community Marcia Chanta Bhan was one of the 68 seminarians who attended the Success After Seminary (SAS) conference in Philadelphia offered by ECF and the Church Pension Group (CPG). Chanta is finishing her studies at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) and is a candidate for ordination from the Diocese of Massachusetts. An extended period of discernment led her from 14 years of hospice chaplaincy and membership in conservative churches to the Episcopal church and VTS. The SAS conference she attended was designed to help equip graduating seminarians for the challenges of ministry. To read more about her experience, please click here.


Fellows Applications due March 16! Applications for the ECF Fellowship Partners Program are due March 16! The Fellowship Partners program is geared towards lay and clergy leaders pursuing advanced academic studies or special ministries. Please click here for the application and details. To read about ECF’s four 2019 Fellows - Tucker Adkins, Francisco Garcia, Christopher McNabb and Callie Swanlund - click here.		Faith+Finance Conference May 18-20 Looking for new kinds of church funding? Want your endowment to have a bigger impact? Want to preach and teach about money better? Check out Faith+Finance: Reimagining God''s Economy, a May 18-20 conference and growing online community.


Spanish Language Resources/Recursos en Español The Latino/Hispanic community is among the fastest growing populations in both the United States and in the Episcopal Church. To address this opportunity, ECF provides Spanish and English programs, services, and resources for building up the leadership and financial capabilities of congregations engaged in Latino/Hispanic ministry. For more information, please click here. La comunidad latina/hispana se cuenta entre las poblaciones de más rápido crecimiento tanto en Estados Unidos como en la Iglesia Episcopal. Para encarar esta oportunidad, la Fundación de la Iglesia Episcopal (Episcopal Church Foundation, ECF) cuenta con programas, servicios y recursos en español y en inglés para formar las capacidades de liderazgo y financiera de las feligresías que participan en ministerio latino/hispano. Para más información, favor de hacer click aquí.		Posts for the Good Book Club For the third year since its inception, ECF has been a partner of the Good Book Club. This year the Good Book Club read the Gospel of John each day during Epiphany as a way to begin to read the Bible every day. As a partner organization, ECF posted blogs on our website Vital Practices to complement the readings. Even if you didn''t read the Gospel of John each day with the Good Book Club, and especially if you did, feel free to click here to read these blogs.


March Vestry Papers: Beyond the Red Doors In a time of consistently declining church numbers, it’s natural to focus on filling the pews. Our vestry meetings are often about brainstorming ways to attract young families or how we will make stewardship season work. In these times, shifting the focus and asking what we can do for our neighborhood and community can be transformational. In this issue we bring you stories of faith in action, of love and generosity and the gift of witnessing God in everyone around us. Have we asked – what is beyond the red doors? For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF is a lay-led and independent organization, serving the Episcopal Church since 1949. Our mission is to be a comprehensive and holistic resource that helps vitalize Episcopal faith communities. Please make a gift today to help strengthen congregations across the Church.



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Racial Justice and Reconciliation Vestry Papers – August Issue ECF News: Issue 52 – August 2020 August 12, 2020 Racial Justice and Reconciliation Vestry Papers - August Issue This month’s issue of Vestry Papers continues our focus on Racial Justice and Reconciliation. It features the voices of Heidi J. Kim, who shares her experiences with anti-Asian racism and her support of the Black Lives Matter movement; Anna Olson, who gives helpful practices for white people to help dismantle racism; Isaiah Shaneequa Brokenleg, who writes about how we can come back from the pandemic to a more loving and just world; Kim L. Coleman who explains how she was perceived as a black priest in a white church, and more. Click here to read the August issue.


Racial Justice Resources ECF is pleased to announce a new resource page for Racial Justice, Healing and Reconciliation on the Vital Practices website. The page contains resources for adults, youth and groups at different stages of knowledge and interest and is arranged into four areas -- Read, Watch, Listen and Act. Each area lists links in English and Spanish where one can read materials, watch a program, listen to a podcast or take action among other things. We hope you take advantage of the new resource and share it widely.		Becoming REAL and Thriving in Ministry – A New Book ECF Spanish Language Consultant and frequent Vital Practices contributor Dr. Sandra T. Montes has just published a new book, Becoming REAL and Thriving in Ministry. To her, REAL ministry means respectful relationships, excellence, authenticity, and love. This method is perfect to initiate relationships with our neighbors whom we may not yet know. Each chapter is written in both English and Spanish and contains anecdotes and examples of how to develop real relationships and bring the good news to new people.


Stewardship Resources on Vital Practices Looking for resources to help you refresh your stewardship? Check ECF Vital Practices for these stewardship-focused articles by experts and peers, webinars, blogs and more. Please subscribe to Vital Practices to receive pertinent free articles, tools, and resources every month, as well as optional, more frequent, blog posts.		Is This the Right Year to Itemize Tax Deductions? From skipping vacations to changing dining habits, many Americans are finding they have not been spending as much this year and several are considering making additional charitable contributions. Are you thinking about making enough charitable gifts this year that you might itemize your deductions? An ECF Donor-advised Fund (DAF) can be a useful tool for donors who want to reap the tax benefits of immediate charitable giving this year, but maintain the flexibility of giving smaller gifts to many different charities in the future. ECF helps provide support to donors and their philanthropic work through the administration of its DAF program. Click here to read more.


Upcoming Webinars - Deacons—Pandemic Support and Experiences Join us for two webinars with Dr. Sandra T. Montes, the first in Spanish on August 25 at 1pm EDT with the Rev. Ema Rosero-Nordalm and the Rev. Letty Guevara-Cuence discussing how best to support deacons during this pandemic. The second webinar will be held in English on September 2 at 1pm EDT when Dr. Montes will speak with two deacons about their experiences during the pandemic. Register here.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF’s mission is more important than ever. As we look to the future of the Episcopal Church, know that ECF will remain an independent 501(c)(3) organization helping you and your congregation face new challenges. Please ensure that your local congregation has received your support, and if you can support another Episcopal institution, please help us form the future of the Church.



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July 15, 2020

Spiritual Disciplines for Building and Living in Multicultural Church Community

Every month ECFVP offers five resources on a theme. This month we''ve asked the Rev. Audra Abt, who serves in Greensboro, North Carolina as the Vicar at Church of the Holy Spirit and Mission Developer for Abundant Life Health & Healing, to choose five resources that resonated with her. Please share this email with new members of your vestry and extend an invitation to subscribe to ECF Vital Practices to receive Vestry Papers and this monthly digest.

While the idea of building more diverse ministries and congregations tends to be met with approval, I also often hear from folks that it’s “too hard” or “confusing” and they don’t know where to begin. I usually start by responding that “yes!”, in my experience, it is difficult, and confusing, and disorienting. It is also joyful, liberating, and delicious.

Right now I get to serve as priest and mission developer for a couple of multicultural and multi-lingual missional communities, where we’re endeavoring (with God’s help) to become community where people know they’re valued (not just tolerated) no matter their age, churchiness, class upbringing, literacy, race, preferred language, sexual orientation, gender, comfort with or access to technology, etc, and where each person knows they have something the church needs in order to be alive as the Body of Christ.

As my colleague and friend the Rev. Sam Dessordi Peres Leite wrote in last month’s digest on Multicultural Congregations, “The first half of 2020 has become a season for new opportunities, to reimagine church life and its mission in new ways.” I agree, and I want to share these five Vital Practices articles that have been helpful for me in my ministry. Each offers some disciplines for living into more diverse and Beloved Community.

