Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

The words leapt out at me, challenging my understanding of what was happening at Boston University. Were they actually doing what the headline promised (providing authentic Asian cuisine to students) or where they planning to as suggested by the phrase: “…aims to serve traditional Asian cuisine.”

Words matter. A familiar adage tells us “actions speak louder than words.” Yet when we rely on words to describe what’s important to us as a congregation, I believe it is important to use words that accurately describe not only what we believe or what we intend to do, but also what we are actually doing.

As congregations, we often share our intentions in the form of a mission or vision statement. These are often found on the home page or the About Us pages on our websites. Before starting this post, I took a quick look at ECFVP’s About Us page and was pleased to find the words “offers” and “explores.”

In fairness to Boston University, I returned to the article, and learned, through examples, photos, and quotes from students from Asia, that the headline was accurate. The “showing” or story sharing aspect of the article offered rich examples of how BU was living up to its promise to provide more authentically Asian cuisine to its students.

Stories are a powerful tool for modeling our faith. Is story sharing a part of your congregation? Do you want to incorporate story telling but aren’t sure how to get started? These resources might help. 

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