Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

L to R: Jo Ann Roberts, Toni Daniels, The Rev. Tim Murray, Devorah Crable, The Rev. Cynthia Rigali-Lund, Tom Lund, Yvonne Lembo, Donald V. Romanik, Ann Ryan, Margaret Romanik, Cecelia Mowatt, The Rev. Matthew Hanisian and Sr. Warden, Gary Martin in Chicago, IL.

I announced my retirement as president of the Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) in November 2023, effective at the end of 2024. Yvonne Lembo, our Director of Development, and I considered how to commemorate this transition year, especially since 2024 also marked the 75th Anniversary of ECF. We decided on a five-city farewell tour nicknamed “Faithfully Yours.” We selected venues in Austin, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Chicago and decided that the main purpose of these events would be to thank donors, clients, constituents, and friends for their loyal support of both ECF and me over the last 19 years.

The tour generated a lot of buzz throughout the church and at times I thought of myself as an aging performer on his last concert tour. “Faithfully Yours” exceeded my expectations. While the number of guests varied from site to site depending on location, conflicting events, weather, and even traffic, everyone who came expressed their gracious, generous, and enthusiastic appreciation for the ministry of ECF and for my leadership. It was truly gratifying and turned out to be a perfect way to celebrate the last year of my tenure.

While these events were not designed to have long speeches or a formal program, I did have a chance to reflect and share thoughts about my legacy and, more importantly, the impact ECF continues to have on The Episcopal Church. I have been struck by the profound transitions that have occurred in the church since I started in 2005 and how ECF has always managed to respond to these changing circumstances. Some of our programs have grown over the years like Endowment Management, Vestry Papers (Vital Practices) and the Fellowship Partners Program. Others were conceived as pilot initiatives, addressed contextual needs for a time, and morphed into new iterations and approaches. Everything we do, however, has been the result of a thoughtful, prayerful and strategic process
discerning how ECF can best live into our mission to lead Episcopal faith communities into the future as a partner in transforming ministries.

There is a lot of anxiety in the church right now as in society as a whole. The church continues to experience numerical decline, and our lay and clergy leaders struggle with challenges around vitality, sustainability, and relevance. Nevertheless, ECF has always avoided the temptation to seek and promote magic bullets that attempt to solve these systemic and even existential issues, because they simply do not exist. The only thing we can truly rely on is our faith and trust in the resurrection of Jesus. Discipleship does not come easy. It is a life-long journey that is only realized with perseverance and hope. And that’s what ECF continues to be about – walking alongside local faith communities as they discern how best to follow Jesus and actively engage in God’s mission in the world.

I have been honored and privileged to be president of this remarkable organization and truly cherish all the colleagues and friends who have supported me along the way. I am confident that under new leadership and with your support, ECF will continue to be a significant force for vitality, innovation, and change throughout The Episcopal Church. I enter this next phase of my journey called retirement with a profound sense of gratitude, wonder, and joy. God bless you all.