With so much uncertainty about finances and what our worship and mission will look like, given the pandemic, it may seem counterintuitive to look to what small or shoe-string missions are doing. Turning to the most vulnerable congregants of more resourced congregations likewise may seem unusual. But it’s folks who’ve lived on the margins of respectable church and the ‘formal’ economy who have strategies for thriving and adapting to precarious and brutal circumstances. The Rev. Nancy Frausto in Sustainability in the Scrappy Church talks about the gifts of congregations who look to people - both in and outside the church - as resources, not just as charity cases. Because of their unique knowledge of what it takes to survive in a racist and exploitative world, they can lead the way to greater forms of flourishing even in the face of scarcity.

I’ve been humbled, and grateful, to have people with intellectual and physical disabilities show me my own presumptions about planning liturgy and other church activities that unintentionally left no room for them to participate and lead. Sarah Barton’s article, Welcoming Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, invites the church to see each person as a resource. Barton recommends not just listening to our members but going out into the community to meet people where they are, listen, and allow what we hear to help us re-design the way we do everything. As we do this in my community, we’re finding that everyone is experiencing more access to deeper participation in our worship and service life.

Even in a multicultural congregation, there’s still a dominant norm for decision-making processes, leadership selection, and who speaks when. Often this norm fits the White, middle-class, professional culture. For people that don’t fit easily into your congregation’s norms, especially when they come from historically disenfranchised positions, it can be almost impossible to offer their gifts. As the Rev. Anna Olson writes about in Building a Diverse Vestry, developing a team that reflects the diversity of your congregation and surrounding community takes intentionality and a lot of work, but it is worth it.

As startlingly beautiful as multicultural and multilingual life in Christ can be, I have also found it to be challenging because every encounter, every event also includes real opportunities for misunderstanding or offense, which can cause conflict. Valuing and raising up a multicultural community also means valuing change, letting Christ in to change the “we” we call the church. In Conflict and Change, Luisa Bonillas reminds us that conflict is normal, and we can all develop the capacity to endure the discomfort and move through conflict together.

The last discipline that I’ve found helpful in developing multicultural church community has been to stay eager and curious to know how Jesus is alive and present outside our membership. By seeking Christ and traces of the Holy Spirit working among others, we stay humble and tuned to God, who is bigger than any of us and any one culture. A Practical Theology of Episcopal Evangelism is a clear, succinct invitation to practice seeking, naming and celebrating how God is working new life and liberation among our neighbors right now, right where we are planted.

The Rev. Audra Abt serves in Greensboro, North Carolina as the Vicar at Church of the Holy Spirit and Mission Developer for Abundant Life Health & Healing, a new Episcopal community and collaborative ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Both of these communities are multi-lingual and intercultural expressions of their neighborhoods, with members from Latin America, West Africa, the Caribbean, and from around the U.S. She became an ECF Fellow in 2015 while developing a bilingual base community in Greensboro among Central American and U.S.-born neighbors. These leaders are helping Holy Spirit and Abundant Life envision a model of basic Christian community that can thrive and bear witness to God’s powerful presence in the world, even during this pandemic.

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475 Riverside Drive, Suite 750
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Celebrating our Partnerships April 28, 2020 Dear Friends, While the COVID-19 lockdown over the past several weeks has been difficult for all of us, it has created incredible opportunities to connect with one another in new and innovative ways, even while physically apart. I have truly enjoyed my telephone and video conversations with many of you during which we have shared our struggles, fears and doubts as well as our hopes, dreams and yes, moments of joy. I cherish the many clients, colleagues and friends of ECF struggling to be faithful disciples during an unprecedented period of isolation and stress. This strange and difficult time is bringing out the very best in so many of us and it’s helpful to know that we are not alone. We are also using this time to think, pray, discern and dig deep. We are trying to put aside those things that seem rather insignificant and rediscover values that lie at our very core – faith, family, friends and partners. Organizations like ECF are also engaged in this process, and we are reconnecting with our core values including partnership. I firmly believe that the only way the Church will move forward during and beyond this crisis is by identifying, developing and nurturing strategic, missional and transformational partnerships. I often say that partnerships are fun because they provide opportunities to meet and connect with other people who share our passion and commitment. But partnerships are also critical to our ability to survive, and even thrive, as the Episcopal Church. As we slowly emerge from this first phase of the pandemic and begin discerning what the Church and the world may look like, partnerships will provide us with the strength and courage to work together and carry us into a hopeful future. ECF has the privilege of working with several organizations throughout the Church and I want to take this opportunity to celebrate and highlight some of these important partnerships: Forma, now a ministry of ECF, supports and connects leaders who form followers of Jesus. Join Forma’s vibrant Facebook group or the Rooted in Jesus Facebook group for online conversation and community. ECF’s growing collaboration with The Gathering of Leaders (GOL) enables both organizations to enhance our common mission to identify and empower entrepreneurial leaders who will help shape the future direction of the Church. Learn more about GOL here. Forward Movement produces all ECF publications including our most recent Finance Resource Guide. Together we also partner on initiatives like the Good Book Club and Faith@Home – now expanded to a Monday through Friday resource for all ages. Find other Forward Movement resources here. ECF has collaborated with the CEEP Network in producing two of their recent and relevant webinars: Endowments and Parish Finances During Times of Uncertainty, and Mourning Our Changing Church. Find CEEP’s other webinar offerings here. ECF is working with FaithX to develop its Congregational Vitality Assessment diagnostic inventory into an online tool. FaithX has a blog series on COVID-19, featured both on their website and on ECF Vital Practices, as well as other resources. Partnering with Episcopal Relief & Development and the Office of Government Relations, ECF brought together several experts to discuss the CARES Act, especially as it relates to our Church and other nonprofits in this well-attended webinar. The Ecumenical Stewardship Center has a variety of resources on faithful generosity here, including a white paper on “Giving Beyond the Offering Plate 101”. ECF continues to update a curated selection of relevant resources on our Vital Practices Resource hub and will be producing several new webinars in the coming weeks. Please know that ECF holds each of you in our thoughts and prayers. Stay in touch and let us know what else we can do to help you navigate these challenging times. I am confident that, with God’s help, we will get through this together. Yours faithfully, Donald V. Romanik



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July 1, 2020

Racial Justice and Reconciliation: July 2020 Vestry Papers

Dear Friends,

Like many of you, for me these past weeks and months have been a giddying combination of energy, exhaustion, hope and despair. Brutality, oppression, and violence towards people of color in America is not new. As a woman of color in America, racism is certainly not new to me. One of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in this country was when a man screamed at me in the street, unprovoked, telling me to ‘go back to where you came from’. This idea that a group of people can be unbelonging, underserving and unworthy, is at the heart of America’s racist soul. As followers of Jesus Christ, a man who repeatedly took the side of the oppressed and aligned himself with the outcasts and unprivileged of the world– we have to ask ourselves – how can we allow this to continue?

This moment in history like many before it is an opportunity to change something. This is a moment ripe for listening, learning and repenting. And so I invite you to consume this issue of Vestry Papers that brings together voices from across the Church speaking bold truth on the theme of racial justice, healing and reconciliation. I encourage you to sit with the powerful words and ideas. We have so much work to do – let us listen, learn and work together on this journey.

We live in a country that has been organized to ensure the systemic diminishment and elimination of people of color. In America, Why Can’t you Stop Killing Us? Canon Stephanie Spellers invites us to take the first step on the path to liberation – powerful truth telling. This article is available in English and Spanish.

The alienation of America from its soul is at the root of normalizing dehumanizing and violence against black lives. In Do We Want to Be White, Or Do We Want to be Church? Dean Kelly Brown Douglas asks communities of faith to lead this country back to its soul by setting an example through repentant truth-telling and restorative letting-go. This article is available in English and Spanish.

What does an honest conversation about repairing the breach entail? In Do You Really Want to Talk About Reparations?, Catherine Meeks challenges us think beyond monetary offerings alone, and start by having hard conversations about the systems that needs to be dismantled and rebuilt for justice to be delivered. This article is available in English and Spanish.

