Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

I’ve been thinking about summer camp. My earliest memories of camp are as a toddler. My grandmother directed the local Girl Scout day camp; I recall being on the beach at Lake Quannapowitt as campers prepared for their swimming lessons and have brief images in my mind of the inside of the cabin at Camp Sanders as well as the road leading to the camp from a local park. My camping days continued as I progressed through day camp, overnight camp, and later served as camp counselor, swimming instructor, and eventually camp director.

Camp helped form me. To this day, I have strong affection for many of my camp friends (some of whom I am still in touch with) and also, strong affection for the many women who served as camp counselors. While I don’t remember many of their names, I do remember the skills they taught me and the way they made me feel: strong, confident, loved.

This month Vestry Papers continues our theme of “Connecting Generations.” Our congregations abound with stories of ministries in which people of all ages come together to serve God and their communities. I’ve selected four of my favorites to share with you:

• Our youngest contributor, Ryan Mahoney, shares how a ministry grew from one congregation’s wish 10 years ago to provide bicycles to children at Christmas to “Adopt-A-Family Bikes,” an intergenerational and community wide effort that provided over 250 bikes as Christmas gifts last year for families in need of assistance.
• In “Multigenerational Reading Camp,” Allison Duvall also shares a story of a 10-year-old ministry, which has spread from a one-week camp serving 32 campers to nine locations throughout central, southeastern, and northern Kentucky. Keeping our commitment to offer more Vestry Papers resources in Spanish, this article is presented in both English and Spanish.
• “Care for the Troops” by Robert Certain offers resources to congregations interested in supporting active military and veterans of the current and past conflicts and their families.
• In “Filling the Void,” the time in which families with recently baptized children disappear from parish life, Valerie Bailey Fischer shares the pipeline model she uses to help congregational leaders develop strategies to attract and support young families.

What each of these stories has in common is the way they invite people into community. Whether people are working together to repair bikes, teach reading, support our veterans, or offering resources to young families, people of many ages are connecting through a shared interest. And, by inviting people to join together in service for others, we offer a safe way for newcomers to learn about our congregation and our faith.

I invite you to share your stories showcasing the ways your congregation fosters connections between people of different generations and the impact it has had on both congregational vitality and growth. Please post your stories on the ECF Vital Practices Facebook page or share your stories through the Your Turn section of ECF Vital Practices. You can also send me your story as a potential guest blog: ndavidge@episcopalfoundation.org.