Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs

April 17, 2014

Wine and Design

How can a congregation reclaim a sense of activism in the face of worry?

Cinda Lavely, ECF Financial Resources consultant, works with parishes wrestling with discernment. She writes:

“What can we do?” I hear this all the time, and with it comes a fog of worry – a bottomless question without a safe answer. Parishes are always confronted by the seeming vastness of their challenges, and know they must be inclusive in finding their solutions.

"St. Nicholas-on-Hudson in New Hamburg, New York, decided to bring this problem back to basics. While discerning what their parish was called be and how their building could best serve the congregation, it became apparent that their tiny undercroft could probably be redesigned to be more efficient and space-conscious. But there were a wide variety of ideas on how to use the space.

"Their solution? The planning committee invited the parish to a night of “Wine & Design.”

"Graph-paper copies of the footprint of the undercroft were prepared for people to sketch on. Delicious beverages and light snacks were provided. An architect from the congregation was on hand to answer questions, in case anyone wanted to, say, move a load-bearing wall.
The result was delightful.

"It was the perfect intersection of relaxation and creativity from a growing parish who, in many ways, longed for chances to learn from each other without being didactic. Over the course of three months, St. Nick’s held two more of these gatherings and by then, there was great optimism about what the undercroft could become.

"By opening up the event to the parish, the planning committee created a warm and steady flow of ideas coming in from all sides. By adding refreshments, they took away the pressure to consider only “realistic” solutions. And, by putting tools into people’s hands, they made “what can we do?” into a simple project, not an impossible question. The evening produced lively conversation, interesting ideas, and best of all, a sense of empowerment."