How does our theology legitimize or subvert power structures in society? In Act of Protest, Act of Faith, Philip Peacock describes the radical stance on apartheid taken by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and explains why God is always on the side of the oppressed.

Racial reconciliation can begin only when we truthfully encounter and examine our history. In Christ Beyond the Pale, Jemonde Taylor reflects on the theological roots of racism and discrimination and examines what it means to be formed by grace.

How do we respond when those who look and speak differently knock on our door? When two Swahili-speaking refugee families from Congo arrived at Church of the Heavenly Rest in Abilene, Texas, in 2013, the community’s first response was to help with their physical needs. In Breaking Down Walls, David Romanik shares the process of discernment and the practical steps that followed as they shifted their focus to bringing God’s purpose for the community to life.

Our August issue will continue this focus on racial justice and reconciliation. We will hear the voices of more people of color in our Church, including those of Asian and Native Americans, as we delve further into these important conversations. ECF is also working to curate helpful resources on racial justice, healing and reconciliation on Vital Practices. Keep an eye out for it in the coming weeks! If you have a relevant resource to share, please send it to editor@episcopalfoundation.org. If you are looking for a specific resource, please email us and we will do our best to point you to it or connect you with a person who can help.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECFVP

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ECF News: Issue 48 – April 2020 April 15, 2020 COVID-19 Resources ECF’s top priority is to support our faith communities during this time of crisis. This past month we have organized online gatherings and webinars to foster community and shared resources and knowledge, focusing on how we can support each other during this time and learn new ways of being Church together. Take a look at our resource hub on the ECF Vital Practices website that includes helpful resources on topics such as worship, prayer and meditation, online events, finance, and resources for children.


Message of Support Click here for a message of support from ECF President Donald V. Romanik where he shares how ECF is focused on walking alongside you and your faith communities and is providing resources to help navigate these extremely challenging times.		CARES Act webinar If you are looking for information on how individual parishes can take advantage of the payroll protection loans outlined in the CARES Act of 2020, please watch this webinar recorded earlier this month. Senator Tim Scott, King Mueller and Larry Campbell have years of experience working through complicated tax legislation and have helped shape the CARES Act and the non-profit sector’s response to it.


Blogs The blog section on the ECF Vital Practices website features new content regularly, highlighting the voices of lay and clergy leaders in the Church who are sharing ideas for navigating this unprecedented time. Click here to read the blogs.		Recent Webinars Recorded In the past two weeks, ECF has produced six new webinars, all of which are recorded and available to you here. They include such topics as self-care, an update for endowment clients, cultivating inner peace, effective vestries in times of crisis and the return of the Cafecito con Sandra in Spanish. Click here to explore.


April Vestry Papers: Beyond the Red Doors As disciples of Jesus we are called to a life in service of others. This takes on greater significance in times like these. Are we considering what we can do for our neighborhood, our local school or shelter, our larger community? What does church look like when we can’t be physically together? In this issue we bring you ideas for community beyond the red doors. While we understand that some cannot be implemented in our current context, we want to lift up examples that bring hope and inspiration for brighter days ahead. For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF’s mission is more important than ever. As we look to the future of the Episcopal Church, know that ECF will remain an independent 501(c)(3) organization helping you and your congregation face new challenges. Please ensure that your local congregation has received your support, and then, if you can still support another Episcopal Institution, please help us form the future of the Church.



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Upcoming Vestry Papers Issue on Racial Justice and Reconciliation ECF News: Issue 50 – June 2020 June 17, 2020 Upcoming Vestry Papers Issue on Racial Justice and Reconciliation ECF President Donald V. Romanik shared this letter announcing the upcoming July/August issue of ECF’s Vestry Papers on Racial Justice and Reconciliation. He said, “It is never too late to begin the hard work of dismantling racism and ECF wants to begin this work now by creating a space to listen, learn and share together on this critical topic. To that end, in July and August, our monthly publication Vestry Papers will showcase authors from around our Church, writing on the themes of racial justice, healing and reconciliation, and building Beloved Community.” To continue reading, please click here.


Light and Hope in North Philadelphia St. James Episcopal School in North Philadelphia sits in a primarily African American neighborhood struggling with poverty, poor health, and limited education and employment opportunities. It welcomed its first class of fifth graders in 2011, after a three-year period when thousands of volunteers helped to convert an abandoned property into a tuition-free, sorely-needed, neighborhood school. ECF is proud to have partnered with St. James through its Endowment Management Solutions program; the school has been a client since 2018. To read more about the school, please click here.		Upcoming webinar: braving the wilderness Please join us for our upcoming webinar Braving the Wilderness: Lanterns to Light Our Way on June 22, presented by ECF Fellow, the Rev. Callie Swanlund. She will reflect on the pandemic and other wilderness times—including periods of discernment, grief, and uncertainty—and give us tools for utilizing those lanterns God has already given us: our core values. All ECF webinars are recorded and available online.


ECF Vital Practices survey: please respond ECF Vital Practices offers church leaders the resources and tools they require to respond to the changing needs of the Church. As the Vital Practices team discerns what to highlight and share in our monthly Vestry Papers and other related content, your input as regular readers is extremely valuable. This is especially important now, as our concerns look so different from any other time in recent history. Please help us by filling out this short survey so we can continue to tailor ECF Vital Practices to your specific needs.		Charitable Gift Annuity Rates to be Reduced As of July 1, 2020, Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) rates will decline by an estimated 0.3% to 0.5%. If you would like to create a new CGA and lock in the currently higher rate, please contact ECF for an illustration at giving@episcopalfoundation.org or by calling 800-697-2858. For more info, click here.


June Vestry Papers: Telling our Story In a world deeply hurt and divided, one thing we share is stories. Our stories draw us closer together – when we share them, we laugh and celebrate our little joys and we grieve our deep sorrows. Stories can heal, revive communities and build new ones. Stories can teach, inspire and lift us up in strength. There is real power in our stories. How do we tell them through our values, our actions and priorities? In this issue, we share ideas on how stories can be expressed in so many ways with powerful and positive results. For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF’s mission is more important than ever. As we look to the future of the Episcopal Church, know that ECF will remain an independent 501(c)(3) organization helping you and your congregation face new challenges. Please ensure that your local congregation has received your support, and if you can support another Episcopal institution, please help us form the future of the Church.



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Fixing the Cracks ECF News: Issue 53 – September 2020 September 9, 2020 Fixing the Cracks The Rev. Alison Harrity became rector at St. Richard’s Church in Florida in 2011. The interim rector soon handed her a copy of ECF’s Finance Resource Guide (FRG), which would prove very useful. She inherited a lot of excitement; in 2010, a parishioner discovered cracks in the mortar between concrete blocks in the Parish Hall. These cracks developed from a giant sinkhole that had opened up underneath the church and its buildings—80 truckloads of cement had to be pumped into the ground. In addition to the physical upheaval, changes in the vestry, especially the treasurer, made that copy of the FRG an even more valuable gift. To read more, please click here.


This is NOT Sunday School Faith@Home, a collaboration between Forma and Forward Movement that offers free Christian learning resources, is rolling out a new intergenerational online resource that will help bring us closer to Jesus Christ. "Being away from church doesn''t mean we can''t continue learning about God at home," said Melissa Rau, ECF''s Staff Liaison to Forma and co-organizer of This is NOT Sunday School, "This is a dynamic opportunity for families to grow together in faith, especially around this terrific, weekly offering." Free sessions will launch September 16. Click here to read more.		Coming Soon! The Congregational Vitality Assessment (CVA) The Congregational Vitality Assessment (CVA) is an exciting, first-of-its-kind, research-based diagnostic tool for measuring congregational vitality and sustainability. The product of a collaboration between ECF and FaithX, the CVA will be available free online to help congregations determine how healthy they are (vitality) and whether they have the necessary resources to survive in the long run (sustainability). Watch this space for launch dates!


