Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

I want to make the world better. I want to help alleviate poverty and care for the planet and stand against injustice. I also want to watch television. The problem is that it’s a lot easier to watch television than do any other of those things. Which is why I need help.

On Saturday, I met with some friends, several of them from my church, to discuss what we could do about climate change and care for the environment. This issue has been on my mind, but I have felt overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start, and there were many other things to fill my time. Gathering with other members of my community was the first step.

My community can also help keep me accountable. Without a community it’s easy to get caught up in our daily lives—going to work, making dinner, seeing friends, all important things—and neglect our calling to serve people who are poor or considered outcasts. As the body of Christ, we can help each other do good.

Many churches do this, through soup kitchens and other service programs. We should also be talking about poverty and justice, consistently and frequently, as Jesus did. From the pulpit and in our meetings we should be reminding ourselves about the plight of hunger in America and those suffering around the world.

These problems are big and complex. Each church and individual may have a different part to play, but we should never let each other forget that this is a central part of the mission of the church. The church doesn’t have to solve these problems. It can’t. But we can help each other do good by supporting each other in our work and being the voice of Christ to each other.

As the leadership of the church, are we helping members of the community to do good? Are we keeping each other accountable? Are we the prophetic voice pushing each other to do God’s good works in the world?