Education during and beyond COVID-19 ECF Fellow Nedgine Paul Deroly shares a piece she wrote on education in Haiti and the dilemmas that COVID-19 posed to their school system. Schools in Haiti have been closed since March and now are faced with difficult decisions regarding re-opening, like many in the US. “This pandemic has only aggravated the difficulties of our education system,” Paul Deroly says. To read her article, Education during & beyond COVID-19: Equity as Innovation, please click here.		How can your congregation encourage giving from donor estates? For congregations looking to deepen relationships with legacy givers, or re-invigorate a planned giving program, ECF’s Planned Giving on Demand offers easy-to-use resources that can be tailored for your context. The combination of online and printed resources will help you launch, enhance, and sustain a ministry that builds legacy giving over time. Order Planned Giving on Demand through Forward Movement or by calling 800-543-1813.


September Vestry Papers: Stewardship and Abundance A global pandemic does not necessarily bring the words abundance, or even stewardship immediately to mind. How do we continue to give when it feels like there is nothing left? How do we give thanks when we ourselves may be struggling? What new things has this time revealed to us about sharing, gratitude and community? In this issue we share ideas that will help us think anew about stewardship in this changing landscape. For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF’s mission is more important than ever. As we look to the future of the Episcopal Church, know that ECF will remain an independent 501(c)(3) organization helping you and your congregation face new challenges. Please ensure that your local congregation has received your support, then if you can support another Episcopal institution, please help us form the future of the Church.



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November 25, 2020

Six Resources for Peace and Calm

During the Holidays

Every month ECFVP offers resources on a theme. This month we''ve asked ECF''s own Dr. Adriane Bilous to choose resources from Vital Practices to highlight. Please find her choices below. Please share this email with new members of your vestry and extend an invitation to subscribe to ECF Vital Practices to receive Vestry Papers and this monthly digest.

For this month’s digest, I wanted to share resources that might come in handy this season. With the recent election, upcoming holidays and the continuing pandemic, I hope they help bring you peace and calm.

In Healthy Uncertainty, Jeremiah Sierra briefly asks readers to consider the balance between need to control and letting go of the uncertainties in parish life.

Worry and Heart briefly discusses the powerful hold that worry can have on our bodies and ministries. How many of us feel like we haven’t had a good night’s sleep since January? Author Anna Olson advises that “I pay attention to what has the power to keep me awake at night.”

Recuperar, Continuar y Expandir (“Becoming, Continuing, Expanding”) This article is available in both English and Spanish. A great article that focuses on group work around the question “What is the nature of the situation we find ourselves in?” As vestries and parish committees work on plans for 2021 amidst a pandemic, author Nancy Davidge offers wise words on how groups can find calm and strength in the very process of change.

Un artículo que se centra en el trabajo en equipo enfocándose en la pregunta ¿Porqué estamos en esta situación? Mientras que las juntas parroquiales y los comités parroquiales crean planes para 2021 en medio de una pandemia, la autora Nancy Davidge ofrece sabias palabras sobre cómo los equipos pueden encontrar la calma y la fuerza en el proceso del cambio y la incertidumbre.

I would be remiss if an article on stewardship during a pandemic was not included in this list of resources to deal and counter anxiety during these times. But asking for money during a pandemic seems gauche, right? Author Leslie Pendleton discusses these realities in her article Antidote to Anxiety (About Raising $) – asking readers to delve into deeper conversations about the sources for this anxiety and offering several antidotes to consider when having these conversations.

Liderazgo efectivo en épocas de cambios y ansiedad (“Leadership in Times of Change”) This article is available in both English and Spanish. Robin Hammeal-Urban introduces readers to the concept of change and asks readers to do the emotional work that accompanies the work of change and transition in parish life. At this time in our history, there is great change and great stress. Hammeal-Urban offers honest and useable tips to encourage leaders to pay attention to the emotional health of their parishes and use emotional resources wisely and with heart.

Liderazgo efectivo en épocas de cambios y ansiedad
Robin Hammeal-Urban les presenta a los lectores el concepto del cambio y les pide que hagan el trabajo emocional que acompaña al trabajo de cambio y transición en la vida parroquial. En este momento de nuestra historia, sentimos ansiedad por los cambios en nuestras iglesias y un gran estrés en general. Hammeal-Urban ofrece consejos honestos y útiles para animar a los líderes a prestar atención a la salud emocional de sus parroquias y a utilizar los recursos emocionales con sabiduría y corazón.

Fragments on Fragments is a series of reflections by the Right Reverend Jonathan Clark, Bishop of Croydon, Church of England. The series is available on The Episcopal Café website. Here is my personal favorite, Fragments on Fragments: Being Human in a Pandemic. a reflection on knowing oneself (or perhaps doing the work to find oneself) during times of great upheaval and anxiety. An introduction to the entire series can be found here. Make sure you read Bishop Clark’s words on using the Japanese practice of kintsugi to form his reflections.

Dr. Adriane Bilous serves as the Director of Leadership at ECF. She oversees ECF’s leadership, education, and training programs and plays a significant role in discerning and implementing ECF’s unique role in developing Christian leaders for the Church of the future. She coordinates the ongoing implementation of ECF’s longitudinal impact studies, and related program evaluations. In addition, she manages resources for new program initiatives supported through the three-year grant from the Lilly National Endowment Initiative "From Economic Challenges to Transformational Opportunities."

Prior to coming to ECF, she taught at Fordham University in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Adriane received her MA from the University of Chicago and her PhD from Fordham University. Her PhD dissertation explored the relationship between gender, faith, and social activism. Originally from Toronto, Adriane is a proud hockey mom and supporter of all things Canadian.

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December 2, 2020

Spiritual Wellbeing: December 2020 Vestry Papers

Dear Friends,

One thing this strange and difficult year has forced us to do is confront ourselves. Reflecting in the solitude of our homes and quiet moments, we have learned more about our personalities, our coping mechanisms and our strengths. It is no surprise that in this issue about wellbeing, all our contributors have relied heavily on their personal experiences to share ideas for spiritual self-care, especially during the holidays in this challenging year.

How can we connect with God during these stressful times? In Seven Ways to Nourish Your Spirit and Soul, Rebecca Roberts lists practical and simple habits we can cultivate to find the strength to persevere even in the most difficult times.

Have you experienced a Posada? In Las Posadas and the Journey to Bethlehem, Raul Deigo Veizaga explains the cultural significance of this celebration for the Hispanic community, the impact of joyful community gatherings and their unique experience of Christmas. This article is available in English and Spanish.

Perhaps the one thing our souls are collectively longing for at this moment in history is unity. In Wait and Pray, Christopher McNabb raises questions about our values as Christians and Church and asks what it will take for us to turn to Jesus with our body, mind and soul.

What role does community, spiritual discipline and biblical literary play in our overall mental and spiritual wellbeing? In Our Spiritual Evolution, Matthew Cobb delves into each of these essential capacities sharing his personal experience and learnings.

2020 has been a year of challenges certainly, but also a year of resilience, sharing and learning. ECF Vital Practices’ two major resource offerings this year are still available, and I invite you to explore them.

The COVID-19 resource hub we began in March is updated daily and provides resources from across the Church, designed to inform and support us through the current COVID-19 pandemic.

On our Racial Justice resource hub you will find four sections – Read, Watch, Listen and Act, and multiple resources for groups, individuals, children and youth at varying levels of learning and comfort. Our goal is to collect and curate these resources on an ongoing basis, so there are always fresh voices and ideas to learn from. This resource collection is just one part of ECF’s long-term commitment to racial justice.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

The ECF Vital Practices team would like to wish you and your family an extra measure of comfort, hope and love this Christmas season.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECFVP

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Reflections on Change and the Church ECF News: Issue 55 – November 2020 November 18, 2020 Reflections on Change and the Church In a recent interview, Donald Romanik reflects on change and the Church during his fifteen year tenure as the President of the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF). Asked about the future, Donald said, “I think the Church is going to be leaner, more nimble and more relevant to where people are.” Donald also sees a significant role for ECF in shaping the future direction of the Church. “I think this pandemic has created an opportunity for an organization like ECF to be more proactive about helping the church confront some of its issues, whether organizational, leadership, financial, strategic or visioning and planning.” To read more of his reflections, please click here.


Two New Webinars on Systemic Racism and Grief ECF and the Gathering of Leaders (GOL) will co-sponsor a new webinar series by FaithX, starting with a webinar today Wednesday, November 18 from 12:30 pm-1:30 pm ET on Mapping Systemic Racism. In addition, a Community of Hope International (COHI) webinar, Dealing with Loss and Grief in the Midst of a Pandemic, will be held on Wednesday, December 2 from 12 noon - 1 pm ET, produced in collaboration with ECF. Three COHI chaplains will discuss the challenges of the 2020 holiday season and possible interventions through science, faith, and Benedictine Spirituality.		Want a Two-fer? Life income gifts are a great way to double your donor impact. You can support ECF and your other favorite non-profits, and at the same time receive income for life. A charitable gift annuity is just one of the ways to make your donated assets do double work. And you can start with only $5,000. To learn more, email giving@episcopalfoundation.org, or call your friendly partners at ECF at 800-697-2858.


ECF Welcomes Three New Directors The Board of Directors of the Episcopal Church Foundation recently elected three new members: Karla Fernandez Parker from Austin, Texas; Annette Buchanan from Neptune, New Jersey; and Andrea McKellar from John’s Island, South Carolina. Donald Romanik, President of ECF said, “I am pleased to welcome Karla, Annette and Andrea to the ECF board. All three are strong leaders with strategic and visionary minds, years of practical application and service in their fields and in our Church.” Please click here to read more.		A Critical Point for a Changing Church Haley Bankey serves as both Program Director for ECF and Executive Director of Gathering of Leaders. In her role for Gathering of Leaders, a partner of ECF’s, she shares in this piece that the Episcopal Church is not at an inflection point, as some would say, but at a critical point. Haley says, “In math, a critical point of a continuous function is a point at which the derivative is zero or undefined. The ‘ache’ we feel as a church is that we are undefined in this time.” To read more, please click here.


November Vestry Papers: Spiritual Wellbeing With the holidays around the corner, the pandemic still unfolding and divisive tensions around election results, I just want to ask – how are you? If you feel exhausted, stressed out and overwhelmed, please know that you are not alone. This has been a very difficult year, to say the least. I’d like to remind us all to look after ourselves, particularly as we go into traditional times for family gatherings that will look very different this year. In this issue, we bring you ways to prioritize your mental and spiritual health, sharing ideas from our community that can help heal and sustain us and our loved ones in this unusual time. For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF’s mission is more important than ever. As we look to the future of the Episcopal Church, know that ECF will remain an independent 501(c)(3) organization helping you and your congregation face new challenges. Please ensure that your local congregation has received your support, and if you can support another Episcopal institution, please help us form the future of the Church.



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June 10, 2020

Telling Our Story: June 2020 Vestry Papers

Dear Friends,

In a world deeply hurt and divided, one thing we share is stories. Our stories draw us closer together – when we share them, we laugh and celebrate our little joys and we grieve our deep sorrows. Stories can heal, revive communities and build new ones. Stories can teach, inspire and lift us up in strength. There is real power in our stories. How do we tell them through our values, our actions and priorities? In this issue, we share ideas on how stories can be expressed in so many ways with powerful and positive results.

In Episcopal circles, the word ‘Evangelism’ has long been the source of many jokes. In Evangelism – It’s Now or Never, Kenn Katona implores us to get serious about speaking our story and shares some unconventional ideas for inviting people to our communities and churches. This article is available in English and Spanish.

What does it look like to build a brand from the ground up, and what role does it play in creating community? In How Branding Can Help You Tell Your Story Better, Beth Wyndham shares the process she led at St. Nicholas Hill Country Episcopal Church in Spring Branch, Texas, focusing on identity formation, communication and connectedness.

How are we telling stories through our actions, our ministries, our assets and our congregation? In How Do We Tell Our Story?, Demi Prentiss invites us to ponder some questions about communicating as God’s people.

As church, how we raise, spend and steward our money can tell a powerful story about our values. In Growing God’s Work, Connie Rux tells the story of All Saints Episcopal Church in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and how they have adapted through their history to be stewards of God’s many gifts to their community.

ECF Vital Practices offers church leaders the resources and tools they require to respond to the changing needs of the Church. As the Vital Practices team discerns what to highlight and share in our monthly Vestry Papers and other related content, your input as regular readers is extremely valuable. This is especially important now, as our concerns look so different from any other time in recent history. Please help us by filling in this short survey so we can continue to tailor ECF Vital Practices to your specific needs.

ECF continues to provide helpful resources during this time. Please click here for curated COVID-19 resources on prayer, worship, online giving, finance and much more. To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices

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October 7, 2020

Stewardship and Abundance: October 2020 Vestry Papers

Dear Friends,

Stewardship is challenging work every year, but things feel especially difficult for many this year. Are you trying to conduct a stewardship campaign on your own? Are you considering the people and community around you who can be partners in this collaborative work? In this issue we bring you experiences from around the Church that prove stewardship is a team activity every year, but even more so this year.

What does faithful generosity look like during a pandemic? In Stewardship and Abundance During a Pandemic, Mark McKone-Sweet and Demetreus Gregg tell the story of St Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Poway, California, where the realities of this year were no match for the grace and generosity of God’s people.

Anyone in the church can confirm that stewardship is not a solo project. How do we mobilize and inspire stewardship volunteers and encourage collaboration? In Four Ideas for Stewardship Recruitment, Linda Buskirk shares practical ideas that will help transform stewardship ministry at your parish.

Stewardship practices are often deeply rooted and inextricably linked to our culture and traditions. In A Native Sense of Stewardship, Forrest Cuch and Michael Carney give us insight into the generosity of the Utes and their powerful trust in and connection with the Creator.

Money is not the only currency your ministry requires. Are we considering what God’s currencies may be? In Creating Year-round Stewardship with Holy Currencies, Bill Cruse explains key learnings from Eric Law’s Holy Currencies: Six Blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries and the Kaleidoscope Institute’s Stewardship365 curriculum. This article is available in English and Spanish.

FaithX in partnership with the Episcopal Church Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a new Congregational Vitality Assessment Tool (CVA), available at no cost for immediate use. The Congregational Vitality Assessment tool is designed to provide a congregation with an assessment of its Vitality (how healthy it is) and its Sustainability (whether it has the people, financial, and contextual resources necessary to survive). The vitality section carries the bulk of the assessment, measuring ten areas of congregational functioning, such as Vision and Mission, Leadership, Lay Empowerment, Worship, Formation, Stewardship and more. The assessment can be completed by a single congregational leader, a congregational leadership group, or the entire congregation. Learn more here or go directly to the tool here.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECFVP

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June 24, 2020

Not a Challenge But a Gift: Five Resources on Multi-Cultural Congregations

Every month ECFVP offers five resources on a theme. This month we''ve asked The Rev. Sam Dessórdi Peres Leite, who serves as the Senior Priest at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., to choose five resources that resonated with him. Please share this email with new members of your vestry and extend an invitation to subscribe to ECF Vital Practices to receive Vestry Papers and this monthly digest.

Over the years, many people have said to me that multicultural congregations are challenging. In response, I have encouraged them to see diversity as an asset, as a new opportunity, and an element of power to enrich the Beloved Community.

And I speak of diversity not only from the cultural point-of-view but intergenerational and social as well. My current parish has the gifts of being multigenerational and trilingual, a diversity that mixes cultures from the bottom of the South American continent and the Caribbean to parts of Europe. It is a congregation that sits in the heart of the nation’s capital and brings together people who want to make a positive change in our society.

The first half of 2020 has become a season for new opportunities, to reimagine church life and its mission in new ways. Here are five articles I found insightful to my ministry and, perhaps, they will be to yours as well.

Because COVID-19 has changed our way of being church, many of us are still looking for the key elements on which to focus during these days of social distancing. Alan Bentrup on Evangelism, Connection and Our New (Virtual) Reality gave us five thoughts on ways to lower our anxieties about how to minister to our churches.

In a multilingual congregation, some misinformation and miscommunication is to be expected. It is hard to know how to react in the current realm of social media, but Annette Buchanan''s article on Misinformation helps us to speak and share the truth more clearly.

Also from Annette Buchanan’s ministry, I was particularly impressed with her writings about how to engage in the conversation about racial justice in church, which led me to re-read her article, Responding to Injustice. This article has helped me in my own ministry and, even though it is not about today’s events, it offers some ideas on what can be done in the virtual realm. (Spoiler alert: you can also find her most recent article on ECFVP about Inequity and Injustice here.)

Hey! What about children and teens, right? While March and April were months to understand how to redesign the way we worship and how to respond to the pandemic, we are still trying to find ways to support our children and teens during this storm. Summer has arrived and the article, A Different Kind of Vacation Bible School by Liz Perraud, helps us with some excellent ideas for engaging children and their families in conversation about faith without leaving home.

Finally, I highly recommend the article, Icons: One Thousand Painted Prayers by my brother/friend Jemonde Taylor. In the past year my parish has been working on what we call “the Icons of Justice”. The rediscovery of the spirituality embedded in the use of icons to voice our Christian beliefs of justice and peace has been transformational. Ancient iconography is here to teach us to pray using relevant language, symbols and skin colors. Liturgical language must be contextual, and its symbolism must contain elements of social justice. It is part of our inheritance as followers of the Jesus Movement to proclaim that the kingdom of God liberates us from all instruments of death and injustice.

The Rev. Sam Dessórdi Peres Leite serves as the Senior Priest at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. This is not his first multicultural and bilingual parish. His former parish was St. James the Apostle in Oakland, CA. Sam Dessórdi has canonically transferred from the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil while finishing his D.Min. in 2013, Berkeley, CA. In his Master of Theological Studies program, he explored themes on liturgical inculturation and the Daily Office; and his Doctoral degree was focused on the vocation of The Episcopal Church towards the Latino population in the U.S. Currently, he is a member of the diocesan Liturgy Committee. He became an ECF Fellow in 2011.

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ECF Welcomes Three New Directors October 19, 2020 October 19, 2020, New York, NY - The Board of Directors of the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) recently elected three new board members: Karla Fernandez Parker from Austin, Texas, Annette Buchanan from Neptune, New Jersey and Andrea McKellar from John’s Island, South Carolina. Donald V. Romanik, President of ECF said, “I am pleased to welcome Karla, Annette and Andrea to the ECF board. All three are strong leaders with strategic and visionary minds, years of practical application and service in their fields and in our Church. I know that they will bring so much value to ECF as we look to the future and discern who we are and how we are called to serve our Church in this unique time.” Karla Fernandez Parker is a marketing professional specializing in cross-cultural and Hispanic advertising. Her experience spans national, regional and statewide campaigns as well as international. She founded K. Fernandez Marketing 24 years ago, and serves as Managing Director for Sensis in Austin, TX, where she operates a successful office with a variety of active clients in the categories of Higher Education, Not-for-Profit, Healthcare, Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Telecom and Energy/Utilities. She has been a member of the Hispanic Ministries Committee of the Episcopal Church for over 20 years (now known as Latino/Hispanic Ministries), providing marketing planning and social media programs to member parishes including the development of video and social media content. She is a member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Austin, TX, where she plays the guitar at the family service, volunteers for the Mix youth group and for the HS youth group. Annette Buchanan is an experienced non-profit management consultant, specializing in leadership training, strategic planning, consultation and facilitation. Previously she held roles in telecommunication companies beginning her career as a software developer and systems engineer and culminating as the director of technology strategy & development. Annette is the former national president of the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE); past UBE national secretary and Mid-Atlantic regional director and served as the president for the UBE Chapter in the Diocese of New Jersey. In 2015 she was appointed to the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution, and Canons for the Episcopal Church. She is a member of the Client Council of the Church Pension Group and contributes an array of articles to ECF Vital Practices. At St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Asbury Park, N. J., her home parish, she is a member of the vestry and Worship Committee and coordinates the first Sunday Soup Kitchen. She has served as junior warden, chaired the Fundraising, Stewardship, and Building & Grounds Committees and served on search committees for parish rector. Andrea McKellar is the Ministry Developer for the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, a role that encompasses Christian Formation, youth, transition ministry, and leadership development in the diocese. She especially enjoys working with congregations to find a new clergyperson and creative ways to be church in the 21^st century. Currently she serves on the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church; as a Deputy to General Convention, and member of the Episcopal Church Scholarship Committee. Past Church associations include Forma board member, Task Force for Leveraging Social Media for Evangelism, and Standing Commission for Lifelong Christian Formation and Education. Andrea worships at St. Stephen''s Episcopal Church in Charleston where she serves as Digital Ministry Coordinator, a Sunday School teacher, and Christian Formation task force member. Previous parish activities include senior warden, vestry member, Stewardship chair, Christian Formation Director, and Treasurer. ECF’s Board of Directors will convene virtually on November 5-7, 2020, where they will focus on the strategic direction of the organization in this challenging yet promising new landscape, and ECF’s role in transforming ministry for the Church of the future. Communications Contact: Charis Bhagianathan charis@episcopalfoundation.org



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ECF’s Looking to the Future: ECF News: Issue 49 – May 2020 May 13, 2020 ECF’s Looking to the Future Survey These have been difficult and challenging times for everyone, including our local faith communities and their leaders. As the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) continues to develop resources in the coming weeks to help us navigate this new normal, we want to hear from you about what you need and how we can continue to partner and support you. Please help us in this process by participating in this short survey.


Celebrating Partnerships Click here for a message from ECF President Donald V. Romanik about the importance of partnerships. ECF has the privilege of working with several organizations throughout the Church and we are certain that these partnerships will carry us into a hopeful future.		Upcoming webinars Please join us for our upcoming webinars Training for a (Communicator’s) Marathon (May 18) and Future-Focusing Your Church Finances (June 10). All ECF webinars are recorded and available on our website. To view our previously recorded webinars, please click here.


Charitable Gift Annuities (CGAs) for Income Has recent stock market volatility concerned you? Do you have cash earning a low interest rate in a CD or savings account? Are you looking for a way to benefit your parish or favorite Episcopal charity while providing you guaranteed income? If so a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) may be just what you are looking for. Please download ECF’s informative CGA booklet and see how CGAs work here, you can even click on ‘video’ for an informative summary.		Realities of Remote Worship Recently, ECF President Donald V. Romanik participated in a podcast on remote worship with Denver Frederick, the host of The Business of Giving. They talked about how to optimize this possible spiritual awakening, how online worship needs to be so much more than just your normal service online and other issues around this new reality. To listen, click here.


May Vestry Papers: Telling our Story The desire to communicate, to reach out, to share our story and hear those of others has never been greater. What is your story and how are you telling it? What does telling our story mean for us as church, even now, when church looks so different? In this issue, we highlight examples of telling our story as church – a church that is evolving, expressing and inspiring every day. For more articles, blogs and resources, visit ECF Vital Practices.		Make a Gift to ECF ECF’s mission is more important than ever. As we look to the future of the Episcopal Church, know that ECF will remain an independent 501(c)(3) organization helping you and your congregation face new challenges. Please ensure that your local congregation has received your support, and if you can support another Episcopal institution, please help us form the future of the Church.



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May 6, 2020

Telling Our Story: May 2020 Vestry Papers

Dear Friends,

As our time indoors has increased exponentially over the past few weeks, so has both our need and ability for communication. We’re doing more Zoom calls, picking up the phone much more often and many of us are expressing ourselves in other ways as well – writing, painting, singing, even baking!

The desire to communicate, to reach out, to share our story and hear those of others has never been greater. What is your story and how are you telling it? What does telling our story mean for us as church, even now, when church looks so different? In this issue, we highlight examples of telling our story as church – a church that is evolving, expressing and inspiring every day.

How are icons different from images? In Icons: One Thousand Painted Prayers, Jemonde Taylor delves into the world of spiritual iconography and explains how powerfully expressive icons can be in revealing the divine to us and in us.

What does church look like when the communications ministry is viewed as an investment and not an expense? In The Heart of Church is Mission, Edgar Giraldo shares ways the Diocese of Puerto Rico uses communications as a way to further mission. This article is available in English and Spanish.

As we meet more and more in digital spaces, how are we expressing ourselves on social media? In Be Weird, Be True, David Peters encourages us to embrace the vulnerable, weird and joyful parts of our personality as we share our story with the world.

In times of fear and uncertainty, the church is our unchanging foundation. In What Happens When Soccer Practice Comes Back? Pickett Wall ponders how we will continue to be community and share our stories when this season of crisis ends.

ECF continues to provide helpful resources during this challenging time. Click here for curated COVID-19 resources on prayer, worship, online giving, finance and much more. We are also producing several webinars on topics such as Servant Leadership in a Time of Crisis, Dangerous Shortcuts – Keeping Church Finances on a Safe Path and Future-Focusing Your Church Finances.

As we begin to plan more resources for the coming days, we want to hear from you about what your needs are and how we can help. To guide ECF’s strategic direction going forward, please help us by participating in this short survey.

If you need a specific resource or have a question or concern, please send us an email. We are here to support you. The Vital Practices team continues to hold you all in prayer.

Stay well.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECFVP

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May 20, 2020

Five Resources on Equipping Lay Leaders

Every month ECFVP offers five resources on a theme. This month we''ve asked Victor Conrado, Canon for Congregational Vitality and Formation in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, to share five resources that resonated with him. Please find his choices below. Please share this email with new members of your vestry and extend an invitation to subscribe to ECF Vital Practices to receive Vestry Papers and this monthly digest.

As canon for Congregational Vitality and Formation in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, I found the need to engage more and more both clergy and lay leaders in congregational development conversations. We approached this conversation from different perspectives. The most common is one of communicating content, theories. We focus on teaching and it is typically the clergy person who leads the conversation. Teaching is relevant, but just about every environment and program that churches have offered in the past were designed to teach people using one-way communication rather than equipping people with the tools and resources they need to engage the changing and challenging reality around them.

We need to help people move from consuming teaching content to engaging a personal, spiritual, and communal journey to respond to our present and future reality. These five Vital Practices articles helped me start this conversation. The different perspectives presented in them showed real experiences and concrete ways to move from teaching to equipping lay leaders. I hope you find them helpful as we try new experiences and models in our congregations.

Once again, we are facing a significant transition in our institutional church. Once again, we face the choice of opening up our lives to meet people where they are and to invite them to go deeper. In Virtual Evangelism, Linda Buskirk invites us to do just that. Let us embrace our new reality in a way that can keep us in the conversation with fellow parishioners and our communities at large.

In What are you waiting for? Richelle Thompson invites us to reflect on the reality that change comes glacially in most churches, and waiting is part of the process. But she invites us to imagine a waiting that is not passive but active and always open to what God offers to us.

Equipping lay leaders to do ministry is more than just giving them the crumbs that fall off the table. It means that we need to think out-of-the-box to respond pastorally and liturgically to changes in full-time and even part-time clergy availability. In Shared Leadership, Beckett Stokes explains some of these ideas.

In The Art of Organizing, Francisco Garcia reminds us that organizing is about “providing people with the opportunity to become aware of their capabilities and potential.” When thinking about how to equip our lay leaders with the necessary tools to reengage their communities, it is good to remember that they already have the knowledge and skills that we need to undertake our task.

We are aware that not many congregations will continue to exist after COVID-19. We need to help our lay leaders understand their role and leadership is reimagining and reinventing their congregations. In A New Church Begins, Peter Strimer invites us to search for partnerships. We are part of a community, and the community is part of us. We want to encourage and equip our leaders to rethink church, its function, and existence.

The Rev. Canon Victor Conrado serves as the Canon for Congregational Vitality and Formation in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Before being called to this position, he served as Transitional Officer and Associate for Ministries for the Diocese of Chicago. Victor served for six years as Assistant Rector for Latino/Hispanic Language Ministries at St. Mark Episcopal Church, Glen Ellyn, IL. Victor was a Roman Catholic missionary priest for 11 years in Kenya, Africa. He was received into the Episcopal Church in 2011.

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March 4, 2020

Beyond the Red Doors: March 2020 Vestry Papers

Dear Friends,

In a time of consistently declining church numbers, it’s natural to focus on filling the pews. Our vestry meetings are often about brainstorming ways to attract young families or how we will make stewardship season work. In these times, shifting the focus and asking what we can do for our neighborhood and community can be transformational. In this issue we bring you stories of faith in action, of love and generosity and the gift of witnessing God in everyone around us. Have we asked – what is beyond the red doors?

In 1975, a group of compassionate individuals gathered in the basement of Christ Episcopal Church and started something that would change their town. In Neighbor to Neighbor, Margaret Tjimos Goldberg, Bobbi Eggers and Sue Bodson explain the history of the incredible Neighbor to Neighbor organization and how it supports their town of Greenwich.

Are we still tangled in very specific, traditional ways to “do church”? In the podcast Sacred Stories and Listening, Alli Gannett and Karin Hamilton chat with Jane Hale, who explores three neighboring towns in Connecticut, listening to people’s stories and hearing God speak through them.

St. Mary Magdalene in Manor, Texas, is a church that is bursting with new ideas to be Christ’s hands and feet for those around them. In We are SMM, Karen Peña narrates the experience of this inclusive, diverse church family and describes the projects they’ve enthusiastically taken on to serve their community. This article is available in English and Spanish.

How can we equip our churches to serve families and young people in our communities? What can we do to support them? In Be A Blessing for Young Families, Timothy Carr answers these questions and shares practical ideas for supporting families and young people in your community.

Many of our Episcopal institutions exist because past generations cared so much about the future of the Episcopal Church and expressed their caring by creating planned gifts. ECF has provided planned giving services to the Episcopal Church since 1995. We have distributed more than $25 million in planned gifts to Episcopal dioceses, congregations and organizations nationwide, and we manage over $45 million in charitable gifts. To learn more about ECF’s Planned Giving program, click here.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices

Other Tools and Resources

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Saying ‘Yes’

What happens when a church keeps saying “yes?” At St. Francis, their first “yes” 10 years ago has grown into a thriving ministry and relationship between their congregation and the many refugees who live in their neighborhood.

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Small Offering, Big Fruits

Our small offering has born surprisingly big fruit in a short time. We have been given a chance to bear witness, to speak publicly of God’s love and the wideness of God’s mercy. Pretty good for a little church and ten parking spaces.

Vestry papers

The Vital Outreach and Evangelism Connection

We’ve often been told that actions speak louder than words, but sometimes saying the words is necessary. In The Vital Outreach and Evangelism Connection, Frank Logue shares personal experiences that illuminate why it’s important.

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Redefining Outreach

The heads and heartstrings of many Episcopalians are being tugged toward action for racial reconciliation, social justice, addressing poverty, or determining how our congregations can be more obvious participants in the Jesus movement.

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ECF Vestry Papers on Racial Justice and Reconciliation – Coming in July June 1, 2020 Dear Friends, While the current pandemic has impacted all of us, the negative effects of COVID-19 are significantly more pronounced in communities of color in all aspects of life - health, employment, schooling and food security. Current data reveals that black and Latino populations are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. Millions of our fellow Americans do not have the luxury of working from home or sheltering in place and are trying to navigate this crisis without the basics we often take for granted. Sadly, these are communities for whom life in this country has been consistently hard and unjust. The current situation has simply laid bare the systemic inequities that already existed. Last week, we woke to a deeply disturbing video of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis. About a month ago, we witnessed the tragic death of Ahmaud Arbery, a young black man in Brunswick, Georgia, out on his daily jog, being fatally shot by two white men. These incidents inform us yet again, of the injustices that our black and brown siblings live through every single day - injustices that put their very lives in peril. Historically, the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) has not actively addressed or engaged with issues of race and I apologize for this glaring omission. It is never too late to begin the hard work of dismantling racism and ECF wants to begin this work now by creating a space to listen, learn and share together on this critical topic. To that end, in July and August, our monthly publication Vestry Papers will showcase authors from around our Church, writing on the themes of racial justice, healing and reconciliation, and building Beloved Community. We realize that this issue may be challenging for many of us to read and that the questions raised may make some of us feel uncomfortable. I ask you to approach this issue with an open mind and an open heart because there is no more pressing time in our history to lay bare the truth and stand together in our common humanity. I hope and pray that this work will spark conversations, and more importantly mobilize actions, that help bring about understanding, healing and respect, and a future that is bright for all God’s children. For ongoing ECF resources including webinars, blogs and articles, please visit our Vital Practices COVID-19 Resource Hub. Feel free to reach out to us at any time – we are here to support you. Faithfully, Donald V. Romanik



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August 5, 2020

Racial Justice and Reconciliation: August 2020 Vestry Papers

Dear Friends,

Here we are in August, still in the middle of a pandemic and still uncertain about what lies ahead. We are anxious about re-opening, we’re scared for our children, our teachers, our healthcare workers, our families – the list goes on and on. And while there is clearly so much that occupies our minds and hearts, we cannot press pause on our pursuit for racial justice. Whatever our future holds, we must be quite clear that we will not return to a place of injustice and hatred. We must not return to systems that benefit one and oppress another. We are all longing for some kind of ‘return’ but let us work to ensure that our return is to a place that upholds the dignity, celebrates the life and gives every opportunity to communities of color.

There is so much work to be done, and I know how weary we all are, dear friends. And so I encourage us to resist, rest and reset. Our journey towards a just future for people of color has only just begun. Remember this is a marathon (not a sprint), so we need to train our minds, nourish ourselves and recuperate so we can keep going. In this issue, we bring you powerful voices sharing their deeply personal stories on racial justice, healing and reconciliation. As these writers open up their hearts and lives to us, let us honor them by thoughtfully listening, learning and then taking action.

Asian-Americans have long been hailed as a ‘model-minority’ in the United States, but that certainly hasn’t shielded them from suffering incredibly hateful and violent acts of racism. In In This Moment, Heidi J. Kim shares her experience with racism in this country and her commitment to the Black Lives Matter movement. This article is available in English and Spanish.

What can white persons do to actively participate in the movement to dismantle racism? In The Messy Business of Being White, Anna Olson shares the story her own childhood through the lens of race, and then lists helpful practices that white people can implement in their lives today to make a difference. This article is available in English and Spanish.

While this year has stolen much from many of us, it has also pulled the curtain back on the broken systems and exploitative cultures we have lived with for years. In Unprecedented Times, Isaiah ‘Shaneequa’ Brokenleg questions our desire to ‘return to normal’ and sheds light on how this is an opportunity to course-correct and build a society based on love and justice for and by all. This article is available in English and Spanish.

Racism exists in every space we inhabit, even in our beloved Episcopal Church. In More Than A Black Thing, Kim L. Coleman takes us through her experience of becoming and being seen as a black Episcopal priest in a ‘white’ church, explaining why inclusion doesn’t necessarily mean acceptance, and the role of the Union of Black Episcopalians in this important work.

How is a young, black woman perceived in our Church and world? In Triple Threat, Adialyn Milien asks us to think about what it truly means to ‘welcome all’ and explains how our comfort and desire to maintain status quo is in the way of creating and provoking lasting change. This article is available in English and Spanish.

What tools can we offer our communities to help open their hearts and minds to honest dialogue on racial justice? In Antiracism as a Developmental Effort, Alissa Newton and Arienne Davison tell us about their work in the Intercultural Development Continuum and how it prepares individuals for understanding how people perceive their own cultures, those of others and how to respond to the differences in positive ways.

The Vital Practices team is pleased to share that our Racial Justice, Healing and Reconciliation resource page is now live. On it you will find four sections – Read, Watch, Listen and Act, and multiple resources for groups, individuals, children and youth at varying levels of learning and comfort. Our goal is to collect and curate these resources on an ongoing basis, so there are always fresh voices and ideas to learn from. This resource collection is one part of ECF’s long-term commitment to racial justice, and we will share other ways we are continuing this important work in the coming weeks. If you have a relevant resource to share, please send it to editor@episcopalfoundation.org

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECFVP

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January 6, 2021

Being Church In A Pandemic: January 2021 Vestry Papers

Dear Friends,

As we’re drawing close to almost a year of experiencing the most severe pandemic of our lifetime, what learnings have we gleaned as Christians during this time? In this issue, we bring you lessons and experiences from across the Church on how we are exploring, adapting and even transforming our ministry in the face of this most challenging period in our lives.

What is the value in acknowledging, tending to and addressing our weariness? In Acknowledging the Body’s Weariness, Lisa G. Fischbeck reflects on the first eight months of the pandemic, sharing how her church community found ways to support and lift up one another during this time.

Is your first virtual annual meeting coming up? In Annual Meetings Go Virtual, Greg Syler lists all the ways to embrace the positives of this format and make the most of this new reality as you plan your next online annual meeting.

One of the most ravaging effects of this ongoing pandemic is the exposure and creation of extreme financial vulnerability. In Financial Interconnectedness Amidst COVID-19, Miguel Escobar revisits history to reveal what it means to build meaningful relationships across the financial divide and lists practical steps for the modern Church to focus on economic justice. This article is available in English and Spanish.

What does leadership look like in a pandemic? In Leading In a Pandemic, Mary Kate Rejouis shares her personal experience of this time as priest and mother, focusing on three ideas – freedom, transparency and humility, and how they sustained her during this period.

How much has the pandemic altered how you worship and study and pray together? Possibly a whole lot. In Called To A New Land Susan Elliott interviews Julie Lytle who explains how being forced to rethink communications and community is a great and unexpected gift.

Do you find Vestry Papers helpful to your work and ministry? Have you subscribed to receive all our other free resources? Please subscribe to ECF Vital Practices for upcoming issues, blogs, webinars, digests and much more.

Do you have an interesting story to share about how your church is doing ministry during this time? We would love to hear it and share it with our community. If you have a story to share, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Have a blessed New Year!

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